Monday Closing Bell: Markets Close Down Following Mixed Open

December 2, 2013: U.S. equity markets opened mixed Monday morning and got a small boost from a decent report from ISM on manufacturing. The uptick didn't hold though and stocks ended the day on a down note. The rather weak reports on consumer spending on the four-day holiday weekend likely held stocks down in trading today.

European and Latin American markets closed lower today, while Asian markets closed mixed

Tuesday's calendar includes carmakers' reports on November sales and the following scheduled data releases and events (all times Eastern):

11:30 a.m. – 4-week bill auction 1:00 p.m. – 3- and 6-month bill auctions

Here are the closing bell levels for Monday:

S&P500 1800.90 (-4.91; -0.27%) DJIA 16008.71 (-77.70; -0.48%) NASDAQ 4045.26 (-14.63; -0.36%) 10YR TNOTE 2.798% (-0.4375) Gold $1,221.90 (-28.50; -2.3%) WTI Crude oil $93.82 (+1.10; +1.2%) Euro/Dollar: 1.3535.38(-0.0049; -0.35%)

Big Earnings Movers: B.O.S. Better Online Solutions Ltd. (NASDAQ: BOSC) is up 71% at $7.54.

Stocks on the Move: Ingersoll-Rand is down 22.2% at $55.54 after completing a spin-off of Allegion plc. Canadian National Railway Co. (NYSE: CNI) is down 48.6% at $57.78 following a 2-for-1 stock split. Camtek Ltd. (NASDAQ: CAMT) is up 38.9% at $5.71.

In all, 155 NYSE stocks put up new 52-week highs today, while 56 stocks posted new lows.

Salesforce.com aims to get businesses ‘social’

SAN FRANCISCO — When Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff hosts the company's annual user conference here this week, he'll have more to offer his best customers than star-studded performances for his favorite charities.

Apart from VIP-only events expected to include Tony Bennett, Jerry Seinfeld, MC Hammer and Green Day, Benioff has a new product for the customer-tracking software suite he sells to businesses.

It offers businesses a way to make more money off their existing customers, by connecting with them online via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google's YouTube video site.

The opportunity for Salesforce is expected to grow quickly but also be hotly contested, as those social networks sell their own do-it-yourself marketing campaigns.

Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are all expected to post revenue growth rates of more than 35% in 2014, and YouTube is expected to generate 10% to 15% of Google's $60 billion in 2014 ad revenue.

Thanks in part to sales of its new software, acquired in a string of 2012 acquisitions that cost more than $1 billion, Salesforce's sales are expected to rise 29%, to $5.2 billion, for the fiscal year ending in January 2015.

To get there, the company will need to convince enough corporations and smaller businesses to think of Salesforce first when they think of social media marketing.

While many companies are eager to try the burgeoning marketing technique, many also don't have the in-house expertise to manage the new technology.

That was the case initially at L'Oreal USA, the American unit of the French beauty and hair care giant.

"There were some cases where we spent more than we should have, and had to pull a (marketing) experiment," says Barry Gilmore, L'Oreal USA's chief information officer.

Then L'Oreal began using new marketing and analysis tools Salesforce rolled out this year.

The software helps automate the process of discovering the interests of existing customers, then deciding which promotions to send to t! heir social media accounts, via text or video ads.

L'Oreal brand managers used it to sign up thousands of hair salon owners in the U.S., who in turn used it to create thousands of Facebook pages that were peppered with social media ads for shampoos and conditioners.

"The return on investment was very positive," Gilmore says.

With his investment in the new technologies, Benioff is attempting to do the same thing he's advising his customers to do: sell more to existing customers.

The company pioneered the business of selling monthly software subscriptions over the Internet, earning Salesforce steady revenue growth for more than a decade.

Its shares have risen 14-fold since the company went public in 2004, turning Benioff into a billionaire and philanthropist.

Yet as its main market has slowly matured, the company has been adding new features.

Now, after acquiring social media marketing technology along with start-ups Radian6 and Buddy Media in 2012, Salesforce can help businesses identify, contact, service and sell more to their existing customers using social networks.

"Some people get a 20x return on their social media spending, but others don't even get their investment back," says Michael Lazerow, co-founder and former CEO of Buddy Media, who's now chief marketing officer for Salesforce's marketing product.

If experienced consumer brands like L'Oreal can use help with their social media marketing campaigns, many small and mid-size companies will likely need help as well.

While the opportunity for Salesforce could be huge, it isn't a clear one as Oracle and SAP, its chief rivals in the market for customer-tracking software, have also acquired social media marketing start-ups.

Google, too, has designs on the market, thanks to its 2012 acquisition of Wildfire, Buddy Media's chief start-up rival.

Facebook and Twitter, moreover, have developed their own marketing and ad technologies — while compiling a wealth of data on its users for! targetin! g ads.

Still, Salesforce also has its own database, compiled on users over the past decade. The data can help identify which customers might be receptive to a well-timed online promotion.

That's what Ford Motor did when it used the technology to send social media ads to customers who'd bought a vehicle five years earlier, with the idea that they might be ready for a new set of wheels.

That same type of marketing can be applied to any product or service with a predictable purchase pattern. "We're trying to create a new model that blends sales, service and marketing," says Lazerow.

Top Oil Companies For 2014

Expect that model to be sold hard by Benioff and his company this week, as the stars in comedy and music play on.

(Look for Part 2 of our series on social media marketing in Wednesday's column: The Rise of the Corporate CMO.)

John Shinal has covered tech and financial markets for 15 years at Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, the San Francisco Chronicle, Dow Jones MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal Digital Network and others.

Apple reports fiscal 4Q results Monday

SAN FRANCISCO — Wall Street isn't expecting much when Apple reports its fiscal fourth-quarter results Monday.

The 47 stock analysts who publish research on Apple see the company's quarterly profit falling slightly from a year earlier, based on their average earnings estimate of $7.92 a share.

Sales are seen nudging about 2% higher, to $36.8 billion.

Of more concern to investors than the September quarterly numbers will be what Apple has to say about demand trajectory for its two newest smartphones, iPhone 5c and 5s.

Last month, Apple said it sold more than 9 million iPhones in the first weekend the new devices were available, a record.

Yet Monday's earnings report will provide little more than a preview of demand for Apple's latest smartphone models, which were available only for the last two weeks of the quarter.

