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The war on terabytes-Policymakers worry about attacks on America’s financial system
December 31, 2011--THE financial industry has done such a good job of bringing itself to its knees over the past four years that it is easy to overlook the threats it faces from outside. High among them is electronic attack.
In 2010 Symantec, a cybersecurity firm, estimated that three-quarters of all “phishing” attacks, in which people are deceived into surrendering private details such as account numbers, are aimed at the finance sector. Bob Greifeld, the boss of NASDAQ, has described his bourse as being under “literally constant attack”.
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Source: The Economist
Dow Jones Industrial Average Closes Up 5.53% In 2011;Third Consecutive Year In Positive Territory
McDonald’s Stock, Up 30.71% in 2011, Tops All Dow Components
IBM, Pfizer, Home Depot, Kraft Foods Round Out Top 5
December 30, 2011 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 2011 with a gain of 5.53%, the third consecutive year that the bellwether index has finished in positive territory, according to data compiled by Dow Jones Indexes. Taken together – from the beginning of 2009’s trading through today’s final 2011 session — The Dow is up 39.21%.
Leading all 30 Dow components in 2011 was McDonald’s Corp. whose stock rose 30.71%; shares of the world’s largest fast-food chain have now finished up in 28 of the last 32 years.
IBM Corp. (up 25.29%) and Pfizer Inc. (23.59%) closed 2011 as The Dow’s second- and third-leading performers, respectively. McDonald’s, IBM and Pfizer were the only Dow components to gain more than 20% in 2011. Home Depot Inc. (up 19.91%) and Kraft Foods Inc. (class A shares, up 18.57%) rounded out The Dow’s top five 2011 performers.
Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s and Home Depot, based in Atlanta, are the only DJIA components to repeat their Top Five showings from 2010, when they finished third and fourth with gains of 22.93% and 21.19%, respectively, from 2009’s close.
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Source: Dow Jones Indexes
Dow Jones Utility Average Ends 2011 Up 14.74% For Its Best Annual Performance In Four Years
NiSource Tops All DJUA Component Stocks,
Ending 2011 with 35.13% Increase
13 of the 15 Component Stocks Finish the Year with Gains
December 30, 2011--The Dow Jones Utility Average closed up 14.74% in 2011, with 13 of its 15 component stocks finishing with gains to give the DJUA its best yearly performance since 2007.
Shares of NiSource Inc. led all DJUA stocks, closing 2011 with an increase of 35.13%. Williams Cos. (up 33.58%), CenterPoint Energy Inc. (27.80%), Consolidated Edison Inc. (25.14%) and Dominion Resources Inc. (24.25%) rounded out the top five performers.
Merrillville, Ind.-based NiSource, Williams of Tulsa, Okla.; and Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources are the only DJUA components to repeat their Top Five showings from 2010 when Williams finished first, NiSource third and Dominion Resources fifth.
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Source: Dow Jones Indexes
Columbia Management Investment
December 29, 2011--Columbia Management Investment has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the Columbia Concentrated Large Cap Value Strategy Fund (GVT).
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Source: SEC.gov
Van Eck files with the SEC
December 30, 2011--Van Eck has filed a application for exemptive relief with the SEC.
view filing
Source: SEC.gov
SEC To Weigh Exchanges' Volatility-Control Plans
December 30, 2011--The Securities and Exchange Commission intends to take a closer look at two separate plans by U.S. stock-exchange operators--designed to prevent another "flash crash"--to ensure that the measures don't create new problems, according to regulators.
The SEC will consider jointly a proposal for a new system of price limits, intended to soften rapid swings in the price of individual securities, alongside a separate effort to tighten market-wide halts that freeze ...
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Source: Wall Street Journal
CFTC Commitments of Traders Reports Update
December 30, 2011--The current reports for the week of December 27, 2011 are now available.
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Source: CFTC.gov
PowerShares files with the SEC
December 30, 2011--PowerShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the PowerShares S&P International Developed High Beta Portfolio
(IDHB)
PowerShares S&P Emerging Markets High Beta Portfolio (EEHB)
view filing
Source: SEC.gov
PowerShares files with the SEC
December 30, 2011--PowerShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the
PowerShares S&P International Developed Low Volatility Portfolio (IDLV)
PowerShares S&P Emerging Markets Low Volatility Portfolio
(EELV)
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Source: SEC.gov
SSgA & PowerShares Clash Over KBW Products
December 30, 2011--On Oct. 24, State Street Global Advisors changed the indexes on five of its ETFs from benchmarks provided by KBW to a quintet from Standard & Poor’s in a shift that belied a bit of intrigue involving Invesco PowerShares.
Indeed, four of the KBW indexes SSgA dropped were adopted by four new ETFs PowerShares rolled out Nov. 1. One industry source told IndexUniverse that SSgA sped up the transition to the new indexes before the launch date of the PowerShares funds—a move PowerShares hoped to block, possibly with legal action.
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Source: IndexUniverse