It was a mixed close for the markets with the Dow rising 32 points to 11,555 as European leaders continued to wrestle with a viable financial bailout plan. Nasdaq fell 11 points to 2515.
On the upside
Janney Capital Markets analyst Darren Bassman wrote that Home Depot's (NYSE: HD) transition to small do-it-yourself projects will improve profits.
Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) scored a successful Black Friday with exclusive deals and in-store offers.
A Seeking Alpha contributor wrote over the weekend that Dex One (Nasdaq: DEXO) was poised for a turnaround.
On the downside
RBC Capital Markets analyst Shibani Malhotra said that Hospira (NYSE: HSP) may experience extensive manufacturing problems.
Moody's Investors Service downgraded Ship Finance International's (NYSE: SFL) credit rating to B1.
Investors locked in profits on Avanir Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: AVNR).
In the broad market, declining issues edged out advancers by a slim margin on the NYSE while decliners outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 5 to 3 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks slipped a point to 696.
