In early after noon trade on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had added 0.60 percent to 12,481.57. The Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 were also higher, with the Nasdaq gaining 0.63 percent to 2,428.80 and the S&P advancing 0.51 percent to 1,424.19. The Russell 2000 small-caps index was up 0.87 percent to 795.03. Trade volumes were low.

Ford was up 11 cents to $7.60 and US-traded shares in Toyota gained $2.03 to $133.64 on the news that top executives of the two automakers had met for talks.

Homebuilders were up on new data showing that new home sales were up more than had been anticipated in November. Hovnanian Enterprises added 44 cents to $33.68, while Toll Brothers was 66 cents higher to $32.35 and KB Home gained 79 cents to $51.58.

The retail sector was mixed on figures from the International Council of Shopping Centers that showed pre-Christmas holiday shopping was not as strong has had been hoped. Federated Department Stores was up 37 cents to $38.13, but Target only managed to hold steady at $57.09 and Wal-Mart fell 13 cents to $45.98.

Newspaper publisher McClatchy Co. dropped 43 cents to $42.64 after it announced that it will sell the Minneapolis Star Tribune to a private equity company in a deal worth $530 million.

The New York equities markets were up slightly at midday as investors returned from the Christmas holiday weekend, but trade was light with many expected to remain on holiday all week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.31 percent higher to 12,381.27, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.32 percent to 2,408.75 and the S&P 500 was up 0.29 percent to 1,414.89. The Russell 2000 index of small-caps was 0.72 percent higher, to 786.41.

The oil sector was higher. ConocoPhillips added 32 cents to $71.37, while Chevron gained 42 cents to $73.15. Anadarko Petroleum was 55 cents higher to $42.69 after it said it will sell two of its gas fields in Louisiana, part of its plan to sell assets to lower its debt after purchasing Kerr-McGee and Western Gas Resources earlier in the year. ExxonMobil, meanwhile, was up 56 cents to $75.96.

Retail was mixed but mostly lower. In late morning trade, department stores were lower. Federated Department Stores dropped 0.2 percent to $38.03, while Kohls fell 0.7 percent to $69.30 and J. C. Penney was 1.3 percent lower to $78.54.

Other retailers were also down. Discount retailer Target dropped 0.6 percent to $56.98, while consumer electronics retailer Best Buy was 1.5 percent lower to $49.19. By midday, however, Wal-Mart had gained 28 cents to $45.82 after seeing declines earlier.

Internet shopping sites were mixed, with eBay gaining 0.8 percent to $30.45. Amazon, on the other hand, had dropped 1.6 percent to $39.58.

Equities markets in New York were lower just past mid-session on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had dropped 0.2 percent to 12,443.76, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.02 percent to 2,427.16 and the S&P 500 was 0.1 percent lower to 1,421.99.

In the airlines sector, Delta Air Lines added 5 percent to $1.28 despite only a tepid vote of confidence from its creditors committee for its plan to remain an independent carrier as it comes out of bankruptcy. The committee said that it would continue to consider other alternatives. US Airways recently made a hostile bid for Delta.

Johnson & Johnson dropped 0.3 percent to $66.21 because while the US Food and Drug Administration approved its schizophrenia drug Invega, the FDA required a warning label on the product concerning an increased risk of a potentially fatal side effect.

The retail sector was mixed. Rite Aid added 2 percent to $5.48 even though it took a slight loss in the third quarter, due to an increased volume of prescriptions filled and better pharmacy sales. Best Buy was up 2.7 percent on an upgrade to “outperform” from Credit Suisse. On the other hand, Bed Bath & Beyond dropped 3.6 percent to $38.48. While it said that its profits in the quarter were up 6 percent, this was below what had been expected.

Wall Street was slightly lower at midday on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.2 percent to 12,417.80. The Nasdaq Composite had lost 0.7 percent by mid-session, to 2,418.17, while the S&P 500 was 0.2 percent lower to 1,419.03. The small-cap Russell 2000 was down 0.3 percent to 779.90.

The New York Stock Exchange dropped 0.7 percent to $100.69 on the news that Euronext stockholders have approved a merger between the two exchange operators.

