Ford outlook lifts stocks despite higher oil prices

NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors looked past a spike in oil prices Friday, sending stocks higher on the strength of Ford Motor Co.'s bullish profit outlook. The major indexes finished the week mixed.
Ford's outlook was somewhat of a surprise since the automaker announced cutbacks in production earlier this month.
A number of large companies, especially in the technology and industrial sectors, have downgraded their earnings guidance for the third quarter due to soft demand, renewing worries on Wall Street that the summer's economic slowdown would continue.
Wall Street managed to hold on to its gains Friday despite oil prices' rising back above $45 per barrel, driven by lost capacity from the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of Hurricane Ivan. A barrel of light crude settled at $45.59, up $1.71, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
"Considering how high oil has gotten, the market is acting pretty strong," said Todd Leone, managing director of equity trading at SG Cowen Securities. "I don't know how sustainable it is, but for now, it's nice to see."
According to preliminary calculations, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 39.97, or 0.4 percent, to 10,284.46.
Broader stock indicators were modestly higher. The Standard & amp; Poor's 500 index was up 5.05, or 0.4 percent, at 1,128.55, and the Nasdaq composite index gained 6.01, or 0.3 percent, to 1,910.09.
For the week, the Dow fell 0.3 percent, reversing five weeks of gains, while the S & amp;P 500 was up 0.4 percent and the Nasdaq rose 0.8 percent. It was the sixth straight positive week for the S & amp;P 500 and the second week of gains for the Nasdaq.
Blue chips were hit hard earlier in the week by a disappointing profit outlook from Dow component Coca-Cola Co., while rising oil prices and muddled economic data kept the other indexes' gains to a minimum.
In addition, some investors likely kept to the sidelines in advance of Tuesday's Federal Reserve meeting, where the Fed was expected to raise the nation's benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point. Interest rates currently stand at 1.5 percent.
The latest reading of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index gave investors another conflicting reading on the state of the economy. The index fell slightly to 95.8 in September, down from 95.9 in August, showing that consumers are still worried about jobs and incomes. Wall Street had forecast a 96.7 reading.
With consumer spending a key compone nt of the economy, Michigan's latest reading on consumer sentiment was disappointing. Consumer spending has been skittish through the summer, especially for big-ticket items like appliances and cars, due to high energy prices that have persisted through September.
That will make the Fed's statement, released after its meeting, even more important to Wall Street than usual. Without a clear indication of the economy's direction, the market rally of the past six weeks could be in jeopardy, analysts said.
"We're starting to see a lot of oversold indicators after the recent runup we've had, and that's got to be making investors nervous," said Chris Johnson, manager of quantitative analysis at Schaeffer's Investment Research. "To get us past these levels, it's going to take a lot more than a good outlook by Ford."
Ford did not cite increased sales as a factor in its improved outlook. The automaker said its third quarter and full-year earnings would be higher than expected due to improved cost efficiency and strong results from its financial services business. Ford was up 27 cents at $14.22.
Technology
Cell phone component maker Qualcomm Inc. slid $1.57 to $38.83 even as the company raised its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings estimates due to strong sales. However, Qualcomm said it would have to adjust the way it accounts for royalties, which could result in lower revenue figures going forward.
Texas Instruments Inc. rose 49 cents to $22.08 after the semiconductor and electronics manufacturer authorized a $1 billion stock repurchase plan. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to 2.5 cents from 2.125 cents.
Losses at electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. shrunk substantially in the latest quarter, with the company reporting a loss of 6 cents per share, compared with 63 cents per share a year ago. Wall Street had expected a loss of 11 cents per share. Circuit City gained 61 cents to $14.72.
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