for the nikkei and 758 for the topix. let's not forget the nikkei was down for two days in a row yesterday, on wednesday, on below average volume, really markets were really waiting for the fomc meetings, but the currency moves may be of a more indication as to where japanese stocks trade today, because we did see quite a bit of a shift there, both on the dollar/yen and the euro/yen. let's have a look at currency levels as well. dollar/yen looking at that right now, 78.52-56. i can tell you at the end of stock trading here on wednesday, it was at the lower 79 yen levels. now 78.49-57, so it did move there. the dollar did weaken after the fomc meetings. euro/yen coming up on the screen, the euro fell against the yen at 98.41-46, and now it was trading around 98.70 levels when stock trading ended here yesterday, wednesday, in japan. so the currency moves there, yongghi, might affect some of the exporters. yongghi? >> and ramin, we are approaching the last week of august. what else is in store for global investors? >> well,

- the nikkei is up to 5,923 and the topix at 757. that's up around two points for the first few minutes of trading. the nikkei did end in the positive yesterday barely and the topix in the negative. we had a mixed session there. currency markets also have been trading in a tight range. we expect more of the same really ahead of that key meeting. however, as i said, we should really be keeping an eye out for apple related shares as well as google and android related shares as well following the u.s. court's decision to award apple massive damages against samsung the maker of the smart phones which basically run on google's android. so we're going to look at related shares here and we did of course see apple shares trading higher in the new york session and inversely google's android related shares trading lower. so in japan, of course, some of the component makers and parts makers such as manufacturing and keosera that makes the key components that make parts that go in the iphone and ipad, so that should be of interest. we'll keep tr

the nikkei and the topix trading marginally higher. yesterday they ended lower following the manufacturing pmi. with slow growth in the u.s., china and the imf coming out and saying that the europe debt crisis is weighing on japan's economic outlook it is not looking rosie for investors. and added to that we have the earnings results from japan from last week and continuing this week as well. the banking sector, for instance in the nikkei's 11% drop. the tech sector getting caught up in lower and falling chip prices and also we've heard from the steel industry, also affected by slow growth in china as well as heavy industry and construction machinery stocks as well. not mention the stronger yen which has been hurting profitability for a lot of japanese companies. let's look at the levels for this thursday. the dollar/yen, 78.39 to 41. euro/yen, 95.89 to 90. the euro trading in a narrow range ahead of the meeting of the central bank today. >> july auto sales came out in the united states. how did the japanese out firms do there and what

just having a look at the nikkei and topix both indexes barely in the positive 9,# 157 for the nikkei and 765 for the topix. the nikkei actually snapped three days of gains yesterday. a little profit taking we saw in key exporters after we saw the yen gain just a touch yesterday. we'll see how it's faring later on. however, because of apples pending release of the new product lines we have been tracking a lot of components and parts makers here in japan such as the company which makes parts for the power supply circuits of the iphone and also foster electric which is a specialist maker of speaker parts for the ear phone. now, among others we'll also focus on mirata manufacturing, toshikazu, as well as tdk. >> and we've been tracking the euro this week in light of key meetings of eu leaders. where do we stand right now on the euro? >> euro of course is a big mover of the currency markets and very closely watched here in relation to the yen. let's have a look at the currency levels of course top of the screen there. dollar/yen $79.18 to 23. the dollar lost a little ground against the eu

and the topix there, lower, 9,066, down 1.2% for the nikkei. the nikkei, however, did end in the positive yesterday, but on pretty low volume. we'll see how volume is today. investors really waiting to see the outcome of that key meeting between german chancellor merkel and the greek prime minister samaras later today. lot of focus on the euro and greece, but there are also concerns about what the federal reserve may do with boosting growth for the u.s. and that also meant that the dow fell on thursday. now, a lot of focus on central bank moves, of course, with chinese, japanese, and u.s. central banks, all poised really to make any extra moves there to boost growth but in japan it's not only export growth, which is a concern, but also domestic growth, which we saw in the trade balance figures there, so that's another worry for investors. the yen, of course, coming up there on the screens, looking at some of the pairs there, the dollar/yen at the top of the screen, 78.57-59, and euro/yen 98.70-75. so the yen, of course, fluctuating quite a bit.

