Stocks Close Mixed

Stocks were range bound on
Wednesday, closing mixed after oil prices rose above $66.

Crude jumped after oil inventories fell more than
expected, by 2.4 million barrels. Gasoline inventories were better than expected
at 4.4 million barrels; the expectation was for a gain of 2.7 million barrels.

After the close, Research in Motion
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beat on revenues and guided Q4 higher. The stock traded lower after hours.
Red Hat

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beat by 0.02.

Kodak
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said that operating earnings in
its digital business won’t meet previous projections. Digital revenues, however,
should come in higher than the 36% target, the company said.

Daimler Chrysler
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will cut 8,000 jobs at its Mercedes unit.

General Motors
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tentatively agreed to a three-year contract
with the Canadian Auto Workers, avoiding a strike.



Strong Sectors
were:  
 
Networkers

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+2.17%     Gold 
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+2.16%     
Natural Gas

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+1.49%     



Weak sectors
were:
     
Retail
 
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-1.31%      Banks  
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-0.66%       


Dow

+16.88
10,473.09


Nasdaq

-1.02 2115.40


S&P 500

+1.23
1216.89

Stocks in the news:

McCormick
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beat by a penny and reaffirmed the $1.58 – $1.62
consensus.

MedImmune
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was raised to overweight at Lehman.

Goldman Sachs said that the gaming stocks are oversold. Stocks include:
Las Vegas Sands

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, Harrah’s
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and Wynn’s
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.

Affymetrix
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warned for Q3.

Novellus
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was cut to underweight from neutral at J.P. Morgan.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Celgene’s
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Revlimid trial was halted over concerns about blood clots.

Brice Wightman