Table Of Data From US Chicago Purchasing Managers' Report

Seasonally Adjusted Indexes Mar Feb Jan Dec Nov Oct Business Index 58.8 62.6 61.5 58.7 55.5 53.2 Production 60.5 65.2 66.6 64.2 59.0 63.2 New Orders 61.8 62.2 66.4 64.4 62.0 60.2 Order Backlogs 54.3 58.5 54.3 52.0 47.3 41.4 Inventories 52.4 42.4 48.7 38.6 34.8 32.2 Employment 53.1 53.0 59.8 47.6 42.4 38.1 Supplier Deliveries 57.8 62.6 55.3 57.0 57.8 52.0 Prices Paid 66.6 67.7 66.2 55.6 51.7 49.4

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Health care information company IMI makes acquisitionFrench Finance Minister: Will Use All Measures To Boost Employment

Argentina Vice President Says Inflation Must Be Acknowledged

BUENOS AIRES -(Dow Jones)- Argentine Vice President Julio Cobos on Wednesday called on the government to acknowledge the country's inflation problem, highlighting his split with the administration of President Cristina Fernandez.

"Inflation can't be denied, one of the problems that people have is the drop in purchasing power," Cobos said, quoted by local press. "To combat inflation, the best thing is to acknowledge it."

That goes against the government's position that there's no inflationary problem in Argentina. Cobos broke ranks with the government in 2008 during a dispute with farmers.

For the administration, inflation is a generalized rise in prices across the economy, "and that isn't happening," Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo said in response to Cobos' comments.

"Some prices are rising and of course we are going to make an effort so that doesn't happen," Randazzo said, speaking on the C5N television channel.

"What Argentine businessmen have to do is invest," Randazzo said.

Officially, Argentina's inflation is currently at around 9% a year, but most private-sector economists believe the real figure is two or three times higher. The government denies claims that it manipulates inflation data.

Argentines' expectations for future inflation, meanwhile, stood at 25% in March, according to a closely watched survey of consumers produced by the Torcuato Di Tella University.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Peru Welcomes First Visit By An Argentine President In 16 YearsPrice drop means low interest rates

READ: U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Says Health-Care Debate Not Over

A letter from Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donahue to the Chamber's Board of Directors expresses disappointment with health-care reform and the promise to keep fighting it.

TJD Health Care Letter to the Board

Democrats, GOP Blame Each Other For Breakdown in CivilNashville Business Calendar

Dutch Economy Minister: Current Price Of Oil Is 'Decent'

CANCUN, Mexico -(Dow Jones)- The current level of oil prices is "decent," allowing producers the return they need on investment while signaling a stable price for consumers, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria J.A. van der Hoeven said Tuesday.

A price range of $70 to $90 a barrel is "acceptable," the minister told reporters on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum gathering here. This level of prices is high enough to foster innovation and investment on renewables without crimping consumers, Van der Hoeveb said.

And an "stable investment climate is necessary" so that oil producers can keep pumping crude, she said. The minister added that current biofuel targets, which some oil producing nations have criticized as unrealistic, are "quite optimistic," and that in future climate discussions the world should embrace more realistic goals.

Renewables, however, are a necessary goal, she said.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

French Finance Minister: Will Use All Measures To Boost EmploymentNashville gas prices drop, but decline is not expected to last long

French Government To Pursue Reforms Despite Poll Setback-Spokesman

PARIS -(Dow Jones)- The French government will pursue its planned reforms despite its recent regional election setback, spokesman Luc Chatel said Sunday during an interview on French television.

"The majority of French voters say that we need to continue," Chatel said.

In an interview published in French newspaper Journal du Dimanche, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the government plans to press ahead with a reform of the country's pension system and cut public spending in its next budget in a bid to reduce its high debt level.

Chatel confirmed that the government will continue to reduce the number of posts in the civil service by replacing only one civil servant out of two.

He noted that 100,000 civil servants haven't been replaced since 2007.

Despite shelving plans on a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, the government will press ahead with its environmental policies, Chatel said.

Another priority for the government will be to work with companies on improving competitiveness and reducing taxes for enterprises, he added.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Hospitals in quest for quietFrench Finance Minister: Will Use All Measures To Boost Employment

Democrats, GOP Blame Each Other For Breakdown in Civil

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Days after the enactment of a contentious health-care overhaul, Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for a breakdown in civility that is characterizing the growingly partisan debate in Washington.

"We're really cheapening and denigrating ourselves," Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. Mikulski blamed Republicans for part of the problem.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) defended the Republicans and noted that Democrats had held up his nomination as education secretary in the early 1990s. "The anger today is more visible," he said on the same program. "It used to be beneath the surface. It's on top now."

Sens. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," offered similar sentiments. Graham said personal attacks on President Barack Obama were sometimes out of line. "He is an American just like anybody else," Graham said. The focus should be on policy issues instead of name calling, he added.

Schumer criticized the "lies" peddled by opponents of the health-care overhaul, and said Democrats were looking forward to a substantive debate on the measure in the run-up to the November mid-term elections. "There are some people way off the deep end. But you don't condemn a whole group for the outliers," Schumer said.

Comity between the two parties could take another hit with the Obama administration's announcement on Saturday said it would use recess appointments to fill 15 administration posts, bypassing the Senate confirmation process. The appointments, which include union lawyer Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board, had stalled due to opposition by business groups and Republicans.

White House adviser David Axelrod told CNN that the recess appointments were necessary because Republicans were engaged in an "exercise in obstructionism."

"We are in a position where the Republican Party has taken a position where they're going to try and slow and block progress on all fronts, whether it's legislation or appointments," Axelrod said.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

UPDATE: White House: Obama To Sign Health-Care Bill TuesdayWall Street bill sent to full Senate

Polish Ruling Party Names Speaker As Presidential Candidate - Xinhua

WARSAW, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Poland's ruling party named on Saturday parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski as its candidate in the presidential election due this autumn.

Civic Platform said the candidate won the nomination through a vote by party members.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Brazil Opposition Leader Serra Says To Announce Presidential BidRenal Care loses $19.3 million ruling

UPDATE:Cyprus Central Bank Governor: World On Way To Recovery

(Adds more remarks from Orphanides.)

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Central banks in Europe and the U.S. have taken decisive action in response to the global financial collapse, and appear to have succeeded in averting a severe depression and deflation, Cyprus Central Bank Governor Athanasios Orphanides said Saturday.

"Although uncertainty remains, the world economy today seems to be on its way to recovery," Orphanides said in remarks prepared for delivery to an international monetary policy conference at the U.S. Federal Reserve Board.

Orphanides praised actions by central banks that have cut short-term interest rates to near zero, saying central bankers took "appropriate and effective policy easing on both sides of the Atlantic."

While Orphanides acknowledged that there are challenges posed for monetary policy makers when short-term rates are near zero, he said the fact that real interest rates are so low partly reflects the success of central bankers in battling inflation to low levels.

Orphanides also cautioned against viewing near-zero rates as inherently inflationary, saying that at even rock-bottom levels, rates may need to be lower to combat deflation.

"Near-zero policy rates that may be considerably expansionary in an economy with high inflation could be contractionary when inflation is too close to zero, or worse, deflation has set in," he said. "In a deflationary economy, even zero rates can be contractionary."

Nor should central bankers worry that if they cut rates to near-zero levels, they will have no tools left in their arsenal, Orphanides added. He said the notion that central banks need to hold back on cutting rates to very low levels in order to have some ammunition left can result in rate cuts that are less aggressive than what is needed to stimulate a slumping economy. He said holding back when aggressive rate cutting is needed could be counterproductive, resulting in slumping demand and even deflation.

Even when short-term rates can't be cut further, central bankers have other tools available to stimulate demand, including purchases of investments that inject money into the economy, Orphanides said.

"Monetary policy decisions that change the size or composition of the central bank's balance sheet can potentially influence various asset prices and the yield curve of government and private paper, even when the overnight interest rate does not move," he noted.

Orphanides hailed academic research begun at the Fed in the early 1990s, which he said helped U.S. monetary policy makers when the global financial crisis hit in 2008. He said the decades-old research wasn't just academic, as the Fed was able to draw on older studies of unconventional stimulus that had examined legal issues of asset purchases, the possible use of derivative instruments and the historical experience in the U.S. in the 1930s and in Japan in the 1990s.

Close cooperation between central bank researchers in the U.S. and Europe confirmed the desirability of responding forcefully to turbulent economic times, cutting rates to zero levels and making unconventional asset purchases as needed, Orphanides added. He also endorsed the need for central bankers to communicate clearly and openly at such times, explaining that aggressive actions should not be viewed as undercutting a commitment to price stability.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

UPDATE:Bernanke Sees Short-Term Rates Rising On Stronger EconomyPrice drop means low interest rates

ECB Mersch: Eying Broader Overhaul Of Collateral Framework

LUXEMBOURG -(Dow Jones)- The European Central Bank is examining its collateral framework because it suspects its dependency on rating agencies could be misleading, a member of the ECB's governing council said Thursday.

