Financial news on December 18, 2008
Business and Financial news
The Logitech G13 Gameboard has an LCD screen that connects to most games and can display game statistics, system information or even messages from your in-game friends. Read more..
Sprint’s new U300 wireless modem offers Wi-Fi-like connection speeds without the need to be close to a base station. Read more..
A new program by FreshDirect sends experts into offices to offer tips to employees who want to stay healthy while dining at the desk. Read more..
Analysts, however, were uncertain about the timing of the rate cuts, with many saying sometime next year. Read more..
Is there a way to make my laptop battery last through an entire DVD during a long plane flight, or do I have to get an extended battery? Read more..
As regulators sift through the financial rubble, there are questions about the role of lavish bonuses in the debacle. Read more..
In an effort to help disabled people expand their capabilities, a software-writing competition was organized in Southern California to foster innovative ideas. Read more..
Is there a better way to get the latest software updates than opening each application, one by one, and clicking “check for updates?” Read more..
The bank closed out one of its most wrenching fiscal years ever with a $2.36 billion quarterly loss and downbeat forecasts for the year ahead. Read more..
Yahoo said it would limit to 90 days the time it holds personal information related to searches to address privacy concerns. Read more..
Stock Markets
Values are reported in US Dollars
| Stock | Ticker symbol | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
| General Electric | GE | 17.54 | 17.56 | 15.77 | 15.96 | 154M |
| Microsoft | MSFT | 19.86 | 20.02 | 18.99 | 19.30 | 80.8M |
| Intel | INTC | 15.06 | 15.19 | 14.09 | 14.26 | 74.2M |
| Wells Fargo & Co. | WFC | 30.26 | 31.41 | 29.21 | 29.65 | 62.9M |
| ExxonMobil | XOM | 80.56 | 80.98 | 76.20 | 77.00 | 59.7M |
| JPMorgan Chase | JPM | 32.16 | 32.59 | 30.12 | 30.21 | 57.5M |
| Pfizer | PFE | 17.34 | 17.57 | 16.94 | 17.12 | 52.8M |
| Cisco Systems | CSCO | 16.87 | 16.91 | 16.44 | 16.66 | 52.4M |
| Oracle Corp. | ORCL | 16.83 | 16.97 | 16.34 | 16.61 | 45.3M |
| Altria | MO | 14.88 | 15.24 | 14.85 | 15.18 | 33.7M |
| AT&T Inc. | T | 28.40 | 28.85 | 27.50 | 27.72 | 33.2M |
| Apple | AAPL | 89.31 | 90.83 | 88.44 | 89.43 | 30.6M |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb | BMY | 22.60 | 23.46 | 22.53 | 22.86 | 27.3M |
| Wal-Mart Stores | WMT | 55.46 | 56.21 | 54.78 | 55.41 | 26.9M |
| Home Depot | HD | 24.80 | 25.07 | 24.05 | 24.45 | 22.1M |
| Chevron | CVX | 76.50 | 76.74 | 72.23 | 73.03 | 21.5M |
| Comcast | CMCSA | 16.50 | 16.67 | 15.52 | 15.81 | 20.6M |
| Verizon Communications | VZ | 34.23 | 34.37 | 32.94 | 33.30 | 20.5M |
| ConocoPhillips | COP | 53.42 | 53.66 | 50.55 | 51.54 | 20.5M |
| Abbott Laboratories | ABT | 52.35 | 53.10 | 51.30 | 51.99 | 19.2M |
| Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | 59.55 | 60.25 | 58.49 | 58.99 | 18.9M |
| Merck | MRK | 27.39 | 28.33 | 27.06 | 27.74 | 18.8M |
| Walt Disney & Co. | DIS | 23.67 | 23.90 | 22.50 | 22.83 | 18.4M |
| HP Inc. | HPQ | 36.68 | 36.68 | 34.69 | 35.37 | 18.2M |
