>>>US Close Dow+0,44% S&P+0,40% Nasdaq+0,54%

Closing Market Summary: Stocks Finish Banner Year on Upbeat Note

The major averages wrapped up a memorable year with a forgettable final session. The S&P 500 added 0.4%, extending its 2013 price return to 29.6%. Given its banner year, it was appropriate for the index to end 2013 at a fresh all-time high of 1848.35. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 26.5% in 2013 and ended at a record high of its own. Although the Dow (+0.4%) and S&P 500 (+0.4%) saw comparable gains today, the Nasdaq (+0.5%) fared a bit better. That was the theme throughout the year as the tech-heavy index rallied 38.3%. Similar to earlier sessions of the week, today's affair felt like it was taking place in slow motion until indices roared to fresh highs during the final hour. As a result, paltry intraday NYSE volume turned into a more respectable final tally of 558 million. Seven of ten sectors registered gains as cyclical groups provided leadership. The energy sector (+0.9%) led from the start with Phillips 66 (PSX 77.13, +2.41) contributing to the strength after Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B 118.56, +0.52) agreed to acquire Phillips Specialty Products, a flow improver business. Strikingly, the energy sector rallied even as crude oil slipped 0.8% to $98.46/bbl. Elsewhere, the other commodity-related group—materials (+0.3%)—posted a modest gain as miners displayed strength. The Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX 21.13, +0.49) gained 2.7% as gold futures ended little changed at $1202.70/ozt. Unlike the S&P 500, the yellow metal will be happy to see the calendar turn to 2014 after seeing its price plunge 28.0% in 2013.

Outside of energy, the technology sector (+0.7%) was the only other noteworthy outperformer. The largest component, Apple (AAPL 561.02, +6.50), broke its four-day losing streak, gaining 1.2%. With regard to momentum names, Twitter (TWTR 63.65, +3.14) rallied 5.2% after falling nearly 17.5% over the past two sessions while the top S&P 500 component of 2013, Netflix (NFLX 368.17, +1.18), added 0.3%, extending its 2013 gain to 297.3%. Fittingly, the S&P 500's top performer of 2013 resides in the strongest sector of the year, consumer discretionary, which finished with an annual gain of 41.0%. On the countercyclical side, consumer staples (-0.1%), health care (-0.1%), and telecom services posted modest losses while utilities (+0.2%) finished slightly higher. Treasuries ended on their lows after spending the day in a steady downtrend. The 10-yr yield rose six basis points to 3.04%.

Today's economic data featured three reports: o The October Case-Shiller 20-city Home Price Index rose 13.6% while a 13.8% increase had been expected by the consensus. This follows the previous month's increase of 13.2%.

o The Chicago PMI reading for December dropped to 59.1 from 63.0 while the consensus expected a decline to 60.0. The reported decrease was not too concerning given that readings above 60.0 are not sustainable for a long time. Production growth slowed as the related index fell to 57.9 from 64.3. The weakness stemmed from a softening in new orders growth, from 68.8 in November to 60.7 in December.

o The December Consumer Confidence Index increased to 78.1 from 72.0 while the consensus expected an increase to 77.1. Although the index posted a solid increase, the jump was a result of consumer attitudes returning to pre-government shutdown levels. In reality, confidence levels have essentially held steady since late summer. o There is no economic data on tomorrow's schedule as bond and equity markets will be closed for New Year's Day. On Thursday, weekly initial claims will be released at 8:30 ET while November construction spending and the December ISM Index will both cross the wires at 10:00 ET. With the year drawing to a close, we at Briefing.com would like to wish all of our readers a happy and healthy start to 2014.

o Nasdaq +38.3% YTD o Russell 2000 +37.0% YTD o S&P 500 +29.6% YTD o DJIA +26.5% YTD

WSJ :Strong Gains for Europe Stocks in 2013

Strong Gains for Europe Stocks in 2013

Stoxx Europe 600 Index Rose 17% in Biggest Annual Gain Since 2009 European stocks cemented their biggest annual gain since 2009, edging up in the final session of the year. At Tuesday's close, London's FTSE 100 index had risen 0.3% to 6749.09, up 14% for the year. France's CAC-40 added 0.5% to end the year at 4295.95, 18% higher. In Germany, where trading for the year wrapped up on Monday, the DAX index has surged 26% in 2013. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 Index has risen 17% in 2013, the biggest annual gain since 2009, boosted by the gradual improvement in the European economy and the easy-money policies of global central banks. With the region's debt crisis continuing to ease, investors have stepped in to pick up bargains, with cash flowing into European equity funds after years of outflows. Countries that fell out of favor with investors during the euro-zone's protracted debt woes have also been strong performers this year. Spain's IBEX 35 and Italy's FTSE MIB have gained 21% and 17% respectively, while Greece's ATHEX Composite leapt by 28%. Europe's markets have enjoyed a particularly strong end to the year as investors shrugged off the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision earlier this month to scale back its monetary stimulus, taking the move as a sign the recovery is gathering pace in the world's largest economy. That confidence has also bolstered stocks on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching a fresh record close Monday, on track for its best annual performance since the late 1990s.

