US stocks gain for fifth session
Stocks gained for a fifth straight session and the Dow Jones industrials achieved their third straight record close today after the Labour Department said falling gas prices helped push inflation lower last month.
The result is bolstering the notion that the economy can slow enough to allow the Federal Reserve to eventually lower interest rates.
A plunge in oil prices, which raised the prospect of even lower inflation, also contributed to the advance.
The market rose as investors took their cues from the inflation news and indications that a flurry of private equity buyouts would continue, this time with offers for radio station owner Clear Channel Communications Inc. and Reader’s Digest Association Inc., the magazine publisher and direct marketer.
Stocks also gained after the Philadelphia Fed reported that its index of manufacturing conditions rose to 5.1 from negative 0.7 in October. A positive reading signifies growth. Regional economic conditions “improved slightly” in November, but indicators for new orders and employment weakened.
Ethan Harris, chief US economist at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., contends that while the overall economy could show strains, stocks are poised to continue rising because of the strength of profits and balance sheets at corporations.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 54.11, or 0.44 percent, to 12,305.82. The Dow has closed at record levels 17 times since the start of October and again set a new trading high of 12,325.91 Thursday, passing the 12,300 mark for the first time.
Broader stock indicators also managed gains. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 3.19, up 0.23%, to 1,399.76, and the Nasdaq composite index gained 6.31, or 0.26 percent, to 2,449.06. The S&P is at a six-year high, while the Nasdaq is near a six-year high.
Financials and the consumer discretionary sectors led the advancers, while energy stocks moved lower as commodity prices fell. Light, sweet crude was down 2.50 at 56.26 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Bonds fell sharply, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.66% from 4.62 percent late on Wednesday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.
In economic news, the 0.5% drop in the Consumer Price Index, the key measure of inflation, matched the decline in September and marked the first two-month drop since late last year. The core inflation figure, which strips out volatility-prone prices for food and energy, rose 0.1%, the smallest increase in eight months.
The Labour Department also reported the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 2,000 to 308,000 last week, the smallest reading in a month. Last month, the nation’s unemployment fell to a five-year low.
“It’s much too early to declare victory over inflation,” Harris said. “You’ve got a significant amount of labour cost pressure building. Labour costs are a double whammy for stocks because they can slice into earnings and they can mean a tougher Federal Reserve.”
Kim Caughey, equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group, also remains concerned about wage increases but notes that third quarter profits were generated when energy costs were higher. Crude hit its high for the year in July.
“I think these numbers validated the thesis about energy prices having been the main component of inflation early this year,” she said of the Consumer Price Index, adding that she is now mainly concerned about increases in wages.
In corporate news, Clear Channel, the country’s No. 1 owner of radio stations, agreed to be taken private for about 18.7 billion by an investment group led by Thomas H. Lee Partners LP and Bain Capital Partners LLC. The deal includes about 8 billion in debt. Clear Channel rose 1.24, or 3.6%, to 35.36.
Reader’s Digest rose 1.19, or 7.6%, to 16.70 after agreeing to be acquired for about 1.61 billion by an investment consortium led by private equity group Ripplewood Holdings LLC.
Dell Inc. fell 65 cents, or 2.5%, to 25.10 after the computer maker delayed its third-quarter earnings report and announced federal regulators had launched a formal investigation into the company. The company said it didn’t know the specific nature of the investigation.
Also, dragging on the Nasdaq, Applied Materials Inc. fell 67 cents, or 3.6%, to 17.98 after the maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment reported a weaker-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter revenue and earnings.
KBR Inc., a unit of Halliburton Co., opened for trading following its initial public offering and jumped 3.75, or 22.1%, to 20.75. Car rental company Hertz Global, which also debuted Thursday, was up 72 cents, or 4.8 percent, at 15.72.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was down 1.21, or 0.15%, at 790.75.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 6 to 5 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.68 billion shares compared with 1.7 billion traded on Wednesday.
