U.S. blue-chips get a boost from GM; financials rally late

Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:01:54 -0500

U.S. blue-chips get a boost from GM; financials rally late

U.S. stocks rise after the government expands its bailout plans for General
Motors, which in turn says it will make more financing options
available to consumers.

ECONOMIC REPORT: HOME PRICES OFF RECORD 18% IN PAST YEAR, CASE-SHILLER SAYS

Home prices in 20 major U.S. cities drop a further 2.2% in October
from September, with their annualized drop working out to a record 18%
, according to the Case-Shiller price index compiled by Standard &
Poor's. An IHS Global Insight analysts sees little respite for
homeowners.

AUTO SECTOR MOVES HIGHER AS GMAC SECURES U.S. FUNDING

Shares of U.S. automakers General Motors and Ford rally ahead of the
opening bell, buoyed by news that GMAC Financial Services had received
government funding.

CAPITOL REPORT: OBAMA'S 'GOING GREEN' POLICIES HOLD PROMISES -- AND PITFALLS

They're calling it the "transition to green," a motto fashioned by
environmental groups' pining for the first 100 days of Barack Obama's
presidency. It envisions, among other things, increased funding for
alternative-energy development. Federal outlays for new jobs in this
sector would also constitute a "massive" transition to an economy that
looks favorably on emissions-free energy sources and rewards ways to
save energy, and potentially create many jobs along the way. But such
ambitious policy
proposales carry pitfalls as well as promises.

ECONOMIC REPORT: U.S. CONSUMER CONFIDENCE HITS RECORD LOW ON JOB, BUSINESS
WORRIES

Consumer confidence hit a record low in December, according to the monthly
Conference Board index reported Tuesday, as worries increased about current
business and labor-market conditions.