"A more broad overhaul of our collateral framework is an ongoing procedure," said Yves Mersch, who represents the Bank of Luxembourg at the ECB, at the presentation of his institution's annual report.

Reporters had asked Mersch about his view on an announcement by ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet earlier Thursday.

Trichet said in Brussels that the ECB will continue to accept bonds with ratings as low as BBB- as collateral next year, although it won't lend as much against lower-rated paper as against the ultra-safe AAA-rated bonds like Germany's.

The ECB president's announcement gives a massive reassurance to holders of Greek government debt, which could have been rendered unacceptable as collateral at the ECB if the bank had, as planned, raised the minimum acceptable credit rating back to where it had been before the global financial crisis.

Mersch added: "There are other elements of our collateral framework, which will have to be devised in order to avoid certain unwelcome developments which might be inherent in a framework which is exclusively dependent on credit-rating agencies."

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Brazil Central Bank: Forex Reserves Preferable To IMF Credit LinesTell us: Did bad credit keep you from a job?

IMF Completes Hungary Review; Makes $1.1 Billion Available

BUDAPEST -(Dow Jones)- The International Monetary Fund completed its fifth review in Hungary, and made $1.1 billion available, the IMF said in a statement Thursday.

The statement modified its earlier release Wednesday, which said that Hungary could use $3.2 billion, the IMF told Dow Jones Newswires in Washington.

Hungary, which was hit hard by the global financial crisis at the end of 2008, was the first European Union member to receive a standby loan from the IMF.

Hungary has made progress by prudent fiscal policies that have helped strengthen investor confidence, the IMF said, adding that this could also contribute to a further cut in the key rate from the current 5.75%.

"Monetary policy should continue to ease gradually and cautiously, to the extent allowed by financial market conditions," John Lipsky, first deputy managing director and acting chair, was quoted as saying in the statement.

Web site: www.imf.org

veronika.gulyas@dowjones.com

(Riva Froymovich in the U.S. contributed to this article.)

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Appeal filed to release TNInvestco documentsBrazil Central Bank: Forex Reserves Preferable To IMF Credit Lines

French Finance Minister: Will Use All Measures To Boost Employment

PARIS -(Dow Jones)- The French government will use all measures to help boost employment, Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said Wednesday.

Speaking in parliament, Lagarde said the government focus will "employment, employment and employment."

Headline unemployment data for February are due to be released Wednesday at 1700 GMT.

Lagarde said earlier Wednesday in a radio interview that unemployment in France rose slightly in February, but stressed the trend was stabilizing.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Chile Government Announces First Earthquake Reconstruction MeasuresJobless rate high but steady at 10.7 percent

DATA SNAP: Durable Goods Orders Slightly Below Expectations

=======================================================

Durable Goods Orders: Feb Jan !Consensus: ! Total Orders: 0.5% 3.9%r ! +0.7% ! Ex-Transportation: 0.9% -0.6% !Actual: ! Ex-Defense 1.6% 1.7% +0.5% ! ======================================================= By Darrell A. Hughes and Jeff Bater Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Durable-goods orders rose a third straight month in February, while a sign of capital spending climbed, indicating U.S. businesses have confidence in the economic recovery.

Manufacturers' orders for goods designed to last at least three years increased 0.5%, to a seasonally adjusted $178.12 billion, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

If not for the defense sector, durables would have gone up much higher. Defense-related capital goods orders fell 4.5%. Excluding defense, all other durables goods rose 1.6% in February, after climbing 1.7% during January.

Overall January durables surged ahead 3.9%, revised from a previously reported 2.6% increase. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast durables would climb 0.7% in February.

Orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft increased by 1.1% last month. The orders are seen as a barometer of capital spending by businesses. Business spending on equipment and software has climbed significantly, Federal Reserve policymakers said last week in a statement on their latest meeting over interest rates and the economy.

Non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft shipments, used in calculating gross domestic product, increased 0.8%, a positive sign for the economy in the first quarter.

The 0.5% increase in overall durables last month marked the third climb in a row. Unlike some sectors of the economy, such as housing, factories are doing well. Manufacturing payrolls actually grew last month, while overall employment and construction jobs each fell, according to Labor Department data. The Institute for Supply Management trade group says manufacturing has grown seven months in a row.

A sign of future demand in the factory sector, unfilled manufacturers' orders, rose 0.4% in February, the second increase after a record 15 straight declines, Wednesday's durables data showed.

Manufacturers' inventories of durable goods rose 0.3%. Overall durable-goods shipments of manufacturers fell 0.6% last month.

Orders for transportation-related goods fell 0.7%, brought down by cars and military airplanes. All other durable goods orders, excluding transportation, climbed 0.9%.

Capital goods orders increased 3.6% in February. Non-defense capital goods - items meant to last 10 years or longer - rose 5.2%.

The Commerce Department's durable goods orders report can be found at http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/m3/adv/pdf/durgd.pdf.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Jobless claims reflect weak recoveryRally Fizzles Amid Weak Volume

Report: Tenet Healthare Expects Volume Increase from Health-Care Bill

Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC) said it expects volume to increase as a result of the health-care reform bill which was signed into law Tuesday, according to reports.

The company, which operates general hospitals nationwide, stands to see a large increase in patient traffic. Biggs Porter, the company’s chief financial officer said at the Barclays Capital 2010 Global Healthcare Conference in Miami that the company was still looking at the bill and expects to see volume increases as a result of its passage, according to Dow Jones Newswires .

Porter also said although there will likely be a slight reduction in government payments, but that those payments could have been reduced in the long-term anyway, the news service reported.

Tenet shares rose 3 cents or 0.48% in the regular session, Tuesday, closing at $6.30 a share, before falling 4 cents in trading after hours. In the past month, the stock has rallied $1.26 or 25%.

Tennesseans’ diagnoses vary on health-care planUPDATE: White House: Obama To Sign Health-Care Bill Tuesday

Report: BofA to Sue Mortgage Insurer

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) is suing mortgage insurer First American Corp. for failing to cover 5,500 defective titles, which caused the bank to lose $535 million, according to reports.

The lawsuit takes aim at the title insurer in an effort to recover some of the billions in defaults on home-equity lines of credit the bank has written off over several quarters; it was filed on March 5 in a court in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a report by Bloomberg News .

BofA has also sued mortgage insurer MGIC Investment Corp. (MTG) for its failure to cover millions in claims, the report said.

Bank of America shares rose 17 cents or 1.00% in Tuesday’s trading session, to close the day at $17.13 a share. The stock was up another 4 cents in after-hours trading.

Nashville Business PeopleReport: GE Confirms its Considering Sale of Garanti

Peru Welcomes First Visit By An Argentine President In 16 Years

LIMA -(Dow Jones)- Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner opened a state visit to Peru on Monday, aiming to strengthen commercial and diplomatic ties.

Fernandez's visit marks the first Argentinean state visit to Peru in 16 years.

"This visit marks a reunion of our countries," said President Alan Garcia Monday, at the official welcoming ceremony.

Garcia said the visit would reaffirm and deepen economic, commercial and social ties between the two countries, and would include the signing of several bilateral accords.

"This visit makes institutional amends and historical reparations," said Fernandez at the congressional ceremony. Fernandez is in Peru until Tuesday with a large delegation of business leaders.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Libya Oil Head: Opec Unlikely To Raise Quotas In Line With ProductionAppeal filed to release TNInvestco documents

UPDATE: White House: Obama To Sign Health-Care Bill Tuesday

(Adds details and background starting in the third paragraph.)

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- President Barack Obama will sign the $940 billion health-care bill into law on Tuesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday.

Gibbs said Obama would sign the measure and participate in a ceremony at the Department of Interior, a venue large enough to host the throng of Democratic lawmakers expected to attend. Details of the signing and the event are still being pinned down, but Gibbs said the weather isn't expected to cooperate with earlier plans for Obama to sign the bill on the South Lawn of the White House.

With his signature on the health-care bill, Obama will travel to Iowa City, Iowa, later this week to trumpet what may be a defining moment in his presidency. He is expected to use the Iowa speech to reach out to skeptics of the legislation, part of an effort to staunch the potential fallout in November's mid-term elections. Republicans, who voted unanimously against the measure in the House of Representatives late Sunday, are hoping public discontent over the health-care bill will help them win majorities in the House and Senate.

Gibbs dismissed the potential for states to sue over the constitutionality of the legislation. "My advice from counsel is that we'll win these lawsuits," Gibbs said.

Although Obama will sign the measure on Tuesday, legislative wrangling will continue into the week. The U.S. Senate will take up the package of changes to the overhaul on Tuesday. It will be considered under the budget reconciliation process--a fast-track tactic that allows Democrats to pass the measure with a simple majority of 51 votes, but that carries specific parliamentary rules that are strictly enforced.

