Admin-CL

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports IBM (NYSE:IBM) passes Microsoft’s (NasdaqGS:MSFT) market cap after 15 years

VANCOUVER, BC (May 24, 2011) Clearlease Reports International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) edged past old rival Microsoft Corp (NasdaqGS:MSFT) in market value for the first time since April 1996, marking the latest twist in the fluctuating fortunes of two of the world’s most storied technology companies.

The move marks another unhappy milestone for Microsoft, which has failed to persuade investors that it can dominate the future of technology as it did in the past, and has seen its share price stagnate over the past decade.

An investor putting $100,000 into both stocks 10 years ago would now have about $143,000 in IBM stock and about $69,000 in Microsoft stock.

Microsoft is now the third-largest U.S. tech company by market value, after a resurgent Apple Inc roared past a year ago to take first place.

IBM ruled the computer industry for decades until it hired the tiny, unknown Microsoft to provide an operating system for its new range of personal computers in the early 1980s.

Bill Gates parlayed that breakthrough into industry dominance — proving his theory that software would be more valuable than hardware — so that by the end of 1999, Microsoft’s market value was three times that of IBM’s, and bigger than any other U.S. company.

Throughout Seattle-based Microsoft’s rise, IBM was pilloried as an old-fashioned, immobile Goliath that could not keep up with the computing revolution. The Armonk, New York-based company known as “Big Blue” was losing billions of dollars a year in the early 1990s and was close to a break-up before a turnaround engineered by CEO Louis Gerstner.

Since the Internet technology bubble burst in 2000, the tables have been reversed. Despite more than doubling sales and profit in the last 10 years, Microsoft’s stock has stalled, leading to criticism of CEO Steve Ballmer’s 11 years at the helm.

Although it still dominates the operating system market, Microsoft lost out to Google Inc in the new market for Internet advertising, let Apple lead the way in smartphones and tablet computing, and is struggling to make an imprint on the popular web in the way of Facebook or Twitter.

In the meantime, IBM has refashioned itself as a specialist in business software, servers and consulting, jettisoning its PC business along the way, under the leadership of Sam Palmisano since 2002.

According to Reuters data, Apple’s market value stood at $309.2 billion on Monday, IBM at $203.8 billion and Microsoft at $203.7 billion.

IBM is now ranked fourth in terms of market value in the United States, behind oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp at $397.4 billion, Apple, and industrial and finance conglomerate General Electric Co at $205.6 billion.

IBM shares ended down 1.1 percent at $168.26 while Microsoft fell 1.3 percent to $24.17.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Commercial (DLC Clearlease/Clearlease.com) is a fully diversified Lease Finance Mortgage Banking Brokerage Company specializing in Equipment Leasing, Automobile Leasing, Residential, Commercial Lending/Mortgage Financing. DLC Clearlease possesses the capability to accommodate financing needs ranging from a small second Home Mortgage to a Multi-Million Dollar Commercial Projects. No mortgage is too small or too large for this integrated Company.

Equipment Lease Financing in Vancouver, Surrey, Delta, Richmond, Langley, New Westminster, North Vancouer, West Vancouver, B.C. Also offering Automobile Lease Financing and Mortgage information. Founded by the Pidgeon brothers.

You may have recently seen a Dominion Lending advertisement on such media outlets as: Global News, CTV News, CBC Television, Rogers Sportsnet or possibly heard the great Don Cherry, a Canadian Sports legend, discuss Dominion Lending Centres.

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease
HEAD OFFICE, Bentall Two, Suite 900, 555 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V7X 1M8, CANADA.
Mr. Alexander Pidgeon, Editor in Chief
Tel: (604) 696-1221 ext. 199
eMail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.clearlease.com
News: http://clearlease.com/category/equipment-lease-blog/feed/rss
Twitter: @clearlease

###

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

An investor putting $100,000 into both stocks 10 years ago would now have about $143,000 in IBM stock and about $69,000 in Microsoft stock.

Microsoft is now the third-largest U.S. tech company by market value, after a resurgent Apple Inc roared past a year ago to take first place.

IBM ruled the computer industry for decades until it hired the tiny, unknown Microsoft to provide an operating system for its new range of personal computers in the early 1980s.

In the meantime, IBM has refashioned itself as a specialist in business software, servers and consulting, jettisoning its PC business along the way, under the leadership of Sam Palmisano since 2002.

