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Market Update 110302

4:30 pm : Stocks settled with narrow to modest gains after spending the session bouncing around under the beguile of oil, which pushed to a new two-year closing high amid ongoing geopolitical concerns related to the Middle East and North Africa.

Gradual buying helped stocks head higher in the first couple of hours of trade, but the tone deteriorated as oil attracted renewed interest. Traders had a muted response to bullish inventory data, but reports surfaced that Libyan fighter jets fired on the oil terminal city of Masra El Brega propeled prices in the continuous contract as high as $102.37 per barrel. They settled just off of that mark.

Oil's ability to hold its gain into the close of pit trade and even afterward in electronic trade undermined strength in the stock market, which had traded to afternoon highs only an hour before the close. Stocks drifted downward during the last leg of trade for a rather underwhelming finish.

Despite that, semiconductor stocks scored a 1.4% gain after analysts at JPMorgan upgraded the space. Retailers were relatively strong ahead of their monthly same-store results -- they collectively climbed 0.6%.

More stiff selling sent the Amex Airline Index down 0.9%, which comes on top of its 3.0% loss in the prior session. Higher oil prices remain the primary culprit.

Corporate news was of little concern to the overall market, but a stronger-than-expected ADP Employment Change attracted attention. The report indicated that private payrolls increased in February by 217,000, which is considerably greater than the increase of 163,000 that had been expected, on average, among economists polled by Briefing.com.

Although the positive ADP Change portends well for the official nonfarm payrolls report on Friday, Fed Chairman Bernanke reminded the House of Representatives during his semi-annual monetary policy testimony that unemployment remains stubbornly high.

That said, the Fed's latest Beige Book states that wage pressures remain steady, even though overall economic activity improved across the various Fed districts.

Despite an improving picture of economic activity and varied gains by stocks, precious metals continued to attract safety seekers. In turn, gold gained 0.6% to close pit trade at $1437.70 per ounce. Along the way it set a new all-time high of $1441.00 per ounce. Silver advanced 1.0% to finish at $34.82 per ounce after it notched a fresh 30-year high at $34.97.

Advancing Sectors: Energy (+0.5%), Tech (+0.5%), Industrials (+0.4%), Consumer Discretionary (+0.4%), Telecom (+0.4%), Health Care (+0.3%), Materials (+0.2%), Utilities (+0.2%)
Declining Sectors: Consumer Staples (-0.4%), Financial (-0.7%)DJ30 +8.78 NASDAQ +10.66 NQ100 +0.5% R2K +0.5% SP400 +0.5% SP500 +2.11 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1454/1.99 bln/1159 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1890/1.02 bln/1078

3:30 pm : Softs led the commodities complex higher today, posting a 1.4% gain. May sugar futures rallied 3.8% to close at $0.3038/pound, on news that JP Morgan reportedly takes delivery of nearly 1 mln tons of raw sugar.

Headline risk from the Middle East sent April WTI crude oil higher by 2.6% to $102.23 per barrel, marking its first close above the $100 level since late Sept of 2008. There were numerous unsubstantiated reports indicating that fighting in the oil terminal city of Masra El Brega had escalated. April natural gas shed 1% to close at $3.81 per MMBtu.

April gold settled higher by 0.6% to $1437.70 per ounce. It traded to a new all-time high at $1441.00 per ounce. May silver gained 1% to finish at $34.82 per ounce. It notched a fresh ~30 yr high at $34.97. Both metals moved higher again on a flight to safety as well as weakness in the dollar.DJ30 +21.12 NASDAQ +15.36 SP500 +3.71 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1478/1.6 bln/1137 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1917/725.1 mln/1040

3:00 pm : Stocks have worked their way to afternoon highs amid broad-based support. The effort has given the major averages modest to solid gains with only an hour remaining before the toll of the closing bell.

Share volume has been solid this session, such that trading volume on the NYSE is quickly approaching 700 million shares. Volume on the Big Board has averaged more than 1 billion shares per day for the past week or so. DJ30 +37.35 NASDAQ +16.95 SP500 +5.50 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1336/1.48 bln/1252 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1851/668 mln/1079

2:30 pm : The Dow and the S&P 500 continue to trade near the neutral line while the Nasdaq holds on to a narrow gain.

Semiconductor issues remain generally supportive of the Nasdaq, but NVIDIA (NVDA 20.45, -1.20) has been hobbled in afternoon trade. TiVo (TIVO 9.12, -0.70) has also been a laggard following news of the company's earnings miss. Both stocks are now at a one-month lows. DJ30 +10.95 NASDAQ +7.23 SP500 +1.12 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1227/1.35 bln/1375 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1683/610 mln/1244

2:05 pm : The Fed just released its latest Beige Book, which states that overall activity improved across the various districts. Additionally, the Beige Book states that input costs have increased, but wage pressures remain steady. It also notes that several districts showed improvements in commercial and real estate leasing, even though overall loan demand remains mixed and lending standards remain tight.

The broad market hasn't made much of a reaction to the statements found in the Beige Book. Instead, the S&P 500 is sitting at the flat line. DJ30 -3.18 NASDAQ +6.69 SP500 +0.86 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1165/1.24 bln/1430 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1540/560 mln/1358

1:30 pm : The broad market has paused at afternoon highs to take a bit of a breather, but shares of Apple (AAPL 352.64, +3.33) recently set a fresh session high following news that Steve Jobs made an appearance at the company's latest event. The event has, so far, focused on the latest version of the iPad.

With help from Apple, large-cap tech is looking strong. As such, the Nasdaq 100 is up 0.6%. DJ30 +10.25 NASDAQ +11.80 SP500 +2.43 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1275/1.12 bln/1295 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1701/514 mln/1191

1:00 pm : Ongoing concerns about geopolitical tension in the Middle East continues to stoke volatility in oil prices, which are providing broader market participants with trading cues.

Oil were up only modestly early this morning, but began to push toward $100 per barrel before pit trade. Weekly inventory data showed a draw of 364,000, which is bullish compared to the consensus call for a build of 750,000 barrels, but no real reaction was made to that announcement. However, oil prices did extend their move higher shortly before noon ET, when reports surfaced that Libyan fighter jets fired on Masra El Brega, which is home to an oil terminal. Oil prices in the continuous contract were as high as $102.37 per barrel earlier, but they have since pulled back to $101.50 per barrel to trade with a 1.9% gain.

Oil's late morning rally sent stocks from solid gains into the red, but the pullback in oil prices has helped bring buyers back to the stock market so that the major equity averages now trade with varied gains.

Semiconductor stocks have been strong all session. The group is presently up 1.8%, thanks largely news that analysts at JPMorgan upgraded the space.

Financials continue to be challenged, though. The sector is down 0.4%. Thrifts and mortgage lenders are in especially weak condition as they trade with losses on the order of about 6%.

Participants got their hands on a strong ADP Employment Change this morning, but it did little to direct action. According to the report, private payrolls increased by 217,000 in February. That is much greater than what had been widely expected.

Despite the encouraging report, Fed Chairman Bernanke reminded the House of Representatives unemployment remains stubbornly high during his semi-annual monetary policy testimony. He also noted, though, that the overall economy has strengthened.

Still on the agenda for today is the Fed's latest Beige Book, which is due at 2:00 PM ET.DJ30 +13.17 NASDAQ +13.29 SP500 +2.67 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1362/1.03 bln/1205 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1768/477 mln/1109

12:30 pm : Stocks have rebounded back into positive territory trade with solid gains. The move comes as oil prices ease off of their session high of $102.37 per barrel -- oil is about $0.70 off of that mark at the moment.

Despite this session's swings, the Volatility Index is actually down a little more than 1%. It had spiked about 15% during the prior session's sell-off. DJ30 +10.67 NASDAQ +13.39 SP500 +2.21 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1179/930 mln/1356 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1531/430 mln/1323

12:00 pm : Stocks have extended their downturn so that the Dow and S&P 500 are now in the red. The Nasdaq, now barely positive, continues to find support from semiconductor stocks, which are up 1.1% as a group.

Oil prices continue to drive action among stocks. The energy component recently pushed past $102 per barrel, which makes for a fresh session high.

Oil's hike hasn't helped energy stocks, however. Instead, the sector is down 0.5% as it gets caught up in broader market selling pressure. DJ30 -30.08 NASDAQ +2.89 SP500 -2.27 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1442/788 mln/1060 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1753/368 mln/1080

11:30 am : Stocks are rolling over, but they continue to sport varied gains. Their pullback from session highs coincides with a spike by oil prices. Oil prices are currently up 1.9% at $101.55 per barel, but they were recently as high as $101.79 per barrel. Some reports have surfaced saying that Libyan fighter jets have fired on Masra El Brega, which is home to an oil terminal.DJ30 +23.65 NASDAQ +16.97 SP500 +3.38 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1578/675 mln/907 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1950/309 mln/886

11:00 am : Stocks are at session highs following a pullback in oil prices. Oil prices recently fell below $100 per barrel, but they have since rebounded to $100.20 per barrel so that they sport a 0.6% gain. Oil prices are still off of their session high near $101.50 per barrel.

Semiconductor stocks continue to climb, which has helped give the Nasdaq a nice lead over its counterparts. Their 2.5% advance this session follows an industry upgrade from analysts at JPMorgan. Semiconductor stocks are already up 12% this year. DJ30 +43.90 NASDAQ +22.77 SP500 +6.19 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1433/509 mln/1003 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1844/237 mln/945

10:35 am : Crude oil futures continue to gain as fighting in Libya continues as well as turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East. April crude oil traded higher overnight and quickly rallied for about $2/barrel one hour before pit trading began. The energy component hit new session highs of $101.47 per barrel at the open, but has since pulled back and was modestly higher ahead of inventory data. Following the data, which showed a draw of 364K vs. consensus of a build of 750K), crude has little reaction and is now up 0.8% at $10.045 per barrel.

Natural gas, on the other hand, is the worst performing commodity in the CRB Index currently. This morning was volatile in natural gas, which lost steam earlier this morning, then fell sharply (over 2%) over an hour before pit trade was set to begin. However, it quickly reversed and erased it's losses. It current activity, its 0.9% lower at $3.84 per MMBtu.

Cotton futures rose the exchange limit overnight on news that South Africa was cutting production estimates, in combination with strong China demand. The May contract is currently up 7 cents (or 3.6%) at $2.006/lb. Grains were mixed in overnight trade with soybeans +1.1%, corn +0.5% and wheat -0.1% (all May contracts).

Precious metals are higher this morning. April gold is currently up 0.4% at $14370.40 per ounce, while May silver is up 1.3% at $34.79 per ounce.DJ30 +19.37 NASDAQ +10.30 SP500 +2.89 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1229/361.4 mln/1130 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1588/179.5 mln/1141

10:00 am : The broader market has started to bounce to a modest gain. The move has been relatively broad, but Joy Global (JOYG 93.86, -3.14) has been left behind. Its loss, which is currently near 3%, is one of the worst in the S&P 500 this morning. The stock's slump follows news of an earnings miss for the latest quarter.

Meanwhile, Yahoo! (YHOO 16.76, +0.65) is up close to 4%, which makes it one of this morning's strongest performers. The spike follows word that the company is looking to divest its stake in its Japan venture.

Advancing Sectors: Telecom (+0.9%), Industrials (+0.6%), Tech (+0.6%), Consumer Discretionary (+0.2%), Utilities (+0.1%), Financial (+0.1%), Health Care (+0.1%), Materials (+0.1%)
Declining Sectors: Energy (-0.3%), Consumer Staples (-0.1%)DJ30 +18.58 NASDAQ +6.78 SP500 +2.11

09:45 am : A lack of early leadership has left stocks to move in mixed fashion during the first few minutes of trade.

Energy stocks, collectively down 0.9%, are early laggards. Their weakness comes even though oil prices are at $100.50 per barrel with a 0.9% gain. Oil prices were up to $101.47 per barrel earlier this morning.

