NYSE

New Highs 111 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      HIGH                VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
Ace Ltd                       ACE         76.02              796,872 
Alamo Grp                     ALG         32.98                7,961 
Alleghany Corp                Y           340.98               4,574 
Alliant Energy                LNT         45.07              282,234 
Allied World                  AWH         71.36               16,743 
Amdocs                        DOX         32.10              255,921 
American Tower REIT           AMT         64.70              472,681 
Avalonbay Communities         AVB         145.82             122,359 
BB&T Corp                     BBT         32.36            1,151,598 
BRT Realty Trust              BRT         8.35                 3,347 
Bally Technologies            BYI         48.50              410,688 
Bank Of Hawaii                BOH         49.65              130,032 
Barnes Group                  B           28.41              165,696 
Bluegreen Corp                BXG         6.43                36,493 
Blyth                         BTH         85.69               28,715 
Brown & Brown                 BRO         26.84              270,686 
Brown Forman B                BF/B        85.90               18,739 
CTS Corp                      CTS         11.22               29,714 
Cabelas                       CAB         39.88              159,950 
Canadian Natl Railway         CNI         84.22              358,216 
Carlisle Cos                  CSL         56.05              220,326 
Carriage Services             CSV         7.76                16,972 
Carters                       CRI         52.44              162,156 
Cleco Corp                    CNL         40.22              185,294 
Coca-Cola                     KO          74.85            2,713,916 
Colgate-Palmolive             CL          99.53              694,746 
Colonial Properties Tr        CLP         22.69              165,356 
Cooper Cos                    COO         87.54               79,875 
Crown Castle Intl             CCI         56.29              330,568 
Diebold Inc                   DBD         42.93              966,011 
Douglas Emmett                DEI         23.60              250,516 
Duff & Phelps Cl A            DUF         16.50              107,003 
Education Realty Trust        EDR         11.34              114,376 
Embraer ADS                   ERJ         35.55              274,844 
Equity One                    EQY         20.76              162,138 
Essex Property Trust          ESS         159.96              30,574 
Everest Re                    RE          95.72              117,269 
Extra Space Storage           EXR         30.13              274,273 
Federal Realty Inv Trust      FRT         99.73               75,382 
Fidelity Ntl Financial        FNF         19.32              347,226 
First American Financial      FAF         17.91               78,161 
Franklin Universal            FT          7.10                19,301 
GNC Holdings A                GNC         39.59            1,732,675 
Gabelli Hlthcr & Well         GRX         8.55                21,394 
Gallagher                     AJG         36.85              144,896 
General Growth Prop           GGP         17.55              543,788 
H&Q Healthcare                HQH         16.75               16,944 
H&Q Life Sciences             HQL         14.11               11,676 
Harley Davidson               HOG         53.03            2,015,533 
Heartland Payment             HPY         30.45               54,896 
Hershey                       HSY         67.00              436,194 
IHS Inc                       IHS         101.90              88,195 
KKRFinlHldgsLLC8.375%         KFH         27.00                6,858 
Kansas City Southern          KSU         77.65              437,948 
Kilroy Realty                 KRC         47.54              126,181 
Kimberly-Clark                KMB         79.20            1,110,154 
LeapFrog Cl A                 LF          9.24               409,708 
Lockheed Martin               LMT         91.89              398,131 
MFA Finl Nts 2042             MFO         24.95              112,439 
Macerich                      MAC         61.29              116,105 
Main Street Capital           MAIN        26.51               97,806 
Mastercard                    MA          444.87             315,972 
MeadWestvaco Corp. Wi         MWVw        28.75                  700 
Mine Safety                   MSA         44.34              108,618 
Monmouth Real Es Inv Cl A     MNR         10.31               31,691 
Montpelier Re                 MRH         19.95               45,769 
Movado Group                  MOV         27.60               45,668 
NCR Corp                      NCR         23.85              471,788 
NVR Inc                       NVR         775.00               5,666 
Navigant Consulting           NCI         14.57               75,387 
Newcastle Inv                 NCT         6.99               377,861 
NextEra Energy                NEE         64.62              429,713 
PNC Fincl Svcs                PNC         66.10              731,951 
PPG Industries                PPG         103.51             275,928 
PS Business Parks             PSB         68.13               19,781 
PennyMac Mortgage Inv Tr      PMT         20.01               67,847 
Pfizer                        PFE         22.88            6,922,879 
Pionr Muni HI Tr              MHI         15.53               26,653 
Post Properties               PPS         48.55              188,694 
Public Storage                PSA         142.66             136,891 
Putnam Muni Opportunities     PMO         12.78               22,711 
Raymond James Notes 2042      RJD         26.14               17,516 
Raytheon                      RTN         53.55              393,687 
Realty Income                 O           39.52              151,139 
Robert Half Intl              RHI         32.32            1,870,451 
STAG Industrial               STAG        14.34               13,239 
SandRidge Miss Tr II          SDR         22.06              184,946 
Schiff Nutrition Intl         WNI         16.09               34,996 
Sherwin-Williams              SHW         120.39             202,116 
Simon Property Group          SPG         152.23             329,060 
AO Smith                      AOS         47.98               62,252 
Sovran Self Storage           SSS         52.23               21,035 
Stepan 5.5% Conv. pfd.        SCLp        103.53                 200 
Tanger Factory Outlet Ctr     SKT         31.26              231,525 
Taubman Ctrs                  TCO         77.54               65,326 
Teledyne Tech                 TDY         65.08               44,622 
Telus Corp                    TU          58.84               20,501 
Thai Fund Inc                 TTF         16.18                7,854 
3D Sys                        DDD         28.94              225,799 
Total Sys Svcs                TSS         23.60              542,620 
TransDigm Group               TDG         124.95             159,644 
Tyler Tech                    TYL         40.62               21,146 
USANA Health Sciences         USNA        42.14               99,170 
Valmont Indus                 VMI         128.67              93,364 
Valspar Corp                  VAL         50.89              118,642 
Vantiv Inc                    VNTV        20.96               37,127 
Wstrn Asset Worldwide Inc     SBW         14.87               14,672 
Western Digital               WDC         43.14            1,429,129 
Williams Cos                  WMB         32.77              828,157 
Wisconsin Energy              WEC         36.03              182,320 
Wyndham Worldwide             WYN         49.65              897,772 