According to Reuters data, Apple’s market value stood at $309.2 billion on Monday, IBM at $203.8 billion and Microsoft at $203.7 billion.

IBM shares ended down 1.1 percent at $168.26 while Microsoft fell 1.3 percent to $24.17.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports IBM (NYSE:IBM) passes Microsoft’s (NasdaqGS:MSFT) market cap after 15 years

An investor putting $100,000 into both stocks 10 years ago would now have about $143,000 in IBM stock and about $69,000 in Microsoft stock.

Microsoft is now the third-largest U.S. tech company by market value, after a resurgent Apple Inc roared past a year ago to take first place.

IBM ruled the computer industry for decades until it hired the tiny, unknown Microsoft to provide an operating system for its new range of personal computers in the early 1980s.

In the meantime, IBM has refashioned itself as a specialist in business software, servers and consulting, jettisoning its PC business along the way, under the leadership of Sam Palmisano since 2002.

According to Reuters data, Apple’s market value stood at $309.2 billion on Monday, IBM at $203.8 billion and Microsoft at $203.7 billion.

IBM shares ended down 1.1 percent at $168.26 while Microsoft fell 1.3 percent to $24.17.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports Sony dips after warning of third straight net lossDominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports Sony dips after warning of third straight net lossDominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports Sony dips after warning of third straight net loss

Reports Reports Sony dips after warning of third straight net loss

VANCOUVER, BC (May 24, 2011) Clearlease Reports Shares in Sony Corp <6758.T> dipped in early trade on Tuesday May 24, 2011 but quickly recovered to rise more than 1 percent to 2,238 yen, after warning the previous day it would post a third straight annual net loss.

It estimated a loss for the year ended March 31 of 260 billion yen ($3.2 billion), which compares with the company’s previous forecast of a 70 billion yen profit.

Sony is set to announce its results on Thursday.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

It estimated a loss for the year ended March 31 of 260 billion yen ($3.2 billion), which compares with the company’s previous forecast of a 70 billion yen profit.

Sony is set to announce its results on Thursday.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Reports Reports Sony dips after warning of third straight net loss

It estimated a loss for the year ended March 31 of 260 billion yen ($3.2 billion), which compares with the company’s previous forecast of a 70 billion yen profit.

Sony is set to announce its results on Thursday.

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports Delta (NYSE:DAL) and US Airways (NYSE:LCC) propose another swap of flying rights in New York and Washington

VANCOUVER, BC (May 24, 2011) Clearlease Reports US Airways Group Inc. (NYSE:LCC) and Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE:DAL) are again asking regulators to allow them to swap takeoff and landing rights for dozens of flights in New York and Washington.

The deal announced Monday May 23, 2011 calls for Delta to give US Airways 42 slot pairs at Reagan National Airport in Washington, $66.5 million in cash, and the right to add another daily flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015.

In exchange, Delta would get 132 slot pairs at LaGuardia airport in New York. Each slot pair is the right for one takeoff and one landing.

The swap would remake the competitive landscape in two of America’s most competitive air markets. But their attempt for a similar deal fell apart last year after the Transportation Department imposed restrictions that the airlines said were too onerous.

The airlines are offering to give up eight slot pairs at Reagan and 16 at LaGuardia. That’s still less than what the Transportation Department said it wanted last year: 14 at Reagan and 20 at LaGuardia.

US Airways has been shifting its flying to cities that connect to Washington and its hubs in Philadelphia, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Phoenix.

The deal doesn’t mean that Delta would pull out of Reagan National airport, or that US Airways would drop flying to LaGuardia. And US Airways says it will continue to fly its shuttle from Boston to New York and Washington, and Delta will keep flying its hourly shuttle between New York and Washington.

In Washington, US Airways said it would add 15 new destinations. That would give it 230 departures from Reagan on its busiest days, 20 per cent more than it has now.

