The markets recovered earlier losses to close flat with the Dow rising 21 points to 12,418 despite lingering concerns about the European debt crisis as investors welcomed a rebound in November factory orders. Nasdaq eased a fraction to 2648.
On the upside
Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) subscribers streamed an impressive two billion plus hours of television shows and movies in the fourth quarter.
Liz Claiborne (NYSE: LIZ) will change its name to Fifth & Pacific as the clothing retailer reorganizes to focus on three premium global lifestyle brands.
Magnum Hunter Resources (NYSE: MHR) chairman and chief executive Gary C. Evans presented today at the Pritchard Capital Partners Energize 2012 Conference in San Francisco.
On the downside
MetroPCS (NYSE: PCS) will begin offering cellphones with the capability to receive live local television broadcasts but analysts questioned whether demand exists for such a service.
While Motley Fool said that Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) is not likely to file for bankruptcy in 2012, the company must pursue a path to profitability.
Edward Lampert's hedge fund ESL Investments lowered its stake in AutoNation (NYSE: AN) to 52.5% from 56.4%.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a slim margin on the NYSE and by nearly 5 to 3 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks fell 5 points to 747.