>>> YTD Performances

SX5E BEST Perf YTD SX5E WORST Perf YTD
EAD FP Equity 89.15% RWE GY Equity -14.84%
DPW GY Equity 59.64% EOAN GY Equity -4.79%
DAI GY Equity 52.23% ENI IM Equity -4.63%
CS FP Equity 51.27% MC FP Equity -4.57%
GLE FP Equity 49.01% ENEL IM Equity 1.15%
CA FP Equity 48.67% UNA NA Equity 1.65%
UCG IM Equity 45.17% EI FP Equity 1.88%
DTE GY Equity 44.62% SAP GY Equity 2.67%
INGA NA Equity 42.69% UL NA Equity 2.72%
BAYN GY Equity 41.81% BN FP Equity 4.84%

SXXP BEST Perf YTD SXXP WORST Perf YTD
OCDO LN Equity 409.64% BKIA SQ Equity -74.13%
VWS DC Equity 402.82% FRES LN Equity -59.01%
TCG LN Equity 301.82% POLY LN Equity -51.06%
ALU FP Equity 242.31% SPM IM Equity -46.89%
BKT SQ Equity 147.95% CGG FP Equity -44.31%
PNDORA DC Equity 136.14% SZU GY Equity -36.69%
BCP PL Equity 121.87% RRS LN Equity -36.30%
MS IM Equity 121.47% SDF GY Equity -36.07%
BKIR ID Equity 121.05% DEB LN Equity -35.96%
KINVB SS Equity 119.53% ANTO LN Equity -34.42%

Perf YTD Perf YTD
STOXX Europe 600 Automobiles 37.27% INDU Index 25.95%
STOXX Europe 600 Financial S 34.83% SPX Index 29.09%
STOXX Europe 600 Media Price 33.57% CCMP Index 37.58%
STOXX Europe 600 Telecommuni 31.91% SPTSX Index 9.23%
STOXX Europe 600 Insurance P 28.74% MEXBOL Index -1.71%
STOXX Europe 600 Travel & Le 27.72% IBOV Index -15.50%
STOXX Europe 600 Technology 26.59%
STOXX Europe 600 Industrial 22.35% SX5E Index 17.95%
STOXX Europe 600 Constructio 21.78% UKX Index 14.43%
STOXX Europe 600 Health Care 20.23% CAC Index 17.99%
STOXX Europe 600 Retail Pric 19.42% DAX Index 25.48%
STOXX Europe 600 Banks Price 18.89% IBEX Index 21.42%
STOXX Europe 600 Personal & 13.90% FTSEMIB Index 16.56%
STOXX Europe 600 Chemicals P 13.88% AEX Index 17.24%
STOXX Europe 600 Food & Beve 8.39% OMX Index 20.66%
STOXX Europe 600 Utilities P 7.39% SMI Index 20.24%
STOXX 600 Real Estate 5.19%
STOXX Europe 600 Oil & Gas P 3.67% NKY Index 56.72%
STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resou -13.50% HSI Index 2.87%
AS51 Index 15.13%
SHCOMP Index -6.75%

>>> Marvell shares spike 6% following KKR stake

Marvell shares spike 6% following KKR stake
KKR disclosed 6.8% active stake in Marvell (MRVL $14.67 +0.91) in 13D filing. "In addition, without limitation, the Reporting Persons may engage in discussions with management, the board of directors, stockholders of the Issuer and other relevant parties or take other actions concerning any extraordinary corporate transaction (including but not limited to a merger, reorganization or liquidation) or the business, operations, assets, strategy, future plans, prospects, corporate structure, board composition, management, capitalization, dividend policy, charter, bylaws, corporate documents, agreements, de-listing or de-registration of the Issuer."