at the moment the nikkei is managing to gain more than one and a quarter percent as you can see the hang saying is putting on the just slightly more than a quarter percent this hour the yen sliding to a one the month low against the dollar is really supporting the exporters on the at the nikkei and that's also higher crude is also supporting energy stocks there one of the main gainers on the nikkei as well on that wall street overnight stocks finished mixed then asked that posted moderate gains thanks to stronger july industrial production numbers and the overall boss housing market data that came out that day as well the dow and the want to negative the volumes remain pretty low on wall street mainly thanks to the vacation season being in full swing and also gone from any substantial news coming from europe expecting a lot of data on the u.s. economy due out later on thursday that includes july building permits weekly jobless claims and a business activity survey. moving on to the currency markets let's see what's going on there the dollar as you can see is easing against the euro at th

we're seven minutes into trading on this friday morning, and the nikkei is at 8,918, down about three quarters of 1% and the topix down three quarters of a 1% now at 738 points, so both in negative territory. that negative sentiment in new york is carrying over into markets here in tokyo. overnight u.s. stocks posted hefty losses. if you look at the closing levels, the dow closing at 13,000, down by april tenth of a percent. the nasdaq closed aat 3,048 down 1%. investors were more risk averse over concerns about risk prospects, and those will weigh on sentiment in tokyo. the biggest focus is going on ben bernanke's speech in jackson hole later this friday. that's at 11:00 a.m. local time, and market watchers are leaning towards new policy change given recent positive economic indicators. we have to see what bernanke has to say on the possibility of any kind of credit easing including the possibility of qe-3. you talked about sharp and we'll focus on that wm. the share price recovered from the years trading low of 168 recently, but we need to keep a close watch on whether we see a reco

the nikkei average down about .2 of 1%. and the topix also down almost by .2 of 1% on this thursday morning. now, as i said earlier, there are some key events, big economic events coming up later this week as well as next week. the biggest focus obviously is on the fed and whether it's going to take extra monetary easing steps to boost the economy. now, market watchers are paying close attention to fed chairman ben bernanke at the jackson hole meeting which is starting on friday. and whether he's going to make a hint about the extra easing including the possibility of qe3. that sense of caution was felt. both the dow and nasdaq ended in positive territory. stocks got help from positive u.s. economic data including housing and revised q-2 gdp. little reaction to the fed's beige book which says modest. and here in tokyo they will be looking at sharpe. the founder will visit an lcd panel plant in western japan. there he may explain the investment plan to the japanese company. now, sharp shares were up by nearly 7% yesterday. >

both indices barely in the positive. 9,059 for the nikkei and 746 for the topix. the nikkei managed to close above the 9,000 level yesterday, which it has managed to do since the middle of august. however, concerns about slow growth in china as well as euro zone debt crisis and mixed signals in the u.s. economy have not really left very much room for japanese stocks here to move in either direction. no real clear signals and a little bit of worry there for investors. in fact, shares of machinery construction as well as commodity-related shares, shipping as well as auto shares all linked to china's economy have not really had a very good few sessions. in fact, the likes of komatsu have been down for seven straight sessions in a row, and a lot of other shares hitting year lows in the past few sessions. now measures by central bankers, of course is a big focus with the jackson hole, wyoming meeting kicking off on friday. interestingly the european central bank president mario dragge pulled out of the meeting, and the markets really trying to see or read into that spe

so let's see how the nikkei and topix are kicking 06 this friday. as can you see both indexes down 1%. now we did have some key earnings reports here in japan. we are in full swing in earnings season in japan with sony and sharp coming out after the bell yesterday. and sharp as we reported yesterday as well, ai, have announced that they will be cutting around 5,000 jobs to deal with all of these losses and their earnings report yesterday came out and said they showed a group loss projected of around $3 billion. now sony announcing a loss for the quarter as well. also costs due to divestments of its deal with sweden's eriksson mobile phone venture also dented sony's numbers as well. now following the ecb meeting and mario draghi's words, the euro took a fall having a look at levels right now. our yen should trade at a tight range ahead of the u.s. job numbers later. 78.13-21 right now. the euro did lose a little ground against both the dollar and currently the yen following the ecb meeting. some hope is began after a lack of action by the ecb pretty

