Analytics, News, and Forecasts for CFD Markets: stock news — 28-01-2013.

European stocks were little changed near a 23-month high as U.S. reports showed that durable-goods orders increased in the world’s largest economy while pending sales of houses declined.

SBM Offshore NV (SBMO) rose 3.4 percent after Morgan Stanley raised its recommendation for the stock. Debenhams Plc (DEB), the second-largest U.K. department-store chain, dropped 2.9 percent after Morgan Stanley cut its rating of the shares.

The Stoxx 600 slipped 0.1 percent to 289.36 at the close.

Orders for durable goods in the U.S., the European Union’s largest trading partner, climbed 4.6 percent in December, a Commerce Department report in Washington showed. Economists survey had forecast a gain of 2 percent.

A separate release from the National Association of Realtors showed its index of contracts for the purchase of previously owned homes fell 4.3 percent to 101.7 last month after a revised 1.6 percent increase in the prior month. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey projected no change in the gauge.

Chinese industrial companies’ profits rose 17 percent to 895 billion yuan ($144 billion) in December from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday in Beijing.

National benchmark indexes gained in 11 of the 18 western European markets.

FTSE 100 6,294.41 +9.96 +0.16% CAC 40 3,780.89 +2.73 +0.07% DAX 7,833 -24.97 -0.32%

SBM Offshore gained 3.4 percent to 12.01 euros, a four- month high. The largest maker of floating oil-and-gas platforms was raised to equal weight, a rating similar to neutral, from underweight at Morgan Stanley.

ASML Holding NV added 2.8 percent to 56.23 euros, the highest price since it sold shares to the public in March 1995. Europe’s largest semiconductor-equipment supplier was raised to buy from neutral at Citigroup Inc, citing limited risk associated with capital spending by ASML’s customers.

TNT Express NV advanced 3.3 percent to 5.69 euros after UBS AG upgraded the shares to buy from neutral. The Dutch delivery company’s new management will swiftly act to fix or sell its Brazilian and Chinese operations, UBS said.

Debenhams dropped 2.9 percent to 102.2 pence as Morgan Stanley cut its recommendation on the shares to equal weight from overweight. The brokerage lowered its rating on the U.K. general retail industry to “cautious” and said analysts’ estimates for the industry’s profit growth in 2013 are too high.

U.S. stock futures rose as orders for durable goods climbed last month and Caterpillar Inc. reported profits that topped estimates.
Shares of Caterpillar rose after predicting “better growth” in the second half. The company also said that production will decline this quarter until inventories more closely match demand from customers.

Global Stocks:

Upgrade:
Procter & Gamble (PG) upgraded from Neutral to Buy at B. Riley Caris Upgrade. Target raised from $72 to $88.
Facebook (FB) upgraded from Mkt Perform to Outperform at Raymond James

Downgrade:
Ford Motor (F) downgraded from Neutral to Underperform at Buckingham Research

European stocks were little changed near a 23-month high as investors awaited reports on American durable-goods orders and pending house sales.

Orders for durable goods probably climbed in December, showing U.S. manufacturing stabilized following a mid-year slump, according to economists before a report at 8:30 a.m. in Washington. Separately, the National Association of Realtors may say its index of pending sales of houses rose 0.1 percent last month after increasing 1.7 percent the prior month.

Chinese industrial companies’ profits rose 17 percent to 895 billion yuan ($144 billion) in December from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday in Beijing.

SBM Offshore gained 3.5 percent to 12.01 euros, a four- month high. The largest maker of floating oil-and-gas platforms was raised to equal weight, a rating similar to neutral, from underweight at Morgan Stanley.

Debenhams Plc, the second-largest U.K. department-store chain, dropped 3.7 percent to 101.4 pence. Morgan Stanley cut its recommendation on the shares to equal weight from overweight. The brokerage lowered its rating on the U.K. general retail industry to “cautious” and said analysts’ estimates for the industry’s profit growth in 2013 are too high.

Most Asian shares outside Japan rose after Chinese industrial profits increased for a fourth month. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average, which on Jan. 25 capped its longest streak of weekly gains in more than 40 years, fell as Fanuc Corp. and Hitachi High-Technologies Corp. cut profit forecasts.

Nikkei 225 10,824.31 -102.34 -0.94%

Hang Seng 23,671.88 +91.45 +0.39%

S&P/ASX 200 Closed

Shanghai Composite 2,346.51 +55.20 +2.41%

Anhui Conch Cement Co. led increases among Chinese makers of the material in Hong Kong after Shenyin & Wanguo Securities Co. recommended the sector.

Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. both climbed more than 3.5 percent on a report China may lift a ban on imports of game consoles.

Fanuc and Hitachi High-Tech each slumped more than 6.6 percent in Tokyo.

Asian stocks rose as declines in Japanese consumer prices added to the case for more monetary stimulus, boosting the Topix Index to cap its longest weekly winning streak in 40 years. Shares also gained after U.S. jobless claims fell to a five-year low.