And consumer demand for the latest iPads — which became available just last week — won't be known until January, when Apple reports results for the current quarter ending in December.

That report will show how many consumer-electronics fans chose Apple smartphones and tablets over rival devices during the crucial holiday shopping season. As the market for mobile devices has matured, rivals including Samsung and others have offered less-expensive competing products, which triggered Apple's profit decline this fiscal year.

For the quarter ended in June, for example, iPad revenue fell 27% from a year earlier, while unit sales fell 14% – the first year-over-year sales drop since the device was introduced three years ago.

More troubling was that iPad revenue during the period fell almost twice as fast as unit sales, suggesting significant downward pressure on average prices for Apple tablets.

For the nine months ended in June, for example, iPhone unit sales rose 19% while iPhone revenue climbed 16%.

Apple gets just over half its revenue from smartphone sales, and some on Wall Street are wondering whether it can continue to fin! d enough buyers to sustain growth, especially because its latest models are priced higher than rival devices.

Many analysts were disappointed last month when Apple priced its iPhone 5C starting at $549 (excluding any wireless carrier subsidies), a level beyond the reach of most smartphone buyers in developing economies.

Best Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now

Investors who've bought the stock during the past month are betting that the two new models — plus the new iPad Air and iPad Mini tablets — will be enough to reignite Apple's growth.

Yet apart from any specific product forecasts from the company Monday, they won't know until January whether higher sales of the new products will be enough to boost Apple's bottom line.

There’s No Magic Bullet

No two stocks are identical. Walmart's (WMT) market cap is larger than that of Target's (TGT). Target has a lower price-to-book ratio and price-to-earnings ratio than Walmart's. Walmart has a better return on assets and return on equity, but Target has better operating margins and net margins. Walmart, however, has less debt. The list goes on and on.

Investors are faced with choices such as this everyday and investing life would be much simpler if only the picture each company portrayed was much clearer and convincing as to which company each of us should invest in. Ultimately, investors must choose. There is no perfect check list, though I use one. There is no one metric or ratio to guarantee success, though I use many of them. In other words, there is no magic bullet that any guru, checklist, analyst, etc., can offer you so that you know that your stock will increase in price. Only time can do that, along with Mr. Market acknowledging what hopefully was a wise choice.

5 Best China Stocks To Watch For 2014

Every day, investors must make decisions and use their very best judgment. Many seek out that one magic bullet that will separate one stock from the other. If you like reading, you will discover that there are many more metrics or ratios for determining the quality of a stock you intend to investigate. Some are more important than others.

One of the most important and helpful devices is the actual study of the financial statements. I have a copy of Enron's 2000 annual report and occasionally review it, almost as a study guide. Would I have seen the problems before the demise? I would certainly like to think so. Luckily, I never owned it and I
would like to believe that based upon their statements, I never would have. But what exactly are we looking for or what should you be looking for?

Search the Internet, read a book on investing or follow the Piotroski (F-Score) a! nd you will discover that a key metric watched by investors everywhere is that operating cash flow exceed net income. But is it a magic bullet? This is only one of many metrics that an investor should use, but let's investigate this one a little more closely. Those that have followed or used the Piotroski F-Score and done any back testing will see that operating cash flow greater than net income is one of the most important of the scoring. One of the reasons that this is important is because its more difficult to manipulate the numbers on the cash flow statement. Not impossible — just more difficult.

[ Enlarge Image ]

Above is a portion of Walmart's cash flow statement. You will note that the top line of the cash flow statement begins with net income. The bottom line shown here is cash flow from operations and is how a statement should look in a perfect world. But alas, we don't live in a perfect world and not all stocks have this clean of a statement.

Look at Hi-Tech Pharmacal's (HITK) cash flow statement below. Hi-Tech just received approval by the FDA for an oral concentrate of Lorazepam. Lorazepam is an often-used drug for the treatment of anxiety and is probably used by more Wall Street analysts than I care to know about. Note that the last three years indicate that net income is greater than operating cash flow. This is known as a red flag and should be investigated thoroughly if you intend to invest in any stock with similar numbers.

It's important to understand that this may only be temporary, but you should investigate fully before you dive into any stock where net income is greater than operating cash flow. Remember that cash flow is an adjustment to net income and considers such items as depreciation and amortization which alter the net income figure considerably. Depreciation and amortization don't actually require cash outlays and therefore don't alter cash flow, giving! a cleare! r picture of the company's position. This is one of the reasons why investors prefer to look at cash flow instead of net income. Further, if the spread of the larger net income is huge, it may indicate that earnings may be less than useful for consideration.

[ Enlarge Image ]

Many investors will choose to use free cash flow over operation cash flow which I don't suggest because there is no "approved" definition of free cash flow and it may differ from various sources.

Companies take their cash and make up their inventories which are stored until sold. When sold, they typically, if not receiving cash, go into the column labeled account receivables until the customer pays. So looking closer at Hi-Tech for the last three years, let's note a couple of things:

[ Enlarge Image ]

The annual growth rate of the revenues annually is 17.87% with a five-year rate of 39.41%. Not bad, so where do we look from here? Think about what we just stated regarding our cash going into inventories and account receivables. Take a look at the trend of their receivables.

[ Enlarge Image ]

Take note that the receivables are growing much faster than sales, another red flag.

These and many more are the types of steps you need to take when evaluating a stock. Be diligent and be careful.

Finally, don't necessarily conclude that this is a bad investment. Joel Greenblatt did not think so. Look at his record:

[ Enlarge Image ]

Happy investing!

Disclosure: I am long on WMT

Tax Holidays For Back-To-School Shopping 2013

By Simon Zhen

July is almost over and summer is still very much with us. But, that isn't stopping retailers from pushing their back-to-school marketing efforts. From TV commercials to weekly circulars, retailers are already hawking everything from clothes to laptops to school supplies for the upcoming school year. It's probably an indication that American families are likely to see a spike in spending.

According to a recent study by the National Retail Federation, families with school-age children will spend an average $634.78 on apparel, shoes, supplies and electronics during the 2013 back-to-school shopping season. Total back-to-school spending is projected to reach $26.7 billion.

