US STOCKS-Mortgage sector worry, data lead market lower

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, Aug 3 - U S. stocks declined on Friday
on weaker-than-expected economic data and evidence the
mortgage market's problems are taking a wider toll on financial
company shares, including Bear Stearns Cos. Inc.




Standard & Poor's said it changed its ratings outlook on
Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns to negative from
stable, indicating there is a better chance of a downgrade over
the next two years. Two Bear Stearns-managed hedge funds
collapsed last month on bad bets on subprime mortgage
investments.


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Murdoch looks to legacy with Dow Jones bid

(Reuters) - Now the 76-year-old media mogul aims to redeem his legacy in the business he loves most with the anticipated $5 billion purchase of Dow Jones & Co. Inc., owner of The Wall Street Journal, Barron's financial weekly and Dow Jones Newswires.




Dow Jones looked set to agree on Tuesday to the buyout later on Tuesday, regarded as one of the most audacious yet for the consummate dealmaker.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

UPDATE 1-Millipore quarterly profit falls

(Reuters) - Excluding items, the company's earnings topped Wall Street
estimate.




The Billerica, Massachusetts-based company reported
second-quarter net income of $28.4 million, or 52 cents a
share, compared with $29.1 million, or 54 cents a share, a year
ago. Net sales rose 40 percent to $383.2 million.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

Health Management net tumbles, forecast is weak

(Reuters) - CHICAGO, July 31 - Hospital chain Health Management Associates posted an 85 percent plunge in quarterly profit Tuesday, citing difficulties in collecting on hospital bills, and forecast 2007 profit significantly below Wall Street estimates.



HMA, whose shares fell 9 percent in pre-market trade, said second-quarter earnings fell to $11.9 million, or 5 cents a share, from $77.3 million, or 32 cents a share, a year earlier.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

GM trounces 2nd-qtr estimates, shares surge

(Reuters) - By Jui Chakravorty



DETROIT, July 31 - General Motors Corp on Tuesday said it posted a quarterly profit that trounced Wall Street estimates as it benefited from cost-cutting and growing sales overseas, sending shares up as much as 6 percent.


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Bear, Lehman, Merrill, Goldman Traded as Junk, Credit-Default Swaps Show

(Bloomberg) -- On Wall Street, Bear Stearns Cos.,
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co. and Goldman
Sachs Group Inc., are as good as junk.

Bonds of U.S. investment banks lost about $1.5 billion of
their face value this month as the risk of owning the securities
increased the most since at least October 2004, according to
Merrill indexes. Prices of credit-default swaps based on the
debt imply that their credit ratings are below investment grade,
data compiled by Moody's Investors Service show.


Read more at Bloomberg Currencies News

US STOCKS-Futures point to flat open, jumpy trading

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 30 - Wall Street was set to open
flat on Monday but trading was expected to be very volatile as
worsening sentiment about the global credit environment made
investors wary about the outlook for stocks.




Tightening lending standards threaten to slow or halt the
heavy pace of corporate buy-outs that have fueled a rally in
equities.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

GLOBAL MARKETS-Investors take break from credit worries

(Reuters) - Signs of the recent bout of risk aversion, however, were not
far away. MSCI's main world stock index was 6
percent off its all-time high just 10 days ago and Wall Street
volatility was at highs not seen since April 2003.




"Clearly credit worries are still very much at the fore of
investors' minds," said Nick Stamenkovic, bond strategist at RIA
Capital Markets.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Dow Jones family owners face deadline on bid: source

(Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., owner of Fox News, the New York Post and a sprawling global media empire, made its $60 a share bid for Dow Jones, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, on May 1.




The board of Dow Jones endorsed the offer two weeks ago, sending the deal to the Bancroft family for approval.


Read more at Reuters.com Business News

US coal companies count cost of post-Sago safety

(Reuters) - Don Blankenship also said developing and installing new
tougher mine seals and other safety equipment would drive up
the cost per ton of its coal and some smaller Appalachian
producers might not be able to comply.




"It may take a mine or two out because they can't get
seals," Blankenship told Wall Street analysts.