New Lows 8 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      LOW                 VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
Accretive Health              AH          14.12            2,361,455 
Chesapeake Engy 4.5% pfd.     CHKpD       80.95               26,320 
DeVry                         DV          30.02              508,455 
Enerplus                      ERF         17.53              467,641 
Intermec Inc                  IN          5.04                95,920 
Jaguar Mining                 JAG         2.70               440,708 
San Juan Basin Royalty Tr     SJT         15.73              157,630 
Xerium Tech                   XRM         4.99                17,106

NASDAQ

New Highs 64 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      HIGH                VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
Actuate                       BIRT        7.07                59,910 
Amsurg                        AMSG        29.04              109,584 
Arch Capital Grp              ACGL        39.05              135,703 
Ardea Biosciences             RDEA        31.67            1,141,105 
Auburn National               AUBN        24.44                  909 
Biogen Idec                   BIIB        130.58             354,723 
Bridge Capital Hldgs          BBNK        14.18               10,296 
Cardinal Fincl                CFNL        12.31               37,091 
Community Trust Bancorp       CTBI        32.70               11,227 
Cray                          CRAY        9.19               791,214 
Crimson Exploration           CXPO        5.09               207,824 
CryptoLogic                   CRYP        2.57                 2,590 
Datawatch Corp                DWCH        15.09               12,035 
Delta Natural Gas Co          DGAS        40.54                  875 
Dentsply Intl                 XRAY        40.78              202,703 
Digital Cinema Destinatn      DCIN        7.00                 2,449 
eHealth                       EHTH        17.45               22,854 
Encore Bancshares             EBTX        20.72                2,838 
EnteroMedics                  ETRM        2.95               119,037 
Euronet Worldwide             EEFT        22.50              147,683 
Famous Dave's of America      DAVE        11.95                3,024 
GeoResources                  GEOI        36.84            1,407,665 
Harleysville Group            HGIC        59.90               52,925 
Heartland Fincl USA           HTLF        17.99                7,001 
Hercules Tech Growth Cap      HTGC        11.35               50,668 
Home BancShares               HOMB        29.51               20,616 
Horizon Bancorp (Indiana)     HBNC        26.00               10,739 
ICU Medical                   ICUI        51.48               23,253 
Jeffersonville Bancorp        JFBC        11.50                3,530 
Lincoln Electric Hldgs        LECO        48.34              100,959 
MWI Veterinary Supply         MWIV        92.91                7,128 
Madison Square Garden         MSG         35.49               26,182 
Manhattan Associates          MANH        50.99              136,382 
Marine Petroleum Tr Un        MARPS       29.49                1,725 
MutualFirst Fincl             MFSF        10.17               20,400 
Nathan's Famous               NATH        23.00                  300 
National Research             NRCI        48.99                  400 
Nortek                        NTK         47.11                  700 
OakRidgFnlSvc                 BKOR        5.75                   100 
Onyx Pharmaceuticals          ONXX        46.66            1,766,735 
PDF Solutions                 PDFS        9.08                33,687 
Penford                       PENX        7.84                12,151 
Radware                       RDWR        38.49              150,965 
Repligen                      RGEN        6.74               301,222 
Rurban Fincl                  RBNF        4.10                12,400 
SLM CPI-Lnkd Md Trm Nts A     OSM         23.89                1,415 
SS&C Techs Hldgs              SSNC        24.03               15,663 
John B Sanfilippo & Son       JBSS        14.11                4,525 
SeagateTech                   STX         31.32            7,224,900 
Super Micro Computer          SMCI        18.87              196,764 
Synergy Pharms Wt             SGYPW       2.23                 2,580 
Tetra Tech                    TTEK        27.21               97,897 
Trinity Biotech PLC (ADS)     TRIB        11.37               39,678 
Trustmark                     TRMK        26.01              156,559 
UMB Fincl                     UMBF        47.90              103,083 
Ultimate Software Group       ULTI        75.69              131,075 
Utd Natural Foods             UNFI        49.43               27,659 
Verisk Analytics Inc          VRSK        48.48              115,492 
ViewPoint Fincl Group         VPFG        15.91               23,250 
Washington Federal            WAFD        17.50               92,669 
Wayside Tech Group            WSTG        16.60               12,818 
West Coast Bncrp (Oregon)     WCBO        20.86               23,128 
Wintrust Fincl                WTFC        36.76              100,289 
Young Innovations             YDNT        33.25               19,324 