| Schlumberger | SLB | 42.48 | 42.51 | 39.29 | 39.43 | 17.6M |
| Procter & Gamble | PG | 61.00 | 62.17 | 59.50 | 60.31 | 17.2M |
| Coca-Cola | KO | 46.07 | 46.45 | 44.77 | 45.18 | 15.5M |
| Amgen | AMGN | 58.60 | 60.00 | 57.53 | 58.02 | 11.5M |
| McDonald's | MCD | 63.02 | 63.02 | 60.90 | 61.29 | 11.4M |
| Gilead Sciences | GILD | 47.64 | 49.77 | 47.54 | 48.78 | 10.3M |
| Pepsico | PEP | 54.62 | 55.38 | 54.38 | 54.71 | 10.3M |
| UnitedHealth Group | UNH | 24.16 | 25.08 | 23.69 | 24.91 | 10.1M |
| Alphabet | GOOGL | 316.70 | 320.35 | 309.11 | 310.28 | 9.52M |
| Boeing | BA | 41.31 | 41.75 | 40.69 | 41.07 | 8.65M |
| International Business Machines | IBM | 85.77 | 86.64 | 82.96 | 84.00 | 8.03M |
| United Technologies | UTX | 50.78 | 51.72 | 50.53 | 50.81 | 7.94M |
| Visa | V | 55.37 | 56.19 | 54.07 | 54.70 | 7.59M |
| Amazon | AMZN | 53.00 | 54.85 | 51.20 | 52.08 | 7.52M |
| Union Pacific | UNP | 49.14 | 49.92 | 45.75 | 46.59 | 6.72M |
| 3M | MMM | 58.90 | 59.26 | 56.28 | 56.71 | 5.57M |
| Berkshire Hathaway | BRK.B | 3315.00 | 3346.00 | 3190.00 | 3280.00 | 26.3K |
Exchange Rates of December 18, 2008
| Currencies | Exchange Rates | ||
| US Dollar | Japanese Yen | 1 USD = 89.410 JPY | 1 JPY = 0.011 USD |
| US Dollar | Canadian Dollar | 1 USD = 1.203 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.832 USD |
| US Dollar | Swiss Franc | 1 USD = 1.083 CHF | 1 CHF = 0.923 USD |
| US Dollar | Chinese Yuan | 1 USD = 6.835 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.146 USD |
| Euro | Japanese Yen | 1 EUR = 127.410 JPY | 1 JPY = 0.008 EUR |
| Euro | Pound Sterling | 1 EUR = 0.949 GBP | 1 GBP = 1.054 EUR |
| Euro | Australian Dollar | 1 EUR = 2.074 AUD | 1 AUD = 0.482 EUR |
| Euro | Canadian Dollar | 1 EUR = 1.714 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.583 EUR |
| Euro | Swiss Franc | 1 EUR = 1.544 CHF | 1 CHF = 0.648 EUR |
| Euro | Chinese Yuan | 1 EUR = 9.730 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.103 EUR |
| Japanese Yen | Pound Sterling | 1 JPY = 0.744 GBP | 1 GBP = 1.343 JPY |
| Japanese Yen | Australian Dollar | 1 JPY = 1.628 AUD | 1 AUD = 0.614 JPY |
| Japanese Yen | Canadian Dollar | 1 JPY = 1.346 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.743 JPY |
| Japanese Yen | Swiss Franc | 1 JPY = 1.211 CHF | 1 CHF = 0.826 JPY |
| Pound Sterling | Australian Dollar | 1 GBP = 2.186 AUD | 1 AUD = 0.458 GBP |
| Pound Sterling | Canadian Dollar | 1 GBP = 1.806 CAD | 1 CAD = 0.554 GBP |
| Pound Sterling | Swiss Franc | 1 GBP = 1.626 CHF | 1 CHF = 0.615 GBP |
| Pound Sterling | Chinese Yuan | 1 GBP = 10.256 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.098 GBP |
| Australian Dollar | Canadian Dollar | 1 AUD = 0.826 CAD | 1 CAD = 1.211 AUD |
| Australian Dollar | Swiss Franc | 1 AUD = 0.744 CHF | 1 CHF = 1.345 AUD |
| Australian Dollar | Chinese Yuan | 1 AUD = 4.683 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.214 AUD |
| Canadian Dollar | Swiss Franc | 1 CAD = 0.900 CHF | 1 CHF = 1.111 CAD |
| Canadian Dollar | Chinese Yuan | 1 CAD = 5.673 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.176 CAD |
| Swiss Franc | Chinese Yuan | 1 CHF = 6.310 CNY | 1 CNY = 0.158 CHF |
See what else happened on December 18, 2008