This process could stretch into the weekend, as Republicans are expected to offer a host of amendments to the measure. They also plan to object to portions of the bill under the reconciliation rules. If they are able to amend the bill or if the Senate parliamentarian rules in favor of them on their procedural objection, the bill would have to be sent back to the House if it were approved.

Gibbs expressed confidence Democrats would generate the 51 votes needed in the Senate.

"I can't speak to all of the amendments or all of the shenanigans that will be tried on Capitol Hill over the course of the next many days, but we're confident that this process is coming to an end," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, (D., Nev.) said he hoped Republicans would not attempt to stop the bill "based on a technicality."

"I hope Republicans finally learned a strategy of delay and fear might slow the process, but cannot stop it," Reid said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) suggested that the changes to the bill--which would delay a tax on high-cost insurance plans and scrap a widely-criticized provision giving Nebraska aid to pay for its Medicaid program--would not win acceptance among Republicans.

"Democrats were hoping they could silence the voices of the American people last night," McConnell said. "But starting today those voices are going to be heard."

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

GOP to House Democrats:  If You Lean on Your Senate Colleagues, Will They be There, or Will You Fall?Senate passes jobs bill

Brazil Central Bank: Forex Reserves Preferable To IMF Credit Lines

CANCUN, Mexico -(Dow Jones)- Brazil's Central Bank believes it's better for the country to hold its own foreign exchange reserves than to rely on credit lines from international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund.

"It is better to self-insure even if there is a cost associated with that," Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles said Sunday.

The official was speaking at an event on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Development Bank.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Brazil Opposition Leader Serra Says To Announce Presidential BidPrice drop means low interest rates

OECD Gurria: Urge Nations Not Too Withdraw Stimulus Hastily

BEIJING -(Dow Jones)- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development over the weekend again urged nations not to withdraw their stimulus policies hastily.

In a speech at an economic and business forum, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria said fiscal consolidation would be a slow process, posing challenges for governments.

He added that global economic imbalances, which had receded during the financial crisis, may resurface as the global economy recovers.

His remarks were posted on the Web site of the People's Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Cavuto: Focus on Jobs, Not Snow JobsJobless claims reflect weak recovery

Exclusive: Senate Banking Committee Members Submit Nearly 400 Proposed Amendments to Dodd Regulation Reform Bill, Sources Say

Members of the Senate Banking Committee have submitted about 400 proposed amendments to the financial regulation reform bill proposed this week by the committee's chairman, Sen. Christopher Dodd, (D-CT), financial industry sources said Friday.

A committee spokesperson said the number was 399, though staff people appeared to still be reviewing the submissions. Regardless, the large number foreshadows further contentious consideration of new rules to prevent a future financial crisis and taxpayer bailouts.

At least one Republican member, Sen. Bob Corker, (R-TN), acknowledged he submitted multiple proposed changes to Dodd's 1,300-page bill. Members will begin formal consideration of the measure and proposed amendments in committee -- a "mark up" -- on Monday.

“We have offered a large number of amendments to not only improve policies in the bill but to make a number of technical corrections,” Corker said in a statement. “We have coordinated our efforts with other members on both sides of the aisle and are hopeful the mark-up ends up being a sincere effort to get a product worthy of taking to the floor.”

No Republican has endorsed Dodd's measure, which he introduced Monday after failing to negotiate a bi-partisan compromise with Corker. Dodd said he ended the discussions because they were taking too long and he worried he was running out of time to get a bill completed this year.

Corker did not disclose the number of proposed changes he submitted to Dodd. But financial industry sources said Dodd set a deadline of Friday for amendments from committee members.

"Monday is looking to be an old fashioned goat rodeo," one financial industry source said.

Among other things, Republicans oppose Dodd's proposal to create a powerful consumer financial protection division at the Federal Reserve. They say it will create a unnecessary new bureaucracy that will raise costs and limit innovation of financial products.

Dodd is expected to push his bill through his committee next week on a party-line vote and then return to negotiations with Republicans before bringing the measure to the Senate floor next month.

GOP to House Democrats:  If You Lean on Your Senate Colleagues, Will They be There, or Will You Fall?Sen. Corker releases hold on bill affecting FedEx labor

JPMorgan's Dimon Paid $1.32 Million in 2009

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) gave its Chairman and Chief Executive James Dimon total compensation valued at $1.32 million in 2009, according to a proxy filing by the bank.

The pay package excludes the approximate $17 million bonus Dimon received in 2010 for his 2009 performance, and reflects his choice to give up any 2008 bonus, in the wake of public criticism. Had he accepted the bonus, it would have been paid to him in 2009.

In 2008, Dimon’s compensation package was valued at $35.8 million, which was comprised of a $1 million annual salary and included bonuses which he was awarded in 2007. In 2009, his salary was $1 million, and he was paid an additional $322,094 in deferred compensation.

Shares of JPMorgan fell 19 cents or 0.44% on Friday to close the session at $43.45.

Obama pay czar: Public ‘right to be angry’ about exec bonusesXenoPort Cuts 50% of Workforce

Chile Government Announces First Earthquake Reconstruction Measures

SANTIAGO -(Dow Jones)- The new administration of Sebastian Pinera announced Friday the first post-earthquake reconstruction measures aimed at school funding, temporary shelters and assistance for the fishing sector.

Chile was hit by a destructive 8.8-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami on Feb. 27. The total cost of the destruction is estimated at some $30 billion.

Municipal school reconstruction will be supported by a 10 billion peso ($18.91 million) fund to reestablish classes before April 26, said Education Minister Joaquin Lavin in a press briefing.

Children in the hardest-hit quake areas haven't yet started the 2010 school year, which began the second week of March.

The government also announced 20,000 scholarships to avoid higher-education desertions. The cost of both measures is $26 million, said the minister.

The non-industrialized small-scale fishing sector, hard hit by the tsunami that followed the earthquake, will receive CLP5.5 billion to assist 9,000 families, said Economy Minister Juan Andres Fontaine.

Individual fishermen who lost their boats will receive aid equivalent to 25% of a new vessel for up to CLP2 million. Additionally, certificate of registration debts will be forgiven.

The government will install 20,000 small wooden houses, that will complement the 20,000 financed by a local charity.

"To ensure nobody is left in the [coming] rains, we are buying 25,000 field tents. We are also implementing new shelters", said Planning Minister Felipe Kast at a joint press conference with his Economy and Education colleagues.

Kast also said all families that lost their homes will receive thermal insulation, mattresses, kitchen utensils and a basic electricity kit. The total cost of the aid supplied by the Planning Ministry totals $75 million.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Early-Market Movers: Biodel, Taser InternationalSenate passes jobs bill

Brazil Opposition Leader Serra Says To Announce Presidential Bid

SAO PAULO -(Dow Jones)- Opposition leader Jose Serra, governor of Brazil's biggest state of Sao Paulo, said Friday for the first time publicly that he will be a presidential candidate in this year's elections.

In an interview with the Bandeirantes television network, Serra said he will formally announce his presidential candidacy at the beginning of next month. "It's set for early April," Serra said.

Leaders of the opposition Social Democratic Party have already cleared the path for Serra. There are no other declared candidates for the party's nomination, which is likely to be handed to Serra by acclamation at a party convention in June.

Serra said he will resign as Sao Paulo governor on April 3. Under Brazilian law, Serra must relinquish the post by that date in order to run in the October elections.

Serra will face off against Dilma Rousseff, the chief-of-staff of Brazil's popular President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Rousseff will also resign her post on April 3.

The ruling Workers' Party has already endorsed Rousseff as its presidential candidate. If elected, she would be Brazil's first woman president.

A poll released earlier this week by the Public Opinion Research Institute showed Serra with a modest lead over Rousseff, polling 35% to Rousseff's 30%. But Serra's total shrank from a similar poll in December, when he garnered 38% of voter intentions against only 17% for Rousseff.

"For now, my name appears first, but it's only a poll, a snapshot of the moment," Serra told a Bandeirantes TV interviewer. "Brazilians will only start focusing on the election after the World Soccer Cup is over."

Brazil is a favorite to win the soccer championsnip, which will be played in South Africa in June and July.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Poll: Toyota dragged its feet on safety fixesUPDATE: UK Liberal Democrats Leader Dismisses ‘Kingmaker’ Role

Commercial Paper Down In Week Ended March 17

NEW YORK-(Dow Jones)- The U.S commercial paper market fell on both a seasonally adjusted basis and an unadjusted basis in the week ending March 17, according to Federal Reserve data released Thursday.

No clear pattern of growth or contraction has surfaced in recent weeks in this short-term market, making it difficult to use it as barometer for the economy. Even so, this market, used by companies to finance day-to-day needs, has recovered after freezing during the financial turmoil in recent years. It had to be supported by the Fed through a program to lend to issuers that were unable to tap investors for cash directly.