New Lows 17 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      LOW                 VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
AEterna Zentaris              AEZS        0.60               559,216 
Anthera Pharmaceuticals       ANTH        1.76               141,341 
CH Robinson Worldwide         CHRW        61.15            2,231,673 
DynaVox                       DVOX        2.56                14,752 
Ecotality                     ECTY        0.59                43,590 
EnerNOC                       ENOC        6.06                43,055 
First Solar                   FSLR        18.05            2,121,906 
Marchex   (Cl B)              MCHX        3.25               128,597 
Microvision                   MVIS        1.62                93,120 
Mission NewEnergy             MNEL        0.31                69,697 
NCI                           NCIT        4.86                55,974 
Otelco IDS                    OTT         5.23               248,497 
PostRock Energy               PSTR        2.06                 1,435 
Skywest                       SKYW        9.53                57,761 
Somaxon Pharmaceuticals       SOMX        0.36                32,484 
Torm A/S                      TRMD        0.32                60,725 
Zipcar                        ZIP         12.00              457,019

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“Applications for U.S. home mortgages fell last week, dragged lower by a slump in refinancings, but demand for new purchases improved, an industry group said on Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, declined 3.8 percent in the week ended April 20.

The MBA’s seasonally adjusted index of refinancing applications dropped 5.6 percent, while the gauge of loan requests for home purchases gained 2.7 percent.

The refinance share of total mortgage activity slipped to 73.4 percent of applications from 75.2 percent the week before. Fixed 30-year mortgage rates dipped one basis point to average 4.04 percent from 4.05.

The survey covers over 75 percent of U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, according to MBA.”

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Gapping up

CRAY +24.3%, CDXS +19.7%, AAPL +9.2%, CRUS +8.7%, USNA +8.7%, TQNT +7%,  S +8.1%, GLW +7.5%,

ALU +6.4%, SWKS +6.3%, ARMH +5.8%, VASC +5.5%, AFL +5.4%, FTNT +4.9%, STD +4.3%, CRAY +24.3%

IGT +3.5%, ZAGG +3.2%, NFX +3.1%, EW +3%, RFMD +2.8%, ZIXI +2.4%, QCOM +2.3%, BAC +2.3%, PNRA +2.3%,

KND +20.5%,  FBR +2%,  ETH +0.4% , CDXS +19.7% , STM +5.1% ,  X +1.4%

Gapping down

LNET -15.5%, CYBI -13.6%, BIDU -8.7%, QCOR -7.6%, IRBT -4.1%, SINA -1.8%, HGSI -1.8%,

YOKU -1.6%, AWAY -1.6%, SAP -1%, IRBT -4.1%, ABB -3.6%, CS -3.3%, GSK -2.6%, AWAY -1.6%,

CYMI -1.4%, SAP -1%, CAT -0.8%, RCI -0.7%, SLXP -2% , PGR -0.9%

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Aflac Inc. (AFL) : The world’s biggest seller of supplemental health insurance said first-quarter profit doubled as investment results improved.

