Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/5768
NEW YORK (AP) — Investors turned cautious on the second trading day of the year as a pair of economic reports gave mixed signals about how the recovery was going. Major stock indexes ended little changed a day after the Dow Jones industrials soared more than 150 points on upbeat manufacturing reports in the U.S. and China. Uncertainty over key reports this week on employment and the ser- vice industry also kept buyers at bay. The economic news on Tuesday was muddled. The Commerce Depart- ment reported that factory orders rose by more than twice what had been expected in November, reflecting demand in the steel, computer and chemical industries. The gain of 1.1 percent easily beat the 0.5 percent fore- cast of analysts polled Thomson Reuters. Meanwhile, the num- ber of buyers who agreed to purchase previously occupied homes fell sharply in November, an indication that sales will fall this winter. The National Association of Realtors said its index of pending home sales fell 16 percent, the first drop after nine months of gains. Some decline had been expected as investors raced to buy homes ahead of a tax credit deadline, which was later extended. A strengthening dollar also held stocks to modest moves. A strong dollar makes commodities and shares of the companies that produce them less attractive to foreign buy- ers. It also hurts the prof- its of companies that do business overseas. Investors are looking for clues about the direc- tion of the economy in 2010 after a nine-month rally pushed stocks to steep gains for 2009. Now, analysts say, further signs of strengthening in the economy are needed to help stocks hold their gains. Major stock index- es stand at 15-month highs. The Dow industrials slipped 11.94, or 0.1 per- cent, to 10,572.02. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.53, or 0.3 percent, to 1,136.52, its highest close since Oct. 1, 2008. The Nasdaq composite index edged up 0.29, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,308.71. Three stocks rose for every two that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where consoli- dated volume rose to 5.2 billion shares from 4.1 billion Monday. Bond prices rose, pushing interest rates lower. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Trea- sury note fell to 3.76 per- cent from 3.83 percent late Monday. Crude oil rose 26 cents to settle at $81.77 a barrel on the New York Mercan- tile Exchange. The Russell 2000 index of smaller compa- nies fell 1.61, or 0.3 per- cent, to 638.49. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4 percent, Ger- many's DAX index fell 0.3 percent, and France's CAC-40 slipped less than 0.1 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 0.3 percent. 2B – Daily News – Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Dear Annie: My moth- er is overly controlling with her grown children. She seems to think that when she gives an opinion, we have to agree. What's worse, she is so negative about everything. She starts fights with us and expects us to capitulate and say she is right every time. She voices her opinions without thinking them through and has stepped on a lot of toes over the years. She has no friends left. We don't even celebrate holidays together because it is sim- ply too depressing. Mom will pick a fight on the phone, scream at the top of her lungs and then hang up and refuse to talk to us until we call and beg forgiveness. My father is the only one who is always on speaking terms with her, but he's afraid to make her angry or she'll start a fight with him, too. So he stays out of our disputes. The last few times I saw my mother, she didn't seem well. There's no point in telling her to see a doctor, because she has already been through four doctors in six months. She hates all of them. In spite of her abrasive personality, I still worry about her. I've suggested all of the siblings get together with both parents and voice our con- cerns, but my brothers and sisters do not want to hear Mom scream at us, and we know she will. Please help before she drives everyone away. — Sad in Ohio Dear Ohio: People who are per- petually unhappy, pick fights with others and drive friends and family away are often depressed and may even have an underlying mental illness. Your moth- er's apparent physical prob- lems are likely exacerbating the situation. Unless she rec- ognizes that she needs help, she isn't likely to respond well to any suggestion that she get it. Contact the Depression and Bipolar Sup- port Alliance (dbsalliance.org) at 1-800- 826-3632 and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org) at 1-800-950- NAMI (1-800-950-6264), and ask for assistance. Dear Annie: I am a photograph- er who has done many weddings. The current trend of strapless dress- es, however, has presented wedding dress horrors. Please tell all brides looking for dresses to consider the following: Strapless dresses don't look great on everyone, especially overweight or large-busted women. If you feel even remotely uncomfortable in the dress, you will look it. If the dress slips down at all when you walk, imagine spending your entire wed- ding adjusting it and pulling it up. These things are not attractive. More than once, I have seen a sur- prise appearance by ''the girls,'' especially when the bride lifts her arms while dancing or to throw the bouquet. Bending over to talk with children or kiss Grandma presents a whole new problem. I have spent hours Photoshopping out creases, dimples, stretch marks and unat- tractive cleavage. So try a dress with spaghetti straps or a halter, or wear something that shows off your back, but please, no more strapless gowns. — K.R. Dear K.R.: Thanks for your words of wisdom. Brides, take note. Just because it looks good in a mag- azine doesn't mean it's right for you. Dear Annie: The letter from ''Hopeless,'' who suspects her hus- band has Asperger syndrome, really helped me grasp my situation. My uncommunicative husband is 60, and I, too, suffer from depression. It's like we are living parallel lives. I have been with ''George'' for five years and have become so angry and miserable about his inability to connect. When he's with me or others he has known a long time, he speaks appropriately, but in the company of strangers, he rants, becomes overly opinionated and rude, and sounds idiotic. I've accused him of ignorance and asked whether he was ever diagnosed with a disorder. He has been married three times before, and I am in the process of leaving because I cannot go on like this. It really is a comfort to be able to identify and understand this. Although I still need to leave, it helped me immensely. — No Longer Struggling Dear No Longer: Before walk- ing out the door, please talk to your doctor about your husband's behav- ior and see whether anything can be changed. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, P.O. Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611. Abrasive mother won't let us help her Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar FEATURES DEAR DR. GOTT: I thor- oughly enjoy reading your col- umn and am writ- ing regarding the use of white (clear) iodine for nails. Just three of my nails split, and I am unable to let them grow to match the other seven, which grow very nicely. All my nails are very hard, and even the three that split are somewhat hard. Two are on my right hand, and one is on the left. My question is twofold: Can I use the clear iodine even though the nails are not soft, just splitting? Also, is the iodine used on clean nails without even clear polish? If so, can I use it in the evening and put clear polish on each morning? The clear pol- ish does provide a mod- icum of protection when my hands are in water. I try to use gloves when I do dishes and cleaning with stronger deter- gents. I realize that you are a busy doctor; however, I would greatly appreci- ate it if you could pro- vide a response. DEAR READER: Split fingernails are often the result of excessive water contact — as with tub baths, dishwashing, house- cleaning with detergents added to water, and the like. As a general rule, they are not tied to nutritional deficiencies. Nail-polish removers that contain acetone can contribute to the condi- tion. Buy removers that do not have the ingredi- ent, limit stripping your nails of all polish to twice a month, and limit the number of profes- sional manicures you get. You can certainly use clear iodine on your nails, and, while I have no personal experience, I would think it would work more effectively when placed on clean nails. It's certainly worth a trial for a month or so. In the interim, continue with the rubber gloves and avoid immersing your hands in water for extended periods. Because you are interested in alternative remedies, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports "Compelling Home Remedies" and "More Com- pelling Home R e m e d i e s . " Other readers who would like copies should send a self- a d d r e s s e d stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order for each report to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to men- tion the title(s). DEAR DR. GOTT: I have a situation that I've never seen addressed in your column — rapid pulse rate. I'm a 73- year-old female in good health, taking only blood-pressure medica- tion, Boniva and calci- um. Today, my pressure was 118/68, and my pulse rate was 85. Other times, however, my pulse may be between 95 and 102. I mentioned this to my doctor, and he didn't seem concerned as long as it was at a good level. So what causes my pulse rate to fluctuate? Is it harmful? DEAR READER: Palpitations (rapid pulse rate) can be the result of physical exercise, stress, too much caf- feine, anemia, specific medications, mitral- valve prolapse, thyroid disorders and a number of other causes. Gener- ally speaking, a rapid heart rate is not serious but should certainly be checked initially by a primary-care physician or cardiologist, who can make that determina- tion. Perhaps your blood-pressure medica- tion has an unwanted side effect that warrants investigation. If this is the case, I'm sure a sub- stitute can be made if your doctor agrees. The average heart beats between 60 and 100 times per minute. Therefore, your read- ings are within normal range and not of con- cern. If your physician isn't concerned, you can put the matter to rest and enjoy your life. Dr. Peter Gott is a retired physician and the author of the book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and i n d e p e n d e n t bookstores, and the recently published "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook." Split nails are an embarrassment Dr. Peter Gott Mixed data, higher dollar press stocks Wall Street LAS VEGAS (AP) — Small and inex- pensive ''netbooks'' were some of the most popular computers in the recession, wooing consumers with their portability and prices that were often below $400. Now with the economy improving, consumers will be asked to open their wallets to new styles of computers, including some costing a bit more. Among the new offerings being unveiled this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: lightweight, medium-sized laptops meant as a step above netbooks in price and performance. There also will be at least one ''smartbook'' — a tiny computer that combines elements of netbooks and so-called smart phones. That is not to say the netbook has reached the end of its line. PC makers including Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Toshiba are expected to show off new net- book offerings with such features as touch screens and the latest Intel Atom proces- sors, which offer improved performance over the earlier Atoms that fueled the initial run of netbooks. But the netbook's popularity has come at a price for the industry: slim profits for chipmaker Intel Corp. and manufacturers. For many PC makers, the rise of net- books has meant falling revenue and profit from PC divisions. Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's largest computer maker, gets a third of its revenue from its PC business but just 15 percent of the company's operating profit, numbers that are shrinking thanks to netbook sales and price cuts on other machines. And while netbooks proved that there is an appetite for highly mobile computers, consumers will likely come to want more power, more portability — or both. Ever since Taiwan-based AsusTek Com- puter Inc. got the netbook craze going with its 7-inch Eee PC in late 2007, consumers have been gravitating to the devices. According to data from research company Gartner Inc., netbooks made up an estimat- ed 10 percent of all PC shipments in 2009, up from 4 percent a year earlier. These devices had small screens — gen- erally 7 to 11 inches, compared with about 14 to 17 inches on a full-sized laptop — and often smaller-than-normal keyboards. PC makers kept prices down by avoiding extras such as DVD drives and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Netbooks were meant to be companion devices that could slip into a purse or back- pack for on-the-go Web surfing, though for many consumers it was the only computer they bought in 2009. Netbooks popularity expected to continue