On January 27, in Europe FTSE rose +0.9% to reach 5783, while the French CAC and the German DAX added 0.5% each. It was observed that international markets exhibited mixed results with gains in Europe against some weakness in the US. As per the latest stock market news, the Greek issue is still a matter of concern in the global markets that can have a remarkable impact in the near-term. Amid uncertain stock ratings, Euro zone consumer confidence rose from -21.3 to -20.6 in January. The US market gained for the successive third week on better-than-expected economic data releases and good corporate earnings reports. The Dow Jones gave up 12 points, while the S&P was a little stronger by +0.1% and the Nasdaq was slightly soft by -0.1%. Most active stocks, such as Goldman Sachs and eBay, reported good earnings overcoming the fears over Europe.
Some changes in stock ratings emerged in the market.ThinkEquity downgraded Research in Motion (RIMM) stock analyst rating from Buy to Hold after the company announced Thorsten Heinz as new CEO. In addition, StifelNicolaus& Co downgraded Proctor & Gamble' rating from Buy to Hold on lower earnings forecast and rising stock valuation. While on Monday, Needham & Co. reaffirmed Buy stock rating on the shares of Time Warner Cable (TWC), and Goldman Sachs gave Buy stock rating to the shares of Under Armour (UA).
Last Friday, overall commodity prices plunged, followed by the decline in crude and copper futures. During the Asian session, WTI crude settled at $98.40, with precious metals following the uptrend with gold higher by 0.58% to $1,674 and silver up 2.5% to $32.50. Moreover, soft commodities were widely upward, with copper gaining 0.55%.
The most active stocks trading actively in the after-hours session were VMareInc (VMW), CSX Corp( CSX) and PolycomInc (PLCM). VMware was one of the most stable stocks, as its fourth-quarter earnings rose by 67%, as a result the shares surged 5% to $90.30 in after-hours trading. CSX Corp's fourth-quarter earnings gained 6.3%, as the railroad company posted higher revenues subdued by peak shipping season, thus pushing shares down by 3% to $22 in recent after-hours trading. The last one in the most vibrant stocks in after-hours trading is Polycom, with fourth-quarter earnings gaining beyond expectations by 50% on emerging market sales. The shares of polycom gained 7.2% TO $19.74, as revenue topped expectations.
Now moving to top stocks in the US financial markets, some of the notable four companies are JP Morgan Chase & Co, General Electric Co., Micron Technology and Ford Motor Company. To begin with, JP Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) was among the most active stocks, as it announced its continued investment in California by starting 80 new branches and adding 1,200 jobs to better serve the clients in 2012. In the list of most vibrant stocks, General Electric (NYSE: GE) was also included as it announced to double its sales force to support increasing retail and wholesale demand for construction equipment financing.
While, Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) signed an agreement with Virtensys to acquire assets of the provider of PCIe-sharing solutions based in Manchester, England. The move brought Micron in the category of the most active stocks. Lastly, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) announced its search for partner to develop new compact models based on technology, which caused the shares to be actively traded in the market.