SABA Software, provider of human capital management solutions, reported 4Q loss of 2cents per share on a GAAP basis compared with a loss of 16 cents per share This-year fourth quarter results include the effects of the THINQ acquisition.

United Financial Mortgage posted 4Q profit jump of 24 cents a share vs. 17 cents a year earlier.

Verity, enterprise search software provider, reported 4Q net earnings breakeven on a per-share basis compared with 4 cents last year missing estimates of 5 cents a share.

Viisage, identity technology company, posted 1Q net loss of 3 cents per share vs. 5 cents for the last-year same period on higher revenue.


OIL, METALS AND CURRENCIES

Traders and speculation driven short covering prompted broad rally in energy futures. Heating oil futures reached all-time for $1.735 per gallon as futures for oil and gasoline climbed on worries of hurricane possibilities over the week-end. Oil for the week is still down 3% for the week from it’s all-time peak at $60.54 per barrel.

At close in NY Gold futures dropped $8.30 an ounce ahead of the long holiday weekend in the U.S and next week’s meeting of G8 in Scotland and futures for silver dropped 17.7 cents and copper dropped 1.7 cents. The euro was lower against the dollar at $1.196 to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar after U.S. manufacturing report.



INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

The Brazilian government reported that June trade surplus widened to $4.03 billion from $3.45 billion in May. The country is set to reach total export of $112 billion for the current year. Brazilian currency Real has jumped 14% since the begging of the year against dollar and 50% since President Lula took the office.

German drug maker Atlanta lost 13% after ending collaboration with Pfizer which announced that it is dropping the development of a HIV- treating drug and another one treating smoker’s lung and asthma as they failed to show significant advantages over standard strategies.

European markets gained as automotive shares rose and markets shrugged off concerns that the U.S. Fed Reserve may continue increasing interest rates. Germany’s DAX 30 rose 0.67%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.93%, and London’s FTSE 100 added 0.9%.

Asian benchmarks ended mixed after the Federal Reserve announced another increase in a key interest rate and U.S stocks tumbled. In Japan shares closed up erasing early losses on upbeat assessment of business environment. The Nikkei added 0.4%, South Korea’s Kospi climbed almost 1%, but Singapore’s Straits Times shed 0.1%. In late Tokyo trading the dollar quoted at 108.31 yen.