STOCKS NEWS US-Fifth Third upgraded to "outperform" at Baird

Stocks on the move Real-time Equity news U.S. stock market report 0642 ET 29Oct2009-Fifth Third upgraded to "outperform" at Baird ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Robert W. Baird on Thursday upgraded Fifth Third Bancorp to "outperform" from "neutral," saying recent share weakness in the stock created an attractive entry point. The firm added that while the company's results would likely be mixed in the near term, it had adequate capital and reserves to make it through the cycle. Baird raised its target on Fifth Third by $1 to $11. For details, see Shares of Fifth Third closed Wednesday at $8.84. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0639 ET 29Oct2009-Newmont Q3 profit doubles on gold sales ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Newmont Mining Corp on Thursday reported third-quarter earnings that doubled from the prior year and beat expectations, helped by higher gold prices and sales. Revenue at the mining firm rose 50 percent to $2.05 billion year-over-year. For details, see Shares of Newmont closed Wednesday at $41.50. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0636 ET 29Oct2009-Aetna Q3 earnings top expectations, gives outlook ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aetna Inc on Thursday reported an adjusted third-quarter profit that beat expectations, along with higher-than-expected medical trends in the quarter. Despite that, the health insurance company also projected that its full-year earnings would come in at the low end of its previous view. For details, see Shares of Aetna closed Wednesday at $25.32. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0632 ET 29Oct2009-Futures up ahead of GDP data ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ U.S. stock index futures were up on Thursday, following a sharp sell-off in Wednesday's session and ahead of key GDP figures. Investors are also watching the ongoing corporate earnings season for clues into the strength of the economy. For details, see Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 32 points while S&P 500 futures gained 4 points and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 3.75 points. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0629 ET 29Oct2009-IATA: air travel, freight improving but fragile ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The International Air Transport Association on Thursday said that airline passenger demand rose slightly in September, though freight demand continued to fall. IATA data showed passenger demand was 0.3 percent higher in September than a year earlier, while freight demand fell 5.4 percent. But the year-on-year increase in passenger demand reflected a particularly weak September 2008, it said. "It is far too early to call this a recovery. The worst may be over in terms of the fall in demand, but (average fare) yields continue to be a disaster, and costs are rising," IATA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani said. For details, see Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0626 ET 29Oct2009-Economic indicators for Oct. 29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Economic indicators on tap for Thursday include weekly jobless claims data, third-quarter PCE data, the advanced reading on the third-quarter GDP and Kansas City Fed manufacturing data for October. For details, see Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0622 ET 29Oct2009-Earnings diary for Oct. 29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Companies scheduled to report quarterly results on Thursday include Procter & Gamble, Aetna, Colgate-Palmolive, Kellogg Co, Motorola and Sprint Nextel Corp, among others. For details, see Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] Keywords: MARKETS STOCKSNEWS COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.

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