Business
Eastern Air Defense Sector to Help Track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve
NORAD Tracks Santa is truly a global experience, delighting generations of families everywhere. The Santa tracking tradition started in 1955, when a Colorado Springs, Colorado Sears Roebuck & Co. NORAD had inherited the tradition from CONAD in 1958. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Mountain Såçtandard Time (MST) on Christmas Eve (Saturday, Dec. 24), children of all ages can watch Santa make preparations for his flight.
Business
Banks lead U.S. stocks higher as Dow inches closer to 20000
Scheduled economic data includes existing home sales for November, which likely dropped 1.0 percent to an annual rate of 5.5 million. That helped financial firms. Brent crude, the global standard, gave up 17 cents to $55.04 a barrel in London. CURRENCIES: The dollar slid to 116.96 yen from 118.01 yen. The euro fell to $1.0375 from $1.0404.
Business
Offices close for Christmas holiday
Some will be taking off additional days to allow their employees to spend extra time with their families for the holiday. Because Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Sunday, post offices will be closed Monday, Dec. 23-Monday, Dec. 26, for Christmas, and on January 2 for New Year's. Offices will be open and mail will be delivered as usual Friday. The Christmas and New Year's holidays will affect hours of operation for area businesses and organizations.
Business
Duke Realty Corp. (DRE) Upgraded at JPMorgan Chase & Co
Earlier the firm had a rating of Buy on the company shares. The 15 stock analysts who cover the stock have an average PT at $28.47, with individual targets in the range of $26 to $31. This represents a $1.98 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.44%. Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its stake in SL Green Realty Corp.by 2.3% in the second quarter.
Business
Existing home sales rise to their best level since the financial crisis
Existing homes in the United States sold at the fastest pace in almost 10 years in November, pointing to the sector's sustained strength, according to the monthly report released Wednesday. The median existing-home price for all housing types in November was $234,900, up 6.8% from $220,000 in November 2015. Existing home sales remain constrained by a persistent shortage of properties available for sale.
Business
Stock With Upside & Impressive Recent Growth: General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)
Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in Ford Motor by 7.8% in the second quarter. A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. will post $1.82 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 1st.