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Commercial (Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Clearlease / Clearlease.com ) is a fully diversified Lease Finance Mortgage Banking Brokerage Company specializing in Equipment Leasing, Automobile Leasing, Residential, Commercial Lending / Mortgage Financing. Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Clearlease possesses the capability to accommodate financing needs ranging from a small second Home Mortgage to a Multi-Million Dollar Commercial Projects. No mortgage is too small or too large for this integrated Company. Headquartered in Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. We are expanding in Q2, 2011 to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta! In Q3, 2011 we are expanding in Toronto, Ontario! Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease services clients from Coast to Coast. Our Residential Group has a team of Licensed Mortgage Brokers offering our clients the best terms and rates available in the current market. Our Commercial Funding/Mortgage Group is active across Canada Funding Mortgages in cities such as Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

Contact:
Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease
HEAD OFFICE, Bentall Two, Suite 900,
555 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V7X 1M8, CANADA.
Mr. Alexander Pidgeon, Editor in Chief
Tel: (604) 696-1221 ext. 199
eMail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.clearlease.com
News: http://clearlease.com/category/equipment-lease-blog/feed/rss
Twitter: @clearlease

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

In exchange, Delta would get 132 slot pairs at LaGuardia airport in New York. Each slot pair is the right for one takeoff and one landing.

US Airways has been shifting its flying to cities that connect to Washington and its hubs in Philadelphia, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Phoenix.

In Washington, US Airways said it would add 15 new destinations. That would give it 230 departures from Reagan on its busiest days, 20 per cent more than it has now.

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports Delta (NYSE:DAL) and US Airways (NYSE:LCC) propose another swap of flying rights in New York and Washington

In exchange, Delta would get 132 slot pairs at LaGuardia airport in New York. Each slot pair is the right for one takeoff and one landing.

US Airways has been shifting its flying to cities that connect to Washington and its hubs in Philadelphia, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Phoenix.

In Washington, US Airways said it would add 15 new destinations. That would give it 230 departures from Reagan on its busiest days, 20 per cent more than it has now.

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports Yandex IPO (NASDAQ:YNDX) raises $1.3 billion, more than expected

VANCOUVER, BC (May 24, 2011) Clearlease Reports Russian Internet company Yandex NV (NASDAQ:YNDX) raised 19 percent more than expected on Monday May 23, 2011 in the sector’s biggest U.S. initial public offering since Google Inc went public in 2004.

Russia’s most popular search engine raised $1.3 billion as investors scooped up the shares, lured by prospects for the country’s growing Internet market and the euphoria of last week’s blowout debut by LinkedIn Corp.

Yandex and its shareholders sold 52.2 million shares for $25 each, a source briefed on the deal told Reuters. They had originally planned to sell the shares at $20 to $22 each, but another source close to the issue told Reuters on Monday that Yandex would likely sell shares at $24 to $25 each.

Internet companies, especially those with reach into emerging markets, have been stealing the hearts of investors. Yandex, to many analysts, has rekindled memories of an explosive offering by its Chinese equivalent Baidu Inc.

“Every Internet company that’s come on the market recently wants to be the next Baidu.com …. It really is the ‘Google’ of China,” said Anthony Moro, managing director and head of emerging markets for BNY Mellon’s depositary receipt division.

“Everything else tried to be the ‘Facebook’ of this or the ‘Amazon’ of that, but Yandex really is the ‘Google’ of Russia … They’re a huge and growing brand.”

Baidu, China’s biggest search engine, rocked U.S. markets with a 354 percent jump in its 2005 Nasdaq debut and has grown into one of the world’s top brands.

Yandex, valued at $8 billion by its IPO, follows a blockbuster debut by LinkedIn, whose shares more than doubled on the first day of trading and brought back memories of frothy valuations before the dot-com bust a decade ago.

“I don’t know if you’d get such a huge pop (with Yandex) as you did with LinkedIn,” said Darren Fabric, managing director at IPO investment firm IPOX Schuster LLC. But “it should trade fairly well on its first day even with the market volatility.”

U.S. stocks closed at their lowest levels in a month on Monday, in contrast with the resilience in the market at the time of LinkedIn’s IPO.

LinkedIn is trading at 34 times 2010 sales, while Google shares are now worth just under six times 2010 sales. Yandex’s IPO values the shares at 18 times 2010 sales.

Yandex controls 65 percent of the Russian market for Internet searches, almost three times more than global leader Google. Yandex fans also highlight the company’s record of profitable growth, driven by online advertising: In 2010, earnings rose 90 percent to $135 million on sales that grew by 43 percent to $445 million.

Chief Executive Officer Arkady Volozh told Reuters in 2005 that Yandex could go public. The company plans to use the IPO proceeds to provide liquidity for shareholders, enhance its profile and increase its financial flexibility, according to Yandex’s filing with U.S. securities regulators.