To help alleviate the school expenses, parents in 17 states should buy school supplies during tax holidays, celebrated from late July to late August. During this time, sales tax will not be collected on certain purchases up to a specified amount, if applicable. Most of the applicable items include clothing, school supplies and computers -- the types of things that students will need for the new school year.

We've listed the types of purchases that are exempt from sales tax for each state that is holding a tax holiday. (Each state is linked to the website of the department of revenue or taxation for the state, where you can find more information for your particular state.)



In the U.S., there are five states that do not charge any sales tax at all: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.

MyBankTracker is an independent resource that helps consumers make smarter banking and money decisions.

Here's 1 Poll That Doesn't Trash Bank of America

Bad press has been dogging Bank of America (NYSE: BAC  ) a little more than usual lately thanks to the testimony of a handful of former employees in a lawsuit in progress concerning the big bank's treatment of mortgage borrowers seeking refinancing of their loans. Together with a recent survey showing the appallingly low regard in which the general public holds B of A, it's a wonder that the bank has any business at all.

But, just as no one person or company is perfect, so it is that none are all bad, either. Here is one survey of public opinion that shows that, despite all the negativity surrounding Bank of America, many Americans have noticed the efforts the big bank has been making to clean up its act -- and are giving credit where credit is due.

Four big banks on the "Improvers" list
YouGov BrandIndex, a research firm that measures public sentiment and perceptions regarding major companies and their brand, recently released its 2013 Top U.S. Buzz Improvers list. These companies were considered to have improved their brand perception appreciably in the first half of the year, and it's notable that four of the 10 companies listed are big banks.

In addition to Bank of America, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS  ) , JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM  ) , and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS  ) also made the grade, and it's interesting to note that there a couple of common threads, here. Overall, the site gives credit to the improving U.S. economy in general and an improvement in the sentiment toward the financial sector in particular as reasons for the banks' new, less tarnished image.

Another factor that seems to have been given some weight in the poll is the fact that most of these banks have launched public relations campaigns designed to improve their reputations with the public. B of A's newest image-polishing promotion was mentioned, as well as JPMorgan's own "So You Can" advertising campaign. Even Morgan Stanley aired a "We Are Morgan Stanley" TV ad, pushing its investment expertise. Though No. 1 improver Goldman Sachs did not seem to follow this type of strategy, it was noted that the firm made the top 100 in Fortune's "Best Companies to Work For" list for 2013.

Public perception matters
While a healthier economy certainly has helped boost these banks' profiles, this survey makes the salient point that reputation does matter -- and banks know it. In addition, advertising campaigns targeting that metric do seem to make a difference.

The difference in sentiment may be fleeting, however. In B of A's case, CEO Brian Moynihan has shown much concern for the bank's reputation, with mixed results. Efforts in 2011, as noted in this Huffington Post article, did prop up the bank's brand value that year, but there have been many slip-ups and downright awful reputational surveys since then, and outpourings of rage toward the bank occur with disturbing regularity.

While this poll is one of the few that shows any improvement in Bank of America's image, a gain of nearly 10% in positive perception is notable. Hopefully, the bank's newer, softer side will help reduce occurrences where past incidents of bad behavior come back to haunt the bank in the present. If B of A could stem the flow of negativity long enough to build up a more lasting, friendly image, it just might have a chance to effect some permanent reputational repairs.

Top 5 Low Price Companies To Buy Right Now

As the big banks work on their reputations and balance sheets, paying big dividends may not be back on the menu for a while. If you're on the lookout for high-yielding stocks, The Motley Fool has compiled a special free report outlining our nine top dependable dividend-paying stocks. It's called "Secure Your Future With 9 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks." You can access your copy today at no cost! Just click here.

Dow Jumps 100 Points, But Is It Another Head Fake?

Stocks jumped out of the gate this week as two strong economic reports and hopes the market would get what it wanted from the Fed in its interest rate decision on Wednesday had the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI  )  more than 1% most of the session. However, it faded late to finish up 110 points, or 0.7%.

This month's Empire State Manufacturing report came in well ahead of expectations, hitting 7.8 on expectations of just 0.8, improving from -1.4 in May. Markets also received a push from the National Association of Home Builders Market Survey, which topped 50 for the first time since April 2006, indicating that a majority of homebuilders view the housing market favorably. That hasn't happened in more than seven years. The index reached 52, way better than expectations at 45, and better than 44 last month.

Still, the market seemed mostly propelled by hopes that the Fed would keep its current bond-buying program in place as its Open Market Committee begins a two-day meeting tomorrow. The Fed will reveal the results Wednesday at 2 p.m., when it announces the benchmark interest rate, which is expected to hold at 0.25%, and provides its current view of the economy.

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO  ) led Dow stocks today, finishing up 2.5% to hit a new 52-week high. The networking specialist first announced that it has opened an innovation center in Israel along with local telecom Pelephone to develop new technologies to meet growing demand for mobile data services, and unveiled a project called "Connected Boulevard" in Nice, France. The project is a prototype, which hopes to aid cities in areas such as parking traffic, street lighting, and waste disposal. Cisco also benefited from an overall strong day for tech stocks as Advanced Micro Devices jumped 2.8% and Micron Technology finished up 3.8%.

Top 10 Medical Stocks To Watch For 2014

Not all Dow stocks were winners today, though, as Verizon (NYSE: VZ  ) shares finished down 0.7% after expressing interest in an acquisition north of the border. According to The Globe and Mail, Verizon is looking into purchasing Wind Mobile, a smaller telecom in Canada. Wind has already received offers from other interested, but unidentified, parties. The deal would give Verizon an inroad into the Canadian market of 30 million, but perhaps investors would rather see it buy out Vodafone's 50% stake in its wireless division.

Finally, Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) shares finished up 7.1% after reporting an agreement with DreamWorks Animation (NASDAQ: DWA  ) . According to the deal, Netflix will offer original programming from the animation house starting in 2014, which it said was the biggest deal it's made for first-run content. The move is the video streamer's latest coup after releasing House of Cards to critical acclaim and more recently resurrecting Arrested Development and seeing its stock price triple this year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The tumultuous performance of Netflix shares since the summer of 2011 has caused headaches for many devoted shareholders. While the company's first-mover status is often viewed as a competitive advantage, the opportunities in streaming media have brought some new, deep-pocketed rivals looking for their piece of a growing pie. Can Netflix fend off this burgeoning competition, and will its international growth aspirations really pay off? These are must-know issues for investors, which is why The Motley Fool has released a premium report on Netflix. Inside, you'll learn about the key opportunities and risks facing the company, as well as reasons to buy or sell the stock. The report includes a full year of updates to cover critical new developments, so make sure to click here and claim a copy today.

