Financial news on December 14, 2009

Business and Financial news
As Prices Fall, Blu-ray Players Are Invited Home

Analysts predict that sales will be up 112 percent over last year, one of the true bright spots in retailing this holiday season. Read more..

By ERIC A. TAUB - The New York Times

At Climate Talks, a Week of Posturing

The meeting unfolded as expected: with much posturing, minor progress and moments of drama. Read more..

By TOM ZELLER Jr - International Herald Tribune

Big Risk in a One-Man Brand Like Tiger Woods

Accenture ended its sponsorship of Tiger Woods, showing that in advertising as in sports, there are no sure things. Read more..

By TIM ARANGO - The New York Times

Chinese Company Seeks to Make Old Saab Models

Beijing Automotive Industry Holding wants the right to make versions of older Saab models. This would not bar a sale of Saab itself. Read more..

By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ - The New York Times

Digital Habits Shift Across Age Groups

Children aren’t the only ones whiling away hours on the Internet; people of retirement age now spend even more time online than youngsters. Read more..

By TEDDY WAYNE - The New York Times

People and Accounts of Note

The Advertising Club of New York is undertaking two initiatives to help find and cultivate young men and women to join and stay part of the ad industry. Read more..

By THE NEW YORK TIMES - The New York Times

Remodeling ABC News, Without Too Much Dust

The moves of Diane Sawyer to “World News,” and George Stephanopoulos to “Good Morning America” have been done with a clearly conscious lack of fanfare by ABC. Read more..

By BILL CARTER - The New York Times

Retailer Asks Holiday Shoppers to Take a Hike

REI is introducing commercials that reminds shoppers just how cold, wet and uncomfortable it can get outside — and just how enjoyable that can turn out to be. Read more..

By STUART ELLIOTT - The New York Times

Something in the Water? Maybe, but Not in the Beer

Breckenridge Brewery spoofs a classic Coors ad to promote its Lucky U India pale ale. Read more..

By ANDREW ADAM NEWMAN - The New York Times

Wells Fargo to Repay U.S., a Coda to the Bailout Era

Hours after Citigroup reached a deal to exit the Troubled Asset Relief Program, Wells Fargo said it would return $25 billion in federal aid. Read more..

