By Kate Gibson, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks bounced back Tuesday after
their worst session since November as investors took confidence
from Dell Inc.'s deal to be taken private in the biggest leveraged
buyout in years.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was up 117.92 points, or
0.9%, to 13.998.
The S&P 500 index (SPX) climbed 16.59 points, or 1.1%, to
1,512.30, with technology performing best among its 10 industry
groups.
The Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) advanced 38.40 points, or 1.2%, to
3,169.55.
For every stock that fell, roughly three advanced on the New
York Stock Exchange, where 347 million shares traded as of 1:45
p.m. Eastern. Composite volume surpassed 2.1 billion.
Dell Inc.'s (DELL) shares rose 1.1% after the personal-computer
maker agreed to be taken private in a deal valued at $24.4
billion.
Share buybacks and leveraged buyouts are likely to increase as
private-equity firms and corporations take advantage of the current
phenomenon that has the S&P 500's cash flow yield more generous
than the yield on junk-rated bonds, predicted Jack Ablin, chief
investment officer at BMO Private Bank.
"Dell's desire to explore the possibility of taking the company
private last December reignited the trend," said Ablin. He noted
the widening gap between the valuation differential between stocks
and bonds.
Before the Dell disclosure,the company's A-rated
intermediate-term bonds were trading at a 2.7% yield while its cash
flow yield -- free cash flow divided by the share price -- was
nearly 17%, "making an easy argument for the firm to consider
buying some of its own shares," noted Ablin.
Also on the deal front, Virgin Media Inc. (NTLID) jumped 16%
after the U.K. pay-television provider said it was in talks with
Liberty Global Inc. (LBTYA) about "a possible transaction."
Momentum
The S&P 500 index has risen 6% this year as politicians
managed to reach a budget agreement and as American corporations
reported better-than-anticipated fourth-quarter results. .
That rise, and a recent influx of retail investors into
stock-mutual funds, has fostered a debate about whether the rally
is getting long in the tooth -- or alternatively, laying the
groundwork for a longer rise. In the bull camp, Jim O'Neill, the
soon-to-retire chair of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, told CNBC
Tuesday the momentum for U.S. equities for the remainder of the
year is a favorable one.
Earnings reports were the trigger for some of the day's biggest
stock moves.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. (ADM) gained 3.5% after reporting
quarterly profit that beat forecasts. Kellogg Co. (K) shares rose
1% after the cereal maker reported less of a quarterly loss.
Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) jumped 11% after hiking its earnings
outlook for the year. Yum Brands Inc. (YUM) fell 4.1% after the
owner of the Pizza Hut chain reduced its profit outlook.
Of the 56% of companies that have reported fourth-quarter
earnings, nearly 69% have beaten estimates, according to Thomson
Reuters. And nearly 66% of those 278 companies reported revenue
that topped forecasts.
Stocks found some support in the day's economic data.
The Institute for Supply Management's services index fell to
55.2% in January from 55.7% in December. Any number above 50%
signals expansion.
When considered in combination with the better-than-expected
manufacturing report last week, "one can't help but feel that the
private-sector economy is holding up fairly well despite the public
sector's best efforts to cause turbulence," Dan Greenhaus, chief
global strategist at BTIG LLC, emailed after the data.
U.S. home prices climbed 0.4% in December to bring the
year-on-year gain to 8.3%, the best advance since May 2006,
CoreLogic reported Tuesday.
U.S. stocks fell hard Monday on worries about Europe's handling
of its debt crisis, with Spain's Mariano Rajoy facing calls from
opposition leaders that he step down.
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