Business news with words amex+francisco. 54 news.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Delta Air Lines and ExpressJet Holdings saw their shares rise 2.1% and 3.6%, respectively, to pace a broad advance in the airline sector on the last trading day of the year. The Amex Airline Index added almost 1% to 34.69 points on Monday even as crude advanced toward $97 a barrel. Frontier Airlines , Mesa Air Group and JetBlue Airways were the only decliners among the 14 components in the benchmark index.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Energy stocks drifted slightly lower at the open Monday, the final session of 2007, amid sharply lower volume. Early action saw shares of Delta Petroleum Corp. jump as much as 24% to $19.30 a share after Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. announced it was taking a 35% stake in the company at $19 a share. But the news failed to spur gains elsewhere in the group. The Amex Oil Index was off 0.2% at 1,574 points, the Philadelphia Oil Service Index was down 1% at 303, and the Amex Natural Gas Index was essentially unchanged at 580 points.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Mesa Air Group Inc. shares dropped more than 4% early Friday, leading a broad decline in the sector after the carrier delayed the release of its fourth-quarter results, citing an ongoing review. Crude oil rose 86 cents to $97.48 a barrel, also pressuring the group. The Amex Airline Index lost less than 1% to 34.90 points with ExpressJet Holdings , SkyWest Inc. and AirTran Holdings the only three of the 14 components in the benchmark index logging gains. AMR Corp. and UAL Corp. both shed more than 3%.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWtach) -- Stocks in the energy sector gained ground at the open Friday, turning higher on a rebound in the broad market and on another step up by crude-oil prices. Early action saw the Amex Oil Index rise 0.9% to 1,580, led by a 2% gain for Anadarko Petroleum Corp to a 52-week high. The Amex Natural Gas Index was up 1% at 581 and the Philadelphia Oil Service Index was up 0.8% at 307 points. Crude-oil for February delivery was up 84 cents at $97.46 a barrel in New York.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- ExpressJet Holdings led a broad retreat in airline stocks at Thursday's open as crude moved up toward $97 a barrel. The Amex Airline Index dropped 1.4% to 36 points, with ExpressJet shares down 3.5% at $2.79. AMR Corp. and UAL Corp. both shed more than 2%. The price of crude oil rose 68 cents to $96.65 a barrel as tensions in the Middle East mounted in the wake of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's assassination.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline stocks took an early turn into positive territory Monday, led by 3% gains for American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and US Airways Group . The Amex Airlines Index was ahead 1.5% in early trades at 37.04 points, drawing strength from lower fuel prices to outpace a 0.6% rise in the broader equities market. Volume is likely to be light in the shortened pre-holiday session, which wraps it all up ahead of Christmas at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Energy stocks opened mixed in thin pre-holiday trade Monday, with a decline in crude-oil futures keeping the sector from participating in a move higher by the broader market. Early trades saw the Amex Oil Index rise 0.2% to 1,550 points, edging slightly into record-high territory, while the Philadelphia Oil Service Index pulled back 0.4% and the Amex Natural Gas Index slipped 0.2% to 579.5 points. Crude for February delivery was last down 47 cents at $92.84 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Oil and gas stocks were stuck in a tight trading range at the open Thursday, lacking direction from the underlying commodities market. The Amex Oil Index was fractionally higher at 1,501 points while the Philadelphia Oil Service Index was off 0.1% at 287.6. The Amex Natural Gas Index was up 0.8% at 567 points ahead of the Energy Information Administration's weekly natural gas inventory data. Among individual issues, Hess Corp. was the biggest mover in the oil group, down 2.2% on a downgrade by Citigroup to hold from buy. Crude-oil for February delivery was up 12 cents at $91.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after slipping below $91 in overnight trade.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares added to the prior session's gains in early trading Thursday. The Amex Airline Index rose 0.7% with nine of 14 stocks in the benchmark index trading higher. American Airlines parent AMR Corp. led gainers with a 2% rise. Alaska Airways Group shares climbed 1.7% after the company told investors it expected fourth-quarter capacity at its main Alaska Airlines carrier to rise 4% to nearly 6 billion available seat miles while costs per available seat mile come in flat with the same period last year, or fall 1% to 2% excluding fuel. The major indexes rose modestly, while crude oil futures slipped.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares slid at the open Wednesday, with all but three stocks in the benchmark Amex Airline Index posting modest losses. UAL Corp. was one of the outliers. Shares rose two cents after the airline operator told investors it expected fourth-quarter passenger unit revenue to rise between 11.5% and 12.5% for its flagship carrier United Airlines. Delta Air Lines Inc. shares hit a new 52-week low of $14.12. The broader market edged up, while crude oil futures gained 77 cents to $90.85 a barrel, still off past highs.