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Green Party Presidential candidate Jill Stein officially filed a request for a recount of the vote in Wisconsin on Friday, the state’s elections commission announced less than a half-hour before the deadline for a filing. Stein raised funds to pay for the recount after computer scientists publicly called for the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, to file for the move due to irregularities they claimed to find in the vote totals. Wisconsin announced just ahead of its deadline of 5 p.m. Friday that it had received two recount petitions, from Stein and Reform Party nominee Rocky De La Fuente. “The Commission is preparing to move forward with a statewide recount of votes for President of the United States, as requested by these candidates,” Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Michael Haas said in a news release Friday. The campaigns will have to pay for the recount, which Haas said would have to be complete by Dec. 13 because of federal rules. “The recount process is very detail-oriented, and this deadline will certainly challenge some counties to finish on time,” Haas said in Friday’s announcement.

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Crude oil futures prices fell Friday ahead of next week’s potential production cut at a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $2.02, or 4.2%, at $45.93 a barrel. Expectations for an output cut have been building, with Saudi Arabia backing a reduction of over 1 million barrels to 32.5 million barrels a day, but uncertainty for broader agreement persists. Even with Friday’s price drop, the contract recorded a 0.5% weekly gain, marking back to back weekly gains.

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From:: Stock Market News

U.S. stocks finished higher on Friday, with the three main indexes closing at record highs, as defensive stocks led the market higher in quiet postholiday trade. The S&P 500 gained 8.53 points, or 0.4%, to 2,213.30, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 68.69 points, or 0.4%, to 19,152,14 as shares of Cisco Systems Inc. and Coca-Cola Company led the blue-chip gauge higher. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 18.24 points, or 0.3%, to 5,398.92. The Russell 2000 , the small-cap benchmark, also closed at a record high and notched its 15th straight session of gains — its longest winning streak since February 1996. The Russell gained 3.24 points, or 0.2%, to 1,345.32.

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From:: Stock Market News

Gold futures for December delivery closed down $9.90, or 0.8%, to $1,179.50 an ounce. Gold fell even as the dollar paused its strong run this week, a move that cut demand for dollar-priced precious metals. The gold contract finished the week down around 2.3%, according to FactSet data. Silver futures [S: SIZ6] ended the session up modestly, trimming their weekly loss to 0.2%.

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Johnson & Johnson confirmed Friday that it is holding preliminary talks with Swiss drug company Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. regarding a potential deal, as reported earlier by Bloomberg News. The company said there can be no assurance a deal will materialize. “Johnson & Johnson does not intend to make any additional comments regarding these discussions unless and until it is appropriate to do so, or a formal agreement has been reached,” it said in a statement. Actelion has a market cap of about $17 billion. Shares of Actelion were last up almost 17%. Johnson & Johnson shares rose 0.9%, and have gained 11% in the year so far, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 9.8%.

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From:: Stock Market News

U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 reaching fresh record highs, as the holiday-shortened session kept trading volume thin. The S&P 500 climbed 3 points, or 0.2%, to 2,207, while the Dow advanced 50 points, or 0.3%, to 19,135. The Nasdaq Composite gained 5 points, or 0.1%, to 5,385. Trading closes at 1 p.m. Eastern.

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From:: Stock Market News

Target Corporation said it had a strong start to Black Friday sales and Target.com saw its biggest day ever, with double digit growth, in the lead up. The store started its deals on Wednesday. Televisions were a top selling product and Target sold more than 3,200 TVs every minute in the first hour of the store opening. Other popular items included Apple Inc.’s iPad Air 2, iPad Pro and Apple Watch Series 1, gaming systems and wearables such as the Fitbit Charge HR. Target said it sold five times more wireless headphones on Black Friday compared to last year. Shares of Target were up 1% in premarket trade. Shares of Target have fallen 8% year-to-date, compared to the S&P 500’s gain of 8%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Shares of Swiss drug company Actelion Ltd. surged 14% Friday, after a report that Johnson & Johson has approached the company with a view to a takeover. Bloomberg News said talks are at an early stage. The Swiss company has a market capitalization of about $17 billion. It has brought new lung treatments to market that are expected to reduce its reliance on its Tracleer drug, which is used to treat high bloody pressure that affects arteries in the lungs, according to Bloomberg. Johnson & Johnson shares were not active premarket, but are up 10% in the year so far, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained 9.5%.

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The U.S. government is raising the allowable limit on some credit-card late fees, and American Express Co. is the first issuer to act on it, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. From January, the company will charge customers that are late on more than one payment in a six-month period a fee of up to $38, $1 more than it charged previously. That places the issuer at the maximum allowed under the new guidelines from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. American Express shares were not yet active in premarket trade, but are up 4.8% in the year so far, while the S&P 500 has gained 7.9%.

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Florence Henderson, best known for her role as mom Carol Brady in the hit 1970s television series “The Brady Bunch,” has died at the age of 82, her manager confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday. Henderson, who died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Thursday night, had suffered heart failure, according to her manager Kayla Pressman, the AP said. “The Brady Bunch,” a sitcom about a blended family with two single parents and their six combined children, had a successful run for Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC Television Network between 1969 and 1974.

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From:: Stock Market News