Amgen Inc. (AMGN) gained 3.8 percent to $71.23. The world’s largest biotechnology company reported first-quarter profit that beat analysts’ estimates as sales increased of its drugs to treat infections in cancer patients.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) surged 8.8 percent to $609.40. The world’s largest company by market value posted profit that almost doubled last quarter, reflecting robust demand for the iPhone in China as well as purchases of a new version of the iPad tablet.

Baidu Inc. (BIDU) declined 6.8 percent to $126.60. The owner of China’s dominant Internet search engine forecast second-quarter revenue will be no more than $867 million, falling short of the average analyst estimate of $869.2 million.

Boeing Co. (BA) rose 2.1 percent to $74.77. The world’s biggest aerospace company reported first-quarter profit that beat analysts’ estimates as it delivered more commercial jets while pushing production to record levels.

Dana Holding Corp. (DAN) increased 4.3 percent to $14.50. The maker of vehicle axles and other driveline components reported first-quarter earnings excluding some items of 44 cents a share, beating the average analyst estimate of 41 cents.

GNC Holdings Inc. (GNC) climbed 4.3 percent to $37. The operator of health and wellness stores reported first-quarter earnings excluding some items of 60 cents a share, exceeding the average analyst estimate of 53 cents.

International Game Technology (IGT) rose 4.7 percent to $16.65. The world’s biggest maker of slot machines forecast profit in 2012 of 99 cents to $1.04 a share, compared with the average analyst estimate of 99 cents.

Life Technologies Corp. (LIFE) : The provider of gene- analysis tools reported first-quarter earnings excluding some items of 99 cents a share, topping the average analyst estimate by 6 cents.

Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) : The second-biggest eastern U.S. railroad posted first-quarter profit that topped analysts’ estimates as increasing automotive deliveries helped counter falling coal shipments.

Panera Bread Co. (PNRA) : The bakery chain based in St. Louis reported first-quarter earnings of $1.40 a share, beating the $1.34 projected by analysts on average.

RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD) : The maker of chips and radio systems for mobile phones reported fourth-quarter revenue of $187.9 million, exceeding the average analyst estimate of $185.2 million.

Super Micro Computer Inc. (SMCI) : The maker of computer servers and accessories reported third-quarter earnings excluding some items of 19 cents a share, missing the average analyst estimate by 15 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

USANA Health Sciences Inc. (USNA) : The vitamin maker lifted its profit forecast for 2012 to at least $3.60 a share from an earlier projection of no more than $3.45, topping the average analyst estimate of $3.44.”

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ALU, STD, BAC, BKS, DNDN, DMND, FSLR, GMCR, GRPN, HGSI, LNKD, NFLX, NOK, RSH, RIMM, SIRI

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In Play 

On the Wires

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“China’s stocks rose for the third time in four days after Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to maintain steady economic growth and U.S. housing data bolstered the outlook for exports to the world’s biggest economy.

China Vanke Co. (000002) and Poly Real Estate Co. led gains for real estate companies after the China Securities Journal reported investment funds bought more shares of developers in the first quarter. Jiangxi Copper Co., the biggest producer of the metal, gained 1.8 percent on speculation an improving global economy will spur demand. Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., the second-biggest maker of wind turbines, advanced 2.4 percent after profit beat the company’s projection.

“The government has the tools to stem a decline in economic growth and they will act when the situation worsens,” said Li Jun, a strategist at Central China Securities Co. in Shanghai. “Earnings are still a major concern and will limit a rebound. Trading will be range-bound for the time being.”

The Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) rose 18 points, or 0.8 percent, to 2,406.81 at the close. The CSI 300 Index (SHSZ300) added 0.8 percent to 2,625.99. The Bloomberg China-US 55 Index (CH55BN), the measure of the most-traded U.S.-listed Chinese companies, retreated 0.4 percent in New York yesterday.

