Dow Jones eases as investors remain cautious 

(MENAFN - ProactiveInvestors - Australia) U.S. markets were mixed overnight with the Dow Jones lower and the NASDAQ higher - but importantly the indexes maintained much of the thinly traded half-day rally Friday following the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.

By the close the Dow Jones was off 42 points (-0.33%) to 12,967, while the NASDAQ added ten points (0.33%) to 2979.

Investors are also turning their heads to the fiscal cliff issue, with Congress back in session and under pressure to reach a budget agreement before the end of the year in an effort to avoid the set of tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect in the new year.


Europe, ministers to meet

In Europe, eurozone finance ministers are meeting for the third time to discuss the release of the next tranche of bailout funds for debt-stricken Greece.

Last week, European finance ministers failed to finalize the details of Greece's debt-reduction package so the country would be able to make payments due next month.


U.S. Corporate News

In corporate news, UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) stock fell after the insurer projected a 2013 profit below Wall Street estimates.

The National Retail Federation said Monday that a record 247 million U.S. shoppers visited stores and websites over the Black Friday weekend, up from 226 million last year, with total spending reaching an estimated 59.1 billion.

On Thanksgiving, the trade body said over 35 million Americans visited retailers' stores and websites " up from 29 million last year. On Black Friday, traditionally the start of the holiday buying season, 89 million shoppers are estimated to have braved the crowds, up from 86 million last year.

In all, a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the four-day weekend starting on Thanksgiving, the National Retail Federation said, up 9.2 per cent on last year.

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), the world's largest online retailer, rose slightly in anticipation of Cyber Monday sales.

Research In Motion's (TSE:RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM) shares rose in the U.S., after being upgraded by CIBC World Markets analyst Todd Coupland.

The CIBC analyst boosted his recommendation on the stock to "sector outperform" from the prior rating of "sector underperform", calling the shares "materially undervalued".

The BlackBerry firm has seen a slew of upgrades of late, as investors get excited ahead of the launch of the new BlackBerry 10 operating system in the new year.

Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) stock surged nearly 8 per cent Monday after optimistic analyst upgrades from BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield and Bernstein Research analyst Carlos Kirjner.