NO QUICK FLIP

Investors may be reassured by the fact that the duo who founded Yandex in 1997 — CEO Volozh and Chief Technology Officer Ilya Segalovich — will retain most of their holdings.

Volozh, who has a degree in applied mathematics, began working on search technology in 1989. A year later, he started his own search software developing firm, where he was joined by Segalovich, a geophysicist. In 1997 they launched the yandex.ru website, which in March was used by 38 million unique users.

Yandex’s search algorithm, originally developed to conduct keyword searches of patents, Russian classical literature and the Bible, was a breakthrough as it accounted for the Russian language’s complex grammar.

The duo coined the name “Yandex” — with “Ya” standing for the Russian equivalent to English pronoun “I” — as Segalovich was experimenting with derivatives of words that described the essence of the technology. The full name originally stood for “Yet Another iNDEX.”

Today the word “Yandex” has become synonymous with Internet search in Russian-speaking countries, as people suggest “asking Yandex” for answers to their inquiries.

Private equity investors are also keeping stakes, including Baring Vostok Capital Partners, which bought into Yandex in 2000, when it had revenue of just $72,000 and lost $2 million.

The funds’ original investment valued Yandex at $15 million, meaning Baring Vostok and its partners could make up to 93 times their original investment.

Investors buying into Yandex’s IPO will receive Class A shares, which only have one-tenth of the voting power of the Class B shares that insiders in the deal will retain.

Also, a golden share held by Sberbank, the state-controlled Russian bank, represents a poison pill that could be used to prevent any single investor from acquiring a voting stake in Yandex of more than 25 percent.

Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs led underwriters on the offering.

Yandex shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday under the symbol “YNDX.”

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

“Everything else tried to be the ‘Facebook’ of this or the ‘Amazon’ of that, but Yandex really is the ‘Google’ of Russia … They’re a huge and growing brand.”

Baidu, China’s biggest search engine, rocked U.S. markets with a 354 percent jump in its 2005 Nasdaq debut and has grown into one of the world’s top brands.

U.S. stocks closed at their lowest levels in a month on Monday, in contrast with the resilience in the market at the time of LinkedIn’s IPO.

LinkedIn is trading at 34 times 2010 sales, while Google shares are now worth just under six times 2010 sales. Yandex’s IPO values the shares at 18 times 2010 sales.

NO QUICK FLIP

Investors may be reassured by the fact that the duo who founded Yandex in 1997 — CEO Volozh and Chief Technology Officer Ilya Segalovich — will retain most of their holdings.

Today the word “Yandex” has become synonymous with Internet search in Russian-speaking countries, as people suggest “asking Yandex” for answers to their inquiries.

Private equity investors are also keeping stakes, including Baring Vostok Capital Partners, which bought into Yandex in 2000, when it had revenue of just $72,000 and lost $2 million.

The funds’ original investment valued Yandex at $15 million, meaning Baring Vostok and its partners could make up to 93 times their original investment.

Investors buying into Yandex’s IPO will receive Class A shares, which only have one-tenth of the voting power of the Class B shares that insiders in the deal will retain.

Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs led underwriters on the offering.

Yandex shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday under the symbol “YNDX.”

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports Yandex IPO (NASDAQ:YNDX) raises $1.3 billion, more than expected

“Everything else tried to be the ‘Facebook’ of this or the ‘Amazon’ of that, but Yandex really is the ‘Google’ of Russia … They’re a huge and growing brand.”

Baidu, China’s biggest search engine, rocked U.S. markets with a 354 percent jump in its 2005 Nasdaq debut and has grown into one of the world’s top brands.

U.S. stocks closed at their lowest levels in a month on Monday, in contrast with the resilience in the market at the time of LinkedIn’s IPO.

LinkedIn is trading at 34 times 2010 sales, while Google shares are now worth just under six times 2010 sales. Yandex’s IPO values the shares at 18 times 2010 sales.

NO QUICK FLIP

Investors may be reassured by the fact that the duo who founded Yandex in 1997 — CEO Volozh and Chief Technology Officer Ilya Segalovich — will retain most of their holdings.

Today the word “Yandex” has become synonymous with Internet search in Russian-speaking countries, as people suggest “asking Yandex” for answers to their inquiries.

Private equity investors are also keeping stakes, including Baring Vostok Capital Partners, which bought into Yandex in 2000, when it had revenue of just $72,000 and lost $2 million.

