Stocks Fall Back, Nike Profit Up 40%

U.S. stocks pulled back from record levels on Thursday after surging a day earlier. The Dow ended
up 11.11 points, or 0.07%, to 16,179.08. The S&P 500 retreated 1.05 points, or 0.06%, to 1,809.60.
The Nasdaq Composite lost 11.93 points, or 0.29%, to 4,058.13.

Nike Inc. (NKE) said Thursday that its fiscal second-quarter profit rose to $537 million, or 59
cents a share, from $384 million, or 42 cents, a year earlier. Sales rose to $6.43 billion from
$5.96 billion.

The price of gold slumped below $1,200 an ounce Thursday, the lowest in more than three years.
Gold for February delivery plunged $41.40, or 3.4 percent, to $1,193.60 an ounce. It hadn’t closed
below $1,200 an ounce since August 2010.

Previously (ETSLTOTL) owned U.S. home sales declined for the third consecutive month in November
to the lowest level of the year. Purchases dropped 4.3 percent to a 4.9 million annual rate, the
National Association of Realtors reported today in Washington.

A breach of credit and debit card data at discount retailer Target may have affected as many as 40
million shoppers who went to the store in the three weeks after Thanksgiving, the retailer said
Thursday.