STOCKS NEWS US-NBER: U.S. entered recession in December 2007

 Stocks on the move [HOT-RTRS] Real-Time Equity news [E U]

 U.S. stock market report [.N]
1328 ET 01Dec2008-NBER: U.S. entered recession in December 2007
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 According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the
U.S. economy slipped into recession in December 2007. The
members of the NBER's business cycle dating committee Friday
decided that the 73-month economic expansion had ended.
[ID:nWAT010588]

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1205 ET 01Dec2008-Citigroup down, to buy highway division
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 Shares of Citigroup (C.N) tumbled on Monday after Sacyr
Vallenhermoso said it would sell its highway business to a
private equity fund controlled by the troubled bank for $10.22
billion. The sale will transfer 5.013 billion euro of debt to
Citigroup Infrastructure Investors. [ID:nL1239320]

 The stock, a Dow component, shed 12 percent to $7.30.

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1201 ET 01Dec2008-Meat co's down after Pilgrim files for
bankruptcy
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 Shares of meat companies fell on Monday after Pilgrim's
Price PPC.N filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, claiming $3.75
billion in assets and $2.72 billion in debts as of Sept. 27.
[ID:nWEN1142]

 Pilgrim's Pride shares last traded at 63 cents, down 45
percent from their opening price of $1.15. Among other meat
companies, Smithfield Foods (SFD.N) slid 4.6 percent to $6.50
and Tyson Foods (TSN.N) was off 3 percent to $6.52.

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1154 ET-01Dec2008 Players snap up Ford calls as automaker
weighs Volvo sale
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 Call options on Ford Motor Co (F.N) picked up steam for the
second straight trading session. The automaker's shares rose
2.23 percent to $2.75 after hitting a high of $3 on news that
Ford was reviewing options for Volvo and could sell the luxury
Swedish car brand. On Friday, the Dec $2.50 and Jan $3 Ford
call options saw an uptick in activity. On Monday morning,
another 51,000 Ford calls have traded vs. 6,403 puts, double
the normal combined daily volume, according to Trade Alert.
Investors have been snapping up Dec $3 and Dec $4 calls, said
WhatsTrading.com strategist Frederic Ruffy. Ford and the other
two Detroit automakers face a deadline to submit stepped-up
restructuring plans to Congress in an effort to win support for
a $25 billion rescue plan.

Reuters Messaging: doris.frankel.reuters.com@reuters.net
1142 ET 01Dec2008-Firm sees another quarter of volatility
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 DA Davidson Monday said that market would remain "very
volatile" for at least another quarter, or until investors see
positive results from a variety of moves made by the Federal
Reserve and the U.S. Treasury to stabilize the markets. The
firm said that with market indices now 10 percent above the
cyclical lows last week, "many investors may feel more
confident that the worst is over for the decline in stock
prices and begin to seek to selectively bargain hunt among
wonderful companies now trading at 10-year or more valuation
lows."

 DA Davidson cautioned against being too optimistic, saying
that economic news "likely will get much worse in coming months
than we are reading about today."

 Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net
1125 ET 01Dec2008-U.S. traded Mechel shares fall on downgrade
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 U.S traded shares of Mechel (MTL.N) fell nearly 24 percent
Monday after Credit Suisse cut its rating on the stock to
neutral from outperform and lowered its price target to $12
from $27.

 The Dow Jones U.S. Iron and Steel .DJUSST index was down
more than 10 percent to 137.85. Among the components, Nucor
(NUE.N) fell 8.6 percent to $32.62, U.S. Steel (X.N) slid over
11 percent to $27.02 and Steel Dynamics (STLD.O) dropped more
than 13 percent to $7.15.

 Reuters
Messaging:rm://Charles.mikolajczak.reuters.com@reuters.net