NYSE

Exxon, IBM, Alcoa lead strong day for U.S. stocks

Airplane maker Boeing (NYSE: BA) received billions of dollars in questionable subsidies from the U.S. government according to a study by The World Trade Organization (WTO) which was presented on Monday to officials of the U.S. and the European Union (EU).

U.S> stocks, led by AMD and Exxon Mobil, are up slightly today

Hedge fund manager Bruce Berkowitz, the second largest stakeholder in American International Group, is bullish on both AIG and its spinoff AIA.

Dow Jones Index was up 21.99 points, or 0.19 percent, to 11,845.69 and the S&P 500 index rose 4.54 points, or 0.36 percent, to trade at 1,280.88. Meanwhile, Nasdaq gained 0.39 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,687.28.

Shares of Massey Energy Co. (NYSE: MEE) are rallying this morning after it was announced over the weekend that Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE:ANR) agreed to buy the metallurgical coal producer in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $8.5 billion.

Protests in Egypt sparked a sell-off in Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) shares as investors feared disruption in operations, said an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

UBS Securities downgraded shares of carrier AT&T Inc. to neutral from buy, citing expectations for lower earnings and free cash flow growth in 2011 and 2012.

Home Depot, seeking softer image and a broader female shopper base, will sell Martha Stewart Line products in spring.

Earnings reports and acquisition announcements took a back seat to the violent unrest in Egypt today, as U.S. stocks fall.

Despite Verizon's announced intention to acquire Terremark for $1.4 billion, are down virtually across across the board amid violent uprisings in Middle East.

British Petroleum (NYSE: BP) is said to be considering spilling cash – not oil – to its public shareholders. Shareholders of the oil giant, which is infamous for being responsible for the oil spill off the Gulf coast region in June, the worst oil spill in history, are calling for the company to pay a dividend once again

US stocks advanced slightly in early trade on Friday after government data showed that US economic activity grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter.

Taco Bell is introducing an advertising campaign to defend itself against accusations of a lawsuit which alleges that the fast-food chain doesn’t fill its tacos with real beef.

The companies that reported earnings before the markets open on Friday are: Ford Motor, Chevron Corp., Honeywell International, Dominion and Dover.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Friday are: Sara Lee, Micron Technology, Bank of America, Amazon, Ford Motor and Carnival Corp.

The companies which are expected to see active trade on Friday are: Microsoft, Amazon, Ford Motor, Chevron, Honeywell International, Dominion Resources and American Electric Power.

Although no logical correlation could be found between the two events, CBS shares fell nearly 3 percent after Charlie Sheen, the star of its most popular show, Two and a Half Men, was rushed to the hospital this morning.

Hulu, the privately owned internet company that provides free, ad-supported television archive, is considering becoming the first web-based cable operator.

The S&P 500 broke the 1,300-point threshold for the first time since August, 2008 as gold plummeted and U.S. stocks rose slightly.

Jamie Dimon, the chief executive officer of JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) defended the banking industry during a question-and-answer session with the media at a symposium at the world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.