look at opening levels for the nikkei and the top. the nikkei just managing to stay in the positive yesterday. though the topix did rise at close. some exporters had risen in previous trading sessions on the back of the weaker yen. as you said, apple shares are hitting a record high on speculation that tech giant may be releasing a new smart phone or tablet in the near future. a lot of focus on that sector as well. well keep track of related shares here in japan which make parts and components for apple product, such as manufacturing, as well as toshiba and tdk. just that list there, among many more. so that's going to be a major focus and we will keep track of those sectors as well. yuko? >> ramin, as we have been reporting, it is touch weaker, so where do we stand this morning. >> the weaker yen is the driving force in the gains. 79.34-38 yen. currently youro/yen 98.01-06. they may have more on wednesday if anything new is revealed but it also could move on housing data in the u.s. later this week. we might see a bit of trading in t

sliding two one one one tie against the dollar on wednesday was offering support to export hers on nikkei they were also one of the main gainers hong kong's hang saying is see more modest gains as you can see at the moment that's putting on around the four percent on wall street overnight stocks finished mixed to the nasdaq posted moderate gains thanks to stronger july industrial production numbers and robust housing market data as you can see the dow was down just a notch the nasa. was putting on around half a percent the volumes remained well of below average on wall street due to the vacation season being in full swing and also the lack of any substantial news coming from europe a lot of data is due out on thursday including july building permits weekly jobless claims and of business activity surveys so we will definitely keep you posted on all about moving on to the currency market the dollar this hour is strengthening against the euro i already mentioned that it reached a one month high against the japanese yen on wednesday the russian ruble finished wednesday's session weaker to the

moving on to asia as the nikkei is leading asian gains the energy stocks they are one of the main gainers thanks to stronger crude the yen sliding to a one month high against the dollar on wednesday is offering support to export is on the nikkei hong kong's hang saying is less bullish it's gaining around a quarter percent the sour on wall street overnight stocks finished mix and then as that posted moderate gains thanks to stronger july industrial production numbers and robust housing market data but the dow was flat to a negative as you can see there the volumes remain well below average due to the vacation season being in full swing and also the lack of any substantial news coming out of europe a lot of data on the u.s. economy is due out on thursday that includes building permits weekly jobless claims and business activities surveys will keep you updated on all of that it's moving on to the currency market the dollar at the moment is strengthening against the euro i already mentioned that it reached a one month high against the japanese yen on wednesday the russian ruble opened a stron

where trade is pretty active this hour and as you can see a lot of positive momentum there and the nikkei at the moment is gaining around two percent joining the rally that started in the states at the end of last week and mainly what's helping the nikkei is carmakers like to you mazda is suzumiya and so on wall street and last week on a very bullish note as i mentioned after us some gloom and data beat expectations thanks to god and the head of the fed reserve last week that more monetary easing could come in the fall investors really feel that the states or certainly it's a pawn and we are not going to fall into european puts footsteps and into every recession he's saying friday's numbers for the week to the dow and the nasdaq finished want to positive from its lows in early june the s. and p. is up nine percent which is not bad at all let's now move on to the currencies the euro at the moment is losing against the dollar and failing to extend its gains of wost week the russian ruble started monday's session with a stronger to the dollar but weaker to the euro as you can see there and s

nikkei rovd from early losses to end about flat. weakness in iron and steel makers was countered by gain in transport companies. sharp shares tumbled to a 37-year low. australian market slipped lower by about a quarter of a percent, weighed down by utilities. the south korean and indian markets are out for national holidays. back to you. >> thanks for that. >>> warren buffett kept plenty business this spring. s.e.c. filing shows berkshire hathaway sold stake in intel in the second quarter. disclosed new holdings in phillips 66 and national oil well. berkshire raised stakes in vie acome, we will fargo and lowered positions in j&j, p&j and ge. let's take a look at buffett's holding it this morning in frankfurt. red arrows across the board. perhaps consistent with the market action we've seen, but nevertheless i'm sure those holdings have done relatively well, at least better than some of the financials did, this spring. gold back in favor with two big name investors. john paulson and george sorros more more of ged in the second quarte