Later Thursday, the central bank will release data on how much it holds in its Commercial Paper Funding Facility, or CPFF. When the program was launched, it held $350 billion. That number has dwindled to less than $3 billion now.

The Fed charged penalty rates to get companies to interact directly with investors. The CPFF expired Feb. 1.

This week, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the commercial market, tapped by companies to finance inventory and salaries, fell by $22.4 billion, after gaining $11.2 billion the week before. On an unadjusted basis, this week's decline stands at $28.3 billion, after a decline of $600 million in the week prior.

Industry participants say the unadjusted numbers are more representative of what is going on in the market, adding they are unsure what method the Fed uses to calculate the seasonally adjusted data. On its Web site, the Fed says the calculations are made "using the Bell Labs seasonal-adjustment method."

This week, the asset-backed segment of the market fell by $3.8 billion, after declining by $4.5 billion last week, on a seasonally adjusted basis.

On an unadjusted basis, the asset-backed portion fell by $11.1 billion this week, after falling by $4.5 billion last week.

Overall, the market is now $1.122 trillion in size on a seasonally adjusted basis, substantially down from a peak of $2.2 trillion in July 2007. On an unadjusted basis, the market stands at $1.086 trillion.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Forest Oil 4Q Swings to a MissJobless claims reflect weak recovery

Ross Sees Profit Rise 47%

Department-store chain Ross Stores (ROST) posted a 47% jump in profits last quarter, helped by strong sales and wider profit margins across its line of business.

Ross said it earned $142.9 million, or $1.16 a share, an improvement from $97.4 million, or 76 cents a share, from a year ago. The earnings results were in line with what analysts had expected, while Ross' sales figure of $1.98 billion was above estimates.

Ross, which buys clearance merchandise from other department stores and resells it, said the quarter was helped by a 2.3% lower cost of goods which was offset by a 0.3% overall drop in merchandise prices.

"During one of the most challenging economic and retail environments, we not only generated stronger-than-planned revenues, but did so with record merchandise gross margins that drove double-digit operating profits as a percent of sales," said Ross vice chairman and CEO Michel Balmuth in a statement.

The company said that shoes, dresses and home did well in the quarter and all regions posted same-store sales gains.

Shares of Ross were down 4% to $51.87 on Thursday.

DTE Energy Reports Lower 4Q Profit, SalesRetailers see best month in 2 years

UPDATE:Bernanke Sees Short-Term Rates Rising On Stronger Economy

(Updates with comments from Bernanke and adds further details throughout.)

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Wednesday said he expects short-term interest rates to rise as the economy strengthens and signaled he's wary about keeping them too low for too long.

Speaking to House lawmakers about bank supervision, the Fed chief also pushed back against a Senate proposal to strip from the central bank oversight of smaller banks, warning it would narrow the Fed's focus to giant firms.

But it was Bernanke's brief remarks on the economy and interest rates that were perhaps more interesting, coming a day after the Fed's policy-making arm decided to keep short-term rates at a record low near zero.

"I think that what will happen is that short-term interest rates go up because the economy strengthens and then long term rates might go up as well," the Fed chief said. He was responding to a lawmaker question on whether the U.S. is dependent on carry trades in Japan and China to finance its large debt.

The Fed chief said that keeping short-term interest rates too low for too long may spark inflation, but added the U.S. economy wasn't under such a risk for the time being.

Bernanke was being challenged by long-time Fed critic Ron Paul (R., Texas), who argued the Fed was responsible for the recent financial crisis by leaving rates too low for too long. Paul asked Bernanke what damage could come from ultra-low rates another time.

"One possibility is that... you get inflation," Bernanke replied, adding that "every central banker wants to be sure that prices remain stable." The Fed chairman went on to say, however, that rates were so low right now because the economy remained weak. He said low rates help to spur job creation and lift consumption.

The Fed Tuesday said it expects to keep short-term interest rates close to zero for several months at least due to low inflation and the considerable slack remaining in the economy.

"Central banking is an art and we need to balance our dual mandate" of maximum employment and stable prices, Bernanke said.

Turning to bank supervision, Bernanke said the Fed's oversight of state-chartered and community banks helps the central bank set monetary policy and lend to commercial banks.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) introduced a broad regulatory overhaul package Monday that includes provisions to strip the Fed of its oversight of state-chartered banks and bank holding companies with less than $50 billion in assets.

"It makes us essentially the too-big-to-fail regulator," Bernanke told the House Financial Services Committee. "We don't want that responsibility. We want to have a connection to Main Street as well as Wall Street."

Bernanke said Fed officials are "quite concerned" by the proposal because they want an understanding of firms of all sizes and at all levels. "Smaller and medium-sized banks are very valuable to us," providing information for monetary policy, for understanding the economy and for financial stability. He reminded lawmakers that small institutions were part of prior financial crises, such as those in the 1930s and in the thrift crisis.

Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, also testifying at the hearing, called the $50 billion barrier "arbitrary" and warned of the risks from separating out those firms. "We don't want to single out some institutions as too big to fail. We want a system particularly where non-bank institutions can fail."

Volcker later called the $50 billion threshold "much too low in my opinion" in determining which firms really would need to be saved.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

New Home Sales Drop 11.2% in January, Record LowPrice drop means low interest rates

Comerica Repays $2.25 Billion in TARP Loans

Comerica Inc. (CMA) said Wednesday that it had repaid $2.25 billion of the funds it received through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program.

The bank, which has banking operations across the country, publicly issued $800 million in common stock last week in order to raise the capital needed to pay back its TARP loans.

"Clearly, our participation in the Capital Purchase Program helped stabilize the country's financial system at a critical point, and the investment the government made in Comerica resulted in excellent returns for U.S. taxpayers," said Ralph W. Babb Jr., chairman and chief executive officer, in a release. "I believe we have weathered the economic cycle well, maintaining strong liquidity, solid capital, tight control of expenses and with credit metrics which compare favorably to our peer group. We believe the TARP repayment provides a sound foundation for our future growth."

Shares of the bank rose 49 cents or 1.30% in Wednesday’s session, closing at $38.24 a share. The stock was down 14 cents or 0.37% in after-hours trading.

Report: GE Confirms its Considering Sale of GarantiBanks restore hefty salaries

UPDATE: UK Liberal Democrats Leader Dismisses 'Kingmaker' Role

BIRMINGHAM -(Dow Jones)- Nick Clegg, leader of the smaller U.K. opposition party, the Liberal Democrats, Sunday dismissed suggestions he will be "kingmaker" if there is a hung parliament and moved to reassure investors that the political uncertainty wouldn't damage the U.K.'s financial position.

Speaking at the close of the Liberal Democrat spring conference in Birmingham, Clegg said it was the 45 million voters in the U.K. who are the kingmakers, not him.

"The party with the strongest mandate from voters will have the moral authority to be the first to seek to govern," he said. "They [the public] give the politicians their marching orders, not the other way around. This election is a time for voters to choose, not a time for politicians to play footsie with each other."

Attention has focused on the Liberal Democrats in recent weeks after opinion polls indicted the increasing likelihood that the election, which must be held by June 3, will result in a hung parliament. If that scenario materializes it could see the Liberal Democrats hold the balance of power.

Clegg Sunday criticized the ruling Labour party for failing to provide details on how they plan to bring the budget deficit, which is expected to reach 12.6% of gross domestic product this financial year, under control.

He also said the U.K.'s main opposition party, the Conservatives, had started to make threats about the stability of the financial markets in order to scare the public into voting for them.

Clegg said the Liberal Democrats had gone further than the other political party in publicly explaining the spending cuts that will see them save GBP15 billion a year by 2012.

Clegg moved to reassure the financial markets that the Liberal Democrats would act responsibly no matter what the outcome of the election.

"We are the guarantor, whatever the outcome of the election, that no risks will be taken with Britain's financial position," he said.

Clegg also Sunday attempted to preempt likely criticism from Labour party and the Conservatives, that a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a wasted vote. Clegg said that the only wasted vote is a vote that doesn't change anything.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

GOP to House Democrats:  If You Lean on Your Senate Colleagues, Will They be There, or Will You Fall?Senate passes jobs bill

Libya Oil Head: Opec Unlikely To Raise Quotas In Line With Production

VIENNA(Zawya Dow Jones)--The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, is "unlikely" to raise its assigned quota level in line with its current production level this year, Libya's top oil official said Sunday.

"If whenever they (member countries) violate quotas we raise production, then they will still not comply and produce over the new level," Shokri Ghanem told Zawya Dow Jones by telephone.

He said members meeting in Vienna March 17 will call for further compliance with the agreed quota.

OPEC production in February rose 190,000 barrels a day, according to secondary sources, to total 29.4 million barrels a day from January's 29.2 million barrels a day.

The statistics show compliance by the 11 quota-bound members, including Libya, with production cuts agreed in 2008 having now fallen to 53.2% from 55.9% in January and 80% in March last year.