Semiconductor stocks are showing early strength. As a group they are up 1.1% in the wake of news that analysts at JPMorgan upgraded the sector. DJ30 +2.38 NASDAQ +1.16 SP500 -0.16 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1046/64 mln/1049 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 1247/57 mln/1300

09:15 am : S&P futures vs fair value: -2.20. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -0.60. Action ahead of the open has been rather choppy. The premarket gyrations come mostly in response to renewed strength in oil, which has pulled back a bit from its morning high above $101 per barrel to trade with a 1.0% gain at $100.65 per barrel. Oil had been up only modestly about an hour ago, but its upward push offers a tacit reminder that there continue to be concerns about the social and political environment of the Middle East. After all, Saudi Arabia's stock market fell another 4% after it suffered a 7% drop in the prior session. The latest dose of data has been solid, though. Specifically, the latest ADP Employment Change said that in February private payrolls increased by 217,000, which is much greater than what had been widely expected. The better-than-expected reading supports expectations for a strong nonfarm payrolls report this coming Friday. Corporate news has been of little consequence to the overall market, and even though participants will keep tabs on Fed Chairman Bernanke's monetary policy report to the House of Representatives at 10:00 AM ET, he is unlikely to offer any new take on the economy or its outlook. With oil prices elevated, the latest weekly oil inventory report will be of particular interest when it is released at 10:30 AM ET. Also on the agenda for today is the Fed's latest Beige Book, which is due at 2:00 PM ET.

09:00 am : S&P futures vs fair value: -2.40. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -0.10. Futures for the S&P 500 have recovered back to the flat line, although oil continues to trade at $101 per barrel in the first few minutes of pit trade. Germany's DAX is down 0.9% at the moment. Its slide stems from a broad-based selling effort that comes in the wake of Wall Street's tumble in the prior session. Automakers Daimler (DAI), Volkswagen, and BMW have been the heaviest drags on the German bourse. Volkswagen reported that its sales in America during February were up almost 19% year over year. BMW said its U.S. sales for February were up almost 11% from the prior year. Meanwhile, Adidas has managed to attract renewed support in the face of broader weakness. It has had difficulty sustaining a move above its 50-day moving average, however. France's CAC has also been hit with a broad-based selling effort; in turn, the French exchange is down 1.0%. Of its 40 members, only Sanofi-Aventis (SNY), Bouygues SA, Vinci, and Saint Gobain have managed to put together gains. Total (TOT) and BNP Paribas are the two heaviest drags on trade. Britain's FTSE is off by 0.6% at the moment. Natural resource plays Rio Tinto (RIO), BP Plc (BP), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A), and Anglo American have had the most detrimental impact on overall action. Banking issues like Standard Charter and Lloyds Group (LYG) have exhibited strength, however. The February Construction PMI for the United Kingdom came in at 56.5, up from 53.7 in the prior month.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei dropped 2.4% overnight to its 50-day moving average. Of its 225 members, 222 logged a loss. Fast Retailing, Softbank, and Honda Motor (HMC) were atop the list of losing issues. Nippon Telegraph finished flat, but Showa Shell and Yahoo Japan Corp were able to boast the only gains. Recent speculation posits that Yahoo! (YHOO) wants to sell its stake in its Japan joint venture. Hong Kong's Hang Seng sank 1.5% as it, too, was hit with a concerted selling effort that left all but three of its 45 components to close lower. PetroChina (PTR) and China Resources Enterprise were able to stage gains while Hong Kong & China Gas finished flat. Heavyweights HSBC (HBC), China Mobile, and China Petroleum (SNP) hurt overall trade the most. Mainland China's Shanghai Composite managed to limit its loss to a tame 0.2%. China Merchant Bank and PetroChina were primary sources of support as China Petroleum, CSR Corp, and China Railway led a broader retreat.

08:30 am : S&P futures vs fair value: -6.60. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -8.60. Stock futures have slipped to their lowest level of the last few hours. The move lower is more in response to a spike in oil prices past $101 per barrel in electronic trade, rather than any kind of reaction to the latest ADP Employment Change, which indicated that 217,000 jobs were added to private payrolls in February. That reading compares favorably to the Briefing.com consensus forecast, which had called for just 163,000 private payroll additions.

08:05 am : S&P futures vs fair value: -2.20. Nasdaq futures vs fair value: -1.10. The major equity averages sank in the prior session. That has stirred selling abroad, such that the Dow Jones World Index, excluding the U.S., is down 0.8%. Stock futures aren't quite pointing to a rebound, though. Their flat position relative to fair value is underscored by a sense of caution ahead of the February ADP Employment Change, which is due at 8:15 AM ET. The report is often referenced for directional cues related to the official nonfarm payrolls report, which will be posted this coming Friday. The mood among morning participants also remains challenged by oil prices that continue to trade near the mark of $100 per barrel. Participants get their hands on the latest weekly inventory figures at 10:30 AM ET. Also on today's agenda, Fed Chairman is scheduled to continue his semi-annual monetary policy report at 10:00 AM ET. The Fed's latest Beige Book will be posted at 2:00 PM ET.

http://finance.yahoo.com/marketupdate/update

5:34PM LHC Group misses by $0.03, beats on revs; guides FY11 EPS below consensus, revs below consensus (LHCG) 30.05 +0.80 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.63 per share, $0.03 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.66; revenues rose 18.8% year/year to $168.1 mln vs the $166 mln consensus. Co issues downside guidance for FY11, sees EPS of $2.15-2.35 vs. $2.52 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees FY11 revs of $660-670 mln vs. $692.57 mln Thomson Reuters consensus.

5:33PM Windstream prices private offering of $600 mln of its 7.50% senior notes due 2023 (WIN) 12.39 -0.07 : Co announced the pricing of a private placement of $600 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.50% Senior Notes due April 1, 2023, at an issue price of 100.00% to yield 7.50%. The offering is expected to settle on Mar. 16, 2011, subject to customary closing conditions. Windstream expects to use the net proceeds of the offering, together with borrowings under its revolving line of credit, to pay the consideration in connection with its previously announced tender offer to purchase for cash up to $600 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 8.625% Senior Notes due 2016, together with related fees and expenses.

5:30PM Copart reports EPS in-line, beats on revs (CPRT) 41.17 +0.30 : Reports Q2 (Jan) earnings of $0.45 per share, excluding $0.01 in non-recurring items, in-line with the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.45; revenues rose 16.4% year/year to $205.6 mln, excluding $1.8 mln from favorable ruling, vs the $196.4 mln consensus.

5:22PM American Medical announces IRIDEX purchases remaining common stock held by American Medical Systems Holdings (AMMD) 21.59 -0.15 : IRIDEX Corporation (IRIX) announced that it has purchased 75,698 shares of IRIDEX Common Stock from American Medical Systems Holdings (AMMD). The shares are the remaining holdings of IRIDEX Common stock that were issued to AMS as part of the consideration for a 2007 transaction in which laser technologies and assets were purchased by IRIDEX from AMS. The negotiated transaction was approved by both companies' Boards of Directors.

5:22PM Green Plains Renewable Energy beats by $0.08, beats on revs (GPRE) 12.07 +0.07 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.44 per share, $0.08 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.36; revenues rose 73.3% year/year to $756.8 mln vs the $652 mln consensus.

5:18PM Warner Chilcott seeks to refinance its existing credit agreement (WCRX) 23.51 +0.16 : Co announced that certain of its subsidiaries are seeking to refinance the Co's existing credit agreement, dated as of October 30, 2009, as amended, by entering into a new credit agreement expected to close in mid-March 2011. The refinancing is expected to have the effect of extending the maturity profile, reducing certain LIBOR floors and/or interest margins and potentially modifying certain other provisions of the Existing Credit Agreement. The Company can offer no assurance that the refinancing will be consummated.

5:14PM Barnes Group note holders notified of plans to redeem balance of 3.75% convertible notes (B) 20.97 +0.22 : Co announced that The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., trustee under the Indenture for the Company's 3.75% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2025, is providing notice to note holders that Barnes Group has exercised its right to redeem the remaining $92.5 mln principal amount of the 3.75% Convertible Notes under the terms of the Indenture, effective April 5, 2011. Barnes Group has elected to pay cash to holders of the 3.75% Convertible Notes surrendered for conversion, including the value of any residual value shares of common stock that might be payable to the holders. The co intends to use borrowings under its senior credit facility to finance the redemption of the 3.75 percent Convertible Notes.

5:11PM American Dental misses by $0.03 (ADPI) 12.71 -0.07 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.23 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.03 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.26; revenues rose 5.6% year/year to $70.3 mln vs the $70.3 mln consensus.

5:04PM Phillips-Van Heusen announced that it entered into an amended and restated senior secured credit facility, which amends the credit facility it entered into in May 2010 in connection with its acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger B.V. (PVH) 59.18 -+0.10 : Co announced that it entered into an amended and restated senior secured credit facility, which amends the credit facility it entered into in May 2010 in connection with its acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger B.V. and certain related companies. The co had announced in late January 2011 that it was entering into discussions to amend the credit facility. The amended facility provides reduced borrowing spreads and fees, as well as additional flexibility with respect to the application of voluntary prepayments.

5:03PM Community Bankers Trust Corp announces selection of permanent Chief Executive Officer (BTC) 1.39 : Co announced today that the Board of Directors has named Rex L. Smith, III to the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer on a permanent basis. He will also serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank. Mr. Smith has served as the Bank's Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer since May 2010, and he has assumed the responsibilities of President and Chief Executive Officer since September 2010. Mr. Smith joined the Bank as Chief Administrative Officer in April 2009 and has 29 years of experience in the banking industry, including serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Bank of Richmond.

5:02PM Public Storage reported Shurgard Europe acquires its joint venture partners' interests in 72 properties for Euro 172 mln (PSA) 109.07 -0.75 : Co reported that on March 2, 2011, Shurgard Europe, a Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) European joint venture, paid Euro 172 million to acquire the 80% interests it did not already own in two joint ventures that own a total of 72 self-storage facilities (3.8 million square feet of storage space) in all seven countries in which Shurgard Europe operates. Public Storage provided the funding for the acquisition.

5:02PM Provident announces younger Montney Gas gathering agreement (PVX) 8.44 +0.04 : Co announce an agreement between Provident Energy Ltd., AltaGas Ltd. and a senior producer, to construct a 16-inch rich gas pipeline from a Montney gas plant to the AltaGas/Provident Younger deep cut natural gas processing facility in northeastern British Columbia. The 25 km Younger Septimus Pipeline will serve as a trunk line to support the gathering of up to 250 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of natural gas from the liquids-rich Montney area. Provident estimates the pipeline will become fully operational by Q4 of 2011. The estimated cost to complete the pipeline is ~$30 million, of which Provident has committed $9 million.

5:02PM KongZhong beats by $0.05, reports revs in-line; guides Q1 revs above consensus (KONG) 7.08 -0.06 : Reports Q4 (Dec) GAAP earnings of $0.13 per share, $0.05 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.08; revenues rose 5.2% year/year to $36.1 mln vs the $36.3 mln consensus. Co issues upside guidance for Q1, sees Q1 revs of $38.5-39.5 mln vs. $36.64 mln Thomson Reuters consensus.

5:00PM CONSOL Energy announces pricing of $250 mln of senior notes (CNX) 50.98 +1.47 : Co announced that it has agreed to sell $250 million of 6.375% senior notes due 2021 in the previously announced private offering, resulting in net proceeds of ~$245 million. The Notes will be guaranteed by substantially all of the com's existing and future wholly owned domestic restricted subsidiaries. The co plans to use the net proceeds of the notes offering to repay its outstanding 7.875% senior secured notes due March 1, 2012 on or before their maturity. Pending such use, the proceeds may be used to reduce outstanding indebtedness under the co's short term credit facilities and accounts receivable securitization facility and may be used for general corporate purposes.