(BFW) Lukoil Says Ivory Coast Offshore Well Has Oil Presence

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Lukoil Says Ivory Coast Offshore Well Has Oil Presence 2013-12-31 12:15:00.788 GMT

By Stephen Bierman Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Data from Independence field well on block CI-401 to be evaluated; decision on further field appraisal to be made after data study, co. says in e-mailed statement. * Next phase of drilling program to include exploration well at offshore block CI-101 * NOTE: Lukoil operates CI-401, CI-101 with 57% stake, PanAtlantic holds 28%, Petroci Holding 15%

Link to Company News:{LKOH RM <Equity> CN <GO>} Link to Company News:{3005585Z BH <Equity> CN <GO>}

For Related News and Information: First Word scrolling panel: {FIRST<GO>} First Word newswire: {NH BFW<GO>}

To contact the reporter on this story: Stephen Bierman in Moscow at +7-495-771-7745 or sbierman1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Benjamin Dow at +7-495-771-7735 or bdow2@bloomberg.net

(AFS) Schumacher improving but 'not out of danger': doctors

Schumacher improving but 'not out of danger': doctors
2013-12-31 11:59:41.138 GMT


     Dec. 31 (AFP) -- Formula One legend Michael Schumacher 
Tuesday showed a slight improvement after a second operation 
following his life-threatening ski accident but was "not out of 
danger," doctors treating him said.
     Surgeons said they had "gained some time" by performing a 
successful second procedure on the seven times world champion 
on Monday night but he still remained critical.
     His wife and two children are at the hospital in the 
French Alpine city of Grenoble where the former racing driver 
remains in a coma after he fell and slammed his head on a rock 
while skiing off-piste on Sunday.
     News of the accident stunned the world and racing stars 
joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and legions of fans in 
expressing their hopes for his recovery.
     Schumacher underwent an operation soon after being 
helicoptered to the hospital on Sunday, and surgeons performed 
the second nearly two-hour-long procedure to remove a blood 
clot on the right side of the brain.
     Jean-Francois Payen, head of the intensive care unit, 
warned reporters during a press conference on Tuesday morning 
that Schumacher was not out of the woods.
     "We cannot speculate on the future," he said. "We cannot 
say he is out of danger but we have gained some time."
     He said scans showed that the removal of the clot had been 
done in a "satisfactory manner", but ruled out Schumacher's 
transfer from the hospital as it could be "dangerous."
     Emmanuel Gay, head of the neurosurgery department, said he 
was "surprised" by the improvement in Schumacher's condition.
     Doctors have said that Schumacher, who is due to turn 45 
on January 3, has age and physical fitness on his side.
     He had been put in a medically induced coma to spur 
recovery. His temperature has also been reduced to around 35 
degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) to reduce swelling.
     By being unconscious, the brain is also switched off to 
sounds, light and other triggers that cause the organ to use up 
oxygen as it processes the stimuli. 
      
      
     A source close to the investigation into the off-piste 
accident at the upmarket ski resort of Meribel told AFP that 
Schumacher's helmet, which medics say saved his life, was 
smashed "in two" by the impact.
     The German newspaper Bild also quoted a rescuer as saying 
the split helmet was "full of blood".
     Schumacher's family in a statement expressed their thanks 
to the doctors who they said were doing "everything possible to 
help Michael" and to well-wishers around the world.
     News of the accident stunned the world and racing stars 
joined German Chancellor Angela Merkel and legions of fans in 
expressing their hopes for his recovery.
     Damon Hill, who fought several memorable on-track battles 
with Schumacher, said he was "praying" for his former rival.
     Merkel was "extremely shocked" by the incident, her 
spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.
     Formula One quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel, 26, 
who has said Schumacher was his childhood idol, said: "I am 
shocked and I hope that he'll be feeling better as soon as 
possible. 
     Schumacher, who won the last of his world titles in 2004, 
towered over the sport since his debut in 1991, winning more 
Formula One world titles and races than any other. He had a 
record 91 wins and is one of only two men to reach 300 grands 
prix.
     His duels in his heyday with Hill and Jacques Villeneuve, 
fired by an unquenchable competitive spirit, have gone down in 
Formula One lore.
     Schumacher was born in January 1969 near Cologne, Germany, 
the son of a bricklayer who also ran the local go-kart track, 
where his mother worked in the canteen. 
     By 1987, Schumacher was the German and European go-kart 
champion and was soon racing professionally. In 1991 he burst 
into Formula One by qualifying seventh in his debut race in 
Belgium and a year later, he won his first Formula One grand 
prix.
     He joined Ferrari in 1996 and went from strength to 
strength over the next decade, dominating the podium, before 
retiring aged 37.
     But the father of two could not resist the lure of the 
track and in 2010 he came out of retirement, signing a deal 
with Mercedes before quitting for good in 2012.
     bur/ach/mbx/dh

