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NEW YORK (Dow Jones) - The benchmark Turkish stock index is the top-performing equity index in the world in 2005, bolstered by the start of accession talks with the European Union and a strengthening economy. The Istanbul IMKB-100 index closed up 59% for the year, enjoying a rally in December ahead of the introduction of a withholding tax on capital gains in January. That places the index co ...

Traders took profits in London on Friday as they looked back on a year that delivered far more than they were expecting 12 months ago. // The FTSE closed 19.5 points lower, or 0.4 per cent, at 5,618.8 and the FTSE 250 shed 27.3 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 8,794.3. Nevertheless, investors could take satisfaction from a year that saw the FTSE rise 16.7 per cent. The year began with fears of a pot ...

NEW YORK (Dow Jones) -- U.S. stocks were in broad decline Friday to end 2005 on a sour note, with the Dow Jones Industrials Average headed for its first yearly loss since 2002. Investors continued to be unnerved by the inversion in the Treasury yield curve, as there was no economic data and very little corporate news to act as a distraction. The Dow industrials (DJI) was down 54 points at 10 ...

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Bank and insurance shares declined on the final trading day of 2005, but two indexes tracking the financial-services sector are headed for solid gains this year.  FINANCIAL ETFs SymbolFund NameLast Price% Daily Return XLF Sel Sector:Finl S SPDR 31.62 -0.69% IYF iShares:Dow US Fnl Sct 100.91 -0.65% IYG iShares:Dow US Fnl Svc 114.14 -0.5 ...

Special Reportfull coverage Palm earnings surge on tax break Nike sprints to bigger profits in 2Q How hot is HP? Scholastic's earnings fall PLUS: Earnings Calendar New Viacom plans $3B stock buyback Conoco to buy Burlington for $35.6B Icahn demands Time Warner board minutes Viacom ready to sell Simon & Schuster Conoco grilled on $34B price tag M&A Databank How will stocks do in '06? • Stocks ...

LONDON (Dow Jones) -- The national stock market indexes of Germany, France and the U.K. finished the year with advances of at least 17% each, though European stocks sagged in the final closing day of the year, hurt by recent Wall Street weakness. The German DAX 30 fell 0.9% at 5,408, the French CAC 40 fell 1.2% at 4,715 and the U.K. FTSE 100 index in a shortened session dipped 0.4% at 5,618.  ...

LONDON (Dow Jones) -- The U.K.'s benchmark stock market index couldn't maintain its upward momentum on the last trading day of 2005 as profit taking and a weak U.S. finish dragged stocks lower. The FTSE 100 closed down 0.35% at 5,619 amid thin volumes in a half-day trading session. U.S. stocks closed down Thursday, hit by an inversion in the Treasury yield curve and weak housing data. Bu ...

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- The national stock market indexes of Germany, France and the U.K. finished the year with advances of at least 17% each, though European stocks sagged in the final closing day of the year, hurt by recent Wall Street weakness. document.write('');   MARKETWATCH TOP NEWS U.S. stocks broadly lower, as Dow heads for yearly loss South Korea's Kospi top As ...

It's Miller time! Bill Miller's Legg Mason Value Trust is on track to beat the market for the 15th year in a row. More about Miller and his top holdings • Looking for the next Bill Miller • Bill MIller's Kodak moment • Google hits $400 • Sprint Nextel: The telecom super hero • Bill Miller still loves tech • Read about Miller's poker skills  ...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - After facing a slew of insurance scandals, mounting catastrophe losses from Hurricane Katrina and the prospect of losing its terrorism insurance backstop, the insurance industry will hardly be sorry to bid adieu to 2005. But the industry was resilient with insurance carriers' net income up 4.4 percent to $28.8 billion in the first nine months of the year, a ...