Thirty-day volatility in the Shanghai Composite was at 18.7 today, near the lowest in a week. About 13.4 billion shares changed hands in the Shanghai Stock Exchange yesterday, or 51 percent higher than the daily average this year…”

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Asia

Europe

Futures

Currencies

Commodities

LIBOR, EURIBOR, 10 year yields for Italy, Spain, France, and Germany

 

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“ComScore today released its analysis of this month’s top properties on ye olde Webernets in the U.S. There are a number of points of interest, but among them, it seems that lotto sites were the top beneficiary of U.S. Internet traffic. This was largely a result of the unprecedented Mega Millions jackpot, which became the largest jackpot in U.S. and world history, reaching $656 million in March. Lotto sites drew nearly 29 million visitors (with MegaMillions.com grabbing the top spot), up 25 percent from February, making it the biggest mover in March.

Travel info sites were the next biggest beneficiary of traffic, according to comScore, as Americans looked to book last-minute spring break trips and summer travel. This made travel one of the top-gainers, up 10 percent to 69.7 million visitors in March. Of the web’s growing number of travel properties, TripAdvisor saw the biggest boost, up 5 percent from the prior month, to a total of 18.1 million visitors. TripAdvisor was followed by Travora (which today acquired NileGuide) at 15.5 million visitors (also up 5 percent), and Yahoo! Travel was up 9 percent with 11.1 million visitors in March.

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“Japanese stock futures rose as better-than-estimated company earnings and signs the U.S. housing market is stabilizing boosted the outlook for Asian exporters.

American depositary receipts of Sony Corp., Japan’s No. 1 consumer-electronics exporter, gained 1.6 percent from the closing share price in Tokyo as a weaker yen also strengthened its earnings outlook. ADRs of Mitsubishi Corp. (8058), Japan’s largest commodities trader by revenue, rose 0.9 percent after prices of oil and metals advanced. Shares of Shimano Inc. may be active after the bicycle parts maker said quarterly profit more than tripled.

“In addition to a weakening yen, a recovery trend on earnings is being seen both in Japan and the U.S. at the moment, boosting markets,” said Hiroichi Nishi, an equities manager in Tokyo at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. “The U.S. economy is still in mild recovery.”

Futures on Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average expiring in June closed at 9,530 in Chicago yesterday, up from 9,480 in Osaka, Japan. They were bid in the pre-market at 9,550 in Osaka at 8:05 a.m. local time. Markets in Australia and New Zealand are closed for national holidays…”

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The markets did well today on good earnings reports. Apple was sold off ahead of earnings taking the NASDAQ with it.

DOW UP 75

S&P UP 5

NASDAQ DOWN 8.8

OIL UP $0.39

GOLD UP $9

[youtube://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObUaPVy9gKY&feature=related 450 300]

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“NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — First quarter earnings have been decent, if not spectacular. And many corporate executives are issuing cautiously optimistic guidance for the rest of the year.

But while insiders’ lips are saying one thing, their wallets are saying another. The level of insider selling among S&P 500 (SPX) companies is the highest in nearly 10 years. That is not good.

Sure, executives have many reasons for selling their stock. They may have automatic plans to sell shares every now and then, regardless of the stock price. They may be selling for diversification purposes.

They may also need the cash for a variety of personal reasons, like sending their kids to college, buying a house or getting a divorce. (To pull a line from Us Weekly about celebrities, CEOs are just like us!)

Still, the sheer volume of insider sales (nearly 1,800 by S&P 500 executives over a three-month period according to data crunched by Montreal-based brokerage Brockhouse Cooper) is alarming.

You can’t help but cynically wonder if insiders decided to take money off the table after a first quarter in which stocks had a mid-to-late 1990s “irrationally exuberant” surge.

“Corporate managers are not buying the current rally. If the people who know their companies best are selling, maybe you should reconsider whether to buy,” said Pierre Lapointe, global macro strategist with Brockhouse Cooper. He added that the current level of insider selling could signal as much as a 10% decline in stocks over the next few months….”

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“1:30 pm : Stocks have started to move up from afternoon lows, enabling the Dow and S&P 500 to reclaim part of their gains. The Nasdaq remains mired in negative territory with a modest loss, however.

Results from an auction of 2-year Notes were released about 30 minutes ago, but they haven’t done much to drive action in either the equity market or the Treasury market. The offering produced a bid-to-cover ratio of 3.76, dollar demand of $131.6 billion, and an indirect bidder rate of 32.1%. For comparison, the prior auction produced a bid-to-cover of 3.69, dollar demand of $129.2 billion, and an indirect bidder participation rate of 34.1%. An average of the past six auctions gives a bid-to-cover of 3.69, dollar demand of $129.2 billion, and an indirect bidder rate of 34.3%. DJ30 +89.15 NASDAQ -8.33 SP500 +5.25 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1555/490 mln/905 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1990/335 mln/940

1:00 pm : The major equity averages have been mixed almost all session, but have turned lower in recent trade.

