for "nightly business report," i'm hampton pierson in washington. >>> on wall street, investors were encouraged by that blowout jobs report sending stocks higher and pushing the dow and s&p to new records. the dow rose 58 points and is moving closer to the 18,000 mark. up 11 and s&p added 3 points. today closes the book for the dow and the s&p for this past week, most of the major averages were higher with the blue chip dow leading the pack up three quarters of 1%. oil prices dropped once again. west texas crude down nearly a dollar a barrel at $65.84. the lowest price since 2009. benchmark crude also fell to $70.15, five year low. >> rebecca patterson with the jobs report. chief officer at bessemer trust. we get to the job report but something we have not mentioned just yet. the fact that the dollar hasn't been this strong in eight years. dollar index, 8 year high. the yen, 2.5 year high against the euro. what do you think about that and does it worry you at all? >> it doesn't worry me yet. right now, i think the dollar is a good thing. it's hard to believe this, but just in 2011, t

for "nightly business report," i'm hampton pierson, in washington. >>> now that qe3 is over, the big questions, why did the fed launch that third round of asset buying? and did the central bank's historic spending really work? steve liesman takes a look. >> the fed's decision to end the third round of quantative easing raises one question, did it work. did the $1.6 trillion of bond purchases in the fed's two years achieve the fed's goal of helping the u.s. economy, pumping up inflation and lowering the unemployment rate. there is two ways to look at it. you can start with the u.s. data. since qe 3 has launched, growth rate has been at an unremarkable rate, about a half a point. job growth went to 245,000 now. and the unemployment rate fell by about two points. the stock market surged. but another way to find out if qe worked in the u.s. is to look at europe. over the same time the u.s. bought hundreds of billions of dollars of bonds, the rate climbed by two million euros, now, the fed is fretting over economies that are near inflation. >> history has told us the central banks who tig

i'm hampton pierson at the u.s. supreme court. >>> the market focus for two well-known companies. ibm and met life increasing dividends. ibm up 18% to $1.30 a share and met life hiked their dividend to 38 cents a share and both-year-olds around 3%. shares of ibm up 2% to $173.92 and met life closing at $50.86. >>> ford missed estimates on the top and bottom lines. the carmaker sold fewer vehicles in north america as they work to increase production of the f-150 truck. they mained the full year profit forecast and the shares rose to $16.06. >>> it was tough for shares of coach. the clothing and accessory maker dropped 15% as they were hurt by a stronger dollar and increased competition from other retailers like michael coors and kate spade. the stock down 16% to 39.50i6 dollars. >>> whirlpool fell lowering the profit and sale forecast for 2015 and said latin american sales will weigh because of brazil's stagnating economy. shares of whirl poll off 7% to $183.70. >>> this earnings week for big oil. started this morning with results from bp which came in better than experted and thos

bill, back to you. >> hamilton pierson in washington. thanks very much. >>> so what does thisan decisio or future mergers? joining us tonight is erik gordon from the ross school of siness. good to see you again. welcome back. >> hello, bill. >> it is widely believed this kind of a decision could bring on other mergers to get past regulator. do you buy that notion or not? >> you know, i thinkt will make it somewhat easier but i think it is easy to overstate the effect of this case. the judge didn't say something like we should have more media or vertical rgers, he sa in this case the government failed prove what it had to prove. interestingly the judge didn't even say because he didn't need to well this is a case which the government could have won or copt -- or could not have one but all i he said the government failed to convince him. so you don't want to overstate it. but clearly i think we will see more merger attempts. because if the case had gone the other way, it might hav slapped the door on mergers. >> and a vertical merger is wh

hampton pierson was there and has more on what it all means. >> for the second time in recent years, a ruling on obama care filled the supreme court plaza with demonstrators. this time the clash was over birth control versus religious freedom. today the court ruled closely held companies have a religious right to opt out of the general health care law requirement that companies provide contraceptive coverage for employees. the owners of oklahoma retail giant hobby lobby with 600 stores and 13,000 employees took the lead on behalf of 50 for profit corporation seeking a religious base exemption from the health care law. even the attorney believes this is a narrow ruling. >> we think today's decision was very careful. the majority was careful to say this would not decide other kinds of cases, other kinds of options that employers might have. and they were right to keep the focus where it belongs which is on the green family and their religious freedom. >> at the white house, a pledge from the administration to begin looking for alternatives. >> they will, of course, respect the supreme