Tesla's Next Turn

The following video is from Friday's Motley Fool Money roundtable discussion with host Chris Hill and analysts Ron Gross, James Early, and Charly Travers.

Shares of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA  ) have doubled in the last month. The automaker is raising $830 million through a stock and debt offering. Morgan Stanley raised its price target on the stock. Should investors raise their expectations? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts discuss the road ahead for Tesla.

Tesla's plan to disrupt the global auto business has yielded spectacular results. But giant competitors are already moving to disrupt Tesla. Will the company be able to fend them off? The Motley Fool answers this question and more in our most in-depth Tesla research available. Get instant access by clicking here now.

The relevant video segment can be found between 5:20 and 7:18.

For the full video of today's Motley Fool Money , click here .

#pitch{ margin-bottom: 15px; }

More Expert Advice from The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock in our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." I invite you to take a copy, free for a limited time. Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

Former Microsoft Corporation Manager Charged with Insider Trading (MSFT)

Former Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) senior manager Brian Jorgenson was charged with insider trading on Thursday.

Last month, Brian Jorgenson a senior manager in MSFT’s Treasury Group was with his wife and four children when the FBI showed up for questioning. Jorgenson confessed that he had given a friend, who was an experienced day trader, confidential information three times in the last year and a half. The former manager said that the two profited by nearly $400,000 from betting correctly that MSFT’s stock would fall after its Q4 earnings and rise after its Q1 earnings.

Best Low Price Companies To Own For 2014

On Thursday, Jorgenson and his friend Sean Stokke were charged with 35 felony counts and will be forced to forfeit their profits. MSFT reported that it has a zero tolerance policy against insider trading and had helped in the investigation.

The charges allege that the two friends planned to use the money to start a hedge fund, which indicates that they knew what they were doing. Jorgenson apologized for the illegal trading and reported that greed led him to make the trades.

Microsoft shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Friday. The stock is up 36% YTD.

Surprise! Stocks Fall, Surge as Fed Tapers

Stocks dropped then rose this afternoon after the Fed said it would begin tapering to the tune if $10 billion.

Bloomberg

The S&P 500 dropped 0.5%  to 1772.05 at 2:01 p.m., while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has dipped 0.1% to 1,5865.11.By 2:03 p.m., the S&P 500 was unchanged and the Dow Jones Industrial average had gained 0.4% to 15,942.87. The Dow has been given a boost by 3M (MMM), which has gained 1.9% to $133.85, Exxon Mobil (XOM), which has risen 1.8% to $98.50 and United Health Group (UNH), which is up 1.7% at $71.94.

Best Financial Stocks To Watch For 2014

While the market appeared to have been resigned to some sort of taper, the $10 billion was above the $5 billion many economists had forecast.

Here’s a chart of the move in the Dow:

More to come.

Jim Cramer's 6 Stocks in 60 Seconds: LLY GIS RRC FINL AXP YHOO (Update 1)

5 Best Medical Stocks To Watch Right Now

Check out Jim Cramer's latest trading recommendations on "Action Alerts Plus". (Updates from 11:13 a.m. ET with closing information.)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Here's what Jim Cramer had to say on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Tuesday.

Based on a $65 price target, Eli Lilly (LLY) would appear "very inexpensive," Cramer said. But he doesn't think the company has a great product pipeline. LLY ended the day 3 cents higer at $49.22.

According to Cramer, people don't think General Mills (GIS) has natural and organic foods, which is "hurting" the stock. He noted Morgan Stanley considers GIS "challenged." GIS fell 33 cents to $49.58.

The fact that Range Resources (RRC) has failed to move higher on a positive note from Wells Fargo concerns Cramer. He suggested the oil and gas exploration industry has "run too much." RRC fell 41 cents to $79.76. Bank of America upgraded Finish Line (FINL) to buy from sell. Cramer said he'd "buy the stock" based partly on how well the brand is doing in Macy's (M) locations. FINL rose 1.9% to $25.89.

American Express  (AXP) recently reported some of its credit numbers, and Cramer suggested that AXP's likelihood was "very, very small" for a default. AXP is a holding in Cramer's charitable portfolio, Action Alerts PLUS. AXP fell 41 cents to $84.11. Citigroup raised its price target on Yahoo! (YHOO) to $46 from $39. Cramer said that when investors add up the value from all of YHOO's different business segments, it commands a premium valuation. YHOO fell nearly 1% to $39.51. To sign up for Jim Cramer's free Booyah! newsletter, with all of his latest articles and videos, please click here. -- Written by Bret Kenwell in Petoskey, Mich. Follow @BretKenwell

Stock quotes in this article: LLY, GIS, RRC, FINL, M, AXP, YHOO 

Asia stocks higher on positive U.S., Europe data

Asian stock markets moved higher on Tuesday as upbeat economic data from the U.S. and Europe lifted investor confidence ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting.

The region took its lead from strong overnight gains in the U.S. and Europe, as stocks responded well to signs of improvement in the global economy. In Europe, markets surged after preliminary data showed that manufacturing in the euro zone grew at its fastest rate in December since May 2011.

Shutterstock Enlarge Image

The European data followed figures for China from earlier on Monday, which showed slowing growth in factory activity in Asia's largest economy in December — a contributor to the region's declines in the previous session.

In the U.S., industrial production in November exceeded its pre-recession peak, prompting a 0.8% climb in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The data came just before the Federal Reserve starts its much-anticipated policy meeting on Tuesday, where there are some expectations that the central bank could start to withdraw its stimulus when it concludes on Wednesday — a process that has become known as tapering.

The positive sentiment in Asia was evident in the yen. Although the dollar (USDJPY)   lost 0.2% overnight against its Japanese counterpart, it did manage to climb back above the ¥103 mark, which it lost in Asian trading on Monday. The yen recently traded at ¥103.05 to the dollar.

The softer local currency helped Japanese stocks rebound after Monday's selloff, with the Nikkei (JP:NIK)  up 1%.

South Korea's Kospi (KR:SEU)   was up 0.9% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 (AU:ASX)  gained 0.5%.