Electronics retailers were also lower. Best Buy fell 3 percent to $47.87, while Circuit City was 18.2 percent lower to $18.61. Circuit City’s declines came after the announcement that it had lost 9 cents per share its fiscal third quarter after having projected a profit of 5 cents per share.

Digital security company Applied Signal was down 16 percent to $13.22 after its quarterly report showed that its profits were only 5 cents per share, well below the expected 22 cent per share profit.

Software manufacturer Oracle dropped 4.4 percent to $17.13 even though its earnings report, released Monday, said that the company had equaled expectations.

Morgan Stanley, on the other hand, added 2 percent, to $81.96 after its profits hit $2.08 per share, well above its predicted profit of $1.77 per share.

The New York equities markets were up at midday on Friday and looked ready to close the week out with gains as well. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.4 percent higher to 12,466.99, a gain of 1.3 percent on the week. Earlier in the session, the Dow was as high as 12,486.30, a new high. The Nasdaq Composite had added 0.5 percent so far on the day, to 2,466.12, a gain of 1.2 percent on the week. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 was up 0.3 percent to 1,430.11, 1.4 percent higher this week.

Airlines saw gains during the week. United Air Lines and Continental Airlines both gained share value on the news that United is talking to Continental about a merger. United added 4.8 percent to $45, while Continental gained 7.1 percent to $44.96. Meanwhile, Midwest Airlines was 27.8 percent higher to $11.82 after rejecting an offer from AirTran Holdings.

In the semiconductors sector, Advanced Micro Devices added 6.7 percent to $22.34 after it said that it expected demand to rise by 10 percent next year.

Microsoft added 2.4 percent to $30.12, the first time its share price rose above $30.12 since November 2004. Elsewhere in the software sector, Adobe added 10.3 percent during the week to $42.89 on a fourth-quarter report that was better than had been expected.

Losers included Best Buy, which dropped 4.8 percent to $50.60 on a downgrade from Prudential Securities.

Some securities brokers also saw declines. Lehman Brothers dropped 1.4 percent to $75.98 and Goldman Sachs fell 1.8 percent to $201.32. The sector was mixed, however, with Bear Stearns adding 2.6 percent to $1.63.

The New York equities markets were higher at noon on Thursday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a new record high at one point in morning trade. The Dow dropped back a bit but was still 0.5 percent higher to 12,394.25 at midday. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite was up 1 percent to 2,456.69 and the S&P 500 had gained 0.6 percent to 1,422.32. The gains came as Citigroup set new targets for the Dow and the S&P at 14,000 and 1,600 respectively for 2007.

The securities sector was higher on good earnings news. Lehman Brothers said that its earnings were at $1.72 per share, higher than the expected $1.68 per share. The announcement sent the broker’s shares up 0.2 percent to $76.55. Bear Stearns was 1.7 percent higher to $158.56 on fourth quarter earnings of $4 per share, well above the $3.36 per share that had been expected.

Earnings news also helped Costco. The wholesale retailer said that its earnings were at 51 cents per share in its fiscal first quarter, a penny better than the predicted 50 cents per share. Costco shares gained 2.2 percent to trade at $54.29.

Losers on the day included defense communications systems contractor Argon ST, which dropped 7.4 percent to $19.81 after it said that its fourth quarter profits had fallen by 32 percent.

Wall Street was slightly higher at mid-session on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average had added 0.1 percent to 12,329.28 but was well down from the new record high of 12,368.61 it reached earlier in the day. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite was up a bare 0.02 percent to 2,432.03 and the S&P 500 had gained 0.2 percent to 1,414.26. The small and mid-cap Russell 2000 index was 0.08 percent higher to 789.01.

Airlines were higher after United Airlines said that it has opened talks with Continental Airlines concerning the possibility of a merger. United was 4.5 percent higher to $45.54, while Continental gained 5.2 percent to $45.11. Elsewhere, the news that AirTran Holdings’ bid for Midwest Air had been rejected sent Midwest 21.26 percent higher to $11. AirTran added 1.5 percent to $12.53.

