Financial news on April 11, 2012
Business and Financial news
There are more efficient, simpler ways to collect money, but history suggests we won’t really consider these alternatives. Read more..
Watching for a rebound in stock markets; a Realtor’s view on proposals to forgive mortgage debt; and the billion-dollar turning point for mobile apps. Read more..
Andrew Adam Newman Advertising column on Denny's efforts to pitch to consumers aged 18 to 25; company is producing a Web series that is decidedly provocative; online advertising push is a stark contrast from the chain's traditional advertising, which is humorous but far from edgy, befitting a family restaurant. Read more..
Unexpected abundance of domestic energy supplies in the United States has upended calculations about the country's future, including its foreign policy and economy; cheaper domestic fuel could reduce manufacturing costs, improve the auto market and provide new jobs, while posing unknown environmental challenges and dampening enthusiasm for alternative energy. Read more..
Analysts raise their estimates for first-quarter economic growth as the Commerce Department reports a solid rise in wholesale inventories in February; total wholesale inventories increased 0.9 percent to a record $478.9 billion, after an upward revision of 0.6 percent in January. Read more..
IBM is introducing PureSystems in an effort to simplify corporate data centers, long considered the laggards of information technology; initiative will sell bundles of server hardware and software packaged in simplified systems with setup and maintenance automated by intelligent software; so-called expert integrated systems are the result of a $2 billion investment in research and development and acquisitions over the last four years. Read more..
Plummeting natural gas prices have diminished public support and federal funding for alternative energies like wind and solar power, but a number of projects continue to move forward. Read more..
HeartRhythm medical journal rejects St Jude Medical's request that it retract a published report that found that 20 deaths were linked to failures of a heart device component made by the company; setback for St Jude sends its stock falling further, amid reports involving other failures of the same component, a lead connecting a defibrillator to a patient's heart. Read more..
Energy-efficient flat screen televisions, along with other appliances, are being marketed for their cutting-edge technology rather than their merit as green products; advertisers shifted their focus after appeals to environmentalism failed to take hold among consumers. Read more..
Energy innovation requires uniquely long-term thinking, taking decades to impact the marketplace after a significant investment in initial capital; hydraulic fracturing was in development for more than 20 years before it revolutionized the American energy market with cheap natural gas. Read more..
Stock Markets
Values are reported in US Dollars
Stock | Ticker symbol | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
Microsoft | MSFT | 30.43 | 30.53 | 30.23 | 30.35 | 43M |
Cisco Systems | CSCO | 19.68 | 20.04 | 19.62 | 20.02 | 40.6M |
General Electric | GE | 19.02 | 19.15 | 18.98 | 19.01 | 37.8M |
Pfizer | PFE | 22.07 | 22.16 | 21.92 | 21.95 | 37.6M |
JPMorgan Chase | JPM | 43.59 | 44.21 | 43.57 | 44.01 | 32.1M |
Oracle Corp. | ORCL | 28.49 | 28.55 | 28.04 | 28.14 | 30.4M |
Wells Fargo & Co. | WFC | 33.51 | 33.91 | 33.42 | 33.62 | 29.7M |
Intel | INTC | 27.68 | 28.00 | 27.63 | 27.85 | 26.7M |
Apple | AAPL | 636.20 | 636.87 | 623.34 | 626.20 | 24.9M |
AT&T Inc. | T | 30.39 | 30.51 | 30.27 | 30.45 | 21.6M |
HP Inc. | HPQ | 23.51 | 23.58 | 23.24 | 23.41 | 16.6M |
ExxonMobil | XOM | 83.11 | 83.35 | 82.15 | 82.70 | 15.9M |
Abbott Laboratories | ABT | 59.85 | 60.41 | 59.59 | 59.66 | 14.1M |
Verizon Communications | VZ | 37.04 | 37.46 | 37.00 | 37.38 | 12.5M |
