12:30 European markets closed mixed.
European markets closed mixed, reflecting surging commodities prices and disappointing first-quarter earnings report from Philips Electronics which declined after reporting quarterly profit at the low end of forecasts. Sharply higher oil prices sparked investors’ worries ahead of the earnings season. However, U.K. stocks advanced, lifted by mining and oil companies. Oil producers were the leading gainers with Total, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell each rising more than 1%. The German DAX 30 dropped 0.3%, the French CAC 40 edged down 0.1%, while London FTSE 100 climbed 0.2%.

Crude oil prices jumped to a record high of $72.20 on growing tensions between Iran and the West over Iran’s nuclear program. Light sweet crude May delivery rose 30 cents to $70.70 a barrel. London Brent climbed 40 cents to reach $71.84. European gold hit a 25-year high on fears of oil disruptions. In London gold climbed to $616.30 per troy ounce from $606.10. In Zurich the precious metal rose to $618.03. In Hong Kong gold closed at $616.70. Silver jumped to $13.60 from $13.17. The U.S. dollar traded lower vs. major currencies. The euro traded at $1.2277, up from $1.2258. The dollar bought 1187.63 yen, down from 117.76. The British pound was quoted at $1.7764, up from $1.7694.


11:30AM Stocks showed strength, despite surging oil.
Market showed strength and the three major averages firmly traded in the positive, despite sharply higher oil prices. Crude for May delivery advanced to $70.60 a barrel on concerns that the nuclear dispute with Iran could lead to oil disruptions. The concerns about higher oil prices were offset by tame inflation data Energy stocks benefited from the continued increase in the price of oil, with the oil service sector up 1.3%, while the oil sector gained 1.2%. Natural gas stocks rose to drive the sector up by 1.7%. Airline stocks also moved to the upside, as reflected by the 1% gain shown by the Airline Index, rebounding from 5.6% decline yesterday. Gold, brokerage, and disk drive stocks also posted significant gains. The gains by gold stocks come as the price of oil continued higher, rising to another 25-year high. Meanwhile, housing stocks showed weakness after the Commerce Department said housing starts fell 7.8 % to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.960 million units in March from a revised 2.126 million unit rate in February.


10:30AM Major averages advanced by 0.5%.
Strong corporate earnings and tame inflation data helped stocks trade in the positive territory. Stocks advanced, despite surging oil prices which hit a new intraday high of $70.88 a barrel. Shares of major oil companies posted gains with Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM: chart) rising 0.9% and Valero Energy Corp. higher by 1.8%. Other early gainers included Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.(MER: chart), which reported sharply lower Q1 earnings but still beat analyst estimates. The stock rose 1%. IBM Corp.(IBM: chart) added 0.8% ahead of the announcement of its quarterly results after the closing bell. Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ: chart) said Q1 earnings rose 16%, helped by a break-up fee from its failed effort to acquire Guidant Corp. higher sales of medical devices. The stock added 0.2%. In morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 53.95, or 0.5%. The Standard & Poor''s 500 index rose 6.52, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 11.11, or 0.5%. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes rose 6/32 in price and their yield fell below the key 5% level to 4.99%.


9:45AM Stocks opened above the flat line.
U.S. stocks opened higher, boosted by strong corporate earnings and economic data, which showed tame inflation in March., easing concerns about further interest rate increases. A report from the Labor Department showed that wholesale prices rose by 0.5% in March, in line with economist estimates. Excluding food and energy prices, prices rose by 0.1%, slightly less than expected. Health insurance stocks contributed to the strength in the market, with the sector rebounding from recent weakness, supported by Humana (HUM: chart), up 5.2%. Shares of UnitedHealth (UNH: chart) advanced 0.7% on Q1 earnings growth and raised full-year earnings guidance. Some brokerage stocks moved higher, with shares of Jefferies (JEF: chart), up 6% after it reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings growth, announced a 2-for-1 stock split, and raised its quarterly dividend. Early strength was also visible among energy stocks, benefiting from a continued increase in the price of oil, currently up at $70.55 a barrel. Meanwhile, housing stocks moved to the downside after a report from the Commerce Department showed a bigger-than-expected decrease in March housing starts.

Wholesale prices rose in line with economist estimates.
The Labor Department said that its producer price index (PPI) rebounded by 0.5 percent in March after falling 1.4 percent in February. Economists had been expecting the index to increase by about 0.5 percent. The increase by the PPI was due in large part to a rebound by energy prices, which rose 1.8 percent in March following a 4.7 percent decrease in February. The upturn by energy prices was largely due to a rebound by gasoline prices, which rose 9.1 percent in March after falling 11.0 percent in February. Excluding food and energy prices, the PPI rose by a more modest 0.1 percent in March compared to a 0.3 percent increase in the previous month. The increase came in slightly below economist estimates of an increase of 0.2 percent. The relatively tame inflation data may help to offset recent concerns about higher interest rates. Nonetheless, traders my refrain from drawing any conclusions about inflation until after the release of the Labor Department''s consumer price index on Wednesday.