4:59PM Weyco Group acquires The Combs Company (WEYS) 24.85 -0.09 : Co announced that it has acquired 100% of the outstanding shares of The Combs Company ("Bogs"), the owner of the BOGS and Rafters footwear brands. The purchase price was $29.4 mln in cash at closing, plus assumed debt of approximately $3.5 mln and contingent payments after two and five years, which are dependent on Bogs achieving certain performance measures. The transaction was funded with available cash and borrowings under the Company's revolving line of credit. Bogs' sales for its most recent fiscal year were ~$27 mln. The Company expects the acquisition to be accretive to earnings in 2011, excluding the impact of certain purchase accounting adjustments as well as transaction and integration costs.

4:47PM Foot Locker beats by $0.03, beats on revs; comparable-store sales increased 7.3% (FL) 19.42 +0.20 : Reports Q4 (Jan) earnings of $0.39 per share, excluding items, $0.03 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.36; revenues rose 5.1% year/year to $1.39 bln vs the $1.38 bln consensus. The Q4 comparable-store sales increased 7.3%. The merchandise inventory at year end was $1,059 million, which was $22 million, or 2.1 percent, higher than at the end of last year. Co currently believes that its inventory is positioned well for 2011.

4:38PM Aegean Marine Petrol reports EPS in-line, beats on revs (ANW) 8.67 +0.03 : Reports Q4 (Dec) loss of $0.24 per share, in-line with the Thomson Reuters consensus of ($0.24); revenues rose 73.3% year/year to $1.45 bln vs the $1.33 bln consensus.

4:37PM Sabra Healthcare REIT reports results for the period From Nov 15, 2010 - Dec 31, 2010 (SBRA) 18.44 +0.19 : Co reported that during the period from the Separation Date through Dec 31, 2010, it recognized FFO of $3.1 mln ($0.12 per diluted share), AFFO of $3.7 mln ($0.15 per diluted share) and Normalized AFFO of $4.5 mln ($0.18 per diluted share). Co recognized rental revenue of $8.8 mln from the Separation Date through December 31, 2010, which provided the co with lease coverage of 1.6x EBITDAR from its tenant, New Sun.

4:33PM Darling Intl beats by $0.01, reports revs in-line (DAR) 14.00 +0.20 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.22 per share, excluding $0.10 in transaction expenses related to the acquisition of Griffin Industries, $0.01 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.21; revenues rose 51.9% year/year to $227.2 mln vs the $226.4 mln consensus.

4:32PM Arbitron appoints Richard J. Surratt to the position of Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer (ARB) 39.22 +0.43 :

4:32PM Vectren announces that upon his reelection as a director, Carl Chapman will become chair of the board effective immediately following the co's annual shareholder meeting on May 11, 2011 (VVC) 26.74 +0.33 :

4:31PM Vitesse Semi lists on NASDAQ (VTSS) 5.49 +0.03 : The co's stock previously traded on the pink sheets under the symbol "VTSS.PK."

4:31PM General Dynamics increases qtrly dividend to $0.47/share, up 12% from $0.42/share (GD) 75.13 +0.06 :

4:30PM Edison closes $255 mln refinancing for wind energy portfolio (EIX) 37.58 +0.37 :

4:30PM Hypercom beats by $0.01, beats on revs (HYC) 10.69 +0.89 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.20 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.01 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.19; revenues rose 19.8% year/year to $140.7 mln vs the $136.8 mln consensus. The increase was driven by strong year-over-year revenue growth in Asia-Pacific (63%), Southern EMEA (24%) and the Americas (15%). Fourth quarter 2010 revenue was up 12% sequentially over $125.1 million in the third quarter, driven by growth in Northern EMEA (25%), Asia-Pacific (16%) and Southern EMEA (13%). On a constant currency basis, revenue increased 23% over the prior-year period and 9% over the third quarter of 2010. Due to the pending merger with VeriFone (PAY), Hypercom will not hold a conference call to discuss its Q4 results.

4:19PM Tier Technologies announces that Ronald W. Johnston has resigned as chief financial officer, effective March 3 (TIER) 6.15 -0.09 : Co has hired a national executive search firm to recruit a CFO with experience in the payments industry. In the interim, John Guszak, Vice President and Controller, will report directly to Hart on finance and accounting matters.

4:18PM ICF International reports EPS in-line, revs in-line; guides Q1 EPS in-line, revs below consensus; reaffirms FY11 EPS guidance, revs guidance (ICFI) 22.22 -0.80 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.36 per share, in-line with the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.36; revenues rose 10.8% year/year to $192.9 mln vs the $192.2 mln consensus. Co issues guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $0.34-0.38 vs. $0.36 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees Q1 revs of $192-197 mln vs. $197.51 mln Thomson Reuters consensus. Co reaffirms guidance for FY11, sees EPS of $1.63-1.73 vs. $1.68 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees FY11 revs of $830-865 mln vs. $850.86 mln Thomson Reuters consensus.

4:18PM WebMediaBrands reports Q4 EPS of ($0.01) vs. ($0.36) in last year's quarter; revs rose 58.8% to $2.7 mln (WEBM) 1.38 +0.05 :

4:17PM Chelsea Therapeutics reports Q4 net loss of $0.25 per share comapred to a loss of $0.18 in prior year, Thomson Reuters consesnus -$0.23 (CHTP) 4.04 -0.18 : Research and development expenses for the three months ended December 31, 2010 were $10.2 million, compared to $4.0 million for the same period in 2009. The increase in research and development expense was primarily driven by increased clinical activity, specifically expenses associated with the Northera registration program, Study 306, the Phase II trial of CH-4051 in rheumatoid arthritis along with expenses for the initial manufacturing and validation work of the active pharmaceutical ingredient of Northera.

4:16PM J&J Snack Foods announces that sales of its funnel cake fries to one existing customer will stop this month; funnel cake fries to the customer were $12.7 mln in FY10 and $2.2 mln in 1Q11 (JJSF) 43.56 +0.06 :

4:14PM MakeMusic monthly SmartMusic subscription report for Feb: 163,710 subscriptions, representing an increase of 559 from the previous month and a 19% increase over the prior year (MMUS) 5.11 -0.14 :

4:13PM Eagle Bulk Shipping beats by $0.02, beats on revs (EGLE) 4.02 -0.02 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.05 per share, $0.02 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.03; revenues rose 72.4% year/year to $72.4 mln vs the $62.8 mln consensus. "Going forward, short-term market dislocations are beginning to abate, as is evident in the rebound in spot rates experienced in the sub-Capesize segments. The Baltic Supramax Index, or BSI, is up over 30% since hitting a low on February 7th."

4:12PM Greif misses by $0.04, beats on revs; lowers FY11 EPS guidance below consensus to reflect the expected increase in the tax rate (GEF) 65.29 : Reports Q1 (Jan) earnings of $0.86 per share ex-items, $0.04 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.90; revenues rose 33.0% year/year to $943.8 mln vs the $876.2 mln consensus. Co lowers guidance for FY11 to $4.50-4.75, ex-items, from $4.75-5.00, ex-items, vs. $4.92 Thomson Reuters consensus. Outlook: The co anticipates that sales volumes will gradually improve in 2011 compared to 2010 as the global economy continues to recover. Positive contributions are also expected to be realized from acquisitions and further cost-savings and productivity gains from the Greif Business System. Recent cost increases in key raw materials, especially cold rolled steel and high density polyethylene, are expected to be mitigated during 2011 primarily through contractual cost pass-through mechanisms. Selling, general and administrative expense, as previously disclosed, and the company's book tax rate are anticipated to be higher this year compared to 2010. The co has adjusted its fiscal 2011 earnings guidance to $4.50-4.75 to reflect the expected increase in the co's book tax rate.

4:07PM SandRidge Energy announces pricing of $900 mln offering of senior notes (SD) 10.27 -0.39 : Co announced the pricing of its private placement of $900 mln of 7.50% Senior Notes due 2021. The offering, which was sold at 100% of par to yield 7.50% to maturity, was increased from a previously announced offering size of $700 mln. Net proceeds from this offering will be used to fund its pending tender offer for up to $650 mln in aggregate principal amount of its 8.625% Senior Notes due 2015

4:07PM Mines Management, Inc. announces common stock offering (MGN) 3.56 -0.37 : Co intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for (i) the advancement of the permitting process for its Montanore Project and the commencement of the Company's planned delineation drilling program, which will include advancement of the adit, establishment of drilling stations and commencement of exploratory drilling and (ii) for general corporate purposes, including possible acquisition and exploration of new mining properties. Roth Capital Partners, LLC is acting as sole manager for the offering.

4:07PM Advocat announces refinancing of mortgage loan (AVCA) 5.25 -0.05 : On March 1, 2011, co executed an agreement with a syndicate of banks for a $23 mln mortgage loan, replacing its current mortgage loan which was to expire in August 2011, and extending the maturity of its $15 mln revolving credit facility. The new mortgage loan has a term of five years, with principal and interest payable monthly based on a 25 year amortization. Interest is fixed at 7.07% based on an interest rate swap transaction with the lead bank in the bank syndicate. Proceeds of the new mortgage were used to retire the existing $20.4 mln mortgage, pay transaction costs and provide proceeds of approximately $2.4 million to be used for capital improvements at the mortgaged homes.

4:06PM Cbeyond Comms misses by $0.05, reports revs in-line; guides FY11 revs below consensus (CBEY) 13.41 -0.39 : Reports Q4 (Dec) loss of $0.07 per share, $0.05 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of ($0.02); revenues rose 7.9% year/year to $116.2 mln vs the $116.5 mln consensus. Co issues downside guidance for FY11, sees FY11 revs of +6-8% to ~$471.5-480.4 mln vs. $495.20 mln Thomson Reuters consensus, with EBITDA growth of . Average monthly revenue per Core Managed Services customer location (ARPU) of $680 during 4Q10, compared with $695 in 3Q10 and $727 in 4Q09. "Our operating and financial results included customer growth of 14% and growth in adjusted EBITDA of 16% for the year. While the lingering effects of the challenging economy on the small business sector have resulted in continued pressure on ARPU, the reduction in Core Managed Services customer churn to 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2010 is an encouraging sign of economic improvement as well as customer satisfaction with our services. Looking forward to 2011, Cbeyond will be making investments in our future growth and profitability by strengthening our distribution channels, especially in the cloud services area, and by completing the bulk of our Ethernet circuit conversions."

4:05PM Northstar Realty announces private offering of $100 mln exchangeable senior notes due 2031 (NRF) 5.99 -0.02 : Co expects to use the net proceeds from the sale of the notes to purchase or repay its indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.

4:03PM Martin Midstream beats by $0.20, beats on revs (MMLP) 38.88- 0.05 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.53 per share, excluding $0.23 in non-recurring items, $0.20 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.33; revenues rose 30.5% year/year to $262.1 mln vs the $220 mln consensus.

4:02PM Sigma Designs beats by $0.01, reports revs in-line (SIGM) 13.70 +0.43 : Reports Q4 (Jan) earnings of $0.32 per share, $0.01 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.31; revenues rose 3.7% year/year to $70.6 mln vs the $70.5 mln consensus.

4:01PM Opko Health intends to offer and sell $100 mln of its common stock (OPK) 4.60 -0.14 : Co expects to grant the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional $15 million of common stock offered to cover overallotments of shares, if any. The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering. Jefferies & Company, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering (PRICE).

4:01PM Air Products announced that, effective 4/1, or as contracts allow, it will increase prices globally by up to 5% for its range of epoxy curing agents, accelerators and adhesion promoters, and up to 10% for diluents and specialty resins. (APD) 90.40 +0.50 :

4:01PM MarkWest Energy announces pricing of an upsized offering of additional 6.5% senior notes due 2021 (MWE) 45.53 +0.39 : Co announces that they have priced, at 99.5% of par to yield 6.567%, an upsized offering of an additional $200 million in aggregate principal amount of their 6.5% senior unsecured notes due 2021.

4:00PM Alcoa has become a minority investor in Electronic Recyclers International, the largest U.S. recycler of electronics waste, terms not disclosed (AA) 16.18 -0.05 :

4:00PM FMC Technologies receives $125 million order from Petrobras (PBR) (FTI) 94.63 +2.77 : Co announces that it has received a $125 million order from Petrobras Brazil's national oil company, to supply equipment for use in their oil and gas developments offshore Brazil. The order, for 32 subsea trees, represents the remaining equipment under a 107-tree frame agreement that was announced in February of 2010. Equipment deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2013.

