News Summary for May 18, 2011

Indices: U.S stocks are looking to open a bit higher today while investors are anticipating the outcome from the last Federal Reserve meeting. U.S. Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, stood firm on the position that the government must raise the debt ceiling or risk default. The minutes from the meeting are to be release today at 2:00 PM. European stocks stopped a fifth consecutive session skid, helped by rebounding commodity prices. The debt-swollen countries, most notably being Greece, have weighed heavily on the indices over the last few weeks. Most Asian markets rose today with a weakening dollar and investors snatching up stocks that have lost ground lately. Many analysts view higher U.S. index futures and a lower dollar index as a signal of improved sentiment. U.S. Companies: PC manufacturer Dell DELL is up over 5 percent, pre-market, helped by better than expected earnings. The company also raised their fiscal outlook for 2012. See morehere Tech investors are buzzing with the social networking giant, LinkedIn, set to have their IPO priced today. Analysts are expecting the offering to be a success but warn that it carries a lot of risks. Target TGT beat estimates by a good margin this morning on strong sales from credit cards. This brings about more good news from the retail sector this earnings season. Read more here Improved pricing and demand for large machinery in North and South America has helped Deere DE beat expectations. Click here for a complete list of today's earnings. Commodities: The outlook for increased demand has put commodities head above water for the first time in three days, with crude and gold inching their way up. Even with the recent volatility, both have improved more than 5 percent year-to-date. Top News: The drama continues with the chief of the International Monetary Fund. Strauss-Kahn was accused of raping a New York City hotel employee earlier this week. The lawyer of the accuser has publicly stated that “she will tell her story” when called upon by the prosecution.