The stock market

Strong opening for mkts; SBI, Tata Steel leadState Bank of India, JP Associates, Tata Steel and Reliance Industries were the biggest Sensex gainers in early trade. Top 5 picks of the day | Mid-term picks... read full » Read Full Story

European stocks showed a nervous streak on Thursday against a background of interest rate decisions in the eurozone and Britain, falling by about half a percentage point. A day after big gains, London's FTSE 100 index of top shares was showing a mid-day fall of 0.59 percent to 5,077.75 points. In Frankfurt, the DAX 30 slid 0.47 percent to 5,418.45 points and in Paris the CAC 40 dipped 0.42 percent to 3,654.91. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of top eurozone shares shed 0.62 percent to 2,746.27 points. The Bank of England (BoE) decided to inject billions of extra pounds into the British economy ... Read Full Story

Leading US group Hyatt Hotels began trading on the stock exchange Thursday raising almost a billion dollars with its initial public offering, in the New York bourse's second largest flotation this year. In a massive show of confidence in the US and global economy as it recovers from the worst recession in decades, Hyatt said it was offering 38 million shares at 25 dollars each for a total of 950 million dollars. The Chicago-based group, which is owned 85 percent by the wealthy Pritzker family, became the 18th company to launch an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange this year. "We are delighted ... Read Full Story

Texas bank PlainsCapital Corp. late Wednesday postponed its initial public offering, blaming market swings in financial stocks. PlainsCapital said it will hold off until the market improves. "The current market volatility, especially as it affects financial stocks, has created unfavorable conditions for the offering," said Alan B. White, chairman and CEO of PlainsCapital, in a statement. The company had hoped to sell 15 million shares to raise about $141.5 million. It had planned to use the bulk of the money — $92 million — to buy back preferred stock from the U.S. Treasury Department. The stock was issued under the government's Capital Purchase Program, ... Read Full Story

U.S. markets gains hold up Friday NEW YORK, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Narrow gains held up in U.S. markets Friday, despite news the unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent. The Labor Department said 190,000 jobs were lost in October, pushing the unemployment rate up 0.4 percentage points from the previous month's 9.8 percent. After a 203-point gain Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average crossed the 10,000 point mark on 10 occasions Friday, failing to sustain a run-up or settle in negative territory. By close, the Dow Jones industrial average was ahead by 17.46 points, 0.17 percent, to 10,023.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 added ... Read Full Story