3:53PM Air Tran Holdings reports Feb traffic increased 2.7% to more than 1.3 bln RPMs (AAI) 7.31 +0.01 :

3:44PM Isle of Capri prices of $300 million in aggregate principal amount of 7.750% Senior Notes due 2019; Notes will be issued at 99.264% of par (ISLE) 9.18 -0.10 :

3:31PM Bullion Monarch Mining acquires Brazilian exploration company Dourave (BULM) 1.64 -0.31 : Co announces the acquisition of Dourave, a private mining and exploration company for share exchange. The agreement was reached whereby Bullion will issue 5 mln shares of Bullion Monarch Mining for all of the shares of Dourave with an additional 2,781,418 warrants to be granted at the exercise prices between $1.20 and $4.78.

3:07PM Developers Diversified Rlty prices $300 million of senior unsecured notes (DDR) 13.72 -0.28 : Co announces the pricing of $300 million of senior unsecured notes in an underwritten public offering. The offering consists of $300 million of 4.75% notes due April 2018. The notes are being offered to investors at a price of 99.315% with a yield to maturity of 4.86%. Interest on the notes will be paid semi-annually on April 15 and October 15.

3:03PM Home Depot vacillating near its morning rebound high of 36.94 after early hold at 50 day sma (HD) 36.95 +0.19 :

3:00PM CPEX Pharmaceuticals encourages stockholders to vote for all-cash premium FCB transaction (CPEX) 27.24 -0.50 : Co issued a letter to its stockholders regarding its proposal to approve the merger agreement with FCB I Holdings, under which CPEX stockholders will receive $27.25 per share in cash, and addressing "misleading and inaccurate" statements made by Mangrove Partners. Co says Mangrove ignores any potential long-term risks to the Testim royalty.

2:58PM Meridian Bioscience receives FDA clearance for new illumigene C. difficile pediatric claim (VIVO) 21.56 +0.07 : Co announces that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new pediatric claim for its illumigene C. difficile molecular amplification test. C. difficile is a bacterium that is frequently associated with antibiotic therapy often causing diarrhea and, in severe cases, a life-threatening inflammation of the colon. The illumigene test provides highly accurate results in under an hour. Meridian Bioscience's illumigene test is the only C. difficile test that is cleared by the FDA for use on children under the age of two.

2:55PM IMRIS announces the sale of IMRISneuro to the University Hospital Tubingen, located in Tubingen, Germany (IMRS) 7.40 -0.06 :

2:47PM CBOT Agriculture and Ethanol and ICE Exchange Sugar Closing Prices; Sugar +3.8% (COMDX) : May corn finished down 14 cents to $7.215/bu, May wheat rose 1 cent to close at $8.1125, May soybeans rose 19 cents to close at $13.9425, Mar ethanol closed down 0.006 at $2.589, while May world sugar futures closed up 1.12 cents (or 3.8%) to 30.38 cents.

2:37PM NYMEX Energy Closing Prices (COMDX) : Crude oil settled higher by $2.60 to $102.23 (its first close above $100 since late Sept of 2008), natural gas shed 5.7 cents to close at $3.816, heating oil gained 3.75 cents to close at $3.0613, while RBOB gasoline rallied for 4.9 cents to finish at $3.032 (all April contracts).

2:10PM Gold, silver drop, in electronic trade, following release of Beige book (COMDX) :

* April gold now up $2.50 to $1433.70.
* May silver ip 9.3 cents to $34.52

2:01PM Stock indices sell little reaction thus far to Beige Book headlines -- Dow -1, S&P +0.9, Nasdaq Comp +7 (SPY) :

1:56PM PremierWest Bancorp (PRWTD) regains compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule (PRWT) 2.89 +0.03 :

1:49PM Geoglobal Resources provided an update on KG-ONN-2004-1; Operating Committee resolved to award a contract for consulting services on the KG Onshore Block to RPS Energy (GGR) 0.77 +0.08 : Co provided an update of certain operational and exploration activities relating to KG-ONN-2004-1 (the KG Onshore Block) in India. At an Operating Committee Meeting held on February 25, 2011, the members resolved to award a contract for consulting services on the KG Onshore Block to RPS Energy, Canada. Subject to Management Committee approval, RPS Energy can proceed with the necessary engineering, commercial and critical logistical arrangements and undertake any preparatory work associated with the planned drilling campaign on the KG Onshore Block which entails drilling 12 exploration wells to various depths between 2,000-5,000 meters during Phase I. "Completing the activities contemplated under this contract will clear the way for us to spud our first well in the KG Onshore Block... Executing on a preliminary drilling program in this Block remains a near-term priority for the Company."

1:40PM Apple confirms launch of iPad 2 (AAPL) 351.60 +2.34 : Co confirms its introduced iPad 2. iPad 2 features an entirely new design that is 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than the original iPad, while maintaining the same stunning 9.7-inch LED-backlit LCD screen. iPad 2 features Apple's new dual-core A5 processor for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for FaceTime and Photo Booth, and a rear-facing camera that captures 720p HD video, bringing the innovative FaceTime feature to iPad users for the first time. Though it is thinner, lighter, faster and packed with new features, iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life that users have come to expect. iPad 2 is available in black or white, features models that run on AT&T's (T) and Verizon's (VZ) 3G networks, and introduces the innovative iPad 2 Smart Cover in a range of vibrant polyurethane and rich leather colors.

1:31PM COMEX Metals Closing Prices (COMDX) : April gold ended up $6.50 to $1437.40, May silver gained 39.3 cents to finish at $34.82, while May copper shed 1.7 cents to close at $4.4925.

1:20PM Nintendo announces AT&T (T), Netflix (NFLX) collaborations (NTDOY) 35.71 -1.08 : Co also announced two upcoming collaborations: Nintendo 3DS owners will be able to connect automatically to the Internet at more than 10,000 AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots, while Netflix members will instantly stream movies and other content on their Nintendo 3DS systems.

1:10PM Stock indices see minor upticks off lows in midday trade -- Dow +18, S&P +3.3, Nasdaq Comp +15 (SPY) : Relative sector strength on this move has been noted in: Computer-Hardware (AAPL), Oil Service OIH, Energy XLE, Semi SMH, Disk Drive.

1:01PM Computer Sciences announces that CEC Entertainment (CEC) has licensed co's RISKMASTER, an independent system for risk and claims management (CSC) 48.07 +0.76 :

12:46PM Wendy's and Higa Industries announced the signing of a joint venture agreement to develop and operate Wendy's restaurants in Japan (WEN) 4.68 +0.04 : "The first Wendy's restaurant is expected to open in Tokyo later this year with plans to rapidly expand the brand throughout the country in the coming years."

12:33PM Crimson Exploration provides operational update, announces significant 2010 reserve additions, reserve replacement of 634% and establishes 2011 capital budget (CXPO) 4.23 +0.03 : Co announces an operational update for 10 wells currently drilling or completing, or recently put on production, in its primary focus areas of East Texas, Southeast Texas, and South Texas. The Company also reported that its proven reserves at December 31, 2010 were 166.5 Bcfe, a 71% increase over year-end 2009 proven reserves, and a reserve replacement rate of 634% of 2010 production. Crimson's 2011 capital program of $60 million will include participation in ~12 wells across our property base and will emphasize oil and/or liquids-rich targets.

12:31PM Midday push off fresh session lows for Dow +0.2 and S&P +0.8 after outperforming Nasdaq Comp +10 did not confirm the new low (SPY) : Sectors displaying relative strength on this move (outperforming the S&P) include: Housing XHB, Semi SMH, REITs IYR, Transports IYT, Industrial XLI, Coal KOL.

12:30PM Headwaters announced that it intends to offer $400.0 mln aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2019 (HW) 5.02 +0.12 : Co announced that it intends to offer $400.0 mln aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2019. The Notes will be senior secured obligations of Headwaters and will be guaranteed by certain of Headwaters' existing and future domestic subsidiaries. Headwaters intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund the previously announced tender offer for any and all of its $328.3 mln aggregate principal amount of 11-3/8% Senior Secured Notes due 2014 outstanding and to pay related tender premiums and transaction fees and expenses.

12:14PM April WTI crude oil to fresh highs at $102.29; up $2.58 to $102.21 (COMDX) :

12:13PM CHS announced it is investing $26 mln in enhancements to strengthen its refined fuels supply infrastructure in the northern plains region (CHSCP) 13.73 +0.08 :

12:02PM Vertex Pharm announced interim results from an ongoing, two-part (A and B), Phase 2 study evaluating telaprevir; majority of adverse events were mild or moderate (VRTX) 47.46 +1.42 : Co announced interim results from an ongoing, two-part (A and B), Phase 2 study evaluating telaprevir in combination with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin compared to pegylated-interferon and ribavirin alone in people who are infected with both genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), also known as HCV-HIV co-infection. The primary endpoint of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of telaprevir-based combination therapy in people co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV. The interim analysis was conducted when all patients had reached week 4 of treatment. The majority of adverse events were mild or moderate.

12:02PM JPMorgan Chase slides to 45.21, testing last week's low at 45.21 (JPM) 45.21 -0.39 :

12:01PM Canadian Pacific and GCT Global Container Terminals announce the signing of a Service Level Agreement (CP) 66.79 +0.02 : The agreement outlines key performance indicators relating to the flow of containers through the Vancouver Gateway. Meeting the performance indicators will improve productivity, enhance reliability, and increase efficiency. The agreement period is three years.

12:01PM Relative Sector Weakness as stock indices continue to retreat -- Dow -34 and S&P -3 set new lows, Nasdaq Comp +1 (TECHX) : Sectors that are underperforming the S&P as the market slides include: Semi SMH, Industrial XLI, Reg Bank KRE, Finance XLF, Software IGV, Casino BJK, Transports IYT, Networking IGN.

12:00PM BroadVision announced a partnership with business solutions provider ethosIQ (BVSN) 13.03 0.00 : As a Clearvale PaasPort Reseller, ethosIQ can provide its clients with cloud-based enterprise social networking solutions.

11:54AM McDonald's has been a Dow laggard, notches new session low of 73.94 near its 200 sma at 73.91 (MCD) 73.95 -0.94 : Its 200 ema comes into play at 73.56.

11:53AM Rally in gold, silver continues as both metals push to new highs (COMDX) :

* April gold now higher by $8.80 to $1440.00.
* Silver up 51.8 cents to $34.945.

11:51AM Seven Arts Pictures announces judgment in favor of two affiliates of co in an action for copyright infringement against CanWest Entertainment and Fireworks Entertainment (SAPX) 0.72 -0.06 : Co announces that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has entered judgment on February 11, 2011, in favor of two affiliates of Seven Arts in an action for copyright infringement against CanWest Entertainment and Fireworks Entertainment for their infringing use of copyrights and distribution rights to five motion pictures produced or co-produced by Seven Arts' predecessors: Rules of Engagement, An American Rhapsody, The Believer, Who is Cletis Tout and Onegin.

11:51AM Nevsun Resources Drills 51M of 3.34 g/t Au at Harena Satellite Deposit (NSU) 5.75 -0.07 : Co reports the gold assays from the thirty-four infill diamond drill holes at the Harena deposit within its Bisha exploration license in Eritrea. Nevsun plans to use the infill drilling results to complete a resource estimate, mine plan and mining license application to process the material at its Bisha processing plant. Harena lies 9.5 km southwest of the Bisha Main deposit on an exploration license contiguous to the Bisha Mining license.

