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Friday's jobs report is the last major piece of economic data the Federal Reserve will have to work with before the central bank decides whether or not to pull back on its massive bond-buying program. That program has kept interest rates abnormally low. While most investors believe the Fed will begin to pull back, the question has become when and how much. "Even if the August employment figures were weaker than expected, we think the odds would likely still favor a September (pullback), just of a smaller magnitude," economists with the investment bank RBS wrote in a note to clients. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged up to 2.89 percent from 2.86 percent late Tuesday. The price of crude oil fell $1.31, or 1 percent, to close at $107.23 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gold fell $22, or 2 percent, to $1,390 an ounce. Among other stocks making big moves: Dollar General jumped $2.51, or 5 percent, to $56.39 after the discount store chain reported profits that narrowly beat Wall Street analysts' estimates. In contrast to some of its competitors, Dollar General said sales at stores open more than a year climbed. Francesca's Holdings, which operates the francesca's line of retail stores, plunged after reporting results that fell short of Wall Street's estimates. The company cut its forecast for full-year earnings, citing poor customer traffic. Its stock sank $6.23, or 26 percent, to $17.79. Ciena surged $2.86, or 14 percent, to $23.54. The developer of high-speed networking technology reported adjusted earnings that were far higher than Wall Street analysts expected, a result of higher revenue and lower costs.
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