Sector Investing

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From Briefing.com: 4:40 pm : Stocks rolled over in the final few minutes of trade to log their first loss in five sessions. The downturn came after the stock market failed to extend a move that took it from a modest loss back to its opening high.

Financials were integral in the afternoon advance. The sector was a steady outperformer for the entire session and finished with a 1.1% loss, despite a lack of clear catalysts within the sector. While the broader market inevitably failed to follow the financial sector to a gain, its strength helped limit losses.

Technical support at the S&P 500's 50-day moving average also provided support. The line acted as a floor for trade during the entire session. It even held firm as stocks extended their opening slide into negative territory amid news that President Obama has proposed to broaden the Medicare Hospital Insurance tax base in his latest health care reform plan. Despite the negative reaction to the news item, health care stocks finished fractionally lower.

Energy stocks were the worst performers. They shed 1.3%. Schlumberger (SLB 61.57, -2.33) was a primary laggard following news that it has agreed to a stock-for-stock merger with Smith International (SII 41.03, +3.33).

In other merger and acquisition news, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO 48.10, -1.12) has made a $6 billion bid for Millipore (MIL 87.35, +16.01).

Treasuries traded in quiet fashion this session. Results from an $8 billion auction of 30-year TIPS did little to stimulate interest in the space. As such, the benchmark 10-year Note finished just a few ticks lower.

The dollar also traded quietly along the flat line. Its movements had little overall effect on the broader market.

Trading volume was paltry once again as fewer than 1 billion shares traded hands on the NYSE. DJ30 -18.97 NASDAQ -1.84 NQ100 -0.3% R2K +0.1% SP400 +0.0% SP500 -1.16 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1413/1.94 bln/1267 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1511/944 mln/1540

11:12AM Agilent wins HPLC columns trade secrets case against Advanced Materials Technology (A) 30.97 -0.23 : Co announced a favorable decision in its trade secrets and breach of contract case against Advanced Materials Technology and three of its employees in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Agilent filed the lawsuit in January 2008 to protect confidential and proprietary information relating to its high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technology. The decision in favor of Agilent found that the individual defendants, members of AMAT's senior management team, breached their employment contracts with Agilent by removing Agilent property without permission, and used Agilent confidential information to benefit AMAT. In particular, the court ruled that AMAT illegally used Agilent trade secrets and confidential information in developing its Halo HPLC columns.

8:01AM Chipmos Technology received the initial payment of approximately $33 million from escrow agent for the sale of accounts receivable (IMOS) 0.68 : The co announces that it has received the initial payment of approximately $33 million from escrow agent for the sale of accounts receivable for testing and assembly services provided to Spansion in the amount of approximately $66 million to $70 million.

Amkor Technology (AMKR) announced that the International Trade Commission has reversed a finding by the Administrative Law Judge on the issue of whether a certain invention constitutes prior art to Amkor's asserted patents in its patent infringement case against Carsem. The Commission remanded the investigation to the ALJ to make further findings in light of the Commission's ruling by March 22, 2010, and extended the target date for completion of the investigation to July 20, 2010...

ASML Holding NV (ASML) announces its new FlexRay programmable illumination system is finding strong acceptance by providing chip makers with virtually unlimited illumination source tuning....