at reagan national airport, i'm hampton pierson for "nightly business report." >> flying may be more difficult these days but there's good news for drivers. prices at the pump are down $.11 a gallon over the last two weeks and could fall by another.20 as we get closer to memorand e err memorial day. >>> leading sectors were energy and technology, ahead of the after the bell earnings. the dow ended the day 19 points higher and the s&p 500 added 7. the price of gold rebounded today, surging nearly $26 to $1,421 announced. but last week as the price of gold was falling, investors pulled $2.7 billion out of gold exchanged traded funds. most of the money was invested in international stock. >> turning to market focus. texas instruments reported the profits were higher than last quarter. shares gained 1.5% at the dloes and were up on the earnings news after the bell. >>> microsoft was the bigger dow gainer today and an activist hedge fund is taking a $2 billion stake in that company. they are bidding up microsoft up more than 3.5%. >> haliburton was the top performer and they are close to

cheg bought for 30 million and pierson snapped up one and gram holdings is pushing more of the test prep tutoring business online. meanwhile, startups from varsity tutors tech platforms for finding in person tutors to revolutions online offerings are growing fast by offering the power of a personal connection. >> one to two hours per week of private tutoring on top of that can make a dramatic difference if a student being a 3.0 student to 4.0 student. it's a great roi. >> reporter: investors see the potential for technology to disrupt education. they poured over $420 million into 53 education startups in the first half of the year on track to set a record for the second tore. i'm julia boorstin. >>> a lot of those students may look to get a tablet this school year and lots to choose from. that's why idc cut in half the outlook on global tablet sales growth this year to 6.5% siting soft demand in europe and here in the u.s. >>> apple is reportedly working on a system that could change the way you pay for everything from coffee to shoes and that's where we begin tonight's market focus. the

hamton pierson has more. >> reporter: the supreme court is open in spite of the government shutdown, six cases on the calendar, mccutchin versus the federal election commission is at issue. the limit is over $123,000 in a two-year federal cycle. if the challenger wins, individuals could contribute millions. meanwhile, the robert's court could venture into uncharted territory, when the justices take up the issue of resources. a lower court said president obama went too far when he named members of the national labor resolutions board,Ñi a and installed richard cordray back in 2012. >> the practical effect is that the court has the opportunity to decide what the recess actually is, is it any break -- during a session of congress or is it only breaks that are between the enumerated sessions of congress, which are typically in december, january of each year. >> the power of the environmental protection agency to make rules governing greenhouse gas emission is on the radar screen. two cases focusing on pollution across state lines are on the december calendar. meanwhile, billions are at s

hampton pierson explains. >> reporter: 9 million motorists have some form of voice activated technology in their vehicles and that number could increase seven-fold in the next five years but a new study from aaa says taking the mind of the driver off the road can be as risky as talking or texting on the phone. >> these are making people less able to operate or drive as safely as they would otherwise. >> reporter: a team of researchers at university of utah wired up subjects and took them out on the road in a vehicle equipped with voice activated technology for multi taskings behind the wheel. with eyes on the road and hands free, driver reaction time and ability to process information was impaired. >> as we increase the mental demands on a driver while they are driving down the road, their ability to operate the motor vehicle safely is less. >> reporter: officials are disputing that study. a statement for the alliance of automobile manufacturers says we're concerned about any study that suggests that held held phones are comparable to the hands-free systems we're putting in our vehicles

hampton pierson has more. >> reporter: while millions americans will have health insurance for the first times, claims costs will go up, mainly because more of the newly covered will be sick people who tend to use more insurance. and when insurance pays more, premiums go up. >> we know that they track the cost of medical care. as the costs increase, premiums go up. as a result of the health care reform law, there's new taxes and benefits being added to policies. >> reporter: the obama white house is widely criticizing an insurance funded study. saying it does not give a full picture of the taxpayer benefits that are built into the affordable care act. the reason it was put in place was to ensure that we were expanding access to health care for every american. but because we wanted to protect consumers who were victimized by insurance companies. >> reporter: the spotlight of the premium costs will heat up next month, that is when the proposed rate plans will be filed with the state. ahead of the big push this fall to sign up millions americans without health insurance. >> joining us now t

for nightly business report, i'm hampton pierson, in washington. >>> and there are others that could be hit hard by the shutdown because they depend on it so crucially for their sales, take lockheed martin, and ratheon, and general dynamics, and life sciences, as are providers of care like molina and well care, which rely heavily on government contracts. >> so joining us now to talk more about what a possible government shutdown could mean for the markets and how you should protect your investments, the chief investment strategist. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> how do you approach this possible government shutdown? do you, as an individual investor change your investment mix and how damaging do you think a shutdown would be? >> well, i think we're talking purely about a shutdown, and we're not addressing the larger issue, the debt ceiling in october. i think the affect on the economy is broader. it is not a good thing, coming when the economy is still trying to gather steam. but we're only talking about a modest hit to the economy assuming it only lasts a few weeks. some