Libya's crude oil production rose from 1.538 million barrels per day in January to 1.560 million barrels a day, based on secondary sources.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Jobless rate high but steady at 10.7 percentToyota to Announce March Incentives in U.S.

GOP to House Democrats: If You Lean on Your Senate Colleagues, Will They be There, or Will You Fall?

Senate Republicans, fearing the Democratic majority could use a parliamentary procedure called “reconciliation” to bypass filibusters and pass health-care legislation with a simple majority vote, are telling Democrats in the House not to trust their Senate party colleagues.

The warning marks another salvo in GOP attempts to thwart use of the tactic, called by some “the nuclear option,” because they say the process would require House Democrats to approve the Senate bill, something they have not supported.

“I think it should cause questions for my colleagues in the House,” said Sen. Judd Gregg, a Republican from New Hampshire who opposes the Senate bill.

To this point, both the House and Senate have passed their own versions of health-care legislation.But the two bodies have not been able to agree on a compromise bill that could pass in both chambers – as well as garner the needed 60 votes in the Senate to end debate.

Instead, under a reconciliation strategy, the House would need to first pass the Senate bill.The president would sign it into law.Then, the two chambers would pass amending legislation, now under negotiation, to modify the new law.However, this time, the Senate would only need 51 votes – not 60.

Republican lawmakers are calling this is a leap of faith for House Democrats, because in following this path the Senate version will bear the president’s signature before the amending legislation is formally considered.

“If you're a senator from the Democratic side of the aisle, do you really want to … help out your friends on the Democratic side of the aisle in the House when you've already got what you want, which is the Democratic Senate bill being passed and signed by the president?” said Gregg.

On Wednesday, the full 41-member Republican caucus in the Senate also sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, telling him they would block any parts of the amending legislation that were not directly related to budget matters.

According to Senate rules, reconciliation may only deal with issues central to the budget, and must make changes to standing law.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, following a meeting with her party caucus and administration officials Thursday morning, acknowledged there were limits to the Senate procedure.

“Reconciliation is a very narrow discipline,” she said. “That was emphasized to the members this morning. Unless a provision is central to the budget, it cannot be considered.”

But in even discussing the use of reconciliation, and its limits, House leaders might be signaling their willingness to trust their Senate brethren.

Pelosi and fellow Democrats will gather again on Thursday afternoon, while members in both houses await a Congressional Budget Office analysis of the amending legislation to determine how it affects reform’s overall cost.

UPDATE:Top Democrats Want Student Loan Bill Added To Health-Care EffortSenate passes jobs bill

UPDATE:Top Democrats Want Student Loan Bill Added To Health-Care Effort

(Updates to add comment from Sens. Richard Durbin, Jay Rockefeller and Lamar Alexander, more details) By Corey Boles Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Senior congressional Democrats said Thursday they hope to wrap legislation shaking up the student loan industry with the major push towards health-care legislation.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D., Calif.), the lawmakers who have championed the higher education overhaul, said they believed attaching it to health care would win more votes for the final push toward completing the controversial legislation.

They said they wanted to use a fast-track procedure known as reconciliation to win congressional approval for both measures. By using this approach, only 51 votes would be required in the Senate to approve the package, less than the 60 normally required to pass major legislation.

Congressional aides have floated the possibility in recent days, but Thursday marked an escalation in pressure on Democratic leadership to agree to the idea.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said that using reconciliation for both health care and education is an option, but that no decisions had been made.

Senate Democrats met to discuss the issue Thursday afternoon, but didn't reach any consensus agreement, according to Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D., Ill.)

Durbin said that he personally supports the move, but that the caucus wasn't there yet. He said a decision would be made soon on how to proceed. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D., W.Va.) said though that he opposes the notion of patching together health care and the loan overhaul plan.

"I think the health bill stands on its own," Rockefeller said.

Republican senators said they would fiercely oppose an attempt by the majority to "add another Washington takeover" according to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.), a member of the Senate Republican leadership.

"Why in the world would you take an unpopular health care bill and add that to it?" Alexander said Thursday.

An aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said she supports rolling the student loan and health-care efforts together using reconciliation, but also said no decisions had been made.

The House approved its version of the higher education bill last year, but the matter has been held up in the Senate, due to the opposition of a number of moderate Democrats who have concerns over the student loan changes.

It would seem that using reconciliation would likely be the only way to get the bill signed into law this year.

Harkin rejected the notion that including the education bill would potentially imperil the wider health-care effort, due to the opposition of moderates in the Senate Democratic caucus.

"Quite frankly, I believe the addition of the education reconciliation bill will help get us votes [for health care]," Harkin said.

The central feature to the education piece is a move to end private lenders' involvement in the origination of student loans, with the federal Department of Education becoming the sole provider of loans through the government-backed program.

The money saved from ending subsidies paid to banks and other lenders would be used to increase Pell grants for poorer students.

The Congressional Budget Office said last week that ending private origination of loans would generate around $67 billion in savings over the next decade, $20 billion less than it estimated last year.

At a press conference Thursday, Harkin warned that unless the changes were put in place, students who rely on the grants to afford college faced a 60% cut in the amount of assistance they receive in 2011.

Miller said the increased investments that would be made in community colleges and historically African-American colleges could help win the votes of liberal members of the caucus that are wavering on health care currently.

It was unclear Thursday when a revised bill would be available. Harkin said the legislation would reduce the budget deficit by $5 billion, half the $10 billion in savings identified by the initial House legislation last year.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones Newswires

Cavuto: Was Massa Pushed?Senate passes jobs bill

Mini Celebration on Wall Street

Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the end of the Great Recession's bear market, Wall Street closed slightly higher on Tuesday, adding onto the Dow's 4,000-point surge over that span.

Today's Markets

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.86 points, or 0.11%, to 10564.38, the Standard & Poor's 500 added 1.95 points, or 0.17%, to 1140.45 and the Nasdaq Composite picked up 8.47 points, or 0.36%, to 2340.68. The FOX 50 gained 3.71 points, or 0.45%, to 822.65.

Wall Street closed well off session highs as the Dow had been up more than 60 points earlier in the day on the strength of solid gains from tech stocks like Apple (AAPL) and the Nasdaq Composite, which closed at another 18-month high. While the rally lost some steam, the S&P 500 still posted its sixth win of the last seven days despite a lack of economic indicators to use for guidance.

“In the absence of any specific catalyst, the bias remains higher,” said Craig Peckham, equity trading strategist at Jefferies & Co.

The bias has been on the high side for much of the past year as the Dow posted its largest 52-week gain from a bear market low since 1933, surging more than 60% amid signs the worst of the crisis was over. Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the rebound from the meltdown caused by the Great Recession as the Dow tumbled to a 12-year low of 6547 on March 9, 2009. However, the blue chips remain roughly 3,600 points away from their all-time high of 14164, which was set on Oct. 9, 2007.

“The average investor is still on the sideline scared to heck -- as well as he should be -- because there is still a lot of uncertainty out there,” NYSE trader Ted Weisberg of Seaport Securities told FOX Business.

Most of the Dow's 30 components closed with a gain on Tuesday, led by United Technologies (UTX) and General Electric (GE). The index's worst performers were Merck (MRK) and Alcoa (AA).

Led by tech stocks like Nvidia (NVDA) and Electronic Arts (ERTS), the Nasdaq Composite posted stronger gains than the broader markets. The index has surged more than 84% since the March lows.

A day after the markets ended at a virtual standstill amid the second-lowest trading volume of the year, the New York Stock Exchange rebounded, posting volume of more than 1.1 billion.

“There’s a growing acceptance that the economy is doing better and equity investors for the most part are reluctant to sell stocks. A lack of sellers is creating a lack of volume,” said Michael James, senior equities trader at Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Aside from the tech rally, Wall Street was also boosted Tuesday by the currency markets as the U.S. dollar reversed course and fell modestly against the euro, allowing commodities to pare their losses. Crude oil fell 38 cents a barrel, or 0.46%, to $81.49. Gold sank $1.60 a troy ounce, or 0.14%, to $1122.

Corporate Movers

Citigroup’s (C) stock soared more than 7% despite a lack of corporate announcements. While the bank wouldn’t comment on the stock move, FBN’s Charles Gasparino reported the U.S. Treasury is talking to Wall Street investment bankers about unloading its 27% stake in Citi as early as the spring. At this price, it would give the U.S. a profit of more than $3.5 billion on its $25 billion investment.

Cisco Systems (CSCO) unveiled a new router that has 12 times the traffic capacity of the nearest competing system. The tech bellwether said the new router, CRS-3, triples the capacity of its predecessor and can transfer up to 322 terabits of data per second. The new system starts at $90,000 in the U.S.

Chevron (CVX) disclosed plans to slash 2,000 jobs this year as the energy giant looks to continue to slash costs by exiting markets and streamlining its operations. The energy giant sees first-quarter severance charges of $150 million to $200 million.

American International Group’s (AIG) climbed almost 13% but the insurer told the New York Stock Exchange it won’t comment on the unusual market activity.

Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) swung to a stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter profit of 56 cents a share thanks to a 10.7% rise in revenue to $1.3 billion. The company also forecasted 2010 EPS of $1.32 to $1.35, which would at least meet consensus calls from analysts for EPS of $1.32.

Kroger’s (KR) fourth-quarter profit of 39 cents a share easily beat the Street but the grocery store chain issued a disappointing outlook. The company sees 2010 EPS of $1.60 to $1.80, compared to analysts’ forecasts of $1.79. Kroger also posted fourth-quarter sales of $18.6 billion, up 7.2% from the year before and above estimates.

Ruby Tuesday (RT) said its same-restaurant sales 0.8% to 1% on an annual basis last quarter. The restaurant chain said severe weather during the quarter, including heavy snowfall in the Northeast, is estimated to have reduced the sales by 1.5% to 2%.

Global Markets

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 sank 0.08% to 5602.30, Germany's DAX lost 0.17% to 5885.89 and France's CAC 40 rose 0.17% to 3910.01.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.17% to 10567.25 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.05% to 21207.55.

List of problem banks growsRally Fizzles Amid Weak Volume

Cavuto: Was Massa Pushed?

Missed Monday's Cavuto ? Catch "The Deal" right here on FOXBusiness.com

Play or pay.

Here's the deal:

Resignation still on.

But former New York Democratic Congressman Eric Massa still furious.

That's what happens when you strong-arm some folks on health care. They might leave.

But that doesn't mean they don't get mad.

And in Massa’s case, get even.

So suddenly, a Congressman who's told the world "again" tonight...

He's stepping down and not running for reelection in November...Is at the epicenter of an issue that could very well decide "all" elections this November.

Healthcare.

Presumably a personal health-care issue prompted Massa to call it quits. He cited a recurrence of cancer.

Others cite something else.

A brewing scandal over allegedly inappropriate comments Massa made to a male staffer at a party last New Year's Eve.

So…did Massa quit, or was Massa pushed?

Nancy Pelosi isn't saying, and neither is her number two, Steny Hoyer. The president's been mum as well.

But media reports and political blogs rife with reports this hour of a 'Godfather'-like retribution.

And since Democrats have a similar 'Godfather'-like record of forgetting their own "family" sins...

Think Charlie Rangel…you do have to wonder whether Massa has a point.

It wasn't a potentially pointless scandal that doomed him, but a potentially embarrassing follow-up "no" vote on health care.

Hard to say. This much is not:

Forget about whether Democrats have the votes to pass this thing in the Senate

They've got a devil of a time "first" just getting this thing through the House.

Senate passes jobs billNissan Issues Recall for More Than 500,000 Vehicles

H-P Revises Fiscal First-Quarter Results

Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) announced it had made a change to its fiscal first-quarter earnings on Friday, stating that profit was actually $73 million or three cents per share less than what the company originally reported on Feb. 17.

The personal computer-maker and software company revised its earnings downward from $2.32 billion or 96 cents a share to $2.25 billion or 93 cents a share. That compares to last year’s first-quarter profit of $1.86 billion or 75 cents a share. The company had previously reported profit of $2.32 billion with earnings of 96 cents a share.

H-P said the revision was necessary as a result of developments made in litigation related to Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS), an acquisition H-P made in August of 2008. The litigation required an increase in the amount of contingency reserve, causing the H-P to have to lower the amount of profit reported last quarter.

“The revision of HP’s first quarter earnings follows developments in a legal dispute involving EDS, which HP inherited when it acquired the company in 2008," the company said in a statement issued Friday. "The revision is unrelated to HP’s strong business performance in the first quarter. HP is seeking permission to appeal.”

Shares of H-P gained 52 cents or 1.01% in Friday’s trading session, to close at $52.03. The stock was down 15 cents or 0.29% in after-hours trading.

Fluor Shares Down on Earnings Miss, Lowered ViewLifePoint beats Q4 estimates, forecast higher 2010 earnings

Greek Debt Problems Unlikely to Spread: IMF Head

The crisis over Greece's debt mountain is unlikely to spread to other euro zone countries with high levels of public debt, International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Monday.

In an interview with Reuters in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Strauss-Kahn dismissed market speculation of potential default by other heavily indebted euro zone countries such as Portugal, Spain or Ireland as scare-mongering.

"You can add to the list all of the countries in the euro zone, to try to scare people about everything. I don't think it will happen," he said. "We have a problem with Greece. We don't have a problem with Spain to date. The euro zone has to deal with the Greek problem. They are doing this. No one knows what's going to happen tomorrow morning but there's no reason why the spillover to Portugal or to Spain will take place."

Separately, Strauss-Kahn, who is on a tour of Kenya, South Africa and Zambia to see how the poorest continent has bounced back from last year's global economic crisis, said he was confident euro zone countries could handle the Greek debt maelstrom.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said last week he might have to go to the IMF to meet debt obligations falling due in April if the European Union did not help with funds. It would be the first bailout in the history of the euro.

However, Strauss-Kahn said he did not think IMF involvement would be needed beyond the current levels of technical assistance offered and accepted by Athens.

"The euro zone wants to deal with the problem itself and I can understand this," he said. "I think they can do it. I hope they will be able to do it, and we're just here to help."

"If some more is needed, we will be ready to do it, but so far I think that the Europeans will be able to deal with the problem."

Papandreou received political support this week but no promise of any specific financial aid at talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and with Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg.
Greece's public debts have mushroomed to 300 billion euros, well above its annual economic output, although Papandreou pledged that the country will not default.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy made clear he was ready to help if Greece's financial situation were to deteriorate.
Athens needs to borrow 53 billion euros this year — at least 20 billion of it by the end of May — to repay existing debt and cover its huge budget deficit. It has enacted an austerity plan to drive the deficit down to 8.7% of GDP this year from 12.7% in 2009, although protests against the measures have fueled market skepticism about the government's ability to push them through.
The crisis has threatened the credibility of the euro, and leaving Greece to fend for itself could unnerve markets further. Problems could then spread to other euro zone states such as Spain or Portugal.

More people say no to creditStocks Rally Behind M&A, Greece Talks

Cavuto: Focus on Jobs, Not Snow Jobs

Missed Friday's Cavuto ? Catch "The Deal" right here on FOXBusiness.com

The snowstorms are over…for now.

Put the shovel down … right now.

Here's the deal:

Focus on jobs, not snow jobs.

Because you know things are really bad when Harry Reid looks at today's employment report for February and says "only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good."

No, senator, that is not really good.

What would be really good is "more" people getting jobs.

Not bragging about fewer people than you thought losing jobs.

It's time to 'fess up, and put the shovel down.

That job arrow is still headed down.

36,000 more Americans joining the unemployment line last month.

And the only thing democrats can say about it is, blame the snow.

Things were so bad because the snow was so bad.

Now, I’m the first to agree three bad storms in one month don't do much to help construction jobs.

But how does that explain 7,000 more federal government jobs?

How is it that no matter the cold, government hiring is always hot?

How is it that after nearly 800 billion on stimulus and tens of billions more in half-cocked jobs programs…we're not looking at full employment?

We are. But for the government.

Not everyone else.

Some. But clearly not all.

The trend "is" getting better.

But we're "still" losing jobs.

And you can talk all you want about the jobs you created or saved, go with the payroll data we've always known and trusted.

We're down four million jobs since this president took office.

So go ahead and blame the snow.

Go ahead and blame the guy before you.

Go ahead and swear on a stack of bibles things would be much worse had it not been for you.

Here's a Fox news alert:

Things are worse with you.

Not better. Worse.

Not more jobs.

Fewer jobs.

Not lower unemployment. Higher unemployment.

So things might yet get better.

Just like winter invariably leads to spring.

And then you can stop blaming the snow.

And maybe start crediting … I don't know …

The sun.

Jobless rate high but steady at 10.7 percentCavuto: Get Ready for the Snow Job

XenoPort Cuts 50% of Workforce

XenoPort Inc. (XNPT) announced plans to cut half of its work force, in order to “focus the Company's resources on advancement of its later-stage product candidates,” the company said in a release.

The cuts will reduce the biopharmaceutical company’s annual cash expenses by $15.6 million, due to the reduced compensation and benefit costs.

In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it wouldn’t approve the biopharmaceutical company’s restless leg syndrome drug Horizant, leading the company to trim its workforce.

"The unexpected setback in the approval of Horizant has forced us to conduct a thorough review of our operating plans. We have made the difficult decision to restructure the Company to prioritize later-stage development activity and eliminate our discovery research efforts," said Ronald W. Barrett, Ph.D., XenoPort's chief executive officer, in a statement.

The company said it expects to incur $4.2 million in restructuring costs in the first half of 2010.

Shares of XenoPort fell 45 cents or 5.72% in Friday’s session, closing at $7.42 a share. The stock was down another 4 cents in after-hours trading.