In China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI)  rose 0.4% and the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP)   was up 0.1% in the mainland.

The Australian dollar rose after minutes from the Reserve Bank of Australia's December meeting showed that the central bank was prudent to keep rates steady to gauge the effect of previous cuts, though it did say that the Australian dollar was "uncomfortably high".

The Aussie (AUDUSD)  moved as high as 89.54 U.S. cents from 89.33 U.S. cents before the minutes were released, and was last at 89.47 U.S. cents.

I Can't Wait to Ditch My Cable Company for Google

Search giant Google  (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) recently outlined plans to expand its Google Fiber service to Austin, Texas. That represents a disruptive threat to local incumbent cable providers such as Time Warner Cable  (NYSE: TWC  ) and AT&T  (NYSE: T  ) . Austinites will probably switch en masse to the new service, which will hurt both Time Warner and AT&T. Ma Bell promptly responded by announcing its own intention to build a gigabit fiber optic service if it could wrangle the same incentives as Google.

In the following video, Austin-based Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, explains why he's excited to ditch his cable company.

Top Energy Companies To Invest In 2014

As one of the most dominant Internet companies ever, Google has made a habit of driving strong returns for its shareholders. However, like many other Web companies, it's also struggling to adapt to an increasingly mobile world. Despite gaining an enviable lead with its Android operating system, the market isn't sold. That's why it's more important than ever to understand each piece of Google's sprawling empire. In The Motley Fool's new premium research report on Google, we break down the risks and potential rewards for Google investors. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this invaluable resource.

Dow! Two Days, Two 100-Point Drops

Maybe the letter “N” should be added to the Dow. How better describe the benchmark’s performance after it was dragged down again today, this time by Coca-Cola (KO), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Procter & Gamble (PG)?

Everett/Fox

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 104.1 points, or 0.7%, to 15,739.43 today. It was the Dow’s second consecutive drop of 100 points of more–the first time that’s occurred since Oct. 8–and has now lost 1.8% during the past three days, its largest three-day lost since Oct. 9.

Coca-Cola fell 2.3% to $39.21 after its board elected a new Senior Vice President, while Johnson & Johnson dropped 2.1% to $91.16 and Procter & Gamble declined 2.1% to $82.30, as consumer staples got hit.

The S&P 500 didn’t fare much better. It fell 0.4% to 1,775.5, its third consecutive drop, as AES Corp. (AES) fell 3.3% to $13.85 and Juniper Networks (JNPR) dropped 3.2% to $20.64.

What’s behind the recent weakness? Some are blaming the Fed–and yes I’ve done my fair share of Fed-fear mongering. Citi Private Bank’s Steven Wieting, however, says the timing of the Fed’s tapering shouldn’t really matter to investors. He writes:

…should the Fed immediately commence tapering, the recent performance of equities suggests a bit more of a negative impact than was the case during the summer when shares rose through the bond selloff.  (A small near-term rally now seems likely if tapering is postponed, as most still expect). Nonetheless, we would remain bullish on U.S. shares for a 1-2 year horizon as we have long expected a winding down of QE sooner or later.

The recent weakness might have some considering the wisdom of remaining in the stock market, especially after this year’s 20%+ gains. UBS strategist Jeremy Zirin and team say not to worry:

The robust rebound in global equities that characterized 2013 should continue in the coming year due to increased global economic growth and corporate earnings. In our view, the asset class still offers the requisite upside to justify a solid longer-term portfolio allocation, though we caution investors who may be spoiled by the gains of recent years to temper their expectations. What could upend the rally? Merrill Lynch’s Michael Hartnett and team worry that the “faster the growth…the greater the risk that cash and volatility outperform.”  They write: …liquidity has aided and abetted Wall Street’s bull market. So a sudden surge in economic growth means less liquidity or central banks falling “behind-the-curve”. And the risk to growth, led by the US, remains to us very much to the upside in 2014′H1. Global manufacturing is surging, political uncertainty is subsiding (following WTO, US budget agreement, Volcker rules), and banking austerity is easing.

And I was just getting used to good news being good news.

Why Boston Scientific (BSX) Jumped Today

Best Value Stocks For 2014

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Boston Scientific  (BSX) jumped as much as 4% during Thursday's session before settling 2.7% higher to $11.48. The day's gains are the latest in a year which has seen the stock climb 100.4%.

Sparking demand during the trading day, the Natick, Mass.-based business received support from a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel for its Watchman device, a technological treatment to prevent stroke in patients prone to irregular heartbeats. The panel voted favorably in majority, 13-to-1, noting that the device's benefits outweighed its risks.

The FDA will take into consideration the panel's findings and a decision on the device's approval will likely come in the first half of 2014.

The Watchman device is a heart implant nestled in a patient's left atrial appendage and works to prevent the migration of blood clots, a factor in the incidence of stroke and embolisms in high-risk sufferers of atrial fibrillation. To date, a common treatment in preventing strokes is a blood-thinning warfarin therapy. However, despite its proven benefits, it can lead to bleeding complications after long-term use. "We are pleased with the outcome of today's panel, which represents an important milestone toward making this innovative technology available to patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) at higher risk for stroke who need an alternative to long-term warfarin therapy," said Boston Scientific's Chief Medical Officer Kenneth Stein in a statement. TheStreet Ratings team rates Boston Scientific Corp as a Buy with a ratings score of B-. The team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate Boston Scientific Corp (BSX) a BUY. This is driven by multiple strengths, which we believe should have a greater impact than any weaknesses, and should give investors a better performance opportunity than most stocks we cover. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, solid stock price performance, compelling growth in net income, expanding profit margins and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: BSX's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 3.5%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 0.1%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share. Powered by its strong earnings growth of 100% and other important driving factors, this stock has surged by 103.59% over the past year, outperforming the rise in the S&P 500 Index during the same period. Regarding the stock's future course, although almost any stock can fall in a broad market decline, BSX should continue to move higher despite the fact that it has already enjoyed a very nice gain in the past year. The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry. The net income increased by 99.2% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from -$664.00 million to -$5 million. The gross profit margin for Boston Scientific Corp is currently very high, coming in at 73.14%. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Regardless of the strong results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of -0.28% is in-line with the industry average. Boston Scientific Corp reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. But, we feel it is poised for EPS growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, Boston Scientific Corp swung to a loss, reporting -$2.87 a share vs. 29 cents a share in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings (45 cents vs. -$2.87). You can view the full analysis from the report here: BSX Ratings Report Also see: The 10 Drunkest States in America... and the 10 Most Sober.