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Oil and gas stocks moved mostly higher at the open Wednesday ahead of the weekly U.S. inventory report. The Amex Oil Index was up 0.5% at 1,496 points in early action, led by a 1.3% gain for Hess Corp. . The Amex Natural Gas Index was ahead 0.5% at 559 points and the Philadelphia Oil Service Index was up 0.2% at 287. Crude-oil for February delivery was trading 71 cents higher at $90.79 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Traders are expecting the Energy Information Administration to report a slightly bearish drop in U.S. crude-oil and heating oil inventories for the week ended Dec. 14.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares retrenched Friday after enthusiasm sparked by Deutsche Lufthansa's decision to take a stake in JetBlue Airways Group waned and an inflation report pressured the major indexes. The Amex Airline Index fell 0.3% to 37.15 points in opening trade with eight of 14 stocks in the benchmark index trading lower. JetBlue rose 1%; Bear Stearns upgraded shares to peer perform, saying Lufthansa's $300 million cash injection buys the discount carrier more time to execute its turnaround. Continental Airlines, Inc. shares gained 1.5%; JP Morgan Chase raised earnings estimates, saying the carrier's fourth-quarter update points to a profit in the quarter vs. a loss.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline stocks jumped at the open Wednesday, buoyed by investor enthusiam for the Federal Reserve's plans to inject cash into the markets through auction of short-term funds. The Amex Airline Index gained 1.6% with all but three stocks in the benchmark index rising. The sector shrugged off a climb in crude oil prices. The January futures contract rose $1.29 to $91.29 a barrel. Shares of regional carriers posted the biggest gains. AirTran Holdings jumped 4% to $8.50 while ExpressJet Holdings gained 4.3% to $2.66.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares slipped in early trading Tuesday, pressured by a rise in crude oil prices to over $89 a barrel. The Amex Airline Index fell 0.7% to 40.24, led by a nearly 2% drop in the shares of US Airways Group, Inc. and a 1.8% fall in the shares of Northwest Airlines Corp. . Alaska Air Group shares rose 1.3%. The January crude oil contract was last up $1.35 at $89.21 a barrel. The major indexes edged higher ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate meeting.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Oil and gas stocks clung to a narrow trading range at the open Monday, much like the rest of the equities market. Early action saw the Amex Oil Index hovering within less than one percentage point of unchanged at 1,430 points, with Royal Dutch Shell breaking 1.5% lower to lead decliners at $80.21 a share. The Amex Natural Gas Index was up 0.2% at 540.9 points and the Philadelphia Oil Service Index was ahead 0.2% at 284.8. Crude-oil for January delivery was last trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at $88.20 a barrel, down 51 cents.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares started the week with a broad sell-off, finding little support from a drop in crude oil prices. The Amex Airline Index fell 0.6% with all but three of 14 stocks in the benchmark index trading lower. Bucking the trend, shares in ExpressJet Holdings rallied 6.4% to $2.66. Carriers including JetBlue Airways Corp. and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines offered passengers more flexibility changing flights delayed by weekend snow and ice storms. Crude oil futures for January delivery were last down 53 cents at $88.18 a barrel.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares rallied at the open Friday as crude oil prices dropped below $90 a barrel and the broader market strengthened on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's comments. The Amex Airline Index climbed 4% in early trading, led by a 6.4% gain in the shares of Continental Airlines, Inc. . Shares in Northwest Airlines Corp. and Delta Air Lines, Inc. jumped nearly 6%. Crude oil for January delivery was recently down $1.55 to $89.46 a barrel.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airlines shares opened lower Thursday, upset by a jump in crude oil prices and negative analyst reactions to AMR Corp.'s decision to divest its American Eagle regional carrier business. The Amex Airline Index fell 1% to 39.62 points, led by a 3.3% drop in the shares of AMR. Goldman Sachs analyst Robert Barry said AMR's decision has "more symbolic than financial value" and kept his sell rating on the stock. Crude oil futures for January delivery rose 1.2% to $91.85 a barrel after a pipeline that carries oil from Canada to the United States exploded, killing two workers.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares edged up at the open Wednesday, taking a cue from the broader stock market while oil prices nosed higher. The Amex Airline Index gained 0.5% to 38.67 points with 10 of 14 stocks in the benchmark index rising. Shares in regional airline operator SkyWest, Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. led the sector. The major market indexes rallied on comments from a Federal Reserve official that the central bank must be "nimble" in its approach to monetary policy, possibly suggesting more rate cuts. Crude oil futures for January delivery traded 29 cents higher at $94.71 a barrel.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Airline shares rose across the board Tuesday as crude oil prices dropped by nearly $3 a barrel. The Amex Airline Index rose 3.4% in early trading, with all 14 stocks in the benchmark index climbing. Leading gainers, Alaska Air Group shares rose 8.3% to $24.26 after the carrier updated investors on its fourth-quarter outlook. Also, Goldman Sachs upgraded Alaska shares to neutral from sell.