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From Briefing.com: 4:30 pm : Stocks faltered in the final hour of trade to finish the day with a fractional loss. The slide came in the face of leadership from financials and some upbeat retail sales data.

Financials spent the entire session out in front of the broader market. At its best level the sector was up 1.6% as banks caught a bid and consumer finance plays attracted support following the release of their latest monthly card metrics. Financials failed to hold their gains, though, as sellers reclaimed control of broader market action in late trade.

Support from the financial sector had helped lift the broader market as much as 0.7% in the face of a stronger dollar, but the dollar eventually broke out of its trading range so that it was up 0.8% at the close of trade. The dollar's move and the S&P 500's inability to extend its intraday high beyond the 1207 line in afternoon action left stocks susceptible to the efforts of sellers. The major averages finished mixed near session lows as a result.

Deal making during the weekend helped drive some early buying. Isilon Systems (ISLN 33.77, +7.48) will be acquired for $33.85 per share by EMC Corp (EMC 21.45, -0.27), while Mediacom Communications (MCCC 8.37, +1.51) will be acquired for $8.75 per share by Rocco Commisso and an entity created by Commisso. The biggest deal was Caterpillar's (CAT 81.82, +0.78) purchase of Bucyrus (BUCY 89.80, +20.18) for $92 per share. Each acquisition came at a premium of close to 30% over where the takeover targets settled trade last week.

Outside of the merger and acquisition activity, Lowe's (LOW 21.46, -0.23) reported an upside earnings surprise. Its shares initially tested a one-month high, but they rolled over to finish with a sizable loss.

The rest of the retail space was not much better off as it collectively fell 1.0%. Not even news that retail sales for October increased at a stronger-than-expected clip of 1.2% could help. Sales less autos saw a more mild and in-line increase of 0.4%. The consensus among economists polled by Briefing.com had called for a 0.7% increase in overall sales and a 0.4% increase in sales less autos.

The Empire Manufacturing Survey was more disappointing. Following a reading of 15.7 last month, it was expected to come in at 11.7 for November. Instead, it came in at -11.1. Some disappointment was tempered by the fact that the report is not underpinned by any actual data, but is survey on sentiment among regional manufacturers.

Treasuries fell under a stiff bout of pressure that drove the yield on the benchmark 10-year Note up to 2.95% at the close of trade. That makes for the Note's highest yield since August.

Advancing Sectors: Financials (+0.4%), Telecom (+0.3%), Utilities (+0.3%), Industrials (+0.2%)
Declining Sectors: Materials (-0.9%), Energy (-0.5%), Tech (-0.4%), Consumer Discretionary (-0.3%), Health Care (-0.2%), Consumer Staples (-0.1%)DJ30 +9.39 NASDAQ -4.39 NQ100 -0.3% R2K +0.1% SP400 +0.2% SP500 -1.46 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1420/1.86 bln/1195 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1386/877 mln/1577

5:44PM Microsoft: Kinect for Xbox 360 hits mln mark in just 10 days (MSFT) 26.20 -0.07 : Co announced it has sold 1 million Kinect for Xbox 360 units worldwide in 10 days and is on pace to hit 5 million by the end of the year.

AMD (AMD) announced it has joined The Linux Foundation's MeeGo open source Linux project, and will provide engineering expertise intended to help establish the technical foundations for next-generation mobile platforms and embedded devices.

7:02AM SMSC acquires Symwav co had previously made a $5.2 million equity investment in Symwave, resulting in a total equity stake of 14% (SMSC) 26.72 : Co announces that it has acquired Symwave. SMSC had previously made a $5.2 million equity investment in Symwave, resulting in a total equity stake of 14 percent, and recently provided $3.1 million in bridge financing to Symwave. Under terms of the agreement, SMSC also agreed to make cash payments to Symwave shareholders as part of an earnout provision upon achievement of certain financial goals during calendar year 2011.

6:39AM Amtech Systems beats by $0.24, beats on revs; guides Q1 revs above consensus; guides FY11 revs above consensus (ASYS) 17.28 : Reports Q4 (Sep) earnings of $0.58 per share, $0.24 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.34; revenues rose 288.0% year/year to $45.4 mln vs the $38.6 mln consensus. Co issues upside guidance for Q2, sees Q2 revs of $44-46 mln vs. $32.70 mln Thomson Reuters consensus. Co issues upside guidance for FY11, sees FY11 revs "surpassing $200 mln" vs. $148.50 mln Thomson Reuters consensus. Total orders in Q4 were $49.6 million ($41.3 million solar), up 11% compared to total orders of $44.7 million ($37.3 million solar) in the preceding quarter. Gross margin increased to 39%, compared to 37% sequentially and 26% in 4Q09, primarily due to more efficient capacity utilization from higher shipment volumes.