The funds’ original investment valued Yandex at $15 million, meaning Baring Vostok and its partners could make up to 93 times their original investment.

Investors buying into Yandex’s IPO will receive Class A shares, which only have one-tenth of the voting power of the Class B shares that insiders in the deal will retain.

Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs led underwriters on the offering.

Yandex shares are expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday under the symbol “YNDX.”

For more information please visit us at: http://www.clearlease.com/Career-Opportunities.html

About Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease

Contact DLC Clearlease.com:

Video Link: http://youtu.be/f_kk7WJa7Uk

Dominion Lending Centres Clearlease Reports US stock markets sharply lower amid growing European debt worries

VANCOUVER, BC (May 24, 2011) Clearlease Reports With little economic news coming out of the United States Monday May 23, 2011, Wall Street is panicking about Europe.

Stocks sank in midday trading Monday after warnings about the finances of several European countries stoked fears that the region’s debt crisis is worsening. The euro dipped briefly to its lowest level against the dollar in two months.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 173 points, or 1.4 per cent, to 12,338 in midday trading. Stocks also fell broadly in Europe and Asia.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 20, or 1.5 per cent, to 1,313. The Nasdaq composite index fell 52, or 1.8 per cent, to 2,751.

Italy is the latest European country to be affected by the region’s widespread debt problems. Standard & Poor’s said Saturday that country was in danger of having its debt rating lowered if it could not reduce its public borrowing and improve economic growth.

The ratings agency lowered its outlook for Italy’s debt to negative from stable. That means there is a one-in-three chance that S&P would downgrade Italy’s debt rating in the next two years.

Fitch and Moody’s, the other two main ratings agencies, have said they see no reason to alter their outlook for Italy’s debt, which they say is stable. The S&P warning was enough to rattle European markets and cause investors to worry that Italy could join Greece, Portugal and Ireland on the list of countries with serious debt problems.

Financial markets in Europe closed sharply lower Monday. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares fell 1.9 per cent. Germany’s DAX lost 2 per cent. The CAC-40 in France was 2 per cent lower.

Spain’s public finances are also worrying investors. Spain’s ruling Socialist party was roundly defeated in local elections, raising concerns that political instability would keep that country from enforcing spending cuts. The Ibex 35 index on the Madrid stock market fell nearly 2.

Concerns about the ability of the Spanish and Italian governments to control their debt come after a Friday debt downgrade for Greece that gave investors more reason to fear that country would need more help managing its debts following a $157 billion loan package it received last year.

The European Union’s top financial official urged Greece on Monday to sell more of the country’s holdings to give the market more faith that it is getting its debt under control.

The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell to 3.10 per cent, its lowest level this year. Bond yields fall when prices go up, so the drop is a sign that investors are clamouring for the safety of long-term U.S. debt.

Downgrades of European sovereign debt can shock world markets when they’re first announced. Recently, debt downgrades have had a short-term effect. Moody’s downgraded Spain’s on March 10. The Ibex 35 sank 1.3 per cent on the news, but recovered its losses within days.

S&P downgraded their debt outlook for the U.S. on April 17 from stable to negative, saying it could lower the country’s debt rating in the future. The warning blindsided markets, sending the Dow down 240 points in the morning. But it recovered the next day.

Another consequence of European debt problems: The dollar is up 0.8 per cent against an index of currencies. A stronger dollar makes U.S. products more expensive to other countries, and can hurt U.S. companies still recovering from the recession.

While stocks are reacting strongly to the weekend’s headlines, corporate debt yields are not dropping any more than government debt yields. If that were the case, it would signal that investors were growing more wary of risk. Because they’re not, the U.S. economy still hasn’t suffered damage, said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank.

“There’s a short term perception of risk, but I’m not viewing it as necessarily lasting,” said Ablin.

Later this week, investors will get U.S. economic data to consider. The Commerce Department will report Tuesday on the number of new homes that were sold in April, helping investors gauge the state of the housing recession.

On Thursday, the Commerce Department will release its revised estimate for how much the economy grew in the first quarter. The GDP number is expected to be revised upward from its initial 1.8 per cent. Investors will be watching to see how much the rising cost of oil and raw materials has hampered spending by corporations and consumers.

On Friday, the Commerce Department’s report on personal income and spending in April will help investors gauge how pricier gas has affected how much families spend on other things.