Business news for Mon, 24 Dec 2007 & with word stocks. 50 news.

AP - Wall Street advanced sharply Monday, boosted by news that Merrill Lynch & Co. will receive an investment of up to $6.2 billion from two investment groups. The Dow Jones industrial average rose nearly 100 points.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - U.S. stocks ended higher Monday in a shortened Christmas Eve trading session, aided by flurry of deals which included Alcoa Inc.'s $2.7 billion sale of its packaging and consumer businesses.

SOUTH Korea's consumer confidence declined from a five-year high, signaling spending may slow and crimp growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy. The sentiment index fell to 106 in the fourth quarter, the lowest in three quarters, from 112, the Bank of Korea said yesterday in a report in Seoul. A reading higher than 100 indicates optimists outnumber pessimists. The benchmark Kospi index of stocks has fallen eight percent from a November 1 record of 2,085.45 on concern US subprime-related losses would slow the global economy. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc this month cut its 2008 growth forecast for South Korea to 4.6 percent from 4.7 percent, Bloomberg News reported. "Consumers were probably very worried by the US subprime crisis," said Lee Sung Kwon, an economist at Good Morning Shinhan Securities Co in Seoul. The yield on a five-year government bond rose two basis points to 5.87 percent in Seoul and the won gained 0.1 percent to 939.65 versus the dollar. The

ASIAN stocks rose for a second day, led by electronics makers, after consumer spending increased more than forecast in the United States, the region's biggest export market. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, maker of iPods for Apple Inc, and Samsung Electronics Co climbed to the highest in more than a week. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index advanced the most in three weeks last Friday after the report on November spending eased concern about recession in the world's biggest economy. "US shares showed firm gains, and we're seeing the influence in shares today (yesterday)," said Kim Jae Dong, who oversees the equivalent of US$8.6 billion at Korea Investment Trust Management Co in Seoul. BHP Billiton Ltd led an increase among miners after metals prices climbed, and a UK regulator set a deadline for a formal takeover bid for Rio Tinto Group. The MSCI Asia Pacific, excluding Japan Index, rose two percent to 524.1 as of 3:38pm in Hong Kong, with all 10 industry groups climbing.

Stocks that were moving substantially or trading heavily Monday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:

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Stocks closed higher Monday afternoon at the end of a half-day of trading on the eve of a Christmas pause, as investors flocked to financial services firms after yet another Wall Street firm announced a big foreign cash investment.

The Dow industrials jumped by 98.68 points to 13549.33 in an abbreviated pre-holiday session, as financial stocks advanced on optimism that banks and brokerages can find fresh sources of capital, and investors hoped holiday sales will turn out to be stronger than anticipated.

FT.com - Wall Street stocks rose on Monday after a spate of deal-making and a capital injection at Merrill Lynch helped spur a pre-Christmas rally on Wall Street.

The major indexes finished in the green after a shortened session Monday. One solar company surged 15%...

Dealmaking helps the major averages build on Friday's rally.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rallied on Monday, led by financial companies, after Merrill Lynch (MER.N) took steps to shore up its balance sheet with plans to raise up to $6.2 billion and sell a lending unit.

Stocks closed higher Monday afternoon, at the end of a half-day, as investors cheered news from Merrill Lynch and worried that last-minute holiday shoppers may not have pulled through for retailers.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks finished higher in Monday's shortened trading session, aided by a flurry of M&A deals that included a $2.7 billion sale by Alcoa Inc. of its packaging and consumer businesses. In preliminary closing figures, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 106 points to 13,555, the S&P 500 Index gained 12 points to end at 1,497 and the Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 22 points to 2,713, with shares of Apple Inc. approaching the $200-a share mark. Apple's stock ended up 2.8% at $198.80.

Stocks held gains Monday afternoon as news from Merrill Lynch helped boost the financial sector and an upbeat retail sales report suggested consumer confidence is stronger than expected.

Treasury prices fell Monday as investors concentrated on opportunities in the stock market, with many players absent ahead of the Christmas holiday.

FT.com - Wall Street stocks rose on Monday after Merrill Lynch announced a capital injection of up to $6.2bn, spurring a rally in financial stocks at the start of an abbreviated Christmas-Eve trading session.

Stocks made headway Monday morning as news from Merrill Lynch helped boost the financial sector and an upbeat retail sales report suggested consumer confidence is stronger than expected.

If you chose to invest in shares this year and selected Europe as your venue, you probably are licking your wounds right now. Whether you invested through mutual funds, ETFs or picked your own stocks, Europe's exchanges were badly burned by the credit crunch that followed the American subprime mortgage meltdown. London's leading index, the FTSE-100, has returned 4% this year, the Dow Jones Europe gained 6% and France's CAC-40 did much of nothing. The leading Swiss index lost 3% and Sweden's fell 6%. At least Germany stood out from pack, with a 21% leap this year. ...

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