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• Wednesday, 19 June 2013

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• Tech Companies Lift Dow Jones to Five-Year High - 24 January 2013

Technology companies were the driving force behind the Dow Jones industrial average reaching a five-year high on Wednesday, closing at 13,799.33 after rising 67.12 points (0.5 percent). Solid fourth quarter earnings were posted by both Google and IBM late Tuesday, surprising many investors who expected tech companies to battle to meet targets at the end of the year. Buoyed up by sales of software services to Russia and Brazil, members of BRICS, IBM's results exceeded expectations and the tech giant was the Dow’s top mover, gaining $8.64 to close at $204.72. The company also increased its earnings outlook for 2013. Google rose $38.63 to close at $741.50 after reporting higher earnings than anticipated.

• First Quarter Results, Europe Turmoil & Wall Street - 18 may 2012

Dragged down by disappointing corporate results and ongoing concerns over the political and financial turmoil in Greece, US stocks continued to reflect investor pessimism on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the day down 33.45 points (0.26 percent) at 12,598.55, while the Nasdaq index dropped 19.72 points (0.68 percent) to close at 2,874.04, and the S&P 500 shed 5.86 points (0.44 percent) to end the day at 1,324.80. While morning trade on Wall Street included positive data regarding new home construction and industrial production, the news that the ECB has no plans to increase stimulus provisions to Greece at this time, coupled with fears of the ailing country being dismissed, or withdrawing from, the group of countries using the euro as currency, sent stocks on a downward spiral later in the day.

• Second Quarter Reporting Begins - 11 July 2011

With the US job situation and its related impact on economic recovery having dominated markets in the past two months or so, the release of second quarter results by stock market listed companiesis set to capture investor attention in the upcoming week. Influential companies publishing results in the week ahead include Alcoa (NYSE:AA), continuing the tradition of being first to make results known, as well as JP Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM), Citigroup (NYSE:C), and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG). Apart from a few other companies, other stock market listed firms will begin reporting from next week, but investors will be able to get an indication from this week's releases, all of which are prominent in their various sectors.

• Spotlight on Best Big Companies to Work For - 12 may 2011

With consumer dollars being a driving force behind the economy, the job market in the United States remains a hot topic on both Wall Street and Main Street. Every year researchers compile lists of the top companies in a number of categories, including most ethical, top earners and best companies to work for, based on a variety of criteria. Recently CNN published a list of the Best Big Companies to Work For, with all the named companies appearing on both the prestigious Fortune 500 list and the Fortune Magazine Best Companies to Work For list, consisting of 100 small, large, and mid-sized companies, and compiled for Fortune magazine by the Great Place to Work Institute. The selection process is based on a Trust Index survey which looks at issues such as the credibility of management, job satisfaction and team spirit from an employee’s perspective, as well as a Culture Audit completed by company management regarding pay and benefits, hiring practices, training, incentives and recognition programs, internal communication effectiveness and other pertinent information.

• Job Creation & Investment Hot Topics at CEO Summit - 16 December 2010

In an effort to help the United States to 'climb out of recession', President Barack Obama held a 'CEO Summit' on Wednesday. The meeting, which lasted a number of hours, was attended by the CEOs of twenty companies with significant clout which are reportedly holding cash reserves adding up to around $1 trillion. Topics on the agenda included issues such as education, trade and regulation, with the main focus on getting said cash reserves flowing into the economy primarily through job creation and investment.

• Wall Street Focus on Second Quarter Results - 12 July 2010

It appears that cautious optimism was the name of the game on Wall Street following the Independence Day weekend celebrations, resulting in the best week it has experienced in the past twelve months. Cautious optimism can also be used to describe the mood among investors as companies prepare to start reporting second quarter profits and losses, with Alcoa (Dow component, Fortune 500, NYSE:AA) starting the ball rolling today, Monday July 12. Other Dow components expected to report in the upcoming week include JP Morgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), General Electric (NYSE:GE), Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG).

• 2010's First Quarter Results Remain Under Spotlight - 19 April 2010

The trickle of first quarter results released last week is set to gain momentum in the week ahead as 123 companies, representing around 25 percent of the S&P 500, make their results known. Last week's results from Intel, Google, Bank of America, General Electric and JP Morgan Chase, turned out to be better than expected, sparking a wave of optimism that this positive trend will continue in the weeks ahead. Companies expected to take the lion's share of attention include IBM, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Apple and Goldman Sachs – the financial powerhouse currently facing fraud charges relating to real estate securities and involving investor losses of up to $1 billion.