ConocoPhillips | COP | 74.39 | 74.78 | 73.42 | 73.55 | 12.1M |
Altria | MO | 31.17 | 31.50 | 31.13 | 31.21 | 10.9M |
Merck | MRK | 38.61 | 38.70 | 38.40 | 38.48 | 10.7M |
Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | 64.69 | 64.69 | 63.96 | 64.13 | 10.4M |
Bristol-Myers Squibb | BMY | 32.64 | 32.78 | 32.52 | 32.59 | 9.8M |
General Motors | GM | 23.84 | 24.28 | 23.82 | 24.03 | 9.26M |
Comcast | CMCSA | 28.87 | 29.08 | 28.73 | 28.98 | 9.12M |
Schlumberger | SLB | 68.74 | 68.90 | 68.00 | 68.12 | 8.97M |
Chevron | CVX | 102.31 | 102.45 | 100.78 | 100.95 | 8.57M |
Wal-Mart Stores | WMT | 60.29 | 60.29 | 59.66 | 59.80 | 7.75M |
Home Depot | HD | 49.68 | 49.94 | 49.61 | 49.75 | 7.63M |
Procter & Gamble | PG | 66.74 | 66.92 | 66.32 | 66.44 | 7.59M |
Gilead Sciences | GILD | 46.14 | 46.50 | 45.33 | 45.42 | 6.58M |
UnitedHealth Group | UNH | 58.08 | 58.54 | 57.85 | 58.02 | 6.5M |
McDonald's | MCD | 98.29 | 98.73 | 97.50 | 98.56 | 6.37M |
Walt Disney & Co. | DIS | 41.51 | 41.70 | 41.24 | 41.37 | 6.36M |
Coca-Cola | KO | 72.43 | 72.47 | 71.84 | 72.12 | 6.01M |
Pepsico | PEP | 65.18 | 65.42 | 64.96 | 65.15 | 5.38M |
Boeing | BA | 71.63 | 72.51 | 71.49 | 71.77 | 5.1M |
Alphabet | GOOGL | 633.97 | 636.00 | 631.30 | 635.96 | 4.39M |
Amazon | AMZN | 189.63 | 191.97 | 186.79 | 187.97 | 4.34M |
United Technologies | UTX | 79.44 | 80.03 | 79.13 | 79.63 | 3.71M |
Visa | V | 118.02 | 118.95 | 116.97 | 117.38 | 3.54M |
Berkshire Hathaway | BRK.B | 79.60 | 79.60 | 78.84 | 79.05 | 3.53M |
International Business Machines | IBM | 203.99 | 204.32 | 202.46 | 202.58 | 3.37M |
Amgen | AMGN | 66.75 | 67.03 | 66.29 | 66.73 | 3.13M |
3M | MMM | 85.36 | 85.69 | 85.12 | 85.35 | 2.53M |
Union Pacific | UNP | 106.34 | 107.19 | 105.62 | 105.80 | 2.25M |
Exchange Rates of April 11, 2012
Currencies | Exchange Rates | ||
US Dollar | Japanese Yen | 1 USD = 80.860 JPY | 1 JPY = 0.012 USD |
US Dollar | Canadian Dollar | 1 USD = 1.003 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.997 USD |
US Dollar | Swiss Franc | 1 USD = 0.917 CHF | 1 CHF = 1.090 USD |
US Dollar | Chinese Yuan | 1 USD = 6.308 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.159 USD |
Euro | Japanese Yen | 1 EUR = 106.000 JPY | 1 JPY = 0.009 EUR |
Euro | Pound Sterling | 1 EUR = 0.824 GBP | 1 GBP = 1.214 EUR |
Euro | Australian Dollar | 1 EUR = 1.272 AUD | 1 AUD = 0.786 EUR |
Euro | Canadian Dollar | 1 EUR = 1.315 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.760 EUR |
Euro | Swiss Franc | 1 EUR = 1.203 CHF | 1 CHF = 0.832 EUR |
Euro | Chinese Yuan | 1 EUR = 8.268 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.121 EUR |
Japanese Yen | Pound Sterling | 1 JPY = 0.777 GBP | 1 GBP = 1.287 JPY |
Japanese Yen | Australian Dollar | 1 JPY = 1.199 AUD | 1 AUD = 0.834 JPY |
Japanese Yen | Canadian Dollar | 1 JPY = 1.241 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.806 JPY |
Japanese Yen | Swiss Franc | 1 JPY = 1.134 CHF | 1 CHF = 0.882 JPY |
Pound Sterling | Australian Dollar | 1 GBP = 1.543 AUD | 1 AUD = 0.648 GBP |
Pound Sterling | Canadian Dollar | 1 GBP = 1.596 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.627 GBP |
Pound Sterling | Swiss Franc | 1 GBP = 1.459 CHF | 1 CHF = 0.685 GBP |
Pound Sterling | Chinese Yuan | 1 GBP = 10.033 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.100 GBP |
Australian Dollar | Canadian Dollar | 1 AUD = 1.034 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.967 AUD |
Australian Dollar | Swiss Franc | 1 AUD = 0.945 CHF | 1 CHF = 1.058 AUD |
Australian Dollar | Chinese Yuan | 1 AUD = 6.501 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.154 AUD |
Canadian Dollar | Swiss Franc | 1 CAD = 0.914 CHF | 1 CHF = 1.094 CAD |
Canadian Dollar | Chinese Yuan | 1 CAD = 6.284 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.159 CAD |
Swiss Franc | Chinese Yuan | 1 CHF = 6.873 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.146 CHF |
See what else happened on April 11, 2012