A steeper-than-expected drop in housing starts.
The Department of Commerce released its report on housing starts in the month of March on Tuesday, showing that starts fell more than economists had expected. The report also showed a notable decrease in building permits. The report said housing starts fell 7.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.960 million units in March from a revised 2.126 million unit rate in February. Economists expected starts to fall to a 2.050 million unit rate from the 2.120 million unit rate originally reported for February. The drop in housing starts reflected declines in all four regions of the country, with the West showing a significant decline of 15.5 percent. The Midwest and the South showed more moderate declines while the Northeast showed a modest 0.5 percent drop. Single-family housing starts contributed to decrease, falling 12 percent to a rate of 1.591 million units in March from a 1.807 million unit rate in February. As mentioned above, the report also showed that building permits fell 5.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.059 million units from a revised 2.179 million unit rate in February. Building permits are seen as an indicator of future demand.


9:00 AM Stock futures indicated a positive opening.
U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher opening, lifted by strong earnings from Merrill Lynch and UnitedHealth as well as optimism that companies like Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO: chart) and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM: chart), will report strong results. However a steep advance in the price of oil may limit gains. Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. (MER: chart), the largest U.S. brokerage firm, reported record Q1 revenue of 28% or $8.0 billion. UnitedHealth Group (UNH: chart), health insurer, posted 20% higher quarterly profit as its acquisition of PacifiCare Health Systems fueled premium revenues and higher membership. S&P 500 futures were up 2.6 points, above fair value. Dow Jones industrial average futures were up 12 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.25 point.

Crude oil prices jumped to a record high of $72.20 on growing tensions between Iran and the West over Iran’s nuclear program. Light sweet crude May delivery rose 35 cents to $70.74 a barrel. London Brent climbed 42 cents to reach $71.88. European gold hit a 25-year high on fears of oil disruptions. In London gold climbed to $616.75 per troy ounce from $606.10. In Zurich the precious metal rose to $616.55. In Hong Kong gold closed at $616.70. Silver jumped to $13.40 from $13.17. The U.S. dollar traded mixed vs. major currencies. The euro traded at $1.2261, up from $1.2258. The dollar bought 118.02 yen, up from 117.76. The British pound was quoted at $1.7715, up from $1.7694.

Merrill Lynch, (MER: chart), banking services, reported Q1 net income dropped 61% to 44 cents a share, down from $1.21 a share a year earlier on after a previously announced charge to account for stock options paid as compensation to employees, but the firm posted a record $8 billion in quarterly revenue in the period. Q1 included a charge of $1.2 billion, after tax, for the options accounting. The company beat analysts estimate for earnings of 32 cents a share, including the accounting charge.

Mattel Inc, (MAT: chart), toy maker, reported that Q1 net income advanced to 8 cents a share, up from 2 cents a share a year ago. The profit figure, however, was lifted by tax benefits of 15 cents a share. Sales in Q1 advanced 1% on strong Fisher-Price growth. Mattel reported an operating loss of $32 million in Q1, down from a year-earlier operating income of $5.5 million.

KeyCorp, (KEY: chart), multi-line financial services company, reported Q1 net earnings of 70 cents a share, up from 64 cents a share a year earlier, beating analysts forecasts for earnings of 69 cents a share Compared with last year''s Q1, taxable-equivalent net interest income advanced by $42 million, reflecting a better net interest margin, solid commercial loan growth and an increase in core deposits.

Emmis Communications Corp, (EMMS: chart), radio operator, reported Q4 net profit of $3.71 a share, swinging from a loss of $4.75 a share in the prior year. The profit came from the disposal of most of the Indianapolis-based company''s television stations. On an adjusted basis, the company posted a quarterly loss from continuing operations of 2 cents a share, up from than the loss of 4 cents recorded in the year-ago period. The company’s quarterly net revenue grew to $84.5 million from $80.9 million. The company beat analysts’ forecasts of a loss of 21 cents a share.

National City Corp, (NCC: chart), banking services, reported that Q1 net income declined 5.2% to 74 cents a share, beating analyst estimate for a profit of 72 cents a share. The bank added that tax-equivalent net interest income advanced 2% to $1.18 billion, while provisions for credit losses dropped to $27 million from $70 million. Fees and other income dropped 18% to $644 million.

UnitedHealth Group, (UNH: chart), health-care-services provider, reported that Q1 net income went up 21% to 63 cents a share, from 55 cents in the year-ago period on 54% higher revenue, missing analyst estimate by a penny. Adjusted earnings were 68 cents vs. 55 cents.

D.R. Horton, (DHI: chart), homebuilder, reported that Q2 net income advanced 20% to $1.11 a share on 25% revenue growth. Homes closed rose 19% to 12,570. The company met analyst expectations.