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Companies and financial firms on a buyout spree pushed the 2006 global merger tally to record US$3.5 trillion, and the prospect of so much cash, and debt financing, at the ready propped up the US stock market in November 2006 in sectors touched by the buyout boom. On the other hand, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold's US26 billion-dollar offer to buy rival Phelps Dodge would include US$88 in cash plus 0.67 of a share of its stock for each Phelps share, which is a 33% premium for Phelps shareholders.

Stocks are listed alphabetically, and are overall the most actively traded and largest on this exchange.

The spectre of a double dip recession has ended as August 2010 comes around. The outlook of the shares of auto parts maker and meter manufacturer Itron is discussed along with the highlights and figures of the U.S. stock market for the week ended July 30, 2010.

Three out of four companies were able to beat profit projections but company forecasts remain cautious. Goldman Sachs' settlement of its fraud case allowed them to avoid an admission of guilt but has raised questions about CEO Lloyd Blankfein's staying on in his job. There is a good chance that dividend taxes will rise.

Stocks have lost 16% between April 2010 and July 2010 as investors worry about a second recession. Europe has even outperformed the U.S. stock market in the quarter ending June 2010. The state of the real estate industry and the prospects of People's United Financial's shares after the resignation of CEO Philip Sherringham is also discussed.

The stock market rebounded from its lower level of 2010 for the week ending June 11, 2010. A screen of tech companies that have a lot of cash and are likely to buy back stocks bring up Teradyne, Priceline, and Expedia. The fight over pharmacy benefits between Walgreen and CVS Caremark and its effect on its stocks is discussed.

Allergan's first quarter eye-care product sales grew 8% while their Botox treatments grew by 11%. The shares boasts of 19% profit margins and their prospects look bright if Botox is approved as a treatment for migraines. The highlights of the U.S. stock markets for the week ending May 14, 2010 are discussed.

The stock market experienced its worst loss in three months for the week ending April 30, 2010 despite clear indications that the U.S. is out of the recession. The oil spill off of Louisiana has driven the price of crude oil to $86 a barrel. The prospects of the shares of Devon Energy and Goldcorp are also discussed.

The fraud case against Goldman Sachs is blamed for the 1.6% pullback in the U.S. stock market but stock's long climb may also have been the cause. The performance and prospects of hospital stocks are also discussed.

The highlights of the U.S. stock markets for the week ending April 2, 2010 are discussed. The concerns about McKesson's attempt at a risible acquisition and its effect on their stocks and the performance of Brunswick and Winnebago's shares are discussed.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at a fresh 52-week after an eight-day rally. The shares of Western Union are cheap and could benefit as the economic recovery matures. The highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week ending March 19, 2010 are discussed.

Teva Pharmaceutical's pursuit of Ratiopharm is being increasingly thwarted by rival suitors that include Pfizer. Kimberly-Clark boosted their dividends for the 38th consecutive year but investors may want to wait for the March 22, 2010 meeting before buying shares. The highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week ending March 5, 2010 is discussed.

The first stock-market correction of 2010 has been mild and it began when the Federal Reserve raised the interest rate for emergency loans for banks. The prospects of Priceline, Stryker, Zimmer, and Smith & Nephew's shares are also discussed.

Stocks fell for the fourth straight week by February 5, 2010 and swelling corporate profits are already counted in the stock market. The spinoff of the Madison Square Garden by Cablevision and its new shares and Eastman Kodak's first quarterly profits in over a year and their share performance are also discussed.

The factors that contributed to the 5.1 percent pullback in the U.S. stock market in the week ending January 22, 2010 are discussed. The performance of airline stocks and Warner Chilcott's shares are also discussed.

China could one day transform its shortage of refined oil into surplus as the government becomes adamant in boosting refining capacity and this could transform the global oil-refining industry. The performance of the U.S. stock market for the week ending January 8, 2010 is discussed.

Standard & Poor's 500 breaches the 1121 threshold which is the midpoint between the 2007 peak and its 2009 low. The market outlooks issued at the start of 2009 are reviewed as well as the performance of Apple's shares.

