5:00PM NY; 11:00PM Frankfurt; 3:30AM Mumbai - GLOBAL MARKETS
Large cap averages S&P 500 and Dow Jones rose on news of buyback from 3M, possible bid for Alcoa and broker comments on GM pension fund.

Yield on 10-year bond closed at 4.815% and the 30-year bond closed at 4.901%.

Gold advanced $1.500 to close at $668.800 a troy ounce, silver gained 20 cents to end at $13.915 a troy ounce and copper declined $110 to close at $5,438 per metric ton.

Oil gained $1.110 to close at $58.920 a barrel and heating oil increased 4.340 cents to finish at 168.880 cents a gallon. Natural gas advanced 18.3 cents to close at $7.409 per MMBtu. Gasoline went up 5.090 cents to end at 160.360 cents a gallon.

Asian markets closed mixed as Japanese shares hit their highest level in more than six years, but Hong Kong stocks fell sharply on investor concerns over possible fund outflows before the Lunar New Year. The decliners were led Hong Kong with a loss of 2.2%, Thailand with a decrease of 0.7% and India with a loss of 0.70%. The advancers were led by Japan with a gain of 0.70% and South Korea with an advance of 0.30%. Australia gained 0.20% as investors remain focused on earnings and merger-and-acquisition activity.

European markets finished higher on Tuesday as gains from car makers, airlines and miners offset a drop from U.K. property firms and earnings-related declines from drug maker Sanofi-Aventis and Swiss bank UBS. The advancers were led by France with a gain of 0.70%, Belgium with an advance of 0.60% and Netherlands with an increase of 0.60%. The only decliner was Switzerland with a decrease of 0.23%.

Latin America markets ended higher led by Brazil with a gain 2.86%, Mexico with an increase of 0.87% and Argentina with an advance of 0.72%. There were no decliners. Canada gained 0.72% as the energy, materials and financial services groups were all posting strong gains.

2:30PM NY, U.S. Market Movers
Applebee''s International Inc. (APPB: chart) shares climbed 10.2% after a Morgan Keegan analyst upgraded the stock amid a flurry of activist shareholder activity in the casual dining sector. The company said it was considering its strategic options and may even sell itself. The announcement followed months of urging by activist shareholder Breeden Capital Management Partners for Applebee''s to change its business practices and deliver more money back to shareholders.

Ceridian Corp. (CEN: chart) rose 8% after the human resources and data processing company said that it is exploring strategic alternatives. Ceridian posted fourth-quarter earnings of $49.6 million, or 35 cents per share, on revenue of $404 million compared with the year-earlier period, the company earned $46.7 million, or 32 cents per share, on revenue on $379.5 million. Shares were trading up $2.48 to $33.20.

Cynosure Inc. (CYNO: chart), maker of minimally invasive cosmetic surgery systems, reported a fourth-quarter net profit of $1.53 million, or 13 cents per share, down from $2.53 million, or 29 cents per share, last year. Excluding certain items, Cynosure posted earnings of $2.51 million, or 21 cents per share, compared with $1.09 million, or 12 cents per share, last year. Revenue climbed to $24.6 million compared to $16.1 million in the same period a year earlier. Shares were up 10%.

First Advantage Corp. (FADV: chart), provides risk mitigation and business solutions, shares gained 16% after the company said that its fourth-quarter net earnings increased to $18.2 million, or 31 cents per share, compared with $16.2 million, or 29 cents per share, last year. Revenue climbed to $206.1 million from $170.1 million a year ago.

Himax Technologies (HIMX: chart) was higher on mounting fourth-quarter profits. Income came to $29.4 million, or 15 cents per share, compared with $17 million, or 9 cents per share, a year ago. The company said revenue rose 26% to $220.9 million from $177.3 million a year ago. The company expects first-quarter earnings of 8 cents to 9 cents per share and revenue to decline about 16% to 18%. Shares climbed 13.3%.

Priceline.com Inc. (PCLN: chart) jumped after the discount travel Web site doubled its fourth-quarter income and hurtled past fourth-quarter Wall Street estimates. Earnings came to $22.4 million, excluding several items, or 58 cents per share, compared with $11.4 million, or 28 cents per share, a year ago. Sales were up 27.5% year over year to $260.1 million, topping projections by 24.1 million. Shares gained $2.77, or 11.6%, to $48.70.

Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd. (SNDA: chart) jumped 9% after the online gaming concern posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter results. The company earned $30.8 million, or 42 cents per American depository share, on revenue of $60.3 million. Excluding items, the company earned $22.2 million, or 30 cents a share. Analysts anticipated earnings of 23 cents a share, before items, on revenue of $57.8 million. A year earlier, Shanda recorded a loss of $66.8 million, or 90 cents a share, on revenue of $44.7 million. Shares were up 9.6%.

En Pointe Technologies Inc. (ENPT: chart) shares fell 27.5%, after the information technology product provider posted fiscal first-quarter results that disappointed investors. The company earned $272,000, or 4 cents per share, versus a net loss of $997,000, or 14 cents per share, during the same period a year earlier. Revenue fell 4% to $75.6 million from $78.7 million. En Pointe saw product sales decline 6.4% to $63 million, while service revenue rose 11% to $12.7 million.

Interactive Intelligence Inc. (ININ: chart), business communications software maker, said that its fourth-quarter net earnings fell to $1.56 million, or 8 cents per share, compared with $1.77 million, or 10 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue climbed to $23.9 million versus $17.5 million in the same period a year earlier. Shares fell 18.6%.

Knot Inc. (KNOT: chart), publisher of wedding-related content, said that its fourth-quarter net profit increased to $14.6 million, or 45 cents per share, compared with $1.48 million, or 6 cents per share, last year. The results for the fourth quarter of 2006 included a non-cash income tax benefit and a gain from the settlement of a legal action. Revenue jumped to $21.7 million versus $12.8 million in the same period a year earlier. Shares fell 12.1%.

Liquidity Services Inc. (LQDT: chart) said it plans to offer nearly 5.6 million shares in a secondary public offering. The Washington-based company said it would issue and sell 100,000 shares itself. Shareholders that the company did not identify will sell the remaining shares. The company has 27.6 million shares outstanding, according to Thomson Financial. Shares of Liquidity Services were down 13%.

R&G Financial Corp. (RGF: chart) said it would file its 2005 results after the April 3 deadline set by the New York Stock Exchange, but expects to file its restated 2004 results in the first quarter of 2007. Shares were down 24%.

1:00PM European markets closed higher, lifted by miners, car makers and airlines.
European stocks finished Tuesday session in the positive, boosted by gains from carmakers, airlines and miners which were strong enough to offset a drop from U.K. property firms, drug maker Sanofi-Aventis, and Swiss bank UBS. Speculation in the mining sector that BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are considering a bid for U.S. aluminum producer Alcoa lifted the mining sector. Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton gained about 2.2% each. Among carmakers, Porsche rallied 4%, and among airlines Ryanair Holdings gained 2.9% after it was approved for admission to the Nasdaq 100 index. On the side of the losers, shares of French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis lost 1.5% after the company reported a 5% decrease in Q4 net income. Property stocks were also lower. British Land shares fell 3.6%, Land Securities dipped 1.3% and Liberty International lost 2.7%. UBS shares lost 1.7% after the banking giant reported a 47% drop in Q4 profit. The French CAC-40 advanced 0.7% at 5,682.69, the U.K.''s FTSE 100 rose 0.5% at 6,381.80, and the German DAX 30 added 0.5% at 6,895.34.