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U.S. stocks traded mixed Friday as an urge for some investors to lock in profits after a four-session run of gains and Dell Inc.'s disappointing results battled a favorable ruling in the tobacco sector and Microsoft's boosted stock buyback program. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was up 5 points at 11,340, after being down as much as 17 points and up as much as 40 points in intraday trad ...

Shares of Dell Inc., the world's No. 1 PC maker, sank 8% Friday following its quarterly earnings report, as the broader technology sector fell. Dell (DELL) was stung by weaker profit and an informal probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission into its accounting practices. Goldman Sachs downgraded the computer maker to sell from neutral. The stock fell $1.82 to $20.98. Goldman Sachs analys ...

NEW YORK (AFX) - Investors sent stocks modestly lower Friday on drooping consumer sentiment and sharply lower second-quarter profits from Dell Inc. The University of Michigan's preliminary reading of consumer sentiment in August was 78.7, down from 84.7 a month earlier. Wall Street had been looking for the index to tumble to 83.8, and the greater-than-expected drop was viewed as a signal the  ...

DALLAS (AFX) - Dominion Resources Black Warrior Trust, which holds interests in natural gas properties, on Friday declared a 70.3514 cent quarterly distribution to unitholders. The trust will pay the distribution Sept. 8 to unitholders of record on Aug. 29. Dominion Resources Black Warrior Trust rose 12 cents to $37.59 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Copyright 2006 Associat ...

WEBSTER, Mass. (AFX) - Insurance provider Commerce Group Inc. said Friday it declared a regular quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share. The company will pay the dividend on Sept. 8 to shareholders of record on Aug. 28. Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DETROIT (AFX) - Ford Motor Co. on Friday announced sharp cuts in its 2006 North American production that will force it to temporarily shut down plants in the U.S. and Canada as it struggles to boost profits against intense foreign competition. The company said fourth-quarter production would be down 21 percent, or 168,000 units, from last year. Third-quarter production will be 20,000 units below  ...

LONDON (AFX) - UK small caps were higher at the close, at session highs, as M&A activity provided a positive lift to shares in Multi Group and Comland Commercial while contracts and other news also lent support, dealers said. At the close the FTSE Small Cap index added 11.7 points at 3,397.1, skimming day highs of 3,397.3, while the FTSE 100 closed 3.0 points better at 5,903.4. Shares in Mul ...

(updating with full report) AMSTERDAM (AFX) - Share prices closed slightly higher supported by strong oil stocks but tempered by a mixed Wall Street following the release of disappointing US consumer sentiment figures, dealers said. The AEX closed up 0.15 point or 0.68 pct at 463.92, after opening at 463.03 and trading in the range of 462.76-465.52. Government bonds were mixed, while the euro s ...

BAE Systems rallied in London on Friday after Saudi Arabia and the U.K. reached agreement in principle to modernize the oil rich country's armed forces. Shares in BAE Systemsgained 2.6% after the company said the agreement will effectively allow the purchase of Typhoon aircraft. BAE and Eurofighter partners make the Typhoon jets. The consortium also includes European aerospace group EADSand  ...

U.S. stocks edged lower Friday as some investors chose to lock in profits after a four-session run of gains, with the technology sector leading the decline after Dell Inc. posted disappointing results. But tobacco companies gained on a favorable court ruling and Microsoft's stock rallied after it boosted its share repurchasing program. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was off 4 points  ...