The broad market was up only narrowly in the early going, but was helped higher by some solid new home sales numbers that featured a strong upward revision to prior month figures. The latest consumer confidence reading was less impressive.

Financials and Energy, up 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively, have been key drivers in the broad market’s efforts to trade higher, but Telecom is actually the top performing sector. Telecom stocks are collectively up almost 3%.

The Telecom sector’s strength stems from a big move by integrated player AT&T (T 31.79, +1.18), which is up sharply on the back of better-than-expected earnings results. However, comments made by management regarding the pace of connections of the company’s products to those ofApple (AAPL 557.41, -14.29) have caused shares of AAPL to falter. Weakness in AAPL shares and disappointment over the latest reports fromNetflix (NFLX 88.15, -13.69) and Symantec (SYMC 16.18, -1.89) have caused the Nasdaq to lag almost all session.

Meanwhile, positive responses to reports from blue chips 3M (MMM 88.85, +1.72) and United Technologies (UTX 80.11, +0.36) have helped the Dow rise above the other major equity averages. DJ30 +75.76 NASDAQ -10.51 SP500 +3.76 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1590/815 mln/845 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 2045/305 mln/875

12:30 pm : The broad market has entered into a sideways drift that has left it holding on to a solid gain of about 0.5%. Its largest sector, Tech, continues to slog along with a modest loss, but Financials and Energy, up 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively, have been sources of strength.

An improved mood among market participants has prompted many to rotate out of the dollar, which had benefited from demand for safety during the prior day of trade. The dollar is currently down 0.3% against a collection of competing currencies, but it is essentially flat for the week. DJ30 +99.26 NASDAQ -2.01 SP500 +6.60 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1645/720 mln/780 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 2120/275 mln/775

12:00 pm : Tech stocks continue to trail the rest of the market. Down 0.4%, Tech is the only major sector in negative territory. That sort of weakness has weighed heavily on the Tech-rich Nasdaq, which has lagged its counterparts since the open.DJ30 +105.16 NASDAQ -0.68 SP500 +7.01 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1650/655 mln/760 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 2085/250 mln/780

11:30 am : The Dow and S&P 500 are both at their best levels of the day, but the Nasdaq has yet to mirror the move.

Among the major sectors, Telecom is in the strongest shape. The sector’s 3.0% gain comes with help from AT&T (T 31.88, +1.27), which is up more than 4% to trade near its one-month high after the integrated telecom outfit posted some pleasing numbers for its latest quarter.

Telecom stocks also displayed occasional strength last week. In fact, from last week through today, the Telecom sector is up nearly 4%, while the S&P 500 is up only fractionally in that same time. DJ30 +114.24 NASDAQ +2.51 SP500 +7.91 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1615/550 mln/735 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 2090/210 mln/755

11:00 am : The Dow has extended its climb so that it now sits at a session high with a gain greater than 100 points. However, the Nasdaq Composite has drifted down to the neutral line. The divergence comes after a handful of blue chips outperform on the heels of some better-than-expected earnings reports, but names like Netflix (NFLX 88.42, -13.42) and Symantec (SYMC 16.36, -1.71) descend for sharp losses after making disappointing announcements related to earnings and guidance.DJ30 +112.24 NASDAQ -0.44 SP500 +7.27 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1430/415 mln/860 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1915/165 mln/875

10:30 am : Strength in the commodity complex has the CRB Index up 0.7%.

Oil has been a source of strength; the energy component was last quoted with a 0.7% gain at $103.80 per barrel. Earlier this morning oil prices pushed past $104 per barrel, but stayed there for only a few minutes.

Gold prices are also up nicely. The yellow metal was last priced at $1646 per ounce, which makes for a 0.8% gain. Gold prices were around $1650 per ounce at session highs roughly 30 minutes ago. DJ30 +106.22 NASDAQ +3.14 SP500 +6.95 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1465/290 mln/775 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1940/120 mln/755

10:05 am : Stocks have pushed higher in recent trade. The move comes immediately after the release of the latest dose of data.

New home sales hit an annualized pace of 328,000 in March. That bested the clip of 318,000 that had been broadly anticipated. What’s more, prior month numbers were revised upward to reflect an annualized pace of 353,000.

