Filed under: Stock activity

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Potash stocks soar on corn data

Shares of Potash Corp. and other leading fertilizer makers jumped on Friday after the U.S. government estimated a smaller-than-expected U.S. corn harvest, driving up prices of the nutrient-intensive crop.

Shares of Agrium, Mosaic Co. and CF Industries also rose on the data. Get the full story »

Gold, metals give away some gains

Gold and metals prices sank Thursday, as investors worried that Japan’s central bank might soon take action to weaken the yen. Get the full story »

Oil prices drop as demand concerns resurface

Oil prices retreated on Thursday after rising past $84 a barrel earlier in the session. Benchmark oil for November delivery lost 35 cents at $82.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Get the full story »

Prosecutor: Facebook, Twitter used in stock fraud

Facebook and Twitter social networking sites were used to tout stocks in a classic “pump and dump” fraud of about $7 million that was uncovered during a cocaine-trafficking probe, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday. Get the full story »

Airline stocks fall on fuel prices, market dip

Shares of U.S. airlines fell Monday. Although the Obama administration issued a terrorism alert for Americans travelling to Europe, the more likely culprits were higher jet fuel prices and a broader stock market downturn. United, Continental, American and Delta said they weren’t seeing unusual numbers of cancellations and were operating their full schedules of flights to and from Europe on Monday.

U.S. stocks rise on consumer spending news

Bloomberg | U.S. stocks gained, building on the biggest September rally since 1939, as higher-than-estimated consumer spending and confidence bolstered optimism in the economic recovery. Get the full story »

Quantitative easing could boost oil price

Further quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve could push oil prices to an average of $83 next year even if demand remains weak, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday. Get the full story »

Most Hewitt holders want Aon stock in buyout

From BusinessWeek | Most of the stockholders of Hewitt Associates Inc. have decided to receive shares of Aon Corp. as part of the $4.9 billion sale of the human resources specialist.

Stocks slip ahead of key manufacturing data Friday

Bloomberg News — Stocks fell, trimming the biggest September rally since 1939, as investors sold some of the month’s best-performing shares amid speculation that improving economic data will reduce the need for the Federal Reserve to stimulate growth. Get the full story »

Gold shoots to all-time high

Gold surged to a new record peak on Tuesday as several reports heightened prospects that central banks would stimulate the economy with new liquidity, driving the euro to a fresh five-month high against the dollar and triggering a series of automatic buy orders.

Gold, sugar rally; wheat leads losses in grains

Gold hit another record high Monday amid global economic uncertainty, while oil and most other commodities were flat or lower on bearish demand outlooks.

Soft commodities were one of the few bright spots, with sugar hitting a seven-month high on signs of strengthening demand. Cotton set a fresh 15-year top on further fund buying. Get the full story »

Stock ‘flash crash’ sparked by heavy orders

A surge in quote traffic immediately followed by heavy sales of key securities may have sparked the “flash crash” on U.S. stock markets on May 6, a firm that has provided key insights into that day’s events said on Monday.

The sale of $125 million worth of Chicago Mercantile Exchange S&P500 stock index e-mini futures contracts at 2:42 p.m. on May 6, followed 25 microseconds later by the sale of more than $100 million worth of popular exchange-traded funds (ETFs) appears to have triggered the sell-off, datafeed vendor Nanex LLC said. Get the full story »

Analysts predict Walgreen dividend boost

Several analysts say another Walgreen Co. dividend boost may be in the offing. Walgreens, which raised its quarterly dividend 27 percent to 17.5 cents a share in July, may be looking to move closer its long-term dividend payout target of 30 percent to 35 percent net of earnings. Get the full story »

Microsoft sells debt at record low rate

Microsoft sold $4.75 billion in new debt on Wednesday, some of it at the lowest U.S. corporate borrowing rate on record, as the world’s largest software company takes advantage of low interest rates to raise cash. Get the full story »

Ill. pipeline spill cleanup estimated up to $60M

The company behind a pipeline leak this month near Chicago estimates it will cost up to $60 million to clean up the area where hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil spilled.

Enbridge Energy Partners LP said Wednesday its estimate of $40 million to $60 million doesn’t include potential penalties. It said insurance money should reduce the total charge for the cleanup to $10 million to $15 million. Get the full story »