U.S. stocks tumbled Thursday as concerns about a subdued economic recovery played in the minds of investors.  Safer bets like dollar strengthened and oil prices slumped.  As investors turned to safe havens, Treasury prices rose, sending corresponding yields lower.  Yields on three-month bills, considered one of the safest bets, turned negative for the first time since December.  A Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgrade of semiconductor industry also added to the downward pressure.     

The spike in bond prices came even as the Treasury announced plans to auction a record $118 billion in new notes next week – an auction schedule of $44 billion 2-year notes on Monday, $42 billion 5-year notes Tuesday, and $32 billion 7-year notes on Wednesday.

The Dow, which had plunged as much as 170 points during the session, ended down 93.87 points, or 0.9%, to 10,332.44.  The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 14.90

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As U.S. Refiners Recover, This Company Aims to Jump to the Next Level

by Sheena Martin, Contributing Editor

Even as U.S gas prices climb, petroleum traders still have no interest in buying right now.

And why would they? The summer driving season is at an end. Consumers are still trying to save cash, especially with the holidays approaching. And inventories are still bearish.

Last week, the Department of Energy (DOE) said gasoline demand is at 8.844 million barrels per day – the lowest number since late January 2009. And with practically no demand, refiners are still running at only 80% capacity, on average.

So with refinery woes persisting, it might seem odd to devote attention to investments in the industry. However, that’s precisely why you should. A contrarian strategy often pays dividends – and the recent challenges have shaken out

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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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IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 18, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SectorWatch.biz announces the availability of a commentary of interest to investors in Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSE Amex:LEI) and other oil & gas-related equities making news and driving markets today. Investors can view our free commentaries at: www.SectorWatch.biz — in association with FiSpace.net, a dynamic social networking site for investors.

As crude oil prices hover below $79 per barrel, traders are trying to anticipate the strength of the global economic recovery and how much crude demand may grow during the next 12 months. Some analysts expect stronger demand and a weakening U.S. dollar will help push prices higher.

This bodes well for independent oil companies such as Lucas Energy, focused on maintaining lower operating expenses on its leases. By utilizing tight field and operating management controls and having a comprehensive understanding of the production characteristics of the Austin Chalk

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HOUSTON, Nov. 16, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lucas Energy, Inc. (NYSE Amex:LEI), an independent oil and gas company (the “Company”) based in Houston, Texas reports the financial results from operations for second quarter of fiscal year 2009-2010.

For the second quarter fiscal year 2009-2010, the Company reports:

Revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 were $414,218 as compared to $441,464 in the first fiscal quarter of year 2009-2010. Lower oil revenues in the current quarter were due primarily to lower oil sales (-20%) partially offset with higher prices realized from oil sales (+19%) in the second fiscal quarter. The reduction in oil sales was due to wells that were offline for workovers and chemical treatments in preparation for production increases as crude oil prices remain high EBITDA from oil and gas operations was $6,359 for the three months ended September 30, 2009, as compared to negative EBITDA totaling $(248,605) ...

Earlier this month, Aar Corp. (AIR) entered into a series of related transactions with Mesa Air Group, Inc. (MESA).   AAR and Mesa amended their parts supply and maintenance agreements for Mesa's CRJ-200 and ERJ-145 aircraft fleet to provide Mesa with increased flexibility to respond to demand fluctuations in the 50-seat aircraft market. In consideration for these amendments AAR will receive a cash payment from Mesa along with 15 million shares of Mesa's common stock. AAR will return to Mesa $6.1 million aggregate principal amount at maturity of Mesa's 2023 notes.   AAR does not expect to increase its stock ownership in Mesa, and may sell down its position from time to time as market conditions permit. AAR has generated approximately $30 million in annual sales supporting Mesa's CRJ-200 and ERJ-145 fleets.   Management believes that such agreements will further increase its cash flow from operations.  ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 16, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: JC Penney Company Inc. (JCP), Toyota (TM), Honda (HMC), EnCana (ECA) and Chesapeake (CHK).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

JC Penney Beats on Low Earnings

JC Penney Company Inc. (JCP), a leading retailer of apparel and footwear, accessories, fashion jewelry, beauty products and home furnishings, recently reported third-quarter 2009 results.

The quarterly earnings of 11 cents a share tumbled 80% from 55 cents posted in the prior-year quarter,

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Why are the prices of so many commodities rising in an economy that seems to remain quite weak?

% change butter35 coffee21.8 cocoa20.2 copper89.1 corn-8.3 cotton38.6 gold32.1 hogs2.7 oats13.4 oil63.2 lead81.9 palladium75.9 platinum61.7 silver59.1 steel-0.9 sugar73.6 tin22.5 wheat-26.6 zinc55.4 average37.4 euro12

The table at the right summarizes the percent change between January 6 and November 11 in the cash prices of 19 commodities reported in the Wall Street Journal (downloaded via Webstract). The average commodity in this list has appreciated 37% since the start of the year.

A recent paper by Ke Tang and Wei Xiong documents an increasing tendency for commodity prices to move together over the last few years. A decade ago, what happened to oil prices was largely unrelated to movements in most other commodity prices. The graphs below show how the correlations between oil prices and

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In September, the trade deficit expanded to $36.5 billion -- an increase of $5.7 billion or 18.5% over August. This was a much bigger increase than was expected, as consensus expectations were for a deficit of $31.8 billion. Since the trade deficit is a direct input into the GDP calculations, look for the next iteration of the third quarter GDP numbers to be revised down from the original read of 3.5% growth. The reason for the growth in the trade deficit is also a bit of a silver lining. It happened because imports rose by $9.3 billion to $168.4 billion, while exports rose by $3.7 billion. The increase in both imports and exports indicates that world trade -- which is very important to global growth -- is on the mend. A 5.8% monthly increase is unusual, but is probably a reflection of higher overall demand in the ...

The International Energy Agency increased its forecast for 2010 global oil demand as the pace of economic recovery in Asia and the Middle East quickens, but has apparently cautioned that rising oil prices could jeopardize the green shoots of recovery. President Medvedev called for an end to Russia's 'humiliating' dependence on commodities in yesterday's state of the nation speech, whilst it is rebounding oil prices that are palliating Russia's current economic problems. Gazprom plans to increase its investment program by 5% next year, to $27.94 billion. The heads of the Russian state giant and Naftogaz are to meet to discuss the Ukrainian company's parlous financial status and issues related to the November supply of gas. Russia will apparently produce next-generation nuclear reactors and new types of nuclear fuel by 2014. Gazprom has confirmed plans ...