The Consumer Confidence Index for April was also just released. It eased back to 69.2 from 70.2 in the prior month. The consensus call among economists polled by Briefing.com was for a reading of 69.5 for April. DJ30 +86.95 NASDAQ +1.94 SP500 +5.82 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1065/130 mln/1060 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1445/70 mln/1170

09:45 am : Leading its counterparts, the Dow is up solidly in the early going. Its strength comes as blue chips like 3M (MMM 88.90, +1.77) andAT&T (T 31.63, +1.02) jump sharply on the back of better-than-expected earnings results. Fellow Dow component United Technologies (UTX 79.74, -0.01) is stuck near the neutral line, despite an upside earnings surprise of its own.

On the way are the latest monthly numbers on new home sales and the latest reading on consumer confidence — both are due at 10:00 AM ET. DJ30 +54.64 NASDAQ -5.47 SP500 +2.07 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec NA/NA/NA NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec NA/NA/NA”

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NYSE

New Highs 25 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      HIGH                VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
Amer Eagle Outfitters         AEO         18.06              504,556 
Atlas Energy                  ATLS        38.80               20,725 
AutoZone                      AZO         386.25              47,234 
BB&T Corp                     BBT         31.95              318,757 
Blyth                         BTH         85.00                6,300 
Brinker Intl                  EAT         31.34              281,621 
Calpine                       CPN         18.44              125,159 
Canadian Natl Railway         CNI         81.84              144,028 
Carlisle Cos                  CSL         55.68              180,168 
GNC Holdings A                GNC         36.41               90,313 
Grupo Aero Sureste ads        ASR         77.92                5,020 
John Hancock Pfd Inc III      HPS         19.13               19,801 
Hershey                       HSY         66.22              987,964 
Hexcel Corp                   HXL         28.01              351,734 
Main Street Capital           MAIN        26.00              163,704 
MetLife 6.50% Ser B           METpB       26.41                6,063 
Midstates Petroleum           MPO         15.64               19,970 
National Grid                 NGG         53.71              215,332 
Nationstar Mortgage Hldgs     NSM         14.95               18,278 
Newcastle Inv                 NCT         6.94               199,148 
NextEra Engy Deb. G 2072      NEEpG       25.85               11,756 
NextEra Energy                NEE         63.85               78,192 
Transamerica Income           TAI         22.64                3,943 
Wabtec                        WAB         82.90               93,625 
Wisconsin Energy              WEC         35.94               67,258 

New Lows 10 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      LOW                 VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
Checkpoint Sys                CKP         10.37                6,075 
Crawford & Co B               CRD/B       4.14                 2,592 
DeVry                         DV          30.09              100,002 
EmpreasDisCom                 EDN         2.50                 1,100 
Gafisa                        GFA         3.83               126,950 
Nokia                         NOK         3.54            10,613,262 
RadioShack                    RSH         5.30             2,817,290 
STR Holdings Inc.             STRI        3.56                16,299 
USEC Inc                      USU         0.88                81,572 
Virtus Glbl MultiSector       VGI         18.06                3,800

NASDAQ

New Highs 19 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      HIGH                VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
Align Technology              ALGN        34.29              988,635 
Amer Cap Agency Pfd A         AGNCP       25.25                9,750 
Arch Capital Grp              ACGL        38.82               16,454 
BSB Bancorp                   BLMT        11.82                1,400 
Famous Dave's of America      DAVE        11.86                1,489 
Fonar Corp                    FONR        6.74               503,598 
Good Times Restaurant         GTIM        3.70               110,134 
Grifols ADS                   GRFS        9.25             1,239,628 
Home BancShares               HOMB        28.98                6,300 
Icahn Enterprises             IEP         49.49                1,543 
Independent Bank Michigan     IBCP        3.35               111,601 
Marine Petroleum Tr Un        MARPS       27.75                  650 
NASB Fincl                    NASB        17.18                  700 
O'Reilly Automotive           ORLY        98.09               88,416 
Peoples Bancorp  (Ohio)       PEBO        18.50               11,675 
PriceSmart                    PSMT        81.36               20,450 
Provident Fincl Hldgs         PROV        11.01               16,700 
SeagateTech                   STX         29.64            1,063,016 
Verisk Analytics Inc          VRSK        48.47               91,726 

