stocks Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc

  • National Semiconductor posted a lower quarterly profit on Thursday, but the maker of power management and other chips said inventory concerns appeared to be behind it, and its shares rose.

  • Stocks inched their way to a positive close after a sharp reversal in oil eased selling pressure and a late buying spree broke out in internet stocks.

  • With an hour left in trading, the markets were up. A strong U.S. jobs report today counterbalanced less then stellar consumer sentiment. CNBC’s Mary Thompson reported from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, saying that both Citigroup and McDonald’s were among the winners today. Mickey D’s hit a seven-year high on strong November sales.

  • National Semiconductor  posted a lower quarterly profit on Thursday as high inventories among customers hit sales at the maker of power management and analog microchips.