Doctors say Medicare’s pay cuts are killing their practicesEarly-Market Movers: Biodel, Taser International

Bears Call in Sick on Jobs Day: Dow Jumps 122

Wall Street capped off a big week of gains with a triple-digit rally on Friday as the bulls cheered a better-than-expected monthly jobs report by pushing the Dow to a fresh six-week high and the S&P 500 to a six-day win streak.

Today's Markets

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 122.06 points, or 1.17%, to 10566.20, the Standard & Poor's 500 added 15.73 points, or 1.40%, to 1138.70 and the Nasdaq Composite picked up 34.04 points, or 1.48%, to 2326.35. The FOX 50 added 9.89 points, or 1.22%, to 818.59.

After a week of suspense, Wall Street finally got a look at how the jobs market fared during February and the bulls liked what they saw: the unemployment rate unexpectedly held steady at 9.7% and fewer jobs were cut than analysts had predicted. The markets received further signs the U.S. economy is healing when the Federal Reserve surprised economists by saying consumer credit rose in January for the first time in a year.

Friday's strong rally pushed the blue chips up more than 240 points on the week and landed the S&P 500 in the green for the sixth-straight day. However, like most of the rallies this year, Friday's gains came without a significant up tick in volume, indicating a possible lack of conviction.

“What’s clearly missing from all this is the volume,” NYSE trader Ted Weisberg of Seaport Securities told FOX Business. “I think the overall direction of the market is higher but there aren’t a lot of believers out there.”

The Dow, which ended at its highest level since Jan. 20, was led by Boeing (BA) and American Express (AXP). The index's only decliners were Verizon (VZ) and Microsoft (MSFT), each of which fell just slightly.

Led by tech standout Apple (AAPL), the Nasdaq Composite enjoyed even stronger gains than the broader markets, capping off its best week since early October.

All eyes Friday morning were on the Labor Department's jobs report, which revealed the U.S. lost 36,000 jobs in February, beating estimates for a drop of 50,000 jobs. The government also said the unemployment rate stayed at 9.7%, topping expectations for the rate to rise 0.1 percentage points to 9.8%.

Analysts at the Labor Department said it's unclear how February's snow storms impacted those figures. Some market watchers expected the markets to rise no matter what the data showed because the bulls could blame heavy job losses on the bad weather.

“The bulls had a weather-related free pass today but the data still shows a very difficult, albeit slowly improving labor market,” Peter Boockvar, equity market strategist at Miller Tabak, wrote in a note.

While the markets cheered the data, it's clear the labor markets continue to lag behind the rest of the economy in recovering from the Great Recession.

Stocks hit session highs late on Friday after the Federal Reserve said consumer credit jumped by $4.96 billion in January, breaking a record string of 11 monthly declines. Analysts had projected credit would decline by $4.5 billion. The data showed auto lending drove the increase, boosting shares of Toyota (TM) and Ford (F).

Energy stocks provided the markets with a jolt as stocks like Transocean (RIG) and XTO Energy (XTO) rallied around higher commodity prices. Crude oil gained $1.29 a barrel, or 1.61%, to $81.50 -- its highest level since Jan. 11. Gold rose $2.10 a troy ounce, or 0.19%, to $1135.20.

Corporate Movers

Apple (AAPL) said its iPad tablet device will be available in the U.S. on April starting at $499. The tech giant said the 3G Wi-Fi version of the highly-anticipated device can be pre-ordered for pickup from an Apple retail store. The iPad will be available overseas in several countries in late April.

General Electric (GE) CEO Jeff Immelt declined to take a bonus in 2009 but did rake in $9.9 million in total compensation. A year earlier Immelt made $9.3 billion.

Global Markets

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 1.31% to 5599.76, Germany's DAX gained 1.42% to 5877.36 and France's CAC 40 advanced 2.14% to 3910.42.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 soared 2.20% to 10368.96, Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.03% and China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.24% to 3031.06.

Tennessee Livestock AuctionsShaky Data Fail to Deter Bulls

Appeals Court Upholds Contempt Ruling for EchoStar, Dish in TiVo Case

TiVo Inc. (TIVO) received a favorable ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Thursday when the court voted 2-1 to uphold a judge’s ruling to hold Dish Network Corp. (DISH) and EchoStar Corp. (SATS) in contempt.

The district court judge had previously placed the sister companies’ in contempt for their continued patent infringement on a digital-video recorder device held by TiVo.

TiVo said it was “pleased” with the ruling in a statement released Thursday, and noted that the ruling “paves the way for TiVo to receive the approximately $300M in damages and contempt sanctions awarded to us for EchoStar's continued infringement through July 1, 2009.”

The digital-video recording company also said it will seek further contempt sanctions and damages for the continued period of infringement.

Meanwhile, Dish Network and EchoStar released a joint statement following the ruling stating that while both companies were disappointed with the split decision made by the Federal Circuit, they were happy to see Judge Rader, the dissenting judge, agree with the companies’ position.

"Therefore, we will be seeking en banc review by the full Federal Circuit. We also will be proposing a new design-around to the district court for approval. At this time, our DVR customers are not impacted," the two companies said, according to the release.

Shares of TiVo soared $6.32 or 61.90% in Thursday’s session, closing the day at $16.53. The stock was down 2 cents in after-hours trading. Shares of Dish fell $1.12 or 5.16% in the regular session to close at $20.59 a share, but rose 90 cents in after-hours trading. EchoStar gained 4 cents on Thursday to close at $19.84, but the stock fell 4 cents after the market closed.

Report: Pfizer Under Investigation for Promotion of RapamuneLifePoint beats Q4 estimates, forecast higher 2010 earnings

Nissan Issues Recall for More Than 500,000 Vehicles

Nissan has reported three cases in which brake-pedal pins have partially engaged, causing a loss of normal breaking ability. The issue is believed to be due to a manufacturing error on the part of the supplier. All current vehicles on sale are free of this problem. Another reason for the recall is because of fuel gauges that incorrectly indicate how much fuel is in the tank, which could cause a vehicle to run out of fuel before the gauge reads empty.

Vehicle models that are potentially at risk for brake pedal pin malfunction include 2008 through 2010 model year Nissan Titan, Armada, Quest and Infiniti QX56. Vehicle models that could have inaccurate fuel gauges include 2005 through 2008 model year Nissan Titan, Armada and Infiniti QX56 Nissan Frontier and also Pathfinders and Xterras that were produced between January and March 2006 and between October 2007 and January 2008.

Toyota to Announce March Incentives in U.S.Nissan, Suzuki, Daihatsu announce recalls in Japan

PetSmart Shares Jump on Strong 4Q and Upbeat View

PetSmart Inc. (PETM) shares soared more than 10% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the company reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results and gave upbeat guidance for the fiscal first quarter and full-year.

The pet-product retailer said it expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.73 to $1.83 a share on low-to mid-single digit revenue growth, with comparable-sales rising in the low-single digits. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had projected earnings of $1.68 a share on sales growth of 5%, with sales of $5.53 billion.

The company projected first-quarter earnings ranging from 40 to 44 cents a share, with comparable-store sales registering a low-single digit increase. The view topped estimates; analysts had expected to earnings of 38 cents a share for the quarter.

The chain reported fourth-quarter earnings of $75 million or 61 cents a share, compared to year-ago earnings of $78.4 million or 62 cents a share. Revenue rose 3.4% to $1.41 billion. Analysts had projected earnings of 56 cents a share on revenue of $1.4 billion.

"We are pleased to report our results for the fourth quarter, with solid earnings and positive comparable store sales. Improvements in traffic, as well as a strong holiday performance led to better results than expected for the quarter," said Chief Executive Bob Moran in a statement.

Shares of PetSmart fell 7 cents or 0.25% to $27.71 a share. The stock rose $2.95 or 10.63% in after-hours trading after the retailer weighed in with quarterly results.

LifePoint beats Q4 estimates, forecast higher 2010 earningsFluor Shares Down on Earnings Miss, Lowered View

Toyota to Announce March Incentives in U.S.

DETROIT--Toyota Motor Corp (TM) will roll out an aggressive incentive program for U.S. consumers in March, including zero-percent financing for five years and two-year free maintenance, a source briefed on the matter said on Monday.

The new incentives, which will start Tuesday and run through March, come as the world's biggest automaker attempts to connect with U.S. consumers after a storm of safety recalls that have damaged its reputation and cut into sales.

Toyota will offer zero-percent financing for 60 months on some 2010 model year vehicles, including its most popular Camry and Corolla sedans and other vehicles involved in safety recalls, the source told Reuters.

Returning Toyota customers will also receive a complimentary two-year "Toyota Auto Care Premium Package" that includes oil changes and other maintenance services, the source said. Cash rebates ranging from $500 to $3,000 will also be offered depending on vehicles, the source added.

The person declined to be identified because the information has yet to be announced by Toyota.