11:49AM Crude Oil edges back above 102, Finance XLF drops to new low to retest 50 day, Dow back near opening session low (TECHX) :

11:48AM April WTI moves through $102; now up $2.44 to $102.07 (COMDX) :

11:47AM NYSE Euronext's JV, New York Portfolio Clearing, announces that the CFTC has granted the final regulatory approval necessary to allow for "one-pot" margining of interest rate futures positions (NYX) 36.44 -0.06 :

11:45AM Dow -3.5 dips back into the red -- S&P +0.6, Nasdaq Comp +13 (SPY) :

11:32AM Fred's increases quarterly cash dividend 25% to $0.05/share (FRED) 13.54 +0.05 :

11:30AM April WTI to new highs at 101.74; now up $2.12 to $101.78 (COMDX) :

11:27AM Insurance KIE and Finance XLF have lagged on the morning bounce, hovering just modestly above early lows (KIE) :

11:21AM Crude oil spiking on reports that Libyan fighter jets have fired missles on Masra El Brega, which is home to an oil terminal (COMDX) :

* April WTI crude oil near highs; currently up $1.45 to $101.08

11:04AM Texas Instruments vacillating near its Feb/multi-year high at 36.55 -- session high 36.55 (TXN) 36.47 +1.47 :

11:02AM Manitex Intl unit recently received orders totaling over $11.5 mln (MNTX) 5.45 +0.41 : Co announced that Manitex, its Georgetown, Texas-based boom truck subsidiary, has recently received orders totaling over $11.5 mln. The Manitex, Inc. orders are placed for second and third quarter 2011 shipments throughout North America. Manitex Liftking, based near Toronto, Canada, has also received $2.0 mln in orders for an international specialized transporter system and military material handling equipment. The Manitex Liftking orders are with existing international customers and are expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2011.

11:01AM Loral unit announced that it was awarded a $1.5 million study contract by the U.S. Air Force Space (LORL) 78.13 +0.59 :

10:49AM Semiconductor Hldrs ETF continues to provide leadership, notches new session high (SMH) 36.13 +0.93 : Noted the relative strength in earlier updates with the rally extended to 36.15 in recent trade. This week's high and the Mid-Feb gap bottom is at 36.26 with the top of the gap at 36.42. The multi-year high from Feb come into play at 36.67 -- ADI, ALTR, AMAT, AMD, AMKR, ATML, BRCM, INTC, KLAC, LLTC, LSI, MU, MXIM, NSM, NVLS, SNDK, TER, TXN, XLNX

10:46AM IntercontinentalExchange announces the authorisation by Brazil's financial regulator, the Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios, to provide access to ICE Futures Europe products via ICE's trading screens in Brazil (ICE) 127.69 +0.59 :

10:40AM Crude oil drops back toward flat line; now up 13 cents to $99.76 (COMDX) :

10:39AM Minor new session highs for stock indices -- S&P +5, Nasdaq Comp +14.8, Dow +34 (SPY) :

10:35AM Dollar Index drops to new four month low, seeing some relative sector strength in Energy / Commodity (TECHX) : OIH, XLE, COL, XLB, SLX, GDX.

10:30AM Crude oil sees little reaction to inventory data; currently up 87 cents to $100.50 (OIH) :

10:21AM Arcelor Mittal to invest new capital resulting in a shareholding of 40% in G Steel Public Company Limited (MT) 36.24 +0.28 : G Steel has an EAF-based medium slab rolling facility in Rayong and GJ Steel has an EAF-based thin slab rolling facility in Chonburi, with a combined annual capacity of over 2.5 million tonnes per annum. The companies together have over 1,400 employees.

10:20AM Central Vermont Public reaches a settlement with the Vermont Department of Public Service for the purchase of the assets of and consolidation of service territory of the Vermont Marble Power Division of Omya (CV) 21.23 +0.04 : Under the settlement, the purchase price of the previously announced sale will decrease from $33.2 million to ~$29.25 million, including $28.25 million for Vermont Marble's hydroelectric facilities and about $1 million for the other assets. The agreement includes a five-year, six-step phase-in of residential rate changes for existing VMPD customers, which will be funded by Omya up to an amount estimated to be ~$1.125 million. The agreement also requires creation of a value sharing pool that provides for certain excess value received by CVPS to be split between CVPS's customers, Omya and CVPS shareholders if energy market prices and hydro improvements create more value than anticipated.

10:11AM Home Depot stabilizes after early test of support at its Feb low/50 sma at 36.38/36.29 -- session low 36.33 (HD) 36.67 -0.09 : Note that its 50 ema is just slightly below at 36.19.

10:02AM Resource America announces that its AUM have increased by $1.9 bln (REXI) 6.16 -0.02 :

9:57AM SPDR KBW Insurance lagging sector holds at support (KIE) 44.32 -0.38 : Noted the relative weakness in the sector in an earlier update but the KIE has tested and lifted modestly off support at its low from last week and its 50 sma at 44.18/44.12 (session low 44.16) -- AFL, ALL, AMP, CB, GNW, LNC, MET, PFG, PRU, TRV.

9:50AM Oil Service HOLDRS Trust on the defensive but holding near its 20 day ema again (OIH) 158.88 -1.28 : (Click for chart) -- BHI, CAM, DO, ESV, EXH, HAL, NVR, NE, NOV, RDC, RIG, SLB, TDW, WFT.

9:48AM Opening Point Gainers/Losers (TECHX) : Point Gainers: PAY (+3.86), CRM (+2.53), EMN (+1.80), HNR (+1.50), VMW (+1.78), BGS (+1.37), VCI (+1.26), DB (+1.33), UNP (+1.31), PPL (+1.22), RIG (+1.19)

Point Losers: GTY (-5.70), WFT (-3.46), WTI (-2.70), EOG (-1.96), MET (-2.01), PRU (-1.50), APA (-1.07), CWH (-1.47), CCG (-1.19), AH (-0.84)

9:46AM Hertz Global signs a Letter of Intent to add Renault's range of electric vehicles to the fleets of Hertz and car sharing club Connect by Hertz across Europe (HTZ) 14.70 +0.10 :

9:42AM Lagging Dow/S&P stabilize near first level supports and edge higher (SPY) : Highlighted supports at 1304/1302 S&P (session low 1304) and 12040/12030 Dow (session low 12039) in The Technical Take and have seen a test and some recovery. The Nasdaq Comp has outperformed amid relative strength in Semi SMH +1.2%.

9:38AM Insurance KIE and Finance XLF display some relative weakness in early trade (KIE) : MET -3.4%, PRU -2%, LNC -1.8%, WFC -0.7%, JPM -0.2%, AXP -0.7%, TRV -0.2%, AFL -0.9%, ALL -0.3%, SCHW -0.6%.

9:34AM Barnes & Noble announced that it has settled a lawsuit brought against the Company by Spring Design (BKS) 12.77 +0.07 : Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Spring Design will grant Barnes & Noble a non-exclusive, paid-up royalty free license for the entire portfolio of Spring Design patents and patent applications. The terms of the settlement are otherwise confidential. The settlement agreement announced today resolves all claims brought by Spring Design, which will be dismissed with prejudice.

9:31AM China Green Agriculture approved 2011-2020 corporate growth plan: target revs of at least $150 mln in FY11 (consensus is $162 mln), $740 mln in FY15, and FY20 $3 bln (CGA) 7.87 0.00 :

9:28AM Old Republic announces $250 mln Convertible Note Offering and $250 mln Senior Note offering (ORI) 12.23 : Co announces it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $250 mln aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2018 and $250 mln aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2021 in concurrent registered underwritten public offerings. Co intends to use a portion of the net proceeds of the offerings to repay certain indebtedness assumed in connection with its recent acquisition of PMA Capital, and intends to use the remainder of the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including the making of additional capital contributions to its insurance co subsidiaries as may be necessary.

9:24AM CB&I receives $40 mln FEED Contract for Sohar Refinery in Oman (CBI) 34.91 :

9:16AM DPL Inc. agrees to buy retail power company from MC Squared Energy Services; terms not disclosed (DPL) 25.95 :

9:13AM AK Steel announces April 2011 surcharges of $400 per ton for electrical and stainless steel products (AKS) 15.23 :

9:06AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) announced its plans to establish two international sales and development offices: one in Sydney, Australia and one in New Delhi, India.
* Consumer Portfolio Services (CPSS) announced that on February 24, 2011 it entered into a $100 million two-year warehouse credit line with UBS Real Estate Securities Inc. Loans under the facility will be secured by automobile receivables that CPS now holds or will purchase from dealers.
* Royale Energy (ROYL) announced that it has closed a sale of certain assets located in Kern County CA to a NYSE listed company. The sale includes an undisclosed acreage position together with several infrastructure assets.
* CIBT Education (MBA) is pleased to announced that it has entered into an agreement with Southpointe Academyto act as Southpointe's exclusive global recruitment partner. The agreement further specifies that CIBT will earn all tuition revenues associated with the academic preparation programs as well as a portion of the tuition fees for each student CIBT recruits for Southpointe.
* Telvent (TLVT) announced that the Eastern Municipal Water District in southern California has strengthened its IT security by implementing a new Telvent data acquisition system to better serve its nearly 400,000 customers.
* Amazon (AMZN) Web Services announced the launch of its new Asia Pacific (Tokyo) Region, the fifth Region in which the company has deployed its global cloud computing platform.

9:05AM Calavo Growers misses by $0.10, beats on revs (CVGW) 22.98 : Reports Q1 (Jan) earnings of $0.16 per share, $0.10 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.26; revenues rose 35.7% year/year to $91.3 mln vs the $78 mln consensus. Higher fruit and production costs negatively impacted gross margin in the first quarter. "In fresh avocados, specifically, we packed and shipped 35 percent more units year over year, paced by a significantly larger volume of first-quarter fruit originating from California and Mexico. As well, the sales trend in other diversified fresh categories continued to edge higher in the most recent quarter from the first period last year... With respect to acquisitions, we are vigorously pursuing transactions that fit our strategic criteria and will be accretive to revenues and net income. Calavo possesses the proven operating expertise, as well as the financial resources, to consummate and integrate a significant and complementary transaction."

9:04AM Uranerz Energy announces that 3,947,821 share purchase warrants of the co were exercised prior to the accelerated expiry date of Feb 25, 2011 (URZ) 5.52 :

9:04AM Primoris Services receives a contract to help modernize the El Segundo Generating Station (PRIM) 8.57 : Co announces its unit, ARB, has been awarded a contract from one of the nation's largest power generation companies to help modernize the El Segundo Generating Station. Work on this project is scheduled to commence in May 2011 and be completed in the second quarter of 2013. Historically, contracts of similar size and scope have provided revenues between $137-162 mln to ARB.

9:03AM Heidrick & Struggles announced that Scott Krenz, the Executive Vice President, CFO, has decided to retire (HSII) 26.08 : The formal search for a new Chief Financial Officer will begin immediately. Krenz will remain at Heidrick & Struggles as part of a coordinated plan to ensure a seamless transition and complete the close of the company's 2011 first quarter and filing of its 2010 10-K. Until the search for a new CFO is complete, Heidrick & Struggles veterans Catherine Baderman and Korhan Kivanc will manage the finance department to provide continuity of financial strategy and support to the global team. Baderman, 43, Vice President Controller and Head of Business Services, has been with the firm since 2003. Kivanc, 40, Vice President of Finance Advisory Services, joined the firm in 2007.

9:02AM Virgin Media announces the repurchase of 650K shares of common stock on 1 March 2011 (VMED) 26.38 : The highest price paid per share was $27.19 and the lowest price paid per share was $26.17.

8:57AM Healthsouth commences $100 mln Senior Notes offering due 2018 and 2022 (HLS) 23.80 : Co announces that it plans to commence a public offering of an additional $100 mln of senior notes through a reopening of its 7.25% senior notes due 2018 and its 7.75% senior notes due 2022. The co intends to use up to $45 mln of the net proceeds to pay down the balance drawn on its revolving credit facility and the remainder of the net proceeds to redeem a portion of its 10.75% senior notes due 2016 on or before their initial June 15, 2011 call date.

8:53AM State Street announces senior notes offering (STT) 44.35 : Morgan Stanley and BofA Merrill Lynch are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

8:52AM The Jones Group announces $300 million offering of senior notes due 2019 (JNY) 12.92 : The proceeds of the offering will be used for repayment of debt and general corporate purposes. Citi, J.P. Morgan, BofA Merrill Lynch, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Wells Fargo Securities will serve as Joint Book-Running Managers on this transaction.