. >> sent the nikkei would posted families of her family on a facebook. posted this face but page. he nearly wiped out the family inside of their home. >> you never know what is going on in somebody's home. >> a neighbor saw dozens of police officers outside of his window. swat guys were hiding in my bushes with assault rifles. >> they were responding to a report of aggressive domestic violence inside the home. they found the unthinkable inside. authorities believe the father before turning gun on himself. life ande a 2-year-old everybody, it is ridiculous. >> pictures do not show a an of their health. for now neighbors are focusing on their only hope. his son, his namesake, survives. >> when kids are involved is to most of me and society. to are told he is expected pull through. stormo tonight we are on watch. the hope mother nature down tonight. >> some nasty weather is lingering out there. get to bob ryan. ending the month of july, our second hottest on record. you can see the wind out to the west that has gotten a bit closer. is summertime. is a bit o

. >>> taking a look at overseas trading in tokyo the nikkei inched 14, but in hong kong the hang seng fell 81. >>> trade today in asia focuses on speculation over new stimulation from two central banks. reports say european bank is considering buying debt in hard hit euro nations. also rising hopes the fed will implement a third round of quantitative eisen. ben bernanke hinted in a letter to congress more fed action could be on the way and traders will listen closely to bernanke this week when he speaks at the annual jackson hole meeting. >>> problem solving at industrial companies offset asian optimism over possible central bank stimulus while asian stocks fell, gold hit a 4 1/2 month high. and oil rose sharply, up more than $1. now inching back up towards $100 a barrel. >>> elsewhere, hertz is buying dollar general. if it goes through, it will be do tohree major players, hertz, enterprise and. >>> a landmark legal battle saw apple $3 billion after a ruling samsung infringed on several of apple's patents. >>> a norwegian art gallery trying to save money on courier and insurance cost

in tokyo, the nikkei added eight point. in hong kong, the hang seng lost 11. low volume has helped markets move higher this week. rebounding housing market will be one item on investor's agenda with updated data on existing new home sales. second quarter earning season is winding down and several big names report, including best buy, lowe's, hewlett-packard and american eagle. aetna agreed to buy coventry, making it one of the largest providers of government financed health care. oil prices rose for a fit straight day as they pointed to pockets of health in the u.s. economy. gas prices in the u.s. are up five cents in the past week to a national average of $3.72 for a gallon of regular, which is up 14 cent from the same time last year. platinum prices rose for a third straight day as supply worries at a major mine in south africa. american airlines flight attendants have conceded to a new contract to avoid deeper cuts in the cash-strapped bankruptcy plan. north california producer is recalling row main lettuce over fears about possible e. coli contamination. f

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei fell 25 points and in hong kong the hang seng tumbled to 12. >>> well, stocks staged an early rally tuesday that faded almost as fast as it began. investigators were encouraged early by talk that the european central bank would buy up spanish and italian bonds. banks that do business got a boost, but the rally lost steam in early trade. today, investigators will dig into minutes from the fed's most recent meeting looking for clues about the central bank's policy plans. and a warning of more tough times ahead, dell fell. facebook closed above $19 after one of the earliest backers sold the bulk of his stake in the social network. bad news pulled best buy to a nine-year low. the retailer suspended the profit outlook and share buy backs in the wake of a 90% plunge in quarterly net income. barnes & noble narrowed the losses thanks in part to sales of "fifty shades of grey." and urban outfitters was 50% higher. soybeans rallied to a record tuesday, surging above $17 a bushel. a 50,000 barrel of sludge-like contaminated fuel f

