Financial news on December 30, 2008

Business and Financial news
A South Korean Carmaker Seeks State Aid

Ssangyong Motor Company and its Chinese majority shareholder, SAIC Motor Corporation, are seeking help from the South Korean government to stave off a collapse of the ailing automaker. Read more..

By CHOE SANG-HUN and BETTINA WASSENER - The New York Times

As the U.S. Buys Less, Germany Suffers

The United States, with its credit-driven economy, has long ensured that others, notably China, Germany and Japan, have been able to pile up trade surpluses. Now that dynamic has shifted. Read more..

By CARTER DOUGHERTY - The New York Times

Hong Kong: Exports Decline 5.3%

Hong Kong’s exports fell for the first time in five months in November, worsening the outlook for an economy already in recession. Read more..

By BLOOMBERG NEWS - The New York Times

Internet Use Grows at Meetings, as Do Challenges

Hotels, conference centers and event organizers struggle to provide enough Net access for corporate clients. Read more..

By MARTHA C. WHITE - The New York Times

Madoff Case Faces Crucial Disclosure Deadline

From Wednesday, the federal court in Manhattan will be the forum for three important issues affecting investors caught in the scandal surrounding Bernard L. Madoff. Read more..

By DIANA B. HENRIQUES - The New York Times

New Focus on Behavior as Airport Security Evolves

Frequent travelers say that the security checkpoint experience at airports has greatly improved in recent years. Read more..

By JOE SHARKEY - The New York Times

No Mug? Drug Makers Cut Out Goodies for Doctors

The pharmaceutical industry has agreed to a voluntary moratorium on branded promotional items. Read more..

By NATASHA SINGER - The New York Times

Parent Company, a Retailer, Files for Bankruptcy

The Parent Company, an Internet retailer of children’s products, apparently became the first well-known retailer to file for Chapter 11 protection after Christmas. Read more..

By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM - The New York Times

Shares Fall on Concerns About Mideast

Stocks fell in light trading and oil prices settled above $40 a barrel as Israeli forces continued their offensive in Gaza, raising fears about the global oil supply. Read more..

By JACK HEALY - The New York Times

TV Retains Marketing Dollars in Hard Times

Even in a recession, TV networks still have the power to provide advertisers with mass audiences. Read more..