8:49AM Marina Biotech announces significant knockdown of a cancer target in a rodent model of malignant ascites (MRNA) 0.68 : Co reports data demonstrating significant knockdown of target mRNA in an orthotopic model of malignant ascites with its proprietary UsiRNA construct and DiLA2-based delivery system. The data were presented by Michael V. Templin, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Preclinical Development at Marina Biotech, Inc., at Asia TIDES Oligonucleotides and Peptides Research Technology and Product Development March 2 - 4, 2011 in Tokyo, Japan.

8:46AM Takeda Pharma: Handa Pharma announces submission of its first-to-file ANDA for co's DEXILANT (TKPYY) 24.72 : Handa Pharmaceuticals confirms that its ANDA for Dexlansoprazole Delayed Release Capsules, 60 mg, a generic version of Takeda's (TKPYY) DEXILANT, has been accepted for review by the FDA. Annual sales of DEXILANT Delayed Release Capsules, 60 mg, in the U.S. were about $300 mln for the twelve months ended December 31, 2010.

8:39AM Morgans Hotel Group settles Hard Rock joint venture agreement eliminates ~$160 mln from its adjusted debt (MHGC) 8.95 : Co announces that the Hard Rock joint venture, in which the co holds a minority interest, has reached a settlement agreement with its lenders effective March 1, 2011. Hard Rock joint venture's equity interests in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas have been transferred to the first mezzanine lender and MHG's management agreement has been terminated. Due to this, co eliminates ~$160 mln from its adjusted debt.

8:38AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Foster Wheeler (FWLT) announced that its Global Engineering and Construction Group has received a contract from Zakum Development, to perform an availability and reliability study in connection with the expansion of the Zirku oil processing facilities in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The contract value for this project was not disclosed and was included in the co's fourth-quarter 2010 bookings.
* DPL (DPL) announced the purchase of Chicago-based retail electricity supplier MC Squared Energy Services, LLC, which serves ~2,000 customer accounts in northern Illinois.
* Colonial Properties Trust (CLP) announced the purchase of two Class A apartment communities in separate transactions for a total of $51.8 million.
* Full House Resorts (FLL) announced that the FireKeepers Development Authority has decided to construct a 240-room resort-style hotel on the FireKeepers Casino site.
* ActiveHealth Management, an independent subsidiary of Aetna (AET), and CVS Caremark (CVS) announced a three-year agreement designed to help further improve the health of CVS Caremark members.
* Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield has awarded CGI Group (GIB) a five-year renewal of its existing contract for claims validation.
* AudioCodes (AUDC) announced that MediaMind (MDMD) selected AUDC's products to enable the migration to a new Unified Communications system, based on Microsoft Lync.

8:36AM New York Times reports print ad trend improvements have continued; expect Q1 operating expenses to increase 1 -2% (NYT) 10.12 : The co will discuss its business and strategy at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. "The improvement in print advertising trends that we began to see in late January continued into February, and we finished the month with print advertising revenues down in the low-single digits... Similar to January, digital advertising revenues in February were up in the mid-single digits, as solid growth at the News Media Group was partially offset by softness at the About Group... We continue to expect circulation revenues in the first quarter to decrease in line with the declines we experienced in the second half of 2010. While we continue to aggressively manage our costs, we expect operating expenses in the first quarter to increase 1 to 2 percent mainly due to higher newsprint prices, pension expense and promotion costs. "The pay model for NYTimes.com is in the final testing phase, and we expect it will launch shortly."

8:34AM IntercontinentalExchange reports 27% increase in futures average daily volume for February; record brent, gasoil and ICE futures Europe volume (ICE) 127.10 : Co reported record volume and average daily volume across its futures exchanges in February 2011. Average daily volume (ADV) for ICE's futures markets rose 27% from the prior February to a record 1,738,199 contracts. For the second consecutive month, ICE Futures Europe established monthly volume and ADV records of 23,590,625 and 1,241,612 contracts, respectively, with ADV up 39% from February 2010.

8:33AM PositiveID has successfully shown that it is able to construct both anchor and reverse anchor building blocks and competitor constructs that can be incorporated into the sensor (PSID) 0.54 :

8:31AM Pharmacyclics announced that further advancement of PCI-45292, a Btk inhibitor with exceptionally potent anti-arthritis activity in mice and rats, has been suspended (PCYC) 4.99 : Co announced further advancement of PCI-45292, a Btk inhibitor with exceptionally potent anti-arthritis activity in mice and rats, has been suspended following results from the current set of preclinical toxicology studies. Co hopes to have a new clinical development candidate identified within approximately 6 months.

8:30AM Gold, silver moving higher as well (COMDX) :

* April gold now up $4.50 to $1435.70.
* Silver now up 39.3 cents to $34.82

8:29AM Wabtec's Xorail unit signs $165 million contract to design, install train control for MRS in Brazil (WAB) 55.71 :

8:29AM April WTI crude oil spikes sharply to highs at $101.19; now higher by $1.51 to $101.14 (COMDX) :

8:12AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) announced that it has received initial wind turbine electrical control system orders from China's Dongfang Turbine Co.
* Denny's (DENN) announced completion of the re-pricing of its senior secured credit facility, which is comprised of a $50 mln revolver and a term loan under which $240 mln remains outstanding. The facility will have a reduced interest rate of LIBOR plus 375 basis points, with a LIBOR floor of 1.50% for term loan and no LIBOR floor for revolver. The re-pricing will result in a pro forma annualized interest expense savings of ~$2.5 mln.
* Level 3 Communications (LVLT) received Microsoft (MSFT) Lync 2010 qualification for its session initiated protocol trunking voice solution for enterprise customers.
* Osiris Therapeutics (OSIR) has successfully completed enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating Prochymal, an adult mesenchymal stem cell therapy, in patients experiencing their first heart attack.

8:05AM OpenTable seats 200 millionth diner; diners have spent approximately $8 billion at partner restaurant (OPEN) 85.21 : Co announcs that it seated its 200 millionth cumulative diner during the first quarter. Diners seated via online reservations through OpenTable have now spent an estimated $8 billion at partner restaurants.

8:05AM SureWest Comm signs favorable new credit agreement to refinance Senior Notes and current agreement (SURW) 12.91 : Co announces the closing of its debt refinancing plan for an aggregate of $264 million. "We are very pleased with the terms and cost of this refinancing, which will replace our existing debt and provide additional liquidity to allow us to continue our successful Broadband growth strategy over the next several years. This refinancing effort demonstrates the confidence our lenders have in the success of our business model and provides more clarity to our shareholders about our long-term capital structure."

8:04AM ChromaDex and Bruker (BRKR) Optics sign agreement to expedite dietary supplement testing for compliance with FDA good manufacturing practice requirements (CDXC) 1.95 : Co and Bruker Optics Inc., a subsidiary of Bruker (BRKR), announce a co-development and co-marketing agreement that will promote a new approach to dietary supplement testing. The collaboration will capitalize on the extensive phytochemical and botanical reference standard capabilities of ChromaDex and will initially focus on the near infrared spectrometer technology created by Bruker Optics. The parties anticipate extending the relationship to include other Bruker analytical technologies.

8:03AM SandRidge Energy announces $700 mln offering of senior notes (SD) 10.67 :

8:02AM MarkWest Energy and its subsidiary announced that they intend to commence a $170 mln offering of additional 6.5% senior unsecured notes due 2021 (MWE) 45.15 :

8:01AM BioDelivery Services confirms NDA pathway for BEMA Buprenorphine/Naloxone for opioid dependence following FDA meeting (BDSI) 3.64 : Co announces the positive outcome of a pre-Investigational New Drug meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the development program for BEMA Buprenorphine/Naloxone, BDSI's potential treatment for opioid dependence. The development program discussed is based on pharmacokinetic and safety data for a 50 New Drug Application.

8:01AM Plantronics Board of Directors has authorized new 1 mln share repurchase program to follow the program announced in August 2010 (PLT) 34.13 :

8:01AM UDR announced that it is calling for redemption all of its outstanding 4.00% convertible senior notes due 2035 (UDR) 23.68 :

8:00AM SLM Corp announces that it has commenced cash tender offers to purchase certain of its outstanding note (SLM) 14.34 :

7:55AM Clayton Williams announces cash tender offer for its 73/4% senior notes due 2013 (CWEI) 102.40 : The total consideration for the notes tendered and accepted for purchase pursuant to the tender offer will be up to $1,019.38 for each $1,000.00 principal amount of notes tendered by such holder if such notes are accepted for purchase pursuant to the offer.

7:53AM Weakness continunes in natural gas this morning as the April contract drops to lows at $3.798; now down 7.1 cents to $3.802 (COMDX) :

7:40AM TradeStation reports Feb metrics: 84,760 DARTs and total client assets of $2.4 bln (TRAD) 6.86 : Year over year, TradeStation's DARTs remained approximately the same, total client assets increased 15%, average equities client credit balances increased 15%, and average equities client margin balances increased 35%.

7:35AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* MELA Sciences (MELA) announced that the company has filed an amendment to the MelaFind pre-market approval application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, limiting the indication for use to dermatologists.
* Onstream Media Corporation (ONSM), and Narrowstep announced that they have reached a mutual agreement to conclude the litigation brought by Narrowstep against Onstream on December 1, 2009 in connection with the March 18, 2009 termination of a merger agreement and Onstream's related acquisition of Narrowstep. The agreement provides that Narrowstep's lawsuit will be dismissed with prejudice and that both parties will file no further actions against each other or affiliated parties in connection with this matter.
* Carrier, a unit of United Technologies (UTX), has signed a letter of intent with Watsco (WSO) to form a joint venture to distribute Carrier, Bryant, Payne and Totaline HVAC products in parts of the northeast region of the U.S. WSO will contribute its northeastern locations, and Carrier will contribute its company-operated HVAC distribution business in the region to the new joint venture. WSO will own 60% of the joint venture and Carrier 40%.
* Tyler Technologies (TYL) has signed two software as a service agreements to provide its Munis enterprise resource planning solution to the California cities of Covina and Encinitas. The contracts include hosting services, related professional services, maintenance and support.

7:34AM Cormedix appoints Mark Klausner as Chief Medical Officer (CRMD) 1.61 : Klausner joins CorMedix from Nephrogenex, a developmental-stage biotechnology company, where he held the position of Chief Medical Officer since 2007.

7:32AM Pike Electric receives $275 mln EPC transmission project for SCANA (SCG); expected to be completed over an 8 year period (PIKE) 9.50 : Co announces that SCANA (SCG) has awarded co an engineering, procurement, and construction contract for $275 mln ~250 miles of new 230kV transmission lines associated with the expansion of the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in South Carolina. "The engineering for this project begins immediately utilizing Pike's Charlotte office, and construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2014 for Unit 2 and the end of 2018 for Unit 3. The work is expected to be completed over an 8 year period.

7:30AM CME Group reports volume averaged 14.7 mln contracts per day in February 2011, up 17% (CME) 306.50 : Co announces February volume averaged 14.7 million contracts per day, up 17 percent from February 2010, and up 19 percent from January 2011. Total volume for February was 279 million contracts, of which 83 percent was traded electronically... CME Group equity index volume averaged 2.6 million contracts per day, down 14 percent from February 2010. CME Group energy volume averaged 2.2 million contracts per day, up 26 percent compared with February 2010. CME Group agricultural commodities volume averaged a record 1.3 million contracts per day, up 44 percent compared with the prior February.

7:30AM Celsion receives European Orphan Drug designation for ThermoDox to treat primary liver cancer (CLSN) : Co announces that the European Commission as granted orphan drug designation for the Company's lead compound, ThermoDox, a proprietary heat-activated liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, commonly referred to as primary liver cancer. ThermoDox, which also holds orphan drug designation in the U.S., is currently being evaluated under a Special Protocol Assessment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a 600 patient pivotal Phase III trial, the HEAT study, in patients with non-resectable primary liver cancer.