hampton pierson has de >> reporter: in just one sentence the supreme court let stand a lower court ruling that blocked president obama's plan to spare roughly 4 million illegal immigrants from deportation. especially those with children who are american citizens and immigrants with no criminal record. at the white house, the president expressed his disappointment. >> today's decision is frustrating to those who seek to grow our economy and bring a rationality to our immigration system, and to allow people to come out of the shadows and lift this perpetual cloud on them. >> reporter: on capitol hill, republican leaders said it was another win in their campaign against the president's immigration policy and what they view as his excessive use of executive authority. >> this is a win for the constitution. it's a win for congress, and it's a win in our fight to restore the separation of powers. >> reporter: pro-immigration advocates point out blocking the administration plan to prioritize who getsds departed leaves not just workers in limbo bought their employers as well. >> employers are sim

hampton pierson has more. >> reporter: federal reserve chair janet yellin delivered a shot to equity markets, with the plan to keep key short-term rates at record lows for a considerable amount of time. the reason, key economic measures remain sub-par including wage growth and long-term unemployment. >> i want to emphasize that there is no mechanical interpretation of what the term "considerable time" means. and as i have said repeatedly, the decisions that the committee makes about what is the appropriate time to begin to raise its target for the federal funds rate will be dated dependent. >> the fed expects slower economic growth this year and next, slightly lower unemployment, but little change on inflation. the central bank officially announced it will end its bond-buying program before it expires after the next meeting in late october, mid-2015 remains the most likely time table for monetary policy makers to start to raise rates. the size and pace will depend on what is happening with the economy. >> the federal funds rate will serve as the key rate to communicate the stands of

and laura pierson said this is just the beginning. @encourage people to come forward and wakes up silicon valley and the rest of corporate america that they need to pay attention to these issues. >> reporter: while sheryl sandberg advocates for companies to be more inclusive, said all of silicon valley needs to do better. silicon valley has a reputation for a boys club. last facebook reported 69% of the global workforce is mail right in line with google and twitter. 70% male workforce. yahoo, 62% male. at facebook women comprised at 23% at senior ranks and though that's better than t 11% of executives as silicon valley vall top. 5 percentage points less than the s&p 500. according to a report by fen wick and west. >> there is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken and it's not, it's something that will require really conscious active thought by current decision makers and leaders. >> reporter: these companies are key trading grounds for capital investors. so industry watchers say improving the numb giants is key to driving up quality

and ton pierson has more on what's being done. >> reporter: as civilian and military employees return to work at the navy yard today, the white house says it will review standards for government contractors after the shooting of 12 people by a contract worker with security clearance to be there. >> they're undertaking review of security clearance policy for certain contractors and i can tell you at the president's direction, omb is examining standards for contractors and employees across federal agencies. >> reporter: more than 4.9 million people in defense and homeland security have those clearances, according to the latest figures from director of national intelligence. so how did the deceased gunman, 34-year-old aaron alexus with two gun related brushes with the law in texas and seattle as well as mental health issues get a security clearance that gave him access to a military facility in the heart of the nation's capital? it turns out the secret clearance for civilian it contractor is at the low end of the security bar, and security experts say given the sheer volume of background

. >>> in a push to restructure, pierson, the world's largest provider of textbooks and education products, is cutting costs in 2019 and considering selling its u.s. business. that news sent shares higher. >>> pipeline operator trans-canada saw earnings double as the company benefitted from a recent acquisition and higher profit in its mexico pipelines. both profit and revenue beat expectations. trans-canada shares rose nearly 3% to $46.88. >>> a st. louis jury has ordered johnson & johnson to pay $110 million to a woman who said the company's baby powder containing talc caused her ovarian cancer. this is the largest verdict so far of the more than 2,000 accusing j&j of not warning about the risk. shares fell to $123.51. >>> now to our market monitor. last time he was on in november, he recommended waters, ecolab, and pepsico, all of which have risen. he's alan bond, top performing portfolio manager at the jensen quality growth fund, which is up more than 8% this year. welcome. record highs for the nasdaq and s&p today, the dow not far behind. how much higher can this market go? >> yeah, t

gwen: julia pierson out at the secret service. as the people charged with protecting the president suffer a is you session of black eyes. raising new questions. how deep do the problems go? and how will they be fixed? only last week the president sounded the global alarm. >> if left unchecked, experts predict that hundreds of thousands of people could be killed in a matter of months. that's why i've told my team