Other news around the world, “Iran is seeking to close grain purchases using gold and oil as payment..” Brent crude futures settle at 118.59/bbl and the USD was up 1.5% for the trading session. Crude oil is down 3%. Copper/gold also weak. Looks like Risk is back off for the time being.
After the bell Thursday: LinkedIn Posted earnings of .12 a share. Quarterly profits beat analysts’ expectations, LNKD showed strong subscription growth. Its Revenue doubled. Activision posted earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ expectations. Also, Activision raised its dividend to .18 cents (16.5 cents in 2011s). Rio Tinto also hiked its dividend.Rios revenue came in light as its aluminum business slowed. Investors should be cautious on how strong the US economy really is. PepsiCo’s Revenue rose 15 percent to $66.5 billion from $57.84 billion.2011, its net income rose 2 percent to $6.46 billion/$4.03 per share. That compares with $6.33 billion/$3.91 per share. PepsiCo also plans to increase dividends and share buybacks in 2012 says CFO Hugh Johnston.