Nikkei 225 10,926.65 +305.78 +2.88%

Hang Seng 23,580.43 -18.47 -0.08%

S&P/ASX 200 4,835.17 +24.95 +0.52%

Shanghai Composite 2,291.3 -11.29 -0.49%

Sony Corp. rose 8.5 percent in Tokyo on a report it may sell its lithium battery business.

Karoon Gas Australia Ltd. (KAR) gained 14 percent after the explorer said it discovered oil in Brazil.

Great Eagle Holdings Ltd. added 14 percent after the real estate company proposed a spin-off of its Hong Kong hotels.

Samsung Electronics Co. dropped 2.5 percent to its lowest close since Nov. 30 after warning the South Korean currency’s strength will hurt future earnings.

European stocks posted a weekly gain, rising to a 23-month high, as German investor confidence climbed to the highest in 2 1/2 years and U.S. lawmakers voted to temporarily suspend the government’s borrowing limit.

In Germany, investor confidence increased to a 2 1/2-year high in January. The ZEW Center for European Economic Research in Mannheim said its index of investor and analyst expectations climbed to 31.5 from 6.9 in December.

A measure of euro-area services and manufacturing output contracted at a slower pace this month than economists had estimated. A composite index based on a survey of purchasing managers in both industries rose to 48.2 from 47.2 in December, Markit Economics said. A reading below 50 indicates that activity shrank.

The European Central Bank said financial firms will repay more of its emergency three-year loans than forecast in another sign the region’s debt crisis is abating. Some 278 financial institutions will return 137.2 billion euros ($185 billion) on Jan. 30, the first opportunity for early repayment of the initial three-year loan, compared with the median projection of 84 billion euros in a survey of economists.

National benchmark indexes rose in 16 of the 18 western European markets this week. France’s CAC 40 added 1 percent and Germany’s DAX Index gained 2 percent. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index advanced 2.1 percent even as Britain’s economy shrank a more- than-forecast 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter.

Unilever advanced 4.3 percent in London trading to the highest level since at least 1988. The consumer-goods company reported revenue growth that beat estimates for a third straight quarter, led by gains in North and South America and demand for personal-care products.

EasyJet surged 8.4 percent, its biggest increase in nine weeks. The discount airline rose to its highest price since its initial public offering in November 2000 after saying quarterly sales increased 9.2 percent.

Rightmove Plc rallied 7.2 percent, its biggest weekly advance in 17 months, as analysts at Barclays Plc and UBS AG recommended the shares. The owner of the U.K.’s largest residential property website said the number of sellers coming to market this month is 22 percent higher than a year ago.

Monte Paschi, the world’s oldest bank, sank 12 percent for the biggest drop since July. Italy’s central bank said Jan. 23 that the lender hid documents from regulators on deals that may prompt the bank to restate profit.

Nokia Oyj slid 7 percent after the phone maker reported a seventh straight drop in quarterly revenue and said it will omit a dividend for the first time in at least 14 years.

U.S. stocks rose, giving the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index its longest winning streak since 2004, as Starbucks Corp. and Procter & Gamble Co. reported increased profit and German business confidence beat forecasts.

According to published data, the IFO index of business confidence in Germany in January was 104.2 points, beating the average analyst expectations at 103.0 points, which showed signs of recovery in growth in Europe's largest economy.

Also supported investor sentiment data from the ECB, which showed that 278 EU banks will return 137 160 000 000 euros, issued in the first three-year LTRO (it was expected that the refund amount will be 100 billion euros).

Today before the opening of the major U.S. stock exchanges its financial data for the last quarter were presented by Procter & Gamble (PG, +4,02%). The company's profit and revenue for the most recent reporting quarter was higher than average expectations of market participants, also were increased forecasts for 2013 fiscal year.

Were also strong quarterly figures from Starbucks - operator of the world's largest coffee-shop chain Starbucks increased its market capitalization by 4.10% after it reported an increase in net profit in the first fiscal quarter from $ 382.1 million a year earlier to $ 432.2 million with This comparable sales increased by 7%, exceeding the forecast at average 5.9% growth rate.

Negative impact on the index have reported falling sales of equipment from Caterpillar Inc. (CAT, -1.06%). According to its dealers, at the end of the world in December sales fell by 1%, while sales in the Asia-Pacific region fell by 7%.

The pressure on the index also had published data on home sales in the primary market in the U.S., which were worse than expected.

The fact that the indices are at multi-year highs (DOW and S & P), provokes some investors to take profits ahead of the weekend. It also limits the growth indices.

Most of the components of the index rose DOW (23 of 30). Leader was led Procter & Gamble Co. (PG, +4.02%). More than 1% by the end of trading the shares lost Caterpillar Inc. (CAT, -1.06%) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT, -1.13%).

All sectors of the S & P rose, the maximum growth was consumer goods sector (+0.8%) and health (0.8%).

Favorable report on quarterly earnings and sales exceeded the expectations of the market, has led to higher prices for second-largest in the world oil services company Halliburton to 5.05%.

At the close:

S & P 500 1,502.96 +8.14 +0.54%

NASDAQ 3,149.71 +19.33 +0.62%