The stock market's nine-month rally is maturing and defensive health-care sector stocks have climbed 7.6% and this could be seen as signs of broadening rally or a warning of leadership fatigue. Investment firm CEO Mark Phelps' stock picks include Yum! Brands, PepsiCo, Becton Dickson, and Procter & Gamble.

The U.S. stock market's movements after news of Dubai's debt crunch is discussed. U.S. malls are nearly 20 percent vacant but one analyst says that these stores may not be overbuilt as much as they are 'underdemolished' as stores will need to shutter 250 to 300 million square feet of retail acreage to cut vacancy rates to 12 percent.

With the 58 percent rise in stocks in a span of seven months suggests that the bulls are already on borrowed time. One analyst believes that financial stocks could struggle in this recovery cycle. The prospects of the shares of Nike are also discussed.

A correction in the stock-market in September 2009 would be a self-fulfilling prophecy but the data has not cooperated. The prospects of the shares of KKR Financial are also discussed.

The stock market's easiest gains have likely passed but the low investor confidence suggests buying power has yet to peak and could still grow as confidence increases. China's stocks have fallen 20 percent for August 2009 and China's correction could be a preview of the U.S. The prospects of the shares of Harman International are also discussed.

The 247,000 job cuts in July 2009 are far fewer than expected which pushed stocks to their highest level in 10 months in the first week of August 2009. Financial stocks are up 10.4 percent in August with AIG climbing 72 percent. The prospects of the shares of California Pizza Kitchen and Einstein Noah are also discussed.

The five straight down days leading up to July 10, 2009 in the U.S. stock market reminds one strategist of 1982 when there was a feeling that things could never be the same again. One analyst is bullish on the stocks of Apple Inc. and sees the stocks rising to at least 180 in 12 months. The prospects of the shares of GM and Ford are also discussed.

The stock market's 40 percent rise leading up to the end of June 2009 has made buyers hold back. The rising yields on 10-year Treasuries and its effect on the U.S. dollar, China Petrochemical's acquisition of Addax Petroleum, and the prospects of Accenture's shares are discussed.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index has closed within just 1 percent of 940 and a clear break above the 944 and 956 level will trigger short covering and draw investors from the sidelines. Treasury yields have doubled to 4 percent which could snuff out recovery due to the higher borrowing costs. Shares of various drug companies are discussed as the industry faces health care reform.

Stocks of J.M. Smuckers has not fully participated with the market rally due to peanut product recalls that hurt sales of related product and lower guidance for the fiscal year which ended April 2009. Return on equity at some big pharmaceutical companies was driven by lower shareholder equity. Highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week ending May 29, 2009 are discussed.

U.S. companies sold $34 billion worth of shares which forced stocks down just 5 percent for the week ending May 15, 2009. Wal-Mart Stores bought 19.2 million of its own shares and its shares are trading at just 13.4 times which is a bargain for these shares.

The anticipation of possible growth by 2010 propelled U.S. stocks to their best two month gain since 1975 for the week ending May 1, 2009. The most economically sensitive stocks bore the burden of this rising expectations.

Stocks have risen 29 percent from March 9 to April 17, 2009 and the Dow has not declined for more than two consecutive days in almost seven weeks. Trends in the first quarter earnings reports of U.S. companies are also discussed.

Even skeptics are watching for signs for gathering momentum that the stock market rally in the week ending March 13, 2009 could be sustained. The prospects of the shares of Dolby Laboratories and the performance of banking stocks for this week are discussed.

The mounting pace of reform after Barack Obama's ascension to the presidency has failed to slow the decline in the stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 303 points to 7063 for the week ending February 27, 2009. The performance of health care industry stocks as well as other stocks during this week are discussed.

Technology stocks saw some gains as seen in the PowerShares QQQ exchange traded funds which could be the economic recovery that the market is looking for. The performance of the shares of Hershey's, American Italian Pasta, and CVS Caremark as well as the highlights of the stock market for the week ending Feb. 13, 2009 are discussed.

Stocks suffered their worst January on record in 2009 but investors have started moving money from defensive shelters to riskier segments that could benefit from a recovery. The prospects of the shares of armored truck provider Brink's Co. and lawn-care company Scotts Miracle-Gro are discussed.

