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NEW YORK — U.S. stocks on Monday veered to a near-neutral finish, with the S&P 500 Index running out of steam after a six-session move higher, though technology shares advanced on upbeat comments by analysts. "We're seeing a some- what listless market, especially today, as there is not much in the way of market-moving news," said Paul Nolte, manag- ing director at Dearborn Partners. "Volume is going to be by appoint- ment only," he added of the light trading. After meandering between gains and loss- es, the Dow Jones indus- trial average shed 13.68 points, or 0.1 percent, to 10,552.52, with 17 of its 30 components losing ground. Curbing blue-chip losses, Cisco Systems Inc. rose 3.7 percent, with the networking- equipment giant promis- ing a significant announcement on Tues- day. Blue-chip gains also included McDonald's Corp., up 2.3 percent, after the fast-food chain reported a better-than- expected 4.8 percent rise in its global same-store sales in February. Off the Dow, Research in Motion Ltd. gained 5.6 percent after a BMO Capital Markets analyst raised his rating on the BlackBerry smart-phone maker. Halting a six-session winning streak, the S&P 500 ended less than one point lower off at 1,138.50, with industri- als down the most and consumer discretionary and information technol- ogy sectors rising. Trading at its highest level since early Septem- ber 2008, the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 5.86 points, or 0.3 per- cent, to 2,332.21. Advancing stocks outran decliners by about three to two on the New York Stock Exchange, where com- posite volume topped 3.9 billion shares. In 2009, daily trading vol- ume averaged 5.5 bil- lion. The lackluster start to the week follows Fri- day's better-than-expect- ed unemployment report, which estimated less than 36,000 jobs lost in February, and helped stocks advance for a third time in four weeks. "The overall report was better than most people expected given the severe weather, with several signs that the job market will soon start to post good news," said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at BlackRock Investments LLC. "The second quarter could bring as many as 300,000 new jobs given the average workweek, temporary hiring, pro- ductivity and profits _ four leading indicators of job growth _ have all moved up," he added. The economic data calendar was light, but reports later in the week include reports on wholesale and business inventories, retail sales and a measure of con- sumer sentiment. Tuesday brings the one-year anniversary of the bear market's bot- tom. American Internation- al Group Inc. shares gained 3.6 percent after MetLife Inc. said it would buy the troubled insurer's overseas life- and health-insurance unit for $15.5 billion. Shares of MetLife climbed 5.1 percent. The deal is the second this month by AIG, part of its ongoing effort to repay billions in dollars of government aid. In other M&A activi- ty, U.K.-based Royal Dutch Shell PLC and China-based PetroChina Co. made a $3 billion joint bid for Australian coal-seam gas producer Arrow Energy . 8A – Daily News – Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Se habla Español DRE Lic. #01522088 239 S. Main Street, Red Bluff, CA Call us for professional and confidential service for ALL of your home loan needs! www.loansbyplatinum.com Equal Housing Opportunity (530) 529-3699 www.lassenmedical.com LASSEN MEDICAL GROUP In Support Of The Our Nation's Emphasis On The Importance Of Flu Vaccinations Lassen Medical Group has Seasonal Flu Vaccine and H1N1 Flu Vaccine These are available Monday - Friday, 9 am-1 pm, 2 pm-5 pm in Suite A Cottonwood 20833 Long Branch Drive (530) 347-3418 Red Bluff 2450 Sister Mary Columba Drive (530) 527-0414 Monday- Recession Proof Resume Learn how to build or fine-tune a marketable and competitive resume. Bring: Current resume (hard or soft copy) OR Work history including dates of employment Recommended: Intermediate Computer Skills Wednesday- The New Face of Job Search Frustrated with job search? Learn how to plan, search, and follow- up on your job hunt. Recommended: Intermediate Computer Skills Friday- Marketing Professionalism From first impressions to acceptance of a perfect job offer, learn how to BE YOUR OWN BEST marketing firm. Job Training Center Computer Lab 718 Main Street Red Bluff, CA 96080 Time: 10am-11am For more information Call: 530-529-7000 No charge to attend. • Gain the skills to compete in today's economic climate. • Move from frustrated to empowered — Develop YOUR marketable skills! M A R K E T M E W I N T E R W O R K S H O P S R E I N V E N T Y O U R C A R E E R P R O F I L E P L A N . N A V I G A T E . M A R K E T . Stocks pause after jobs-inspired rally on Wall Street Wall Street