MARKET ROUNDUP (Source Bloomberg)

U.S. Stocks Advance as Boehner Vows to Work With Obama; as House Speaker John Boehner said he expects to keep working on a budget plan with President Barack Obama. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6 percent to close at 1,443.69 today. The equity benchmark yesterday slipped from its highest level since Oct. 18 as a White House spokesman said Obama would veto a proposal presented by Boehner. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 59.75 points, or 0.5 percent, to 13,311.72. Stocks also advanced after third-quarter economic growth was revised higher. The 3.1 percent growth in gross domestic product exceeded the highest projection in a Bloomberg survey and compared with a previously estimated 2.7 percent gain, according to Commerce Department figures. The median estimate of economists called for a 2.8 percent advance.

European Stocks Close Little Changed at 19-Month High; as investors awaited developments in U.S. negotiations to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of automatic tax increases and spending cuts. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX added less than 0.1 percent, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 (UKX) declined less than 0.1 percent.

Crude Heads for Biggest Weekly Gain Since July on U.S. Economy; after better-than-projected economic growth in the U.S.,the world's biggest crude consumer. Crude for February delivery was at $90.05 a barrel, down 8 cents, in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 10:55 a.m. Sydney time. The contract rose 15 cents to $90.13 yesterday, the highest close since Oct. 18. Prices are up 3.8 percent this week.

Source: Jupiter Securities Research - 21 December 2012