Stocks ended mostly flat following mixed reports on the U.S. economy. The materials sector led losses and technology was the best performing of its 10 major sectors. Durable goods orders climbed 4.6% in December. Caterpillar rose 2% after the co. its fourth-quarter profit dropped 55%, but the firm expressed cautious optimism about global economic growth. Facebook rose almost 3% after Raymond James raised its rating to outperform from market perform and set a target price of $38 a share. Also, gains came from Zynga, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Texas Instruments. Yahoo rose 1.8% in after-hours trading after the company posted upbeat earnings. Today earnings remain in the spotlight, with results due ell from firms including Ford, Pfizer and Amazon.com. On the economic front, the Case-Shiller 20-city home price index and monthly Consumer Confidence Index will be released.
