News Summary

Crude oil futures gained, along with gold futures, after US private-sector employment increased 93,000 in November. Crude oil for January delivery moved up 1.6% to $85.47 per barrel. However, Gold for January delivery rose 0.3% to $1,390 an ounce. Carrefour SA CRERY reduced its projections for 2010 operating profit. Analysts at Deutsche Bank downgraded the stock from “buy” to “hold.” Shares of CRERY have lost 8.18% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 6.47% in the same period. Shares of Mercer Insurance Group, Inc. MIGP surged about 47% after United Fire & Casualty Company UFCS announced its plans to buy all the outstanding shares of MIGP for around $191 million or $28.25 per share in cash, representing a 49.8% premium to MIGP's closing price on November 30. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.