Market Gawk

Wall Street rose moderately Friday, carving out its fourth straight weekly gain amid a fresh round of corporate takeover news and employment figures that largely met expectations.

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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — U.S. stocks will push higher next week, driven by healthy corporate earnings, bubbling mergers and acquisitions activity, and expectations that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged at its policy setting meeting on Wednesday, strategists said.

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The U.S. economy added a modest 88,000 jobs in April, the slimmest gain in more than two years, and the unemployment rate edged up, the government said on Friday in a report that showed weak economic growth taking a toll on the job market.

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LONDON (MarketWatch) — U.K. media group Pearson said after the London market closed Friday that it has agreed to buy Reed Elsevier’s Harcourt Assessment and Harcourt Education International divisions for $950 million in cash. The divisions publish tests, textbooks and online learning material. Pearson, the owner of the Financial Times newspaper, said the deal will extend the international reach of its education publishing unit. Pearson said it expects the deal to be neutral for earnings per share in 2007 and 2008 and to enhance earnings in 2009. It also includes a tax benefit of around $125 million, which should reduce Pearson’s effective tax rate by one percentage point from 2008. Reed Elsevier announced plans to sell Harcourt in February. Reed said the deal doesn’t include its U.S. schools basal and supplemental publishing business and added the sale of this unit is expected to complete in the second half of 2007. Net proceeds from the sale will be returned to shareholders, the fi

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Mad Money’s James Cramer has spoken of late about speculative Call buying being a harbinger of pending deals that have yet to have been announced….

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When the British pound broke $2 last month, some investors figured the time had come to sink some cash into currency.

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Never mind last year. Take a look at earnings estimates for Green Mountain Coffee (GMCR): up 72% for Q3, 137% for Q4, and 57% to start its next…

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A rising tide, the old adage says, raises all boats. Dry-bulk shippers have bobbed on the increase in raw materials and finished goods traveling…

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The major indexes have made moderate progress since the March 21 market follow-through, and the hunt for leading stocks near buy points isn’t…

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Summer is just over a month away. You’re probably planning a vacation. If your trip involves business-related activity, some of your expenses may…

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