U.S. stocks closed modestly lower Wednesday, after paring deeper losses, as weak housing data and grim outlook from tech companies fuelled worries about the economy.  Stocks struggled to stay near the 13-month high reached the prior session as jittery investors decided to book profits.  Gold prices rose for the fourth straight session.

The Dow, which had slid as much as 77 points in the morning trading, closed down 11.11 points, or 0.1%, to 10,426.31.  The broader S&P 500 index slipped 0.52, or 0.1%, to 1,109.80, while the Nasdaq, hurt by the weakness in tech shares, fell 10.64, or 0.5%, to 2,193.14.  Bond prices fell, pushing yields higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.37% from 3.33% late Tuesday.  Crude prices advanced 44 cents to settle at $79.58 per barrel.  Volume remained light, with only 1.063 billion shares trading on the NYSE, and declining issues ahead

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Stocks are lower as an unexpected drop in home construction raised concerns about the pace of the economy’s recovery

The Commerce Department said construction of homes and apartments fell 10.6 percent in October to an annual rate of 529,000, well below the pace of 600,000 that economists polled by Thomson Reuters had predicted.

Building permits, a key indication for future activity, slid 4 percent to an annual rate of 552,000, also below the rate of 580,000 that analysts had forecast.

There was little reaction to a report that found inflation at the retail level remained tame as rising unemployment, nervous consumers and tight credit keep prices stable.

The Labor Department said consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in October, slightly above the 0.2 percent economists expected. Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, rose 0.2 percent, compared to expectations of a 0.1 percent rise.

A report released Tuesday on prices at the wholesale

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U.S. stocks closed higher for the second consecutive day, helped by strength in shares of commodity-related companies even as major retailers said they remain cautious ahead of the holiday season.  At the end of a session that lacked conviction, major stock indexes managed to reach their fresh 13-month highs.  A smaller-than-anticipated rise in industrial production also weighed on sentiments.

Waning risk appetites sent gold prices up 20 cents to a fresh all-time high of $1,139.40.  Treasuries rose, pushing corresponding yields lower.  The yield on the benchmark 10-year note slipped to 3.33% from 3.34% late Monday.  Crude prices closed above $79 per barrel.  Copper prices rose to 14-months highs on expectations that China demand will remain robust.

A perpetual decline in the value of the dollar and record low interest rates in the US have driven stocks higher as investors, seeking higher return on their investments, have sought refuge in

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Lucas Energy, Inc. is a Houston, Texas based independent oil and gas company focused on identifying, evaluating and acquiring leasehold property interests, primarily in the Austin Chalk formation of the middle Gulf Coast of Texas, that are underperforming or have been shut-in or plugged and abandoned.

Once acquired, the company revitalizes the properties by undertaking extensive re-entry and work-over procedures. These procedures include clean-up, repairs and treatments of the existing well bores and lateral extensions, as well as drilling new laterals into previously non-producing areas of the formation.

By making tight field and operating management controls a priority, together with having a comprehensive understanding of the production characteristics of the Austin Chalk, Lucas Energy believes that it can increase reserves, improve production and maximize cash flow while avoiding most of the high risks of typical exploration projects.

Let us hear your thoughts: Lucas Energy, Inc. Message Board

If you are interested in oil and gas investing there are three primary ways you can go about starting your investment. These ways include investing in companies, mutual funds, and commodities. You can make a lot of money in this industry if you are smart about your investments.

Investors consider gas investments to be safe. This is because there are so many ways that someone can invest their money in the industry. You are not limited to only buying stock in a business but there are so many other ways to invest too. It is easy to diversify your portfolio of investments with only oil and gas in the many different ways you can invest.

The primary way to take advantage of oil investments is through company stock. If you find a drilling company that you want to invest in because you believe they will strike oil some time soon you can …

When you look at oil and gas investing there are many ways you can look at the market and the potential investment. You should do plenty of research so you know you are making a good decision with your money. Here are 6 things you can look at to be sure you are about to make a good decision or you should back out.

1. The company. If you are looking into investing in a particular company you must look at everything about them. Check out the history of the company, the executives and board members, and the description of the business. It is also important when researching a business for oil investments to check out the locations and subsidiaries.

2. If recent mergers and acquisitions have occurred you need to research both of the businesses that have combined. Find out about all equity, ventures, and everything about the businesses involved.

3. Research …

Flowserve Corporation (FLS) announced third quarter 2009 fully diluted EPS of $2.07, up 3 cents or 1%, including realignment charges of 5 cents per share. This was higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.00 per share.  Bookings for the quarter were $975 million, down 29%, or 26% excluding negative currency effects of $37 million. Sales for the quarter were $1.05 billion, down 9%, or 5% excluding negative currency effects of $47 million.  Gross margin increased 150 basis points to 36.6%, including realignment charges of 20 basis points. Flowserve also posted a quarterly operating margin of 15.3%, including charges totaling 110 basis points. Backlog, which represents unexecuted orders, was $2.66 billion, including positive currency effects of $90 million, when compared to $2.83 billion of backlog at Dec 31, 2008.  In the pump division, bookings of original equipment decreased approximately 60%, which represents most of the ...

Nov. 9, 2009 (Business Wire) — TBC Global News Network, Inc. (OTCBB: TGLN) – www.tbctoday.com, announced today that a new audio interview with William A. Sawyer, President and CEO of Lucas Energy, Inc. (Amex: LEI), an independent oil and gas company based in Houston, TX, will be available tonight at 6pm ET. The interview can be heard at http://www.tbctoday.com.

About Lucas Energy, Inc.

Lucas Energy, Inc. is a Houston, Texas based independent oil and gas company that identifies, evaluates and acquires leasehold property interests, primarily in the Austin Chalk formation of the middle Gulf Coast of Texas, that are underperforming or have been shut-in or plugged and abandoned. These properties are then revitalized by undertaking extensive re-entry and work-over procedures, including clean-up, repairs and treatments of the existing well bores and lateral extensions, as well as drilling new laterals into previously non-producing areas of the formation. By utilizing

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Companies featured in this edition of the newsletter: ACTC, CHIP, CVM, DKAM, ENZ, IWEB, MBCI, MFGD, PHC

Markets rebounded last week, on the strength of upbeat productivity and manufacturing reports that led to solid gains in all of the major indices. Despite news that the unemployment rate had hit its highest levels in 25 years, the Dow managed to end the week up 310 points, gaining 3.2% on the week to close at 10,023, up 14.2% on the year. The Nasdaq posted a gain of 3.3%, closing at 2112 and extending its yearly gains to 34%, while the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 advanced 3.2% and 3.1% respectively on the week to bring their YTD performance to 18.4% and 16.2%.

Several better than expected economic reports provided buying incentive throughout much of the week, as investors managed to shake off the previous week’s negative bias to send indices into positive territory

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 6, 2009 – Zacks.com releases the latest Zacks Industry Rank. Stocks featured in this week’s analysis include B.P. Prudhoe Bay (BPT), Sabine Royalty Trust (SBR), Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Hershey (HSY) and Del Monte (DLM).

Zacks Industry Rank Analysis is written by Dirk Van Dijk, CFA, Chief Equity Strategist for Zacks.com.   This week: Out-of-Step Industries

Sometimes the best investments come from a small group that seems to be bucking the trend of the much larger group that they are a part of. That appears to be the case for the Oil Royalty Trust group. There are eight names in this group, all of which sport Zacks #2 rankings. That puts them in a tie for 4th place among all industries tracked. Meanwhile, the Energy sector is well down the list overall sector rank list.

With royalty trusts, you get high dividends

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