On Monday, in what Toyota said was not a safety recall but a "limited service campaign," the automaker told dealers who sold nearly 1 million vehicles that an oil hose may leak. Owners will be told to bring their cars to dealers for a fix.

That effort involves some vehicles with V6 engines, including late-year models of Camry, Avalon, Rav4, and Lexus 350 ES and 350 RX.

A Toyota spokeswoman said the company planned to announce a new incentive program when it releases its U.S. sales figures for February on Tuesday. She declined to comment on the specifics.

The February sales results are expected to show Toyota took a significant hit from the safety crisis that has led to a recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles worldwide and suspension of sales on some models in the key U.S. market.

February Toyota U.S. sales will show a fall of 25 percent or more, according to Jesse Toprak, of Truecar.com.

Toyota's U.S. sales dropped 16 % in January, to the lowest level in more than a decade, after it shut down sales of about half of its inventory of vehicles including Camry and Corolla.

Toyota, No. 2 in U.S. sales behind GM, saw its U.S. market share fall to 14% in January -- its lowest level since January 2006 -- from 17% for full-year 2009.

New Home Sales Drop 11.2% in January, Record LowPoll: Toyota dragged its feet on safety fixes

Rally Fizzles Amid Weak Volume

There's No Business Like FOX Business

In one of the lightest trading days of the year, Wall Street closed essentially unchanged on Tuesday as the markets failed to hold onto an early, M&A-fueled rally and the Dow was unable to close in positive territory for 2010.

Today’s Markets

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.19 points, or 0.02%, to 10405.98, the Standard & Poor's 500 gained 2.60 points, or 0.23%, to 1118.31 and the Nasdaq Composite picked up 7.22 points, or 0.32%, to 2280.79. The FOX 50 dropped 0.39 points, or 0.05%, to 804.80.

Wall Street appeared to be on track to build on Monday's robust gains but the rally faded late in the day amid low trading volume.

“Volume is exceptionally light. There’s not enough interest in the overall market for us to see a robust up tick in volume,” said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Capital Group. “We’re still in day two of March. It’s too early in the month to make a trend call.”

Earlier in the day the Dow had been up more than 50 points as the markets cheered higher commodity prices and a number of positive storylines out of Corporate America, including Dow Chemical’s (DOW) $1.63 billion deal to sell its Styron division and CF Industries’ (CF) decision to relaunch its $4.72 billion acquisition of Terra Industries (TRA). Those acquisitions come on the heels of at trio of deals announced Monday that helped send the markets solidly higher.

Despite the M&A chatter, the Dow ended below the 10428 level, meaning it failed to join the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite by closing in the green on the year. Most of the index's 30 components gained ground, led by Walt Disney (DIS) and Verizon (VZ). On the other hand, Microsoft (MSFT) and Bank of America (BAC) fell more than 1% a piece.

Commodity-related stocks like Chevron (CVX) provided Wall Street with the most strength on Tuesday as gold and crude oil rallied around a weaker greenback. Crude rose 98 cents a barrel, or 1.25%, to $79.68. Gold gained $19.10 a troy ounce, or 1.71%, to $1136.90.

The Nasdaq Composite managed stronger gains than the broader markets as tech stocks outperformed. Qualcomm (QCOM) announced plans late Monday to boost its quarterly dividend by 12% and buy back $3 billion of its own shares. At the same time, UBS upgraded both PC maker Dell (DELL) and flash memory card maker SanDisk (SNDK) amid its upgraded 2010 revenue forecast for global semiconductors.

Wall Street had little reaction to the latest signs that domestic auto makers continued their rebound in February.

Ford Motor (F) said its sales surged 43% last month and it sold more cars than General Motors for the first time in a decade. GM reported an 11.5% rise in February sales, while Chrysler said its sales were basically flat. February marked the first full month for U.S. auto makers to capitalize on Toyota’s (TM) sales and production halt, which was due to massive recalls. However, Toyota said its U.S. sales fell just 8.7% last month from a year ago even as it was slammed by a wave of negative publicity.

Wall Street has also begun to turn its attention to the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report, which is due out on Friday. The report, which often sets the tone for the month, is expected to show the U.S. lost 20,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate rose to 9.8%.

Corporate Movers

Dow Chemical(DOW) inked a $1.63 billion deal to unload its Styron division to private equity giant Bain Capital. The deal, which includes several long-term supply, service and purchase agreements, gives Dow the option to receive up to 15% of the equity of Styron, which makes polystyrene, rubber and latex.

Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) more than doubled its profits during the fourth quarter as the fast food chain’s new pizza recipe fueled stronger sales. Its non-GAAP profit of 30 cents and revenue of $462.9 million, up 8.1% from a year earlier, beat consensus estimates.

Staples (SPLS) beat the Street with a non-GAAP profit of 38 cents a share and 4% sales growth to $6.41 billion. However, the office supplies giant saw its stock tumble 10% as its full-year profit outlook of $1.23 to $1.33 was well shy of estimates.

Autozone (AZO) reported a 6.4% climb in profits to $2.46 a share, well ahead of the $2.34 expected by analysts. The auto parts supplier’s revenue rose 4% to $1.5 billion, narrowly topping estimates.

Global Markets

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 climbed 1.45% to 5484.06, France's CAC 40 gained 1.12% to 3811.92 and Germany's DAX rose 1.10% to 5776.56.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 advanced 0.49% to 10221.84 but Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.72% to 20906.11 and China's Shanghai Composite dropped 0.48% to 3073.11.

Price drop means low interest ratesShaky Data Fail to Deter Bulls

Stocks Rally Behind M&A, Greece Talks

There's No Business Like FOX Business

Stocks started March solidly higher as bulls got behind three big deals and reports that a financial aid package for Greece was slowly coming together.

Today’s Markets

As of 3 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 69.46 points, or 0.67%, to 10394.34, the Standard & Poor's 500 advanced 9.82 points, or 0.89%, to 1114.30 and the Nasdaq Composite picked up 31.31 points, or 1.4%, to 2269.66. The FOX 50 added 5.84 points, or 0.73%, to 804.06.

Monday's gains were broad, with 24 of the 30 Dow members in the green in afternoon trading, led by Travelers (TRV). The insurance company advanced after U.K.-based Prudential announced it would purchase American International Group (AIG) AIA's life insurance operations for $35.5 billion.

Shares of AIG were up 5.7% on the deals announcement.

There were two healthcare-related deals announced on Monday as well. Biotech supply company Millipore (MIL) announced it would be acquired by German drug conglomerate Merck KGaA for $7.2 billion, including debt, sending shares up 11%.

OSI Pharmaceuticals (OSIP) soared more than 50% after Japan’s Astellas offered to purchase OSI for $3.5 billion in cash to gain access to the company’s cancer drug Tarceva. OSI rejected the offer, saying in a statement that “significantly undervalues” the company, but Astellas said it is still willing to negotiate.

The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reported France and Germany have crafted a deal to provide $40 billion in aid to Greece in an effort to keep the country from defaulting on its obligations.

The Journal reported that the French and German governments are planning a debt sale to raise the capital needed for Greece in a similar fashion to TARP. A deal could be signed as early as Friday.

Stocks somewhat positively to a report by the Institute for Supply Management's February that showed sector activity fell to a reading of 56.5 compared with a reading of 58.4 in January. The report fell more than the 57.5 reading that economists had expected.

In the commodity markets, oil gave up its earlier gains to fall $1.31 a barrel, or 1.63%, to $78.38 while gold rose 0.04% to $1,119.40 a troy ounce. Copper futures gained 2% after the 8.8-mearthquake struck Chile over the weekend, lifting shares of miners BHP Billiton (BHP) and Freeport McMoRan (FCX) as a result.

Company News

Shares of The New York Times Co. (NYT) rose more than 5% on rumors that billionaire Carlos Slim was interested in taking the company private. A spokesperson for the company told the Journal that the rumor was false, causing the stock to pare back some of its gains.

Auctioneer Sotheby’s (BID) posted a profit of $1.09 a share on $218.3 million in revenue, well ahead of the 67 cents on $201 million in revenue expected by analysts, according to Thomson Reuters.

Dish Network (DISH) reported a fourth-quarter adjusted profit 40 cents a share, topping analysts’ average estimate of 32 cents a share. Shares rose nearly 6%.

Proxy adviser RiskMetrics (RISK) was acquired by MSCI (MXB) in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at $1.55 billion.

Shares of Department store chain Dillards (DDS) jumped more than 14% after the company reported an adjusted profit of $1.04 a share, well ahead of the 92 cents expected by analysts.

Global Markets

U.K.’s FTSE 100 closed up 0.96% to 5405.94, France’s CAC 40 rose 1.64% to 3769.54 and Germany’s DAX gained 2.06% to 5713.51.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.45% to 10172.06 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.17% to 21056.93. China’s Shanghai Composite advanced 1.18% to 3087.84.

LifePoint beats Q4 estimates, forecast higher 2010 earningsDTE Energy Reports Lower 4Q Profit, Sales