By JOHN CONSOLI - The New York Times

Stock Markets

Values are reported in US Dollars

Stock Ticker symbol Open High Low Close Volume
General Electric GE 15.80 15.85 15.55 15.82 58.4M
Microsoft MSFT 19.01 19.49 19.00 19.34 43.2M
Pfizer PFE 17.41 17.81 17.33 17.75 38M
Intel INTC 14.32 14.80 14.31 14.69 37.1M
Apple AAPL 87.42 88.05 84.72 86.29 34.6M
Cisco Systems CSCO 16.04 16.25 15.94 16.23 31.1M
JPMorgan Chase JPM 29.89 31.05 29.88 31.01 29.8M
Wells Fargo & Co. WFC 27.81 28.80 27.61 28.80 28.6M
ExxonMobil XOM 78.02 79.20 77.58 78.59 25.1M
Oracle Corp. ORCL 17.35 17.86 17.25 17.83 24.5M
AT&T Inc. T 27.90 28.23 27.47 28.23 20.6M
Bristol-Myers Squibb BMY 22.67 22.89 22.39 22.87 15.4M
Altria MO 15.21 15.34 15.09 15.33 15.2M
Home Depot HD 23.50 23.69 22.69 23.11 14.9M
Comcast CMCSA 15.28 16.48 15.28 16.46 14.6M
Wal-Mart Stores WMT 55.24 55.40 54.33 55.05 14M
Verizon Communications VZ 33.37 33.45 32.68 33.23 13.5M
ConocoPhillips COP 49.14 51.56 48.80 51.45 12.2M
Walt Disney & Co. DIS 21.48 22.50 21.38 22.48 11.1M
Merck MRK 28.66 29.66 28.66 29.60 11M
Johnson & Johnson JNJ 58.48 59.17 58.27 59.17 10.9M
HP Inc. HPQ 35.74 36.26 35.29 36.19 10.8M
Abbott Laboratories ABT 52.50 53.26 52.46 53.16 10.7M
Procter & Gamble PG 60.50 61.47 60.42 61.12 10M
Chevron CVX 71.50 73.49 71.25 73.38 10M
Schlumberger SLB 41.09 42.15 40.14 42.12 8.83M
Coca-Cola KO 44.62 45.14 44.54 44.93 8M
Alphabet GOOGL 300.80 306.81 298.71 303.11 7.68M
Gilead Sciences GILD 50.29 51.42 50.25 51.33 6.69M
Amazon AMZN 49.51 51.21 48.74 50.76 6.6M
UnitedHealth Group UNH 25.82 27.11 25.76 27.04 5.89M
McDonald's MCD 60.87 61.75 60.40 61.74 5.8M
International Business Machines IBM 81.83 83.64 81.52 83.55 5.77M
Pepsico PEP 54.11 55.02 54.09 54.88 5.01M
United Technologies UTX 51.78 53.14 51.43 53.04 4.83M
Boeing BA 40.08 41.34 39.81 41.25 4.55M
Amgen AMGN 57.00 57.66 56.82 57.59 4.3M
Visa V 52.20 52.20 50.27 50.99 4.27M
3M MMM 55.56 57.27 55.22 57.17 3.78M
Union Pacific UNP 45.99 46.89 45.41 46.81 3.17M
Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B 3105.00 3134.00 3010.00 3056.00 38.2K
Exchange Rates of December 30, 2008
CurrenciesExchange Rates
US Dollar Japanese Yen 1 USD = 90.280 JPY 1 JPY = 0.011 USD
US Dollar Canadian Dollar 1 USD = 1.218 CAD 1 CAD = 0.821 USD
US Dollar Swiss Franc 1 USD = 1.060 CHF 1 CHF = 0.943 USD
US Dollar Chinese Yuan 1 USD = 6.831 CNY 1 CNY = 0.146 USD
Euro Japanese Yen 1 EUR = 126.900 JPY 1 JPY = 0.008 EUR
Euro Pound Sterling 1 EUR = 0.976 GBP 1 GBP = 1.025 EUR
Euro Australian Dollar 1 EUR = 2.032 AUD 1 AUD = 0.492 EUR
Euro Canadian Dollar 1 EUR = 1.711 CAD 1 CAD = 0.584 EUR
Euro Swiss Franc 1 EUR = 1.490 CHF 1 CHF = 0.671 EUR
Euro Chinese Yuan 1 EUR = 9.613 CNY 1 CNY = 0.104 EUR
Japanese Yen Pound Sterling 1 JPY = 0.768 GBP 1 GBP = 1.302 JPY
Japanese Yen Australian Dollar 1 JPY = 1.600 AUD 1 AUD = 0.625 JPY
Japanese Yen Canadian Dollar 1 JPY = 1.348 CAD 1 CAD = 0.742 JPY
Japanese Yen Swiss Franc 1 JPY = 1.174 CHF 1 CHF = 0.852 JPY
Pound Sterling Australian Dollar 1 GBP = 2.082 AUD 1 AUD = 0.480 GBP
Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar 1 GBP = 1.754 CAD 1 CAD = 0.570 GBP
Pound Sterling Swiss Franc 1 GBP = 1.527 CHF 1 CHF = 0.655 GBP
Pound Sterling Chinese Yuan 1 GBP = 9.834 CNY 1 CNY = 0.102 GBP
Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar 1 AUD = 0.842 CAD 1 CAD = 1.188 AUD
Australian Dollar Swiss Franc 1 AUD = 0.733 CHF 1 CHF = 1.365 AUD
Australian Dollar Chinese Yuan 1 AUD = 4.724 CNY 1 CNY = 0.212 AUD
Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc 1 CAD = 0.870 CHF 1 CHF = 1.150 CAD
Canadian Dollar Chinese Yuan 1 CAD = 5.612 CNY 1 CNY = 0.178 CAD
Swiss Franc Chinese Yuan 1 CHF = 6.446 CNY 1 CNY = 0.155 CHF

See what else happened on December 30, 2008