*Housing shares drop after Toll Bros results. NEW YORK, Feb 20- U.S. stocks fell the most in three months and a key gauge of market volatility spiked on Wednesday after minutes from the U.S. When it says we may end it faster, that just raises the uncertainty, and the market hates that, "said Todd Schoenberger, managing partner at LandColt Capital in New York.
*First-quarter earnings $0.03/ share vs est $0.10. Feb 20- Toll Brothers Inc, the largest U.S. luxury homebuilder, closed fewer sales than analysts had expected in the first quarter and lagged a housing market recovery by missing Wall Street estimates on earnings, sending its shares down 7 percent.
*Housing shares drop after Toll Bros results. *Office Depot and OfficeMax confirm merger, Staples slumps. When it says we may end it faster, that just raises the uncertainty and the market hates that, "said Todd Schoenberger, managing partner at Landcolt Capital in New York.
*Housing shares drop after Toll Bros results. *Office Depot and OfficeMax confirm merger, Staples slumps. *Boeing rallies after Reuters report on battery issue.
*Office Depot, OfficeMax confirm merger. NEW YORK, Feb 20- U.S. stocks were little changed on Wednesday after housing and inflation data pointed to a continuation of modest economic improvement and ahead of the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's January meeting later in the session.
*Producer Prices rise for first time in four months. NEW YORK, Feb 20- U.S. stocks were poised for a flat open on Wednesday as data showed the economy continues to show modest improvement before the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's January meeting later in the session.
U.S. stock index futures briefly dipped Wednesday following a weaker-than-expected housing starts report, but rebounded into positive territory ahead of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting and a day after all three major averages closed at fresh multi-year highs,
NEW YORK, Feb 20- U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Wednesday, ahead of data on the housing market and inflation, as well as minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's January meeting. Housing starts and permits for January along with the January producer price index are due at 8:30 a.m..