Read more at Reuters.com Government Filings News

Fortune Brands CEO bullish on Absolut acquisition

(Reuters) - Wesley also said some Wall Street analysts were
underestimating Fortune's ability to create shareholder value
through an acquisition, saying he did not see the 50 cent per
share to $1 per share dilutive impact to earnings that some
analysts have estimated.





Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

Wall St falls as credit worries persist

(Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday as investors remained jittery about the worsening climate for financing corporate takeovers and about subprime mortgage losses dragging on the economy.

The underlying tone remained cautious on Wall Street a day after U.S. equities suffered the second worst decline this year, wiping out more than $300 billion in the S&P 500's value.


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US STOCKS-Wall St eyes flat open as data reassures

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 27 - U.S. stocks headed for a flat
to lower open on Friday as investors remained jittery about the
worsening climate for financing corporate takeovers, but
reassuring data on the economy offered some support.




A day after U.S. equities suffered their second worst
decline this year, futures temporarily cut losses following the
GDP report. But with European stocks volatile and Asian stocks
lower overnight, the underlying tone on Wall Street remained
nervous.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

TREASURIES-Yields fall as US stock index futures dip

(Reuters) - S&P 500 futures were off 6.40 points, below fair
value while the Dow Jones industrial average futures were
down 54 points.




"Looks like jitters on subprime, and equities are falling.
But this is a vulnerable time of day an hour or two before the
Wall Street equity opening, and so volumes get thin at this
time," said a trader in London.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

US STOCKS-Futures tumble on oil, housing, credit worry

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 26 - U.S. stock futures slid on
Thursday, putting Wall Street on course to drop at the open, as
global equities fell on concerns over rising oil prices,
deterioration in housing and a worse climate for deal
financing.




S&P 500 futures were down 16.70 points, below fair
value, a mathematical formula that evaluates pricing by taking
into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration
on the contract.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

Dade Behring quarterly net earnings rise

(Reuters) - CHICAGO, July 25 - Dade Behring Holdings Inc. , which has agreed to a bid from Siemens AG for $77 per share, said on Wednesday quarterly net earnings rose on demand for its laboratory equipment. Second-quarter net income was $50.3 million, or 61 cents per diluted share, compared with $37.6 million, or 43 cents per diluted share, a year before, the Deerfield, Illinois-based company said. Quarterly revenue rose 8.2 percent from a year ago to $481 million.



Wall Street analysts on average had forecast 47 cents a share, according to those polled by Reuters Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

TREASURIES-Bonds dip as stocks seen to rebound

(Reuters) - NEW YORK, July 25 - U.S. Treasury debt prices fell on
Wednesday, pulling benchmark yields back from seven-week lows as
investors prepared for a stock market rebound in the wake of
Tuesday's slide.




Stock futures pointed to a strong opening on Wall Street,
luring money away from safe-haven bonds, while the government's
upcoming auction of two-year notes later in the session could put
additional downward pressure on Treasury prices. Double-click on [.N]
for latest on stocks.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1-General Dynamics profit falls, but beats Wall St

(Reuters) - On a continuing operations basis, General Dynamics said earnings rose to $518 million, or $1.27 per share, from $420 million, or $1.03 per share.




Excluding a gain related to the resolution of tax audits, the company posted earnings of $1.22 per share, beating Wall Street expectations of $1.17 per share, according to Reuters Estimates.


Read more at Reuters.com Market News

TREASURIES-Benchmark yields hit 7-week lows on stocks

(Reuters) - However, a lack of liquidity and perceptions that
Treasuries were at expensive levels limited safe-haven flows
from the equity market, analysts said. Shares on Wall Street
tumbled after poor profits from companies related to the
housing market spooked investors. For details, see [.N].




"We are getting a little bit of it, but not much. The
liquidity in both bonds and stock markets is less than
desirable," said Carley Garner, an analyst at Alaron Trading
in Chicago.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News

UPDATE 1-Argentine stocks, bonds fall in dollar chase

(Reuters) - Falling stock prices around the region, and on Wall Street,
also pushed down local shares, traders said.




"To give you an idea of the market, the proportion is 10
dollar buys for every dollar sale, and on top of that there
aren't any dollars available," said a foreign exchange trader.


Read more at Reuters.com Bonds News