7:28AM Windstream proposes private offering of $600 mln of Senior Notes due 2023 (WIN) 12.46 : Co expects to use the net proceeds of the offering, together with borrowings under its revolving line of credit, to pay the consideration in connection with a tender offer to purchase for cash up to $600 mln aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 8.625% Senior Notes due 2016, together with related fees and expenses.

7:28AM CONSOL Energy commences offering of $250 million of senior notes (CNX) 49.51 : The company plans to use the net proceeds of the notes offering to repay its outstanding 7.875% senior secured notes due March 1, 2012 on or before their maturity. Pending such use, the proceeds may be used to reduce outstanding indebtedness under the company's short term credit facilities and accounts receivable securitization facility and may be used for general corporate purposes.

7:27AM Cytori Therapeutics announces results from a European breast reconstruction trial resulted in a sustained and substantial rate of physician and patient satisfaction at 12 months (CYTX) 5.61 : Co announces results from a European breast reconstruction trial, sponsored by co, using a new minimally invasive procedure to repair lumpectomy defects resulted in a sustained and substantial rate of physician and patient satisfaction at 12 months. The study utilized the regenerative cells in the patient's own fat tissue, extracted at the time of the procedure using the Celution 800/CRS System. The cells were then mixed back with a portion of the patient's own body fat, and this mixture of fat and cells was injected into the breast defect. Specifically, 12 month physician satisfaction was 85% and patient satisfaction 75%, which is consistent with reported six month results.

7:11AM Aegerion Pharma reports Q4 results (AEGR) 14.84 : Reports Q4 EPS of ($0.92) vs ($0.34) Thomson Reuters consensus. On February 28, 2011, Aegerion entered into a $25 mln debt facility with Hercules Technology Growth Capital, at an initial interest rate of 10.4% per annum, with no warrants. Ten million dollars was drawn down at closing with two additional $7.5 million tranches available to be drawn down at the Company's option during the course of 2011. Amortization of the principal debt will be deferred until 2012. "We remain on track for our US and EU regulatory filings for our drug candidate, lomitapide, an oral treatment for a life-threatening rare disease known as homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, or HoFH. We continue to anticipate filing in 2011 with a goal to have a commercialized product in 2012."

7:08AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Insulet Corporation (PODD) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced an exclusive distribution agreement for the OmniPod Insulin Management System in Canada.
* NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NBY) provided an update on its Phase 2 clinical trial for the use of its lead compound, NVC-422, to prevent urinary catheter blockage and encrustation which is often a contributing factor to urinary tract infections in chronically catheterized patients.
* Integrated Electrical Services (IESC) announced that its Communications Division has recently expanded its operations with the opening of its office in Southern California.
* Nile Therapeutics (NLTX) announced that, on March 1, 2011, the Company received a positive determination from the NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel indicating that the Panel had granted the Company's request for an extension to remain listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market.

7:07AM FXCM beats by $0.05, beats on revs (FXCM) 11.51 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.24 per share, $0.05 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.19; revenues rose 28.8% year/year to $96.1 mln vs the $76.3 mln consensus. "FXCM delivered strong growth in the quarter - growing tradeable accounts by 25%, revenues by 29% and Adjusted Pro Forma EBITDA by 42% versus the fourth quarter 2009."

7:05AM Ascena Retail Group beats by $0.05, beats on revs; raises FY11 EPS guidance (ASNA) 31.27 : Reports Q2 (Jan) earnings of $0.57 per share, $0.05 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.52; revenues rose 26.6% year/year to $752.2 mln vs the $689.9 mln consensus. Co raises guidance for FY11, sees EPS of $2.28-2.33, prior $2.20-2.25, vs. $2.25 Thomson Reuters consensus. This estimate is also based upon various assumptions for the year including a mid-single digit increase in comparable store sales for the Spring Season. The Company plans to end fiscal 2011 with a total of approximately 2,500 dressbarn, maurices and Justice stores. "We are seeing growth, increased productivity at the store level and improved efficiency in our corporate functions. I am very pleased with our overall business performance and our ability to identify the right merchandise, plan assortments effectively, conduct compelling marketing activities and develop increased loyalty from our customers. As we move into the second half of our fiscal year, we are focused on continuing to deliver value to our customers, on sustaining our improvements in margin and on building a shared infrastructure platform to support each of our brands."

7:04AM Vista Gold reports combined mineral resource estimate for the Yellow Pine-Golden Meadows Project; est indicated mineral resources of 1.7 mln oz of gold (VGZ) 3.52 : Co announces it has received from Midas Gold the reports containing estimates of the gold mineral resources for the Hangar Flats and West End deposits. These two gold deposits are located close to co's Yellow Pine project. Highlights of the new resource estimates for Hangar Flats and West End deposits indicate: 1) Combined estimated indicated mineral resources of 1.7 mln oz of gold; 2) Combined estimated inferred mineral resources of 1.6 million oz of gold; 3) Multiple advanced exploration targets with potential to grow the resource base.

7:02AM Omeros unlocks orphan GPCRs linked to pancreatic cancer and cognitive disorders (OMER) 6.30 : Co announces that it has identified compounds that interact selectively with two orphan G protein-coupled receptors linked to pancreatic cancer and cognitive disorders. Together with the three previously unlocked orphans linked to squamous cell carcinom, obesity and appetite control. Co has now successfully unlocked five orphan GPCRs. "The progress in our GPCR program has been rapid and we remain on track to screen all of the Class A orphan GPCRs by mid-2012."

7:01AM Advanced Energy announces $20m follow-on order from centrotherm photovoltaics for solar cell applications (AEIS) 15.85 : Co announces a high-volume follow-on order from centrotherm photovoltaics AG, a leading technology and equipment provider for the photovoltaics sector. Advanced Energy, a preferred supplier to centrotherm photovoltaics since 2005, will provide the innovative PEII Series Power Supply platform to meet their rapidly growing demand for silicon crystalline solar manufacturing systems worldwide. Shipments are ongoing, and the $20M order extends through 2011.

7:01AM NF Energy Saving files for shelf registration statement for potential future financing (NFEC) 3.99 : Co announces that it has filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for potential future financing. The shelf registration statement, when declared effective by the SEC, would give NFEC the ability to offer and sell up to $6,000,000 of its securities consisting of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, units or a combination thereof.

6:50AM AutoNation reports Feb Retail New Vehicle sales increased 29% YoY (AN) 32.50 : Co announces that its retail new vehicle unit sales in February 2011, as reported to the applicable automotive manufacturers, totaled 17,041, an increase of 29% YoY. Retail new vehicle unit sales in February 2011 for co's operating segments were as follows: 5,240 for Domestic, up 40% YoY; 9,114 for Import, up 35% YoY; 2,687 for Premium Luxury, down 1% YoY.

6:49AM Northern Oil & Gas misses by $0.02, misses on revs; reaffirms FY11 outlook (NOG) 32.05 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.13 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.02 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.15; revenues rose 54.2% year/year to $23.9 mln vs the $24.2 mln consensus. Production volumes for the fourth quarter of 2010 were a quarterly record of 341,074 BOE, representing a 36% increase compared to the third quarter of 2010. The fourth quarter production volume growth exceeded previous guidance of 30% to 35% and represents Northern Oil's twelfth consecutive quarterly increase in production. Q4 production consisted of ~95% crude oil and 5% associated natural gas and other liquids. Outlook: Northern Oil expects to drill ~36 net wells in 2011 with drilling capital expenditures approximating $227 million. Northern Oil expects to spud ~10.6 net wells in the first quarter of 2011, and reaffirms its previous guidance of 36 net wells expected to be spud during 2011. NOG reaffirms its guidance to produce an average of 6,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2011.

6:47AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* Akamai Technologies (AKAM) announced Electronic Software Delivery for Gaming, a solution that leverages the strengths of the Akamai network to enhance a consumer's game download experience and increase download completion rates for game publishers in the competitive online gaming space.
* The Arizona Corporation Commission issued an order approving the pending merger between CenturyLink (CTL) and Qwest Communications (Q).
* Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PCG) issued the following statement at the conclusion of the first day of National Transportation Safety Board hearings: "We appreciate the opportunity to participate in today's hearings and applaud the NTSB for its diligent effort to examine critical pipeline safety issues that are important to PG&E and to the entire industry. We continue to learn from the tragedy in San Bruno and adapt our operations based on the findings of various reviews, including the NTSB's investigation as well as our own. We intend to share the lessons we learn with the industry to enhance gas safety across the United States."
* GTx (GTXI) announced that the company and Ipsen have mutually agreed to terminate their collaboration for the development and commercialization of toremifene.

6:35AM Trimble Navigation acquires Mesta Software; no terms disclosed (TRMB) 48.58 : Co announces that it has acquired a suite of software solutions from Mesta Entreprenor AS, a subsidiary of Mesta Konsern AS. Financial terms were not disclosed. The addition of the software enables co to further address local application requirements and provide complete customized construction solutions for the Nordic markets.

6:34AM SuccessFactors files extension for fiscal 2010 form 10-K filing due to incorrect accounting for a $3.5 million foreign exchange gain (SFSF) 35.10 : The delay in filing is due to incorrect accounting for a $3.5 million foreign exchange gain on an intercompany loan in its Australian holding company subsidiary during the quarter ended September 30, 2010. The Company expects the line item "interest income and other, net" to decrease and the line item "net loss," on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis, to increase by ~$3.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and such line items to decrease and increase, respectively, by up to ~$1.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2010 and ~$5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010.

6:31AM Vical positive scientific advice from EMA for TransVax Phase 3 Trial (VICL) 2.24 : Co announces the the receipt of Scientific Advice from the EMA recommending practical efficacy endpoints for a Phase 3 trial of the co's TransVax therapeutic cytomegalovirus vaccine. Because the incidence of CMV disease is low and the target population,recipients of hematopoietic cell transplants,is small, the EMA agreed with the co's position that a CMV disease endpoint is not practical. The EMA also provided positive comments on important features of the proposed trial design and overall product development pathway. Co is currently evaluating plans for the pivotal Phase 3 trial with the FDA. The co will provide additional information about the trial upon completion of regulatory agency discussions, and expects to begin the planned Phase 3 trial in the second half of 2011.

6:29AM Cyberonics beats by $0.01, beats on revs; guides FY11 revs in-line (CYBX) 32.50 : Reports Q3 (Jan) earnings of $0.25 per share, $0.01 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.24; revenues rose 15.4% year/year to $47.1 mln vs the $46.5 mln consensus. Co issues in-line guidance for FY11, sees FY11 revs of $189-191 mln vs. $190.29 mln Thomson Reuters consensus and above prior guidance of $187-190 mln. In addition, the co now expects that income from operations for fiscal year 2011 will be in the range of $47-50 mln, as compared to the previously provided range of $45-48 mln.

6:25AM W&T Offshore beats by $0.04; guides Q1, FY11 production (WTI) 24..64 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.40 per share, $0.04 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.36; revenues rose 6.2% year/year to $187 mln vs the $190.9 mln consensus. During the fourth quarter of 2010, we sold 1.8 million barrels of oil and natural gas liquids at an average realized sales price of $77.27 per barrel and 11.9 Bcf of natural gas at an average realized sales price of $4.01 per Mcfe. Co sees total Q1 production of 3.5-3.7 (MMBoe) and 13.9-16.1 (MMBoe) for FY11.

6:16AM Carter Holdings beats by $0.03, beats on revs; guides Q1 EPS below consensus, revs in-line (CRI) 27.74 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.60 per share, $0.03 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.57; revenues rose 16.6% year/year to $495.3 mln vs the $485 mln consensus. Co issues mixed guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $0.45-0.50 vs. $0.61 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees Q1 revs of $450-460 mln vs. $450.68 mln Thomson Reuters consensus. "Prolonged high unemployment, rising oil and gasoline prices, volatile consumer confidence, and the uncertainty of consumer reaction to rising prices across the apparel industry are factors that are expected to affect the co's financial performance this year. The co's product costs, driven by inflation in significant component costs such as raw cotton, polyester, labor, and transportation costs, are projected to increase significantly in fiscal 2011, and adversely affect the co's profitability."