. >>> taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei shot up 167 points, but in hong kong the hang seng dropped 89. >>> on wednesday the street got a few signs that the economy is improving, albeit slowing. they is hit a five-year high which added to good news that industrial production picked up last month and consumer prices which affect inflation remained unchanged. on the earnings front cisco post add jump in quarterly profit and raise add dividend. >>> else where, lenovo reported a healthy jump in quarterly profit. >>> farm equipment maker deere delivered an earnings miss and slashed a forecast thanks to the drought. >>> staples earnings were below expectations. >>> meanwhile target reported better than expected earnings and announced its first expansion outside the u.s. >>> on the deal front, private equity firm carlisle front is biting getty images for $3.3 billion. the "associated press" reports seven banks have been subpoen d ed by the attorney's general. they're under investigation of a transcontinental fixed rate scandal. >>> after vowing to remove for

point but the nasdaq ganged one >>> taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei rose 44 points while in hong kong the hang seng shot up 210. >>> well, global fears caught up with wall street again on monday. the dow has fallen for ten of the past 11 mondays. yesterday it was weak growth in japan that snapped the s&p's longest winning streak since december 2010. >>> after the bell groupon blamed the weak economy for its slow growth. tesoro is shelling out $2.5 billion for one of bp's california plants creating the nation's biggest nation's refine i ing. travel guides for $23 million. >>> pfizer acquires prescription rights to nexium pending approval, the purple pill could show up over the counter by 2014. >>> sears shot up on plans to spin off its hometown and stores. new data show it's up 6% while late payments remain near an 18-year low. >>> a new "associated press" tally finds land long island phone companies collectively lost brondband subscribers for the first time thanks to cable company's high-speed access. >>> they shattered their own record in london. mor

overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei inched up 36 points, but in hong kong, down 23. >tocks ended little change tuesday on another day of low volume and even lower energy. investors saw little reason to leave the sidelines, ben bernanke is expected to announce new measures to boost growth. mixed economic data didn't help. home prices rose in june for the first time since 2010, but august consumer confidence dropped to the lowest level since 2011. >>> printer maker lexmark soared after cutting 1,700 jobs, roughly 13% of its workforce. >>> ketchup maker heinz up on a rosy forecast. >>> movado skyrocketed on good results and raised forecast. >>> tommy hilfiger. its facility began -- the obama administration raised fuel efficiency requirements for new cars and trucks to an average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. watch dycom today, results short of expectations. also keep an eye on chevron, which rose tuesday on speculation it's looking to buy something with its cash. and no, you can't teach a 9-month-old to read. the federal trade commission has filed a complaint against the

. >>> taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo the nikkei lost six point while in hong kong the hang seng fell 54. >>> and september's market curse looms ahead, stocks could continue to climb during the d days of summer. this weethe consumer takes center stage with earnings from home depot, walmart and the gap. invsters will get an update on how much americans are spending. other important data on deck includes consumer and producer inflation numbers and more updates on the housing market. overseas asian markets struggled to make head way this morning after news japan's economy grew at a slower than expected rate inhe second quarter thanks in part to the effects of europe's debt crisis. >>> in china occupy protesters in hong kong learn they'll have to relocate by the end of the month after a judge ruled hsbc has the right to clear activists out of a public space below the bank's headquarters. >>> atm marker ncr says it's investigating u.s. embargoes in syria through a subsidiary. >>> here at home the latest lundberg survey find the nation saw the two biggest two-week ga

taking a look at overseas trading this morning in tokyo the nikkei skidded 86 points while in honk kaing the hang sanctumabled 235. >>> well, better economic whoas and housing sales rose thanks to exports. the economy grew at a 1.7% annual rate from april through june, higher than the initial government estimate. separately the beige book survey showed the economy expanded gradually with improvement in housing and retail sales. also sales of homes jumped 2% in july to its highest level since 2010. still, gains were only modest as traders continue to kuwait for tomorrow's speech by fed chief ben bernanke and any hints of another round of bank stimulus. the past four sessions have been the slowest in trade all year. the market's val tilt index sticks at a five-year low. oil fell and the passing of hurricane isaac. insurer wellpoint rose 8% after its ceo resigned. >>> food packager sealed air jumped 12% on news thattet a former dow chemical exec will take over when its current ce o'retiro retires. >>> yelp jumped up. clothier joseph a. banks jumps up. zaels increased after a return to profi

