U.S. stocks fell, sending the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index down for a second straight day, as investors awaited the start of the corporate earnings season.

Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM), the owner of the Taco Bell and KFC fast- food chains, retreated 4.7 percent as same-store sales fell more than projected in China after a government probe into one of its former suppliers hurt demand. GameStop Corp. (GME), the world’s largest video-game retailer, tumbled 5.7 percent amid a narrower sales forecast. Boeing Co. (BA)dropped 1.9 percent after the planemaker was downgraded at BB&T Capital Markets.

U.S. stocks fell, after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbed to a five-year high, as investors awaited the start of the corporate earnings season tomorrow.

Apple Inc. (AAPL), the world’s most valuable company, lost 1.1 percent after Barclays Plc slashed its share-price estimate. Applied Materials Inc., the largest producer of chipmaking equipment, sank 2 percent after being downgraded at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Illumina Inc. (ILMN), a U.S. maker of DNA sequencing equipment, tumbled 6.8 percent after Roche Holding AG indicated it may no longer be interested in buying the company.

U.S. stocks were little changed, after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell the most in five weeks yesterday, as investors remained focused on budget negotiations and the economy grew faster than estimated.

NYSE Euronext (NYX) rose 33 percent asIntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE) agreed to buy the bourse for $8.2 billion. Accenture Plc (ACN) slid 3.1 percent after saying first-quarter revenue from technology consulting fell 3.6 percent from a year earlier. Merck & Co. slipped 2.4 percent after saying it won’t seek U.S. marketing approval for a cholesterol drug. Financial stocks rose the most in the S&P 500, while software and computer makers had the biggest retreat.

U.S. stocks fell, pulling the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index down from a two-month high, as the White House said it would veto a Republican budget plan and housing starts decreased.

An index of homebuilders lost 1.9 percent, while Alcoa Inc. (AA) fell 2.9 percent as Moody’s Investors Service placed the aluminum producer under review for a credit downgrade. General Motors Co. (GM) jumped 7.9 percent on plans to purchase 200 million shares from the government. Oracle Corp. (ORCL) gained 3 percent after profit and sales beat estimates. Knight Capital Group Inc. rose 6.3 percent after agreeing to be bought by Getco LLC.

U.S. stocks rose, extending an eight-week high for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, as investors watched for signs of progress in efforts by President Barack Obama and Republicans to reach agreement on a new budget.

An index of homebuilders gained 1.9 percent as a report showed confidence among U.S. homebuilders climbed in December to the highest level in more than six years. Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and Morgan Stanley rose more than 1.7 percent to pace gains in financial shares.Apple Inc. (AAPL), the world’s most valuable company, added 1.5 percent.

U.S. stocks advanced, snapping a two-day decline in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, as investors weighed prospects for a budget deal in Washington.
Nine out of 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 (SPX) advanced as financial companies gained the most, rising 1.5 percent. American International Group Inc. (AIG) climbed 2.2 percent on plans to sell as much as $6.5 billion of AIA Group Ltd. shares. Tenet (THC) Healthcare Corp. rose 2.4 percent as Deutsche Bank AG upgraded the hospital chain. Apple (AAPL) Inc. declined 0.6 percent as Citigroup Inc. cut the stock’s rating.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance payments declined more than forecast last week to the lowest level since early October, adding to evidence the labor market is improving.
Applications for jobless benefits fell by 29,000 to 343,000 in the week ended Dec. 8, the fewest since reaching a four-year low in the period ended Oct. 6, Labor Department figures showed today. Economists forecast 369,000 claims, according to the Bloomberg survey median. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls declined for a fourth straight week.
Jobless claims have dropped 108,000 in the latest four weeks after a superstorm Sandy-related surge, indicating companies are comfortable with current staffing levels. To help encourage more hiring, the Federal Reserve said yesterday that it intends to keep policy accommodative until unemployment falls to 6.5 percent from the current 7.7 percent.

Stocks rose for a sixth day on Wednesday as investors anticipated that the U.S. Federal Reserve will announce a fresh stimulus plan to support the economy at the end of a two-day monetary policy meeting.

The Fed is expected to announce a new round of bond buying later on Wednesday to boost a fragile economic recovery threatened by political wrangling over the government’s budget. The monetary policy committee’s decision is expected around 12:30 p.m. ET.

The S&P 500 was up for a sixth day, its longest winning streak since August, although gains have been less than 0.5 percent per day, on average.

Global shares rose to an almost two-month high and the euro gained versus the dollar on Tuesday after German investor sentiment improved sharply in December and as the pace of talks in Washington to avoid the “fiscal cliff” quickened.

The dollar weakened as investors steered clear of the U.S. currency ahead of a two-day Federal Reserve policy meeting that will start later in the day. U.S. Treasury prices fell as gains in stocks eroded safe-haven demand for government debt.

Major U.S. stock indexes rallied 1 percent, pushing the S&P 500 to its best levels since mid-October and erasing all of the post-election selloff.

The euro fell against the yen while Italian stocks and bond prices sank on Monday after Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said he would resign, raising concern about who will lead the euro zone’s third biggest economy out of its debt crisis.

U.S. equity investors focused on domestic news, driving shares higher after stronger-than-expected sales from McDonald’s Corp while awaiting any sign of progress in budget talks in Washington to avert looming tax hikes and spending cuts.

Monti announced over the weekend he would resign once the 2013 budget is approved, potentially bringing forward an election due early next year. Monti has become an investor favorite over the last year as he spearheaded a reform agenda in a bid to rescue Italy from the threat of a Greek-style collapse.