Market Update Close: While upbeat corporate news, plunging oil prices and falling bond yields helped investors eye blue chip bargains midday following yesterday's stalemate session, late-day volatility on account of quarterly options expiration contributed to the market's inability to close in positive territory. Known as "quadruple witching," such options-related activity, coupled with a mediocre Q2 report from Oracle (ORCL 12.69 -0.14) offsetting Adobe Systems (ADBE 38.82 +3.89) strong Q4 report, closed the technology-heavy Composite near session lows. Some rebalancing on the Nasdaq 100 also...
10 Minutes Before "Seconds." Feeling like getting a second helping of food? Hold back for 10 minutes before you make your move. It takes at least that long for your brain to get the message that your stomach is full.
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JESSICA'S DIVA DEMANDS
Jessica Simpson, 25, likes to act clueless, but she can swing her celebrity weight like a pro. According to a studio source, weeks before the press tour for The Dukes of Hazzard began, "we were bombarded with a six-page pamphlet of demands for Jessica from the office of her dad, Joe Simpson." Among Jessica's requests: paid accommodations for her hairstylist and assistant in the same hotel as Jessica; a wardrobe budget estimated in the thousands of dollars; cases of Evian water; and paid private... JEN FREAKS OVER ANGELINA'S NEW BABY JULIA STILES, GWYNETH PALTROW AND MORE!
Bush defends policy after eavesdropping report U.S. President George W. Bush is shown on December 14, 2005. Bush on Friday refused to discuss a report that he secretly authorized a U.S. agency to eavesdrop on people in America but said everything he does to protect the public against terrorism is within the law. (Jim Young/Reuters)
2:00 pm PT Market Wrap :While upbeat corporate news, plunging oil prices and falling bond yields helped investors eye blue chip bargains midday following yesterday's stalemate session, late-day volatility on account of quarterly options expiration contributed to the market's inability to close in positive territory. More...
1:05 pm PT Vornado Rlty Trust declares a $0.77 special dividend (VNO) 84.77 +0.18:
1:01 pm PT Hornbeck Offshore reports extension of previously announced and formation of new 10b5-1 stock sales plans for executive officers (HOS) 33.88 -0.61:Co announced today that Todd M. Hornbeck, Chairman, President and CEO of HOS, and certain related family trusts have entered into sales plans covering certain shares of common stock of the co owned by them. Under the terms of the 10b5-1 plans, Mr. Hornbeck proposes to sell 10,000 shares of HOS common stock and each of the three trusts proposes to sell 10,000 shares of HOS common stock, subject to certain minimum price criteria. Similarly, three other executive officers, Carl G. Annessa, James O. Harp, Jr. and Samuel A. Giberga, have also entered into or extended existing 10b5-1 sales plans to sell 10,000, 10,000 and 6,666 shares purchasable under certain outstanding options that they hold, respectively.