Stock quotes in this article: BSX 

The end of GM's 'crappy car' culture

GM cars have been improving. The Cadillac CTS, which was recently named Motor Trend Car of the Year, is just one of numerous new models that have been winning accolades.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) "No more crappy cars." That was Mary Barra's mantra as head of product development at General Motors. Now as the newly-named CEO of world's largest automaker, experts say she's got what it takes to make it really happen.

Already, the mantra seems to have taken hold. GM (GM, Fortune 500) has been on a product roll lately, having introduced several award-winning vehicles in the past year.

Top Bank Companies To Buy Right Now

The Cadillac CTS was recently named Motor Trend Car of the Year and, shortly after that, the Chevrolet Corvette was named Automobile Magazine's Automobile of the Year. And Consumer Reports, arguably the most influential publication among car shoppers called the new Chevrolet Impala the best sedan it had ever tested and the Chevrolet Silverado the best truck.

And the hits could keep rolling in. The CTS and the Corvette are two of the three finalists for North American Car of the Year, an award that will be given out by a jury of top auto journalists at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Meanwhile, the Silverado is a finalist for Truck of the Year.

Gallery - Chevrolet Impala: Big American car done right

"If you look at anything that's been conceived post-bankruptcy, it's been very, very good, just right down the line," said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

In the past, GM had been known for producing cars under various brands that were little differentiated from one another and which sorel! y lagged competitors in quality. Well-received concept cars like the Pontiac Aztek went through a product development process that turned them into awkward market flops.

The turnaround really started before Barra and even before the company's 2009 bankruptcy, said Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine. Thanks to people like Bob Lutz, former head of product development, the automaker's product line-up had been improving, step-by-step, for years before the automaker restructured.

Barra had only been in the product development role since early 2011. Normally, designing and engineering an all-new car, truck or SUV takes four to five years so plans for vehicles like the Cadillac CTS and Corvette would have been underway before Barra took over. But she certainly would have had time to influence those products. Their ultimate success says something about her priorities.

What this shows, said Bill Visnic, senior analyst at the automotive website Edmunds.com is that when there's a decision between cost and quality, Barra tends to opt for quality.

"You have to think the call on the better product is going to win out," he said, "and that GM really does realize that it can't just be about the nickels and dimes of the business all the time."

So, Barra's greatest claim to success as head of product development at GM was that she didn't mess up the work of GM's designers and engineers, said Ed Kim, an analyst with the automotive consulting form of AutoPacific.

"To say that she didn't screw them up is kind of a big deal, though" Kim said.

That's because it was GM's past corporate culture, more than anything, that resulted in bad cars, he said. In the old days, an over-emphasis on cost-cutting spelled the ultimate doom of what could have been good cars.

"She would have to work hard to do as much damage as some of the men in that position have done," said Jennings.

  90 seconds with GM's next CEO

Just as important as Barra's rise to the top, said Jennings and Kim, is Mark Reuss' elevation from head of GM North America to Barra's old job as head of product development. Reuss, like Barra, is someone who's focused on cars, not balance sheets.

This could be the best GM team in recent history," said Jennings.

Can H&R Block Survive Against Intuit and Liberty Tax Service?

H&R Block (NYSE: HRB  ) will release its quarterly report on Tuesday, and as you'd expect outside of tax season, the tax-preparation company will almost certainly post a sizable loss. But the bigger question investors want answered is whether H&R Block can meet the long-term threat of Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU  ) and its TurboTax software on one end, as well as the live tax-preparation competition of JTH Holdings' (NASDAQ: TAX  ) and its Liberty Tax Service chain.

H&R Block has a long history of providing tax-preparation services, and it has recognized the need to go beyond live preparation to offer tax software of its own. Yet TurboTax remains the most popular tax software in the market by a wide margin, forcing H&R Block to try to use its bricks-and-mortar offices as weapons in its competitive fight. Yet now, JTH Holdings has entered the field, with its ownership of Liberty Tax Service and the leadership of John Hewitt, co-founder of Jackson Hewitt. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with H&R Block over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its report.

Stats on H&R Block

Analyst EPS Estimate	($0.37)
Year-Ago EPS	($0.37)
Revenue Estimate	$137.85 million
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	0.4%
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	1

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Can H&R Block earnings improve in the future?
Analysts have gotten slightly more optimistic about H&R Block earnings in the long-run, keeping October-quarter estimates steady but boosting full-year fiscal 2015 projections by $0.02 per share. The stock has climbed back toward the high end of its range for the year, rising 9% since early September.

Just as with this quarter's results, H&R Block's results for the July quarter were similarly weighed down by the fact that most of the company's earnings come in the key April quarter. A loss of $0.40 per share was worse than investors had expected to see, though, raising concerns about controlling costs during the tax off-season.

Another concern comes from H&R Block's efforts to sell off its banking-services division. The company had hoped to sell its banking division to Republic Bancorp in order to get out from under tighter regulation of banking-services companies. Yet Republic decided not to comply with one of the required conditions under the deal, forcing H&R Block to seek out other counterparties in an effort to cut costs and leave itself able to compete more nimbly against Intuit, Liberty, and others.

The wild card that H&R Block, Intuit, and Liberty all face at this point is the uncertainty surrounding the coming tax season in 2014. Last year, both Intuit and H&R Block were surprised by a relative lack of growth in return preparation, with Intuit saying that it saw a much smaller shift toward software from manual preparation than it had expected. Smaller competitors took away market share from Intuit, and H&R Block said that IRS returns fell about 1%, defying its own expectations of modest growth.

In the H&R Block earnings report, focus less on the actual backward-looking earnings and more on comments about the coming tax season. With the high-season for H&R Block earnings looming ever closer, the company needs to demonstrate that it has what it takes to keep Intuit and JTH Holdings at bay as it seeks to offer customers a way to deal with increasingly complex tax return needs.