The retail sector was mixed. Home Depot added 1.3 percent to $39.22 on the news that it has acquired 12 stores in China. Best Buy and Circuit City both declined, however, after Prudential Securities issued a downgrade on both consumer electronics retailers on worries about the low price of flat-screen televisions. Circuit City dropped 1.4 percent to $23.24, while Best Buy was 1.5 percent lower to $50.51.

Anadarko Petroleum fell 3 percent to $46.19 after Goldman Sachs dropped its rating on the oil company from “buy” to “neutral”.

A broker upgrade helped Apple Computer to a 1.9 percent gain to $87.80. Morgan Stanley kept its recommendation for the computer maker at “overweight”, but upped its target share price from $90 to $110 on the theory that revenues could be increased by the introduction of new products.

Wall Street was a bit lower at midday on Tuesday as investors waited to see whether or not the US Federal Reserve would leave interest rates at 5.25 percent as expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1 percent lower to 12,315.9, while the Nasdaq Composite had dropped 0.2 percent to 2,437.31 and the S&P 500 remained steady at 1,412.90 in the middle of the trading day.

The Nasdaq Stock Market added 0.5 percent to $36.47 after it made its hostile takeover bid for the London Stock Exchange official by offering $5.3 billion for the exchange. Nasdaq already owns 28.75 percent of the LSE.

Texas Instruments added 0.4 percent to $29.42 after seeing declines overnight after it cut its earnings and sales projections for the fourth quarter. The gains came after JP Morgan upgraded its recommendation on the chipmaker from “neutral” to “overweight”.

In the steel sector, Nucor dropped 8.1 percent to $59.12 after it used low prices and high inventories as its excuse for issuing a fourth-quarter prediction that was below analyst estimates. The decline affected the sector, with US Steel falling 5.2 percent to $73.20.

Best Buy was 5.1 percent lower to $51.19 after it said that its net income was 31 cents per share, lower than the 35 cents per share expected by analysts.

The New York equities markets were slightly higher at midday on Monday ahead of the next meeting of the US Federal Reserve and a new decision on interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1 percent to 12,319.42, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.4 percent to 2,446.61 and the S&P 500 had gained 0.2 percent to 1,412.61.

Miners were lower on the session so far. Phelps Dodge dropped 0.3 percent to $123.25 after hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors LLC said they had purchased a stake and that it would oppose the effort by Freeport McMoran to buy the company. Freeport McMoran dropped 0.4 percent to $61.56 on the announcement.

The pharmaceuticals sector was still plagued by bad news from drug trials. Nuvelo was 80 percent lower to $3.92 after it said that clinical trials of two blood thinners it was developing were unsuccessful.

Citigroup was 1.4 percent higher to $52.58 on the news that it is bidding for Egg, Prudential’s internet banking unit.

In the chemicals sector, DuPont added 1.4 percent to $47.57 after it said it had upped its earnings forecast for the year from $2.86 per share to $3.25 per share. It also said it will cut 1,500 positions from its agriculture division.

Among technology companies, Cisco added 1.3 percent to $27.33, near its highest level in a year.

Wall Street was up at midday on Friday and seemed headed for gains on the week as well. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.3 percent higher on the session so far and up 1 percent on the week to 12,315.34, while the Nasdaq Composite had added 0.6 percent on the session and 1.2 percent for the week to 2,442.48 and the S&P 500 was up 0.3 percent on the day and 1.1 percent on the week to 1,411.46, its highest level since late in 2001.

Ford dropped 11.7 percent on the week to $7.10 on fears that the convertible bonds it sold this week could dilute the value of existing shares some time in the future.

The pharmaceuticals sector was active over the week, with mixed outcomes based largely on the results of drug trials. Pfizer dropped 9.8 percent to $25.13 after it halted development of a cholesterol drug due to harmful side effects. Auxillium Pharmaceuticals fell 13.8 percent to $14.35 after it stopped a clinical trial in its late stages, and Onyx Pharmaceuticals was 29.5 percent lower to $12.34 after a kidney cancer drug proved ineffective in treating advanced skin cancer.

On the other hand, Vanda Pharmaceuticals added 70.6 percent to $25.75 after a new schizophrenia drug proved to be effective in trials. Likewise, Halozyme Therapeutics gained 119 percent to $6.24 on an agreement to do research in tandem with Roche.