. >>> taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei fell 4 points while in hong kong the hang seng plummeted 239. >>> light volume and mixed data proved to be a losing combination for wall street tuesday. investors bought early on news that retail spending hit a five-month high in july, hoping a slumping economy may rebound later this year. however, selling set in after a slowdown and restocking and production signaling companies do not believe that spend willing continue. >>> among individual retailers, home depot got a boost after a healthy jump in quarterly income and a higher outlook. we'll see if that translates to good news for housing related reports due out today. >>> earnings from beauty brand estee lauder looks good sending shares up 9%. meanwhile michael kors with an upbeat forecast. on the downside groupon shed a quarter of its growth after questions were raised about its future. england's standard chartered bank has agreed to pay $340 million in civil penalties over an alleged money laundering scream with iran's government. elsewhere ncr maker. >>> a

overseas trading, in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 107. in hong kong the hang seng plunged 252. >>> investors banking on help from the feds seemed a little less uncertain thursday. james bullard, the president of the fed's st. louis bank, told our sister network cnbc that the minutes from the central bank's july 31st meeting were stale because the economy had picked up since then. >>> investors dumped stocks and oil betting on gold instead. the precious metal was at 1065 an ounce. new data showed first time unemployment claims ticked slightly higher underscoring the uneven job market. >>> global economic woes showed china's manufacturing at a 9% low. >>> meanwhile, big lots weighed down. the s&p tumbling nearly 21% on a sharp drop in quarterly profits. >>> as the u.s. jury debates apple and samsung's big patent, they ruled that both companies infringed on each other's patents. the court ordered a ban on some iphones, ipads, and galaxy smart pads. >>> facebook announced it will release a ovuled iphone app after users complained it wa slow.

important level of one thousand four hundred points in asia equities are trading lower in tokyo the nikkei is down less than. one percent mainly on the weaker than expected retail numbers hong kong's hang seng is showing even deeper the losses a lot of investors on the sidelines waiting for friday's u.s. fed reserve chairman ben bernanke and that's the latest from the business desk we'll be back in fifteen minutes all right thanks very much indeed i'll be back very shortly with a recap our top stories don't go away. mission free accreditation free in-store charges free arrangements free. free stooge nights free. download free broadcast clothing video for your media projects and free media and on to our teeth dot com. download the official application cellphone choose your language stream quality and enjoy your favorites from alzheimer's t.v. is not required to watch on t.v. all you need is your mobile device watch on t.v. any time.

the max added six, and taking a look at overseas trading, the nikkei gained 46 points while in hong kong the hang seng leaped 244. >>> minutes from the fed's latest meeting gave investors a little bit of hope on wednesday. the s&p rebounded on hopes the nation's federal bank might soon be ready for another round of stimulus. the big question now is improving data released after that caused members to change their mind. talk of more stimulus, that could potential will he weaken the dollar sent the price of gold up $14 an ounce to its highest level since may. on the economic front news reports showed july home sales and prices were up. the rate of home sales, however, was lower than expected. high-end homebuilder toll brothers reported impressive quarterly numbers thanks to the improving housing markets. after the bell hewlett-packard reported another rough quarter as dwindling demand for pc's took a toll on its bottom line. meanwhile, weak pc sales also dragged down dell, which was the s&p's biggest loser. discover financial southwests got a boost from its new partnership with pay pal. be