Should tax preparers help people sign up for Obamacare?
One interesting speculation involves whether H&R Block and tax preparers should get involved in helping people sign up for Obamacare. Yet as complex as the Affordable Care Act might seem, it doesn't have to confuse you. In only minutes, you can learn the critical facts you need to know in a special free report called "Everything You Need to Know About Obamacare." But don't hesitate, because it's not often that we release a free guide containing this much information and money-making advice. Please click here to access your free copy.

Click here to add H&R Block to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

Supreme Court won’t rule on state Internet sale…

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court declined again Monday to intervene in disputes between states and online retailers over the collection of sales taxes.

The latest case sidestepped by the justices came from New York, where online giant Amazon.com lost an appeals court ruling requiring it to collect sales taxes through its affiliates in the state, even though it has no physical presence there.

By turning down the case, the justices handed a victory to New York and other states that collect Internet sales taxes, even while legislation to allow such taxation in all states that have sales taxes remains bottled up in Congress.

It was a loss for Amazon.com and another Internet retailer, Overstock.com, which had claimed since 2008 that their businesses only were located in Washington State and Utah, respectively. The sole links to New York retailers were through other web sites, which received commissions based on sales.

New York's Court of Appeals ruled earlier this year that "the Internet tax is constitutional on its face," despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1992 against North Dakota's effort to collect sales taxes from a mail-order business. The New York court reasoned that Amazon and Overstock had a presence in the state through their affiliated web sites.

"The world has changed dramatically in the last two decades, and it may be that the physical presence test is outdated," the state court ruled in a 4-1 decision. "An entity may now have a profound impact upon a foreign jurisdiction solely through its virtual projection via the Internet. That question, however, would be for the United States Supreme Court to consider."

5 Best Casino Stocks To Invest In Right Now

But on Monday, without comment as is customary, the Supreme Court refused to consider that broader question. That leaves the issue of Internet sales taxes up to the states -- and Congress -- at least f! or now.

Why Vail Resorts Could Celebrate an Early Winter Even More Than Polaris and Arctic Cat

Vail Resorts (NYSE: MTN  ) will release its quarterly report on Monday, and already, investors are celebrating an early cold snap in the American West by sending the resort company's stock toward yearly highs. To an even greater extent than winter-equipment makers Polaris Industries (NYSE: PII  ) and Arctic Cat (NASDAQ: ACAT  ) , Vail Resorts relies on a solid snow season in order to get visitors to come to its ski properties and stay at its resorts.

Obviously, Vail Resorts has a strong seasonal component to its earnings, and so expecting much from the company's October quarter is a huge mistake. Unlike Polaris and Arctic Cat, which have taken strides toward diversifying their winter business into an all-season affair with different types of equipment, Vail Resorts still largely relies on winter sports for the bulk of its success. Yet even with its seasonal losses during the late summer and early fall, Vail Resorts hopes to set the stage for better performance in its high season. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Vail Resorts over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its report.

Stats on Vail Resorts

Analyst EPS Estimate	($1.91)
Year-Ago EPS	($1.70)
Revenue Estimate	$121.19 million
Change From Year-Ago Revenue	4.2%
Earnings Beats in Past 4 Quarters	0

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Can Vail Resorts earnings finally perform well?
In recent months, analysts have had mixed views about Vail Resorts earnings. They've widened their October-quarter loss estimates by $0.06 per share, but they've boosted their views for the January quarter and the full 2014 fiscal year, expecting a better winter season than last year. The stock has climbed 9% since early September.

Vail Resorts didn't bring much momentum into the quarter, posting July quarter results that were underwhelming. The company's loss widened by 11%, with revenue slipping slightly during the offseason late spring and early summer months. Vail Resorts' guidance didn't raise any eyebrows, with the stock making only a muted response to the news given that neither of the two quarters in question is particularly important to the company's overall prospects.

But the key to understanding Vail Resorts is that competition is limited by the high barriers to entry involved in the ski-resort business. Given the rarity of high-quality ski properties and the difficulty and expense in getting permits to build a new ski area from scratch, Vail Resorts' premium portfolio of attractive properties in high-profile areas like Colorado, Utah's Park City, and Lake Tahoe is hard to match. Vail Resorts has also looked to international destinations for growth, combining resort properties with associated rental opportunities to build new revenue sources.

One reason Vail might do better this year is that the winter last year had disappointing snowfall totals. That will make it easier for Vail to outperform last year's numbers, which could cause a boost among investors who aren't as familiar with the seasonal nature of the company's business. That would certainly explain some of the gains in Polaris and Arctic Cat, although with the equipment makers, you also have to include their efforts to diversify and become less seasonally dependent on winter -- something that Vail Resorts really can't expect for its part.

In the Vail Resorts earnings report, watch to see if the company announces any surprising guidance for its key winter quarter. With so much at stake, Vail Resorts needs to prove that it can make the most of favorable conditions when they arise, in order to make up for poor years when the weather hasn't cooperated.

Get growth 12 months a year
You don't have to settle for stocks that won't give their all 365 days a year. Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner, founder of the No. 1 growth stock newsletter in the world, has developed a unique strategy for uncovering truly wealth-changing stock picks. And he wants to share it, along with a few of his favorite growth stock superstars, WITH YOU! It's a special 100% FREE report called "6 Picks for Ultimate Growth." So stop settling for index-hugging gains... and click HERE for instant access to a whole new game plan of stock picks to help power your portfolio.

Click here to add Vail Resorts to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.

Methanex Corporation (MEOH): Waiting For Further Pullback

Methanex Corporation (USA) (NASDAQ:MEOH) (TSE:MX) is a company that possess attractive investment features including a strong internally funded near-term free cash flow growth profile, low leverage and history of returning cash flow to investors.

Methanex is the world's largest supplier of methanol to major international markets in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America. Methanol can be found in everything from windshield washer fluid to recyclable plastic bottles, plywood floors to paint, silicone sealants to synthetic fibers.

The fastest growing markets for the use of methanol are in the energy sector including direct gasoline blending, dimethyl ether and biodiesels. Robust demand for methanol led by energy applications, particularly in the areas of fuel blending and methanol-to-olefins, continues to support healthy market conditions.

