MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Estee Lauder Cos (EL: chart) posted Q4 earnings drop of 40.9% to $81.7 million or 38 cents a share, citing charges. Net earnings from continuing operations grew 7.7% to $150.4 million or 70 cents a share. Revenue climbed 2.7% at $1.78 billion. Analysts expected earnings of 56 cents a share on revenue of $1.8 billion. The company projected revenue in 2006 to grow around 3% and earnings to be in the range of $1.61 to $1.68 a share. The stock gained 2.7%.

Hartmarx Corp. (HMX: chart) reported Q4 net earnings of $7.3 million or 20 cents a share, up from the prior year''s profit of $5.8 million, or 16 cents, exceeding estimates of 16 cents a share. Revenue rose to $156.8 million from $152.2 million. Operating earnings increased to $13.9 million from $11 million. Hartmarx projected 2006 earnings-per-share growth in a range of 12% to 20%. The company’s shares rose 7%.

Juniper Networks (JNPR: chart) posted 60% profit growth in Q4. The company earned $105.5 million, or 17 cents a share, compared to $66 million, or 11 cents a share, during the year-ago period. Excluding charges and one-time items, Juniper earned $119.6 million, or 20 cents a share, meeting estimates. Revenue rose 34% to $575.5 million, but below the $579 million expected by analysts. The company released a weaker-than-expected first-quarter forecast. The stock dropped 20%.

ECONOMIC NEWS

The Department of Labor released its report on initial jobless claims in the week ended January 21 on Thursday, showing that jobless claims rose much less than economists had been expecting.

The report showed that jobless claims rose to 283,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 272,000. Economists had expected a more significant increase to about 305,000 from the 271,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Labor Dept. also said that the less volatile 4-week moving average fell to 288,750 from the previous week''s revised average of 299,500. This marks the fourth consecutive decline for the 4-week moving average, which has fallen to its lowest level since July of 2000.

The report also showed that continuing claims rose to 2.581 million in the week ended January 14 from the preceding week''s revised level of 2.528 million.

Thursday morning, the Department of Commerce released its report on new orders for durable goods in the month of December. The report showed that orders for durable goods rose 1.3 percent in December following an upwardly revised increase of 5.4 percent in November. Economists had been expecting orders to increase by 1.5 percent compared to the 4.4 percent increase originally reported for November.

The increase in December was partly due to a significant increase in orders for machinery, which rose 6.5 percent in December after rising by 3.1 percent in November. Orders for transportation equipment also saw some further upside after moving sharply higher in the two previous months.

The report also showed that shipments of durable goods rose 3.5 percent in December, reaching the highest level since the series began. At the same time, inventories of durable goods increased only modestly after rising 0.6 percent in November.

INTERNATIONAL MARKETS NEWS

Asian-Pacific benchmarks advanced Thursday, lifted by strengthening U.S. dollar and continuously falling crude oil prices. The Nikkei climbed 1.2% to 15,835.98, Taiwan’s Weighted index surged 1.24%, while South Korea’s Kospi rebounded from early losses to finish up 0.24%. Shanghai stock markets were closed for the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday and will reopen on February 6.

European stocks rallied Thursday, boosted by gains at the industrial conglomerate Siemens AG and telecom giant Deutsche Telecom, as well as brokerage upgrades of France’s Lafarge and the U.K. bank Northern Rock. The German DAX 30 surged 1.6%, the French CAC 40 climbed 1.4%, and London’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.3%.

OIL, METALS, CURRENCIES

Crude oil prices advanced on continuous worries about international supplies. Light sweet crude for March delivery gained 2 cents to $65.87 a barrel. Heating oil and gasoline marginally rose to $1.7930 and $1.6660 respectively. Natural gas dropped 38 cents to $8.080 per 1,000 cubic feet. London Brent rose 33 cents to $64.56.

European gold prices declined in late trading. In London gold closed at $559, down from $562. In Zurich the precious metal traded at $558.50, down from $560.70. In Hong Kong gold surged $10.90 to close at $562.10. Silver closed at $9.52, up from $9.41.

The U.S. dollar traded mixed against other major currencies. The euro was quoted at $1.2243, down from $1.2248. The dollar bought 116.17 yen, up from 115.64. The British pound stood at $1.7867, up from $1.7838.

EARNINGS NEWS

Caterpillar Inc., (CAT: chart), machinery maker, reported Q4 net income of $1.20 a share, compared with 77 cents a share in the year-ago period, beating analyst estimate of $1.10 a share. Sales at the company in Q4 advanced by more than 12% to $9.66 billion from $8.58 billion.