Wednesday Closing Bell: Markets Close Higher as Shop-ageddon Nears

November 27, 2013: U.S. equity markets opened higher again Wednesday morning following a better-than-expected report on new claims for jobless benefits and a slightly worse-than-expected report on durable goods orders. Consumer sentiment rose more than expected in November. Crude oil prices settled at a six-month low after the EIA reported a tenth consecutive rise in crude supplies.

European and Latin American markets closed higher today, while Asian markets closed mixed

U.S. markets are closed tomorrow in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. The NYSE and the NASDAQ will also close at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.

Friday’s calendar includes the following scheduled data releases and events (all times Eastern):

• 4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Here are the closing bell levels for Wednesday:

• S&P500 1807.23 (+4.48; +0.25%)
• DJIA 16097.33 (+24.53; +0.15%)
• NASDAQ 4077.75 (+24.00; +0.67%)
• 10YR TNOTE 2.739% (-0.21875)
• Gold $1,237.90 (-3.60; -0.3%)
• WTI Crude oil $92.30 (-1.38; -1.5%)
• Euro/Dollar: 1.3573 (unchanged)

Big Earnings Movers: Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) is up 9.1% at $27.37 after beating on both the top and bottom lines last night. 58.com (NYSE: WUBA) is down 10% at $33.56. Frontline Ltd. (NYSE: FRO) is up 16.6% at $2.74.

Stocks on the Move: Aetrium Inc. (NASDAQ: ATRM) is up 156.2% at $12.40 following a positive report based on a recent management change and new products. Mediabistro Inc. (NASDAQ: MBIS) is down 17.4% at $3.41 as the stock gives back some of the 87% gain it scored yesterday. J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) is up 7.7% at $10.08 on momentum from an insider stock purchase earlier this week.

In all, 179 NYSE stocks put up new 52-week highs today, while 34 stocks posted new lows.