Financial stocks dragged the broader market lower as big banks such as Bank of America and Citigroup report losses. The shares of trucking companies have increased 43 percent since late November 2008 but there is a grim outlook for these companies as Americans continue to temper their consumption. Warburg Pincus' higher stake in Nuance Communications is also discussed.

The amount of money in money-market funds surpassed that in stock mutual funds as of the end of November 2008. The longevity of the stock market rally in early January 2009 will be depend on the ability of the stock market to attract this cache of capital. The performance of Apple's shares and the highlights of the U.S. stock market in the week ending January 2, 2009 are also discussed.

The shares of Hartford Financial doubled as its CEO raised their profit forecast and assured investors that they have enough capital while the co-operative structure that allows Sysco to defer certain tax payments could hold back the shares of Sysco. The highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week ended December 5, 2008 are discussed.

Stocks rebounded by around six percent after news that Timothy Geithner would be nominated to be the new U.S. Treasury secretary. Citigroup's shares finished at around 3.77 as it suffers from continuing fears as to their ability to cover possible losses on so-called 'toxic' assets. New stock buybacks slipped almost 90 percent for the 10 days ended Nov. 19, 2008 from the Nov. to Dec. 2007 figures.

The November 4, 2008 election saw a rally in the U.S. stock market but was followed by a two-day 10 percent decline in a case of buyer's remorse. Institutional analysts said they are expecting the S&P 500 to rise or fall by an average of 3 percent per session from November to January 2008. The performance of the shares of Priceline.com is also discussed.

US stock markets rebounded heavily at the end of October 2008, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 11.29% and registering its highest weekly point gain in history. The Dow still lost 14.1% during the month, its worst monthly loss since 1998.

The week ending October 25, 2008 saw a Monday rally followed by a collapse on Tuesday due to worries about global growth. The Dow Jones Industrial index ended that week at 8378.95 and the S&P 500 at 876.77. This downdraft in stock prices resulted on some technology shares such as Sanmina SCI, Jabil, and Flextronics at stunningly low levels.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has seen its worst week ever, which resulted from the United States financial crisis. Investors have sold stocks following governments' reduction of interest rates to revive the economy. Stock market statistics are also presented.

Short selling financial stocks while betting on their debt produced huge profits in what is dubbed the 'moral hazard trade' but the ban on short selling stopped the vicious cycle that encouraged this trade. The tech-laden Nasdaq 100 fell 6 percent for September 2008 due to the apprehension about a global economic slump.

The continuing depreciation of crude prices and other commodities are not helping the stock market's performance since investors are coming to the conclusion that economic problems go deeper than a spike in oil prices. Precision Castparts shares have fallen along with its customers like Boeing and other airlines but this drop looks overdone given the companyEs long-term prospects. Some banking stocks that could provide exposure for investors to financial stocks are provided.

RadioShack shares surged 57 percent in six weeks due to a surprising same-stores sales rebound but sustainable long term growth remains to be seen. IntercontinentalExchange shares are down almost 60 percent of the year on threats of increased energy market regulations. The highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week that ended August 22, 2008 are also discussed.

One analyst has a price target of $155 for the shares of Priceline.com despite the slowing growth in international bookings at the company. The shares of Timberland have started to bounce back after losing almost a third of its value in a year but the company is still vulnerable to the deepening consumer slump. The highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week ending August 8, 2008 are discussed.

Chipotle Mexican Grill's net income rose 23 percent but missed estimates by a penny which further pummeled the stocks. Yum Brands saw an increase in their second-quarter revenue by 12 percent but commodity costs hiked expenses up by 14 percent. The highlights of the U.S. stock market for the week that ended July 25, 2008 are also discussed.

Dow Chemical is offering a 74 percent premium to acquire Rohm & Haas' coatings and electronics materials operations. Frontline amassed a 5.6 percent stake in rival Overseas Shipholding Group and a merger between the two would create a giant global fleet with pricing power. Highlights of the U.S. stock market during the week that ended in July 11, 2008 are discussed.