The market finished the last session of the week with a modest gain. While this week, S&P 500 index lost almost 0.4%. Although most earnings news is better than expected, stock finished with varied gains. Today is option expiration day, so the trading volume is extremely high. It is worth mentioning that the dollar tried to beat its three-month high against major currencies while stock retreated temporarily during the midsession.

Most major sectors finished the session higher led by financials and technology. The CRB commodity index barely moved. The US dollar was higher against most major currencies. Treasury yields increased while the bond decreased. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged at 25 bps. The VIX index decreased less than 1 point. The market breath was positive on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was heavy due to the option expiration day.

The market was heavily sold on Thursday. By close, all three major indexes lost more than 1%. Financial sectors hampered the broader market the most. Citigroup announced its common stock offering at $3.15 per share, which is almost 9% discount of its previous closing price. Shares of investment banks and brokerages were also sold off after analyst Meredith Whitney lowered earning expectation for Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.

The initial jobless claims came at 480,000, up 7,000 from the previous week while analysts’ estimation was 465,000. Continuing claims totalled 5.17 million, similar as expectation. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Fed Index for November came at 20.4, beating expectation of 16.0. November’s leading indicator increased 0.9%, stronger than the 0.7% increase that had been expected.

All 10 major sectors finished the session lower led by basic materials and financials. The CRB commodity index decreased 1%. The US dollar was higher against most major currencies. Treasury yields decreased while the bond increased. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged at 25 bps. The VIX index increased less than 1 point. The market breath was negative on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was heavy on the NYSE while kept light on Nasdaq.

The market finished today’s session in a mixed fashion. Although stocks had a solid start this morning, the latest statement from the FOMC pulled the broad market back in the afternoon. The FOMC stated that the economic activity has continued to pick up and that deterioration in the labor market is abating. Is also mentioned that financial markets are improving, so some of the Fed’s special liquidity program will end soon. As widely expected, the federal funds rate will remain at the lowest level for an extended period of time. On the housing front, housing starts for November came at an annualized rate of 574,000 units, meeting expectation. Building permits for November hit an annualized rate of 584,000, better than expected 570,000. The rate for October was 551,000.

Meanwhile, November’s CPI increased 0.4%, same as consensus. Excluding food and energy, the index was flat while analysts’ estimation was 0.1% raise.

Half sectors finished the session higher led by basic materials and financials. The CRB commodity index rose 1.6%. The US dollar was lower against most major currencies. Treasury yields were mixed. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged at 25 bps. The VIX index dropped less than half point. The market breath was neutral on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was similar to the previous session.

The market closed in negative territory on the second day of the week. Stronger dollar and disappointing economic news are the main reasons behind today’s move. The dollar index moved to a fresh two-month high. The move comes before tomorrow’s FOMC statement, which may indicate that some investors worry about the potential tightening of monetary policy. On the other hand, the Empire Manufacturing Index for December came at 2.55, which is far below the 24.00 most analysts expected, while November’s data was 23.51. Meanwhile, November’s PPI increased 1.8% compared with previous month, while the consensus was 0.8%. Excluding food and energy, PPI increased 0.5%, compared with 0.2% expected.

Nine of the ten major sectors finished the session lower led by financials and telecom. Energy sector is the only winner. The CRB commodity index rose 0.3%. The US dollar was higher against most major currencies. Treasury yields barely changed. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged at 25 bps. The VIX index dropped less than half point. The market breath was negative on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was heavier.

The market managed to sport solid gains for the entire session. Global indices got lifted overnight after Abu Dhabi announced plan to supply Dubai’s corporate flagship, Dubai World, with $10 billion. Financial underperformed the broader market in the morning but quickly picked up with 0.6% gain by closing. Citigroup declared that it would repay its $20 billion in TARP securities by issuing $17 billion of common stocks. That raised the speculation that other TARP recipients like Wells Fargo and PNC Financial may soon announce repayment plans.

Nine of the ten major sectors finished the session higher led by basic materials and industrials. The CRB commodity index rose 1%. The US dollar was mixed against most major currencies. Treasuries move down with the yield increased. The three-month US LIBOR was unchanged at 25bps. The VIX index dropped less than 1 point. The market breath was positive on both NYSE and Nasdaq. The volume was similar to the previous session.