New Lows 10 

COMPANY                       SYMBOL      LOW                 VOLUME 
-------                       ------      ----                ------ 
Apollo Grp  (Cl A)            APOL        34.05              111,500 
DynaVox                       DVOX        2.60                   204 
First Solar                   FSLR        18.63              623,295 
Gentex                        GNTX        20.80               71,579 
Marchex   (Cl B)              MCHX        3.35                 9,589 
Marshall Edwards              MSHL        0.64                 4,286 
Meru Networks                 MERU        2.70                12,099 
Otelco IDS                    OTT         6.15               164,548 
PSB Hldgs                     PSBH        4.04                   300 
Skywest                       SKYW        9.55                17,224

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3D heat map 

S&P A/D Line

NASDAQ A/D Line

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-CALLS- 
OPTION    EXP.DATE       STRIKE PRC.     VOLUME        LAST S/PRC.    NET CHANGE 
T          4/27/12          31.0000        3250            0.6200      up 0.4900 
RHT        5/19/12          60.0000        1995            1.1500      dn 0.3500 
AAPL       4/27/12         600.0000        1079            6.6100      dn 1.8900 
KGC        5/19/12          10.0000        1021            0.1100      dn 0.0100 
GLD        5/19/12         162.0000         955            1.5800      up 0.2200 
F          7/21/12          12.0000         949            0.4200      up 0.0500 
HGSI       5/19/12          17.0000         922            0.1800      dn 0.0300 
BYD        5/19/12           8.0000         911            0.3000      dn 0.3000 
SVU        5/19/12           7.0000         878            0.0500      up 0.0000 
T          5/19/12          32.0000         818            0.2100      up 0.1400 

 -PUTS- 
OPTION    EXP.DATE       STRIKE PRC.     VOLUME        LAST S/PRC.    NET CHANGE 
COP        5/19/12          70.0000       11162            0.8200      up 0.0900 
COP        5/19/12          72.5000        6272            1.9000      up 0.1800 
TIBX       8/18/12          29.0000        2890            1.3000      up 0.2000 
COH        5/19/12          70.0000        2003            1.6000      up 0.6000 
NFLX       4/27/12          85.0000        1991            1.2500      dn 0.4500 
SIRI       5/19/12           2.0000        1500            0.0300      dn 0.0200 
NFLX       4/27/12          80.0000        1314            0.3800      dn 0.4900 
MS         5/19/12          15.0000        1075            0.1400      dn 0.0200 
CHK        1/19/13          35.0000         969           17.2100      dn 0.3400 
CHK        1/19/13          30.0000         888           12.6500      up 0.0500 

 -VOLUME- 
 CALLS      PUTS           TOTAL 
215519    194193        409712

-CALLS- 
OPTION    EXP.DATE       STRIKE PRC.     VOLUME        LAST S/PRC.    NET CHANGE 
GRPN       4/27/12          15.0000         200            0.0200      dn 0.0300 
JPM        4/27/12          46.0000         200            0.0100      dn 0.0100 
AAPL       4/27/12         600.0000         183            7.7200      dn 1.0300 
T          5/19/12          32.0000         135            0.2500      up 0.1800 
NFLX       4/27/12         135.0000         130            0.0100      dn 0.2800 
AMGN       7/21/12          75.0000         109            0.4700      up 0.0200 
GRPN       4/27/12          16.0000         100            0.0300      dn 0.0200 
GRPN       4/27/12          14.0000         100            0.0300      dn 0.0200 
JPM        4/27/12          47.0000         100            0.0100      dn 0.0200 
JPM        4/27/12          45.0000         100            0.0300      dn 0.0100 

 -PUTS- 
OPTION    EXP.DATE       STRIKE PRC.     VOLUME        LAST S/PRC.    NET CHANGE 
AMGN       5/19/12          65.0000         603            0.4900      dn 0.0600 
GRPN       4/27/12           8.0000         200            0.0200      dn 0.2300 
CHK        4/27/12          15.0000         200            0.0500      dn 0.0200 
LVS        4/27/12          52.5000         170            0.5000      up 0.1900 
LVS        4/27/12          50.0000         160            0.1500      up 0.0200 
AMGN       5/19/12          67.5000         144            1.1500      dn 0.0800 
T          5/19/12          31.0000         116            0.1800      dn 0.4500 
GRPN       4/27/12           9.0000         100            0.0300      dn 0.0200 
GRPN       4/27/12           7.0000         100            0.0300      dn 0.2200 
CHK        4/27/12          16.0000         100            0.1100      dn 0.0600 

 -VOLUME- 
 CALLS      PUTS           TOTAL 
14959    12494        27453

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