By ERIC DASH and ANDREW MARTIN - The New York Times

Stock Markets

Values are reported in US Dollars

Stock Ticker symbol Open High Low Close Volume
ExxonMobil XOM 70.80 71.30 69.28 69.69 91.5M
Bristol-Myers Squibb BMY 25.88 26.17 25.65 25.96 57.5M
Pfizer PFE 18.47 18.53 18.19 18.40 51.2M
Wells Fargo & Co. WFC 25.40 25.91 25.09 25.49 43.9M
General Electric GE 15.98 16.07 15.92 15.95 43.9M
Intel INTC 20.02 20.11 19.90 19.98 35.7M
Cisco Systems CSCO 24.01 24.15 23.84 23.84 35.4M
JPMorgan Chase JPM 41.01 41.93 40.70 41.77 35.3M
Microsoft MSFT 29.91 30.16 29.90 30.11 34.7M
Oracle Corp. ORCL 22.96 23.44 22.91 23.31 32.3M
AT&T Inc. T 28.35 28.36 27.99 28.05 21.5M
UnitedHealth Group UNH 30.88 31.24 30.76 30.95 20.4M
Apple AAPL 195.37 197.43 192.56 196.98 17.7M
Visa V 84.96 85.91 83.49 84.77 17.6M
Comcast CMCSA 17.78 17.78 17.39 17.57 17.3M
Wal-Mart Stores WMT 54.58 54.60 53.81 54.07 14.9M
Altria MO 19.66 19.85 19.60 19.67 13.9M
ConocoPhillips COP 51.42 51.60 50.87 51.09 13.6M
HP Inc. HPQ 49.95 50.76 49.93 50.68 12.5M
Verizon Communications VZ 33.99 34.13 33.53 33.55 12.5M
Merck MRK 37.27 37.80 37.27 37.77 12.4M
Home Depot HD 28.82 29.00 28.60 28.87 11.5M
Amazon AMZN 132.50 132.61 129.35 131.38 10M
Procter & Gamble PG 62.54 63.08 62.39 63.01 9.54M
Abbott Laboratories ABT 53.78 54.31 53.75 53.78 9.36M
Walt Disney & Co. DIS 31.92 32.08 31.81 31.83 9.23M
Chevron CVX 78.45 78.71 77.07 77.26 8.53M
Coca-Cola KO 59.11 59.45 58.92 59.04 8.34M
Johnson & Johnson JNJ 65.20 65.41 64.85 64.96 8.17M
Pepsico PEP 61.70 61.77 60.86 60.98 7.44M
McDonald's MCD 62.25 62.40 61.82 62.14 5.63M
International Business Machines IBM 129.65 129.98 129.60 129.93 5.2M
Gilead Sciences GILD 46.45 47.18 46.45 46.96 5.14M
United Technologies UTX 69.90 69.98 69.47 69.91 5M
3M MMM 82.01 82.17 81.64 81.91 5M
Schlumberger SLB 62.07 62.38 61.64 61.97 4.88M
Boeing BA 56.02 56.56 55.82 56.05 4.83M
Amgen AMGN 56.48 57.10 56.40 56.86 4.18M
Alphabet GOOGL 595.24 597.31 592.61 595.73 3.82M
Union Pacific UNP 64.69 65.40 64.42 65.28 2.69M
Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B 3306.00 3313.50 3288.00 3313.00 24.4K
Exchange Rates of December 14, 2009
CurrenciesExchange Rates
US Dollar Japanese Yen 1 USD = 88.580 JPY 1 JPY = 0.011 USD
US Dollar Canadian Dollar 1 USD = 1.058 CAD 1 CAD = 0.945 USD
US Dollar Swiss Franc 1 USD = 1.032 CHF 1 CHF = 0.969 USD
US Dollar Chinese Yuan 1 USD = 6.828 CNY 1 CNY = 0.146 USD
Euro Japanese Yen 1 EUR = 129.840 JPY 1 JPY = 0.008 EUR
Euro Pound Sterling 1 EUR = 0.899 GBP 1 GBP = 1.113 EUR
Euro Australian Dollar 1 EUR = 1.598 AUD 1 AUD = 0.626 EUR
Euro Canadian Dollar 1 EUR = 1.552 CAD 1 CAD = 0.644 EUR
Euro Swiss Franc 1 EUR = 1.512 CHF 1 CHF = 0.662 EUR
Euro Chinese Yuan 1 EUR = 10.007 CNY 1 CNY = 0.100 EUR
Japanese Yen Pound Sterling 1 JPY = 0.692 GBP 1 GBP = 1.446 JPY
Japanese Yen Australian Dollar 1 JPY = 1.230 AUD 1 AUD = 0.813 JPY
Japanese Yen Canadian Dollar 1 JPY = 1.194 CAD 1 CAD = 0.837 JPY
Japanese Yen Swiss Franc 1 JPY = 1.164 CHF 1 CHF = 0.859 JPY
Pound Sterling Australian Dollar 1 GBP = 1.778 AUD 1 AUD = 0.562 GBP
Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar 1 GBP = 1.726 CAD 1 CAD = 0.579 GBP
Pound Sterling Swiss Franc 1 GBP = 1.682 CHF 1 CHF = 0.595 GBP
Pound Sterling Chinese Yuan 1 GBP = 11.124 CNY 1 CNY = 0.090 GBP
Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar 1 AUD = 0.971 CAD 1 CAD = 1.030 AUD
Australian Dollar Swiss Franc 1 AUD = 0.946 CHF 1 CHF = 1.058 AUD
Australian Dollar Chinese Yuan 1 AUD = 6.260 CNY 1 CNY = 0.160 AUD
Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc 1 CAD = 0.974 CHF 1 CHF = 1.026 CAD
Canadian Dollar Chinese Yuan 1 CAD = 6.450 CNY 1 CNY = 0.155 CAD
Swiss Franc Chinese Yuan 1 CHF = 6.617 CNY 1 CNY = 0.151 CHF

See what else happened on December 14, 2009