. >>> taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei stumbc stumbled 143 on hong kong the hang seng fell 70. >>> later this morning fed chairman ben bernanke finally gives the speech that has kept wall street frozen all week. investors have been waiting to see if bernanke gives clues as to the next round of stimulus from the central bank. he'll speak in wyoming at an annual symposium. >>> thursday those betting ben bernanke will offer bond recovery as well as briefing for no stimulus at all but treasuries rose and yields fell. >>> recent healthy eek nom ilg data suggests to some the fed may wait to see on another stimulus boost. thursday's data included unemployment holding steady last week. >>> also, july's consumer spending was the highest in five months, and a separate retail report showed spending continuing in august with better than expected sales at a range of outlets including target, costco and limited brands. >>> stocks fell because they worry about the high grass praises may shorten the consumer spending. >> sears learned it will be removed from the s&p

looking at overseas trading, the nikkei fell 25 points while in hong kong the hang seng tumble $ to 212 banks that do business in cash strapped countries got a boost but the euro-driven rally lost steam in morning trade. investors will dig into minutes looking for clues about the central bank's policy plans. >> dell shares slipped after sagging profits and a warning of more tough times ahead. facebook dropped to $18 after one of the earliest backers sold his trade in facebook. >> best buy suspended its profit outlook in the wake of a 90% plunge in quarterly income. and urban outfitters 18% higher. thanks to the drought, soy beans rallied to above $17 a bushel. >> a 50-barrel batch of sludge-like contaminated fuel has fouled countless cars in the midwest since last week. the fuel has definitely made its way into indiana, illinois and wisconsin and maybe in michigan as well. finally, just how important can a word or two be? county officials in santa clara, california are scrambling to fix a two-word mistake in their upcoming november ballot that could wind up costing more than a half bill

taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 52 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng gained 13. >>> wall street saw its lowest volume of the year monday as investors either enjoyed the last days of summer or waited for more clues on the next move by the fed. those not on the beach were on the sidelines monday waiting to hear fed chief ben bernanke's remarks to central bankers later this week in jackson hole, wyoming. expectations are the fed will take some kind of action to stimulate the economy next month. >>> apple was monday's star hitting an all-time high of $680 a share following its billion dollar judgment. and companies using google's an destroyed system now have to consider design changes. >>> the dow was led down by ibm which agreed to buy qnexa for $1.3 billion. and hudson city for $3.7 billion, the you larnlgt largest bank acquisition this year. >>> armed sales last year making 78% of all weapon sales and over-66 billion a record high. saudi arabia bought the most arms of any country spending almost $34 billion on weapons wit

the nikkei added 8 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng lost 11. >>> we'll see if the markets continue to go higher. the rebounding housing market will be one item on investors' agenda this week. a number of big names report this week, including best buy, lowe's, hewlett-packard and american eagle. >>> aetna has agreed to buy coventry health care. >>> overseas, oil prices rose for a fifth-straight day, as the consumer confidence report pointed to pockets of health in the u.s. economy. >>> gas prices in the u.s. are up 5 cents in the past week to a national average of $3.72 for a gallon of regular, which is up 14 cents higher than the same week last year. >>> platinum prices rose for a third-straight day, as supply worries lingered at a major mine in south africa. >>> american airlines' flight attendants have conceded to new contracts. >>> and a northern california produce supplier is voluntarily recalling romaine lettuce, over years about possible e. coli contamination. >>> finally, a 1968 ford gt-40, has se

looking at overseas trading, the nikkei fell four points and the hang seng tumbled 239.stors bought early on and news that retail spending hit a five-month high. it may rebound and selling set in and the production signals, company dos not believe spending will continue. among retailers, home depot got a boost after a higher outlook. we seal if it translates to housing related reports throughout today. earnings from beauty brand estee lauder looked good and michael kors climbed 16% and an upbeat forecast. groupon shed a quarter of its worth after weak growth raised questions about his feature. standard chartered bank agreed to pay $340 million in civil penalties over an alleged money laundering scheme with iran's government. atm maker ncr tumbled 10% on the allegations of doi business with black listed banks in syria. a suspect has been charged with stealing more than $60,000 worth of computers and personal items from the northern california home of the late steve jobs. imagine this. a connecticut woman found out she was paying the electricity bill for street lamps outsi