[Related -A Mixed Day, AAPL Pulling Nasdaq Down]

Methanex posted about 6 percent increase to its December non-discounted methanol contract prices for North America (N.A.) and Asia. The December N.A. contract was posted at $632/MT, $33/MT higher than the November contract; similarly the $550/MT Asia December contract was $30/MT higher month over month.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Alexandra Syrnyk expects a cooling for pricing sentiment in the first half of 2014 as supply-side issues are resolved. The prevailing ultra-tight supply sentiment supporting higher and higher contract pricing are expected to moderate through the first half as production outages are resolved and new capacity hit the market.

[Related -Methanex (MEOH) Downgraded To 'Sector Underperformer' By CIBC, PT Raised]

From a long-term perspective, a modest near-term softening in methanol prices is a net positive as elevated levels have left the market increasingly concerned over the potential impact on future energy derivative demand growth and the potential for elevated prices to continue to incentivize new capacity announcements.

The key foc! us will be on Methanex's relocation of two methanol plants from its Chile site to Geismar, Louisiana. The first plant, Geismar I, is expected to be operational by the end of 2014. The second plant, Geismar II, is expected to be operational by early 2016. Methanex spent $67 million on the Geismar projects during the third quarter and is estimated to spend $780 million to complete the plant relocations.

With start-up for Geismar I and II targeted for late 2014 and early 2016, investors should note that MEOH's plants are scheduled to be up and running ahead of the pack. The plants will each be capable of producing 1.1 million tons of methanol a year.

Syrnyk noted that of interest would be whether schedule creep starts to emerge for the 2017 projects, given the degree to which new construction activity is expected to pick up in the Gulf Coast region over the next several years.

The recent developments (the OCI build announcement and the Iran nuclear agreement) have started to soften previous expectations of continued tight methanol market conditions in the 2017/18 time frame.

OCI plans to build a new ~1.75Mtpy Greenfield methanol facility in Beaumont, Texas, with start-up scheduled for late 2016. Methanex has a deal with OCI. The interim agreement announced by global leaders on Nov. 25 appears to lift 'certain' sanctions on Iran petrochemical exports.

Syrnyk expects Iran could be incentivized to revive plans for new facilities given the initial nuclear deal providing some sanction relief to the country's petrochemical sector.

However, in the near-term, MEOH's story is based on the investment features of cash flow growth and shareholder returns. Investors will look for progress on Geismar I execution and/or a near-term share price pullback to provide a more attractive entry point into MEOH share.

The stock has cooled after 81 percent run-up this year. In the past five days, shares have dropped 5 percent to $57.36, and it needs to pull down further to $55 levels to ! provide a! n attractive buying opportunity.

Stocks to Watch: US Ecology, Akamai, Dow Chemical

Among the stocks to watch in Monday’s session are US Ecology Inc.(ECOL), Akamai, and Dow Chemical Co.(DOW)

US Ecology again raised its earnings guidance for the year, pointing to strong volumes and accelerated project shipments, but warned its results for next year may take a hit as a result. The company, which provides waste- management and recycling services, also outlined plans to offer about $100 million in stock. Shares dropped 10% to $34.51 premarket.

Dow Chemical said it is exploring a possible sale or spinoff of its commodity chemicals businesses, in a continuation of the chemical company’s push to refocus its efforts. The assets include about 40 manufacturing facilities at 11 sites and nearly 2,000 employees, accounting for up to $5 billion in annual revenue. Shares edged up 1.3% to $39.55 premarket.

Akamai Technologies Inc.(AKAM) agreed to buy Prolexic Technologies Inc. for about $370 million in cash, expanding its cybersecurity offerings. Prolexic, a provider of cloud-based security services for protecting data centers and Internet Protocol applications from distributed denial of service attacks, will be added to Akamai’s services for defending Web sites and Web applications.

With Cyber Monday sales kicking off, observers will be looking for indications about how well Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN) does in fending off increased online competition from its traditionally brick-and-mortar rivals.

Meanwhile, retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc.(WMT) said it had its “most successful” Black Friday yet, a day after it had experienced technical issues on its website Thursday due to high volume. Rival Target Corp. also reported strong traffic.

Top 10 Safest Stocks To Watch For 2014

Bank of America Corp.(BAC) said it reached a settlement with Freddie Mac(FMCC) to resolve claims stemming from residential mortgage loans the bank sold to Freddie. The bank plans to pay Freddie Mac about $404 million to resolve all outstanding and potential mortgage repurchase and other claims related to loans sold to Freddie from 2000 to 2009.

Biogen Idec Inc.(BIIB) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pushed back the date for potential approval of its treatment for hemophilia B by three months to allow more time to review information the regulator had requested regarding a manufacturing step. The investigational treatment — called Alprolix — is a long-lasting clotting factor in late-stage clinical development.

Calpine Corp.(CPN) agreed to buy a gas-fired, 1,050-megawatt power plant in Texas for $625 million, as part of the wholesale power company’s effort to increase its presence in the Texas market. Calpine is purchasing the plant from MinnTex Power Holdings LLC, a portfolio company owned by a private investment fund managed by Wayzata Investment Partners LLC.

Giant Interactive Group Inc.(GA) named three of its directors to a special committee intended to review a nonbinding proposal to take the online-game company private. Last week, investors including former chief executive Chairman Yuzhu Shi and Baring Private Equity Asia offered to acquire the stake they don’t already own for $11.75 a share.

Hess Corp.(HES) agreed to sell its Indonesian interests for $1.3 billion in cash to fund its share-repurchase program, the latest in the company’s plan to shed assets. The oil and gas company is selling its Pangkah and Natuna A assets — which produced a combined 15,000 barrels of oil a day in the first three quarters of this year — to Indonesian oil companies PT Pertamina (Persero) and PTT Exploration & Production Co.(PTTEP.TH)

Osiris Therapeutics Inc.(OSIR) said Friday a proposed ruling from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services won’t immediately affect reimbursements for its Grafix stem-cell product. The regenerative medicine company said Grafix will maintain its current reimbursement status — also called transitional pass-through status — potentially through late 2015.

Activist investor Starboard Value L.P. nominated its own slate of six candidates to TriQuint Semiconductor Inc.'s(TQNT) board, claiming significant changes are needed to turn around the chip maker’s “prolonged underperformance.”

UnitedHealth Group Inc.(UNH) projected 2014 earnings and revenue below analysts expectations ahead of its annual investor conference in New York. The managed-care provider in October had said the planned reductions in government funding for Medicare Advantage and other provisions of the health law would affect its 2014 earnings.