6:13AM Harvest Natural announces increase in its U.S. and Venezuela reserves and provides operational update (HNR) 14.74 : Co announces an increase in reserves for both its U.S. and Venezuela operations. The Harvest net Before Tax Discounted Future Net Income from the Utah 2P reserves has increased to ~$109 million, and the Harvest net Before Tax Discounted Future Net Income from the Utah 3P reserves has increased to ~$617 million. "2010 was a gratifying year for Harvest as our growth plan began to bear fruit. In Utah, the Company proceeded from its discovery at the Bar F well in March of last year, to its successful delineation and appraisal program of this very exciting oil resource play where we believe we have up to 1,200 future drilling locations targeting the Green River and Wasatch oil-bearing formations. In Venezuela, Petrodelta logged substantial increases in reserves as the potential of the El Salto Field gained clarity."

6:09AM Joy Global misses by $0.11, misses on revs; guides FY11 EPS in-line, revs in-line (JOYG) 97.17 : Reports Q1 (Jan) earnings of $0.96 per share, $0.11 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $1.07; revs increased 19.2% YoY to $870 mln vs $881 mln Thomson Reuters consensus. Co issues in-line guidance for FY11, sees EPS of $5.10-5.40 vs. $5.31 Thomson Reuters consensus; sees FY11 revs of $4.0-4.2 bln vs. $4.06 bln Thomson Reuters consensus. Co reports Bookings in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 were up 52% YoY to $1.2 bln. Backlog increased by $357 mln in the first quarter to $2.2 bln. Co states that with rising oil prices, the oil sands continue to increase production via brown field expansion. In addition, several delayed projects should be reactivated in 2011. Aftermarket activity will increase as shovels delivered in the past 3-4 years reach their first rebuild cycle. "The strong outlook for commodity demand is increasing commodity prices to levels needed to support broad based expansion, including expansion in high cost regions. Customer capital expenditures are expected to be up more than 20% in 2011, after rising over 30% last year. There is a strong correlation between customer capital expenditures and the co's bookings for original equipment. Our first quarter results for order growth, sales growth and incremental profitability put us solidly on track to exceed our earlier expectations for 2011."

5:56AM Edwards Lifesciences receives European approval of larger transcatheter valve (EW) 84.97 : Co announces has received CE Mark for the 29 millimetre version of its Edwards SAPIEN XT transcatheter aortic heart valve. The valve will be available with the Ascendra transapical delivery system for implantation through a small incision between the ribs, and this new offering increases the valve portfolio to three sizes.

5:18AM Country Style Cooking misses by $0.01, beats on revs; guides FY11 revs in-line (CCSC) 21.33 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.09 per share, excluding non-recurring items, $0.01 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.10. Co issues in-line guidance for FY11, sees FY11 revs of ~$166-182 mln vs. $173.57 mln Thomson Reuters consensus. The co estimates that its revenue for the full year of 2011 will be between RMB1.1-RMB1.2 bln, representing a year over year growth rate of ~47-61%. Comparable restaurant sales increased by 10.7% from the same quarter of 2009.

4:33AM UK Feb Construction PMI 56.5 vs 53.7 in Jan (EWU) 17.97 :

4:04AM Inovio Pharma provides 'compelling' results in in a study of its DNA vaccine for foot-and-mouth using proprietary delivery system (INO) 1.18 : Co announces it achieved compelling results in a study of its DNA vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease administered by Inovio's proprietary vaccine delivery technology. In a study conducted in pigs, just a single vaccination with an FMD vaccine comprising four of the most common FMD serotypes generated high titer, antigen-specific antibody responses for each serotype in the vaccinated animals. The responses were boosted even higher with a second immunization. High levels of T-cell responses were also measured in the vaccinated animals. All vaccines were administered intramuscularly with co's CELLECTRA electroporation delivery system. Co states there are several potential advantages of the FMD DNA vaccine which inlude: Co's SynCon DNA vaccine cannot cause disease, which is a possibility using current killed viral FMD vaccines due to incomplete virus inactivation. This limits current vaccination to herds that may be imminently exposed to FMD. Also, co's vaccine would permit truly preventive vaccination. Better thermal stability of co's product overcomes the challenge of expensive and/or unavailable cold storage and transport in developing countries at high risk of FMD outbreaks.

3:57AM On The Wires (WIRES) :

* NYSE Euronext (NYX) and Tokyo Stock Exchange sign a letter of intent to identify options to give customers of each exchange accessibility to the other's markets through a network linkage.
* Getty Realty (GTY) was informed by management of Lukoil North America that on February 28, 2011, OAO LUKoil had transferred its interest in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Getty Petroleum Marketing, the co's largest tenant, to an unrelated party.
* As a major step towards achieving this goal, Nokia (NOK) announced plans to establish a new manufacturing site near Hanoi in northern Vietnam. Co plans an initial investment of ~EUR 200 mln, with further sizeable investments thereafter.
* Verizon (VZ) has deployed the first standards-based, multivendor 100 gigabit Ethernet link for an IP backbone on a portion of the company's European long-haul network, increasing capacity and performance for customers.
* Galapagos NV announced that it delivered a fourth candidate drug in its arthritis alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in December 2010. This achievement triggered a EUR6.7 mln milestone payment to Galapagos.
* Helix BioPharma (HBP) announced the issuance of a patent by the United States Patent & Trademark Office for the non-small cell lung cancer-specific antibody component of its L-DOS47 drug candidate.
* The City of London awarded Accenture (ACN) a five-year contract to help it reduce its procurement costs by creating a new, world-class procurement shared service center.
* 3M Touch Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of 3M (MMM), announced the U.S. availability of its 3M Smart Pen, a uniquely designed input device finely tuned for use with popular capacitive touchscreen devices, including the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
* Digital Realty Trust (DLR) and M+W Group have formed an alliance to offer customers a single source for bespoke enterprise data centre projects in Europe and Asia.

3:10AM Costco reports EPS in-line, beats on revs; reports Feb same store sales +7.0% vs +6.7% Retail Metrics consensus (COST) 73.62 : Reports Q2 (Feb) earnings of $0.79 per share, in-line with the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.79; revenues rose 11.3% year/year to $20.88 bln vs the $20.54 bln consensus. Co reports Feb same store sales +7.0% vs +6.7% Retail Metrics consensus; US comp sales +5.0%, International +12.0%; reports net sales of $6.38 bln for the four weeks ended February 27, 2011.

2:16AM Oxygen Biotherapeutics receives $2.075 mln, 2-year U.S. Army grant for studies of Oxycyte (OXBT) 2.01 : Co announces it has received a $2.075 mln, two-year grant from the U.S. Army to study the co's proprietary Oxycyte PFC emulsion as a therapeutic intervention focused on reducing brain damage in victims of traumatic brain injury.

2:13AM Baxter's PREFLUCEL seasonal influenza vaccine receives European Repeat Mutual Recognition Approval (BAX) 52.19 : Co announces the approval of a European repeat mutual recognition procedure by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety for co's PREFLUCEL seasonal influenza vaccine. The 13 participating European Union countries, including Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and Nordic countries, will formally implement the license on a national level to make PREFLUCEL available for the 2011-12 influenza season.

2:09AM Middleby beats by $0.06, beats on revs (MIDD) 89.76 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $1.13 per share, $0.06 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $1.07; revenues rose 35.9% year/year to $207.2 mln vs the $181.8 mln consensus.

2:06AM St. Joe Company beats by $0.06, beats on revs (JOE) 25.18 : Reports Q4 (Dec) loss of $0.03 per share, $0.06 better than the Thomson Reuters consensus of ($0.09); revenues were unchanged from the year-ago period at $37.1 mln.

2:02AM Shanda Interactive misses by $0.05, beats on revs (SNDA) 42.13 : Reports Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.34 per share, $0.05 worse than the Thomson Reuters consensus of $0.39; revenues rose 4.8% year/year to $232.3 mln vs the $217.7 mln consensus. During the fourth quarter of 2010, Shanda repurchased an aggregate of 1,105,052 ADSs.

1:45AM Aecom Tech completes withdrawal of expatriate employees from Libya; Sees disruption impact on Q2 EPS of $0.08; FY11 guidance remains unchanged (ACM) 28.20 : Co announces that it has completed the safe withdrawal of its expatriate employees and their families from Libya. currently estimate that this business disruption will result in a reduction of EPS of $.08 in the second quarter of fiscal year 2011, primarily due to demobilization, shutdown, and operating impacts. However, full-year 2011 guidance range remains unchanged at $2.25-2.35 (Thomson Reuters consensus is $2.36), due to continued strength in the remainder of business.

1:39AM Pengrowth Energy resumes service of the Swan Hills gas gathering pipeline system (PGH) 12.78 : Co announces that effective March 1, 2011, co received approval from the Energy Resources Conservation Board for the restart of the Swan Hills pipeline. Co has been working diligently in conjunction with the other pipeline owners, to get the line back in service and the system is anticipated to return to service on March 2nd. This will allow ~1,500 barrel of oil equivalent per day of production net to co to return to production.

1:36AM Kraton Performance Polymers announces Americas SBS and SIS price increase effective April 1 (KRA) 34.57 : Co announces a general price increase in the Americas of $110/t, or 5 cpp for Kraton SBS, and OE SBS polymers and compounds, and $110/t, or 5 cpp for all Kraton SIS and SIBS polymers and compounds. Subject to the terms of any applicable contracts, these price increases will take effect April 1, 2011.

1:34AM PPL Corp acquires Central Networks from E.ON UK; The transaction is expected to be significantly accretive to earnings and cash flow for 2011 and beyond (PPL) 24.90 : Co announces it is acquiring Central Networks from E.ON UK plc for GBP3.5 bln ($5.6 bln) in cash, GBP500 mln pounds ($800 mln) of existing public debt to be assumed through consolidation, and the payment of certain permitted adjustments on intercompany indebtedness through the closing date. PPL and E.ON expect to close the transaction in early April. Co estimates that the acquisition will be accretive to corporate earnings by about $0.10-0.15 per share in 2011, assuming the transaction closes in April. In addition, the co estimates the accretive value of the transaction will grow to $0.32-0.38 cents per share by 2013. Assuming a successful closing of the transaction in early April, PPL expects to increase its 2011 earnings forecast to $2.50-2.75 per share, up from the current $2.40-2.60 per share.

1:27AM EOG Resources prices public offering of 11.8 mln shares of common stock at 105.50 (EOG) 107.93 : Net proceeds from the offering are expected to be used for general corporate purposes, including funding of future capital expenditures.

1:22AM Level 3 prices $500 mln private offering of 9.375% Senior Notes due 2019 (LVLT) 1.38 : Co announces its subsidiary, Level 3 Financing, Inc., has agreed to sell $500 million aggregate principal amount of its 9.375% Senior Notes due 2019 in a private offering. The net proceeds from the offering of the notes, together with cash on hand, will be used to redeem $443 mln aggregate principal amount of Level 3 Financing's outstanding 9.25% Senior Notes due 2014.

1:18AM Nomura Holdings: Chi-X Japan reports February 2011 trading statistics; turnover, trades and shares traded on its platform reached record levels (NMR) 6.25 : Chi-X, a unit of Instinet owned by co, reports that turnover, trades and shares traded on its platform in February again reached record levels. In addition, Chi-X Japan set a new one-day trading record on 23 February, with 24.1 bln in turnover. Co reports turnover was JPY282 bln, 305,565 trades, representing 441 mln shares trading. This represented 1.16% of the Nikkei.

1:14AM Digital Realty Trust prices $400 mln of 5.250% Notes due 2021 (DLR) 58.38 : The Operating Partnership intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to temporarily repay borrowings under its revolving credit facility, to acquire additional properties, to fund development and redevelopment opportunities and for general working capital purposes, including potentially for the repurchase, redemption or retirement of outstanding debt securities.

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