-0- Dec/31/2013 11:59 GMT

>>> US Early premarket gappers

Early premarket gappers

Gapping up: QDEL +10.9%, MRVL +9%, ONVO +5.5%, ACUR +4.8%, AVEO +2.9%, SFE +2.5%, BBRY +2.5%, NQ +2.2%, GOLD +1.4%, PSX +1%, RDS.A +1%, HTZ +0.9%, VOD +0.7%, GLD +0.7%, AUY +0.6%, BP +0.6%

Gapping down: UNXL -12.6%, SGY -2.4%, CRR -2.2%, NBG -1.8%, TWTR -0.8%, NFLX -0.4%

(Globe&Mail) Chen takes shots at BlackBerry’s rivals as he shares his strategy

Chen takes shots at BlackBerry’s rivals as he shares his strategy
New BlackBerry Ltd. boss John Chen continues to swat at critics and competitors, issuing an open letter that takes some direct shots at the company’s rivals as he tries to convince the market the smartphone company can turn itself around.
“It’s been easy for competitors to promote negative stories about BlackBerry, focusing on the business of the past,” Mr. Chen wrote in a letter published on CNBC.com and the website of The Globe and Mail. “But I’m not focused on who BlackBerry used to be – I’m focused on what BlackBerry will be today and in the future.”

BlackBerry’s future, according to Mr. Chen’s plan, is rooted in its past. The company flourished when it dominated the market for so-called enterprise customers – corporations and governments – in part because of the strength of its security features. But as these customers began allowing their employees to use Apple and Android phones, they turned to firms other than BlackBerry to provide software and other services that help them manage their employees’ wireless devices.
BlackBerry’s challenge now is to win back those customers in the so-called “mobile device management” business, or MDM, by convincing them it can manage non-BlackBerry smartphones just as well as the upstarts.
“When it comes to enterprise, we’re still the leader,” Mr. Chen wrote. “Don’t be fooled by the competition’s rhetoric claiming to be more secure or having more experience than BlackBerry.”
“With a global enterprise customer base exceeding 80,000, we have three times the number of customers compared to Good, AirWatch and MobileIron combined. This makes BlackBerry the leader in mobile-device management.”
The letter underscores BlackBerry’s new direction under Mr. Chen, who took over as interim chief executive officer after a November shakeup that saw former boss Thorsten Heins leave the company. Just before Christmas, the company announced large-scale asset writeoffs and said it would begin outsourcing most hardware design and manufacturing of BlackBerry smartphones to Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., better known as Foxconn.
That move allows the company to cut its financial risk, Mr. Chen has said, and focus on selling devices, software and services to the business and government market. But his comments in Monday’s letter remarks rankled at least one of BlackBerry’s competitors.
“He has never explained how he plans to secure non-BlackBerry devices when he doesn’t get the support of the [other] manufacturers,” Alan Dabbiere, AirWatch LLC’s chairman, said in an interview. “He never answers that concern. And claiming 80,000 customers is fine, but those are 80,000 BlackBerry hardware customers.”
A BlackBerry spokesman said the 80,000 customers includes companies that are also using other devices. It had about 250,000 enterprise customers at its peak, before companies like AirWatch began taking market share.
Mr. Chen has defended his strategy as necessary to be “more nimble and responsive to market demands and customer needs.”
“Leveraging Foxconn’s scale and efficiency will also allow us to compete more effectively and create speed to market since we can design for faster product life cycles,” Mr. Chen said. “With a partner dedicated to our hardware, BlackBerry can focus on what we do best – iconic design, world-class security, software development and enterprise-mobility management.”

>>> British Sky Broadcasting PLC Issues update on £500M buyback program disclose

British Sky Broadcasting PLC Issues update on £500M buyback program disclosed in July
- Announces that the Company has entered into an irrevocable and non-discretionary arrangement with its broker, Barclays Bank PLC, acting through its investment bank ("Barclays") to repurchase on its behalf and within certain pre-set parameters, ordinary shares in the Company for cancellation during the Company's close period commencing on 1 January 2014 and ending on 30 January 2014 (the day of the announcement of the Company's half year results for the 6 month period ended 31 December 2013) ("on-market purchases"). Following any on-market purchases, pursuant to a binding agreement with Twenty-First Century Fox dated 25 July 2013, Twenty-First Century Fox will sell to the Company sufficient ordinary shares to maintain its percentage shareholding at the same level as applied prior to those on-market purchases.