(For more market insights, including options activity, click on ; for the Day Ahead newsletter http://link.reuters.com/mex49s; for the Morning News Call newsletter, http://link.reuters.com/nex49s)U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday amid lingering marketuncertainty as a partial U.S. government shutdown extended to athird day and leaders in Congress showed no sign of progresstowards resolving the stalemate. S&P 500 futures weredown 0.18 percent, Dow Jones industrial average futures were down 0.25 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures were down0.17 percent.
** ELI LILLY AND CO, Wednesday close $50.54, down 1pct premarket
The U.S. drugmaker, which is trying to rebound from painfulpatent expirations on its medicines, said it would be able tomeet its financial goals through 2014 with difficulty andannounced it would buy back $5 billion of its stock over time.
** TESLA MOTORS INC, Wednesday close $174.99, down1.3 pct premarket
Shares of the electric car maker fell as much as 6 percenton Wednesday after an automotive blog published images of aModel S electric sedan in flames after an accident on Tuesdaymorning just south of Seattle, Washington.
The blog, called Jalopnik, posted pictures and a video ofthe Model S fire on Wednesday. Tesla confirmed the authenticityof the images and said the car caught fire after the driver ranover a "large metallic object" causing extensive damage to thefront end of the car.
** BP PLC, Wednesday close $42.11, up 1.1 pctpremarket
The London-listed shares of the company rose 1.7percent in early trade on Thursday, the top gainer on Britain'sFTSE 100, after the energy company won a legal reprievein a case related to settlements over the 2010 Gulf of Mexicooil spill.
** OMEROS CORP, Wednesday close $11.19, up 7 pctpremarket
The drug developer settled a lawsuit related to the coverageobligations of Omeros's insurer to the company.
The settlement includes a $12.5 million payment to thecompany by insurer Carolina Casualty Insurance Co by Oct. 25.
Omeros shares closed up nearly 16 percent on Wednesday.
** VIVUS INC, Wednesday close $10.19, up 3 pctpremarket
Brokerage Cowen and Co upgraded the obesity pill maker'sstock to "outperform" from "marketperform," saying the company'srecently approved diet pill showed stronger efficacy than rivalArena Pharmaceuticals Inc's diet drug Belviq.
Leadership changes including the appointment of Seth H.Z.Fischer, a former senior executive at Johnson & Johnson,to revive the company's weak sales were also viewed as positiveoutcomes by analyst Simos Simeonidis.
** CONSTELLATION BRANDS INC, Wednesday close $58.26,up 2 pct premarket
The alcoholic beverage company reported higher quarterlyearnings on Thursday, helped significantly by the acquisition ofGrupo Modelo's U.S. beer business.
** FIVE BELOW INC, Wednesday close $46.60, up 2 pctpremarket
Sterne Agee analyst Charles Grom upgraded his rating on thediscount apparel retailer's stock to "buy" from "neutral,"saying that the company can achieve strong same-store salesgrowth in the second-half of the year as his checks indicatedthat the company's fashion is on-trend, its store developmentactions are on track and its merchandise is priced attractively.
Grom said the company's stores are unique as they focus moreon the teen/preteen demographic, are stocked up with fast-movingmerchandise and are priced at $5 or less which will drivesame-store sales in the company's fourth-quarter ending inOctober.
** CANADIAN SOLAR INC, Wednesday close $18.56, up 2pct premarket
The solar panel maker said it sold two solar power plantstotaling 20 megawatts in Ontario to a fund managed by BlackRockInc on Sept. 30. The announcement comes a day after thecompany closed the sale of two power plants to energy companyTransCanada Corp
Brokerage Lazard Capital Markets raised its target price onthe company's stock to $25 from $20.
** WAL-MART STORES INC, Wednesday close $73.72
** TARGET CORP, Wednesday close $63.65
** MACY'S INC, Wednesday close $43.97
** COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP, Wednesday close $114.82
** BEST BUY CO INC, Wednesday close $37.66
** HOME DEPOT INC, Wednesday close $76.32
U.S. retail sales should rise 3.9 percent this holidayseason, outpacing last year's gains, though economic concernsmay impact shoppers' spending, the world's largest retail tradeassociation said on Thursday. The National Retail Federationexpects U.S. sales in November and December to rise 3.9 percentto $602.1 billion.
** CALAMP CORP, Wednesday close $18.69, up 9 pctpremarket
The wireless device maker reported better-than-expectedsecond-quarter results on Wednesday, helped by a 38 percent risein revenue from its business that provides technologies,products and services to wireless networks.
The company also forecast third-quarter revenue aboveexpectations.
Canaccord Genuity raised its price target on the company'sstock to $30 from $20 on Thursday, saying it expects Calamp tobenefit from new contracts with Caterpillar Inc andPepco Holdings Inc.
** GENERAL ELECTRIC, Wednesday close $24.33
The conglomerate will float a majority stake in its Swissconsumer finance unit GE Money Bank in the fourth quarter aspart of a retreat from the sector to focus more on industrialinterests. GE Money Bank, which will be renamed Cembra MoneyBank following the initial public offering (IPO), said onThursday it would list all 30 million of its shares on the SIXSwiss exchange but GE Capital would keep a sizeable minoritystake.
** MOSAIC CO, Wednesday close $45.60
** POTASH CORP, Wednesday close $32.84
** INTREPID POTASH INC, Wednesday close $16.52
** AGRIUM INC, Wednesday close
Russia's Uralkali, the world's largest potashminer by output, expects global potash prices to rebound in 2014after reaching a bottom level in terms of supply contracts withChina, the top global consumer, Uralkali's head of sales toldReuters.
** JPMORGAN CHASE & CO, Wednesday close $52,09
Italian prosecutors have asked that JPMorgan stand trial forallegedly obstructing regulators as part of a wider probe intoMonte dei Paschi di Siena's purchase of a smallerrival, a judicial source said. Prosecutors allege JPMorganwithheld information from Italian regulators about a 950 millioneuro ($1.3 billion) financing the U.S. bank arranged for Montedei Paschi's takeover of regional Italian lender Antonveneta in2008.
** ASTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC, Wednesday close $8.63
Otsuka Holdings Co's $886 million bid for Astex hasrun into opposition from an activist shareholder who says thedeal significantly undervalues the U.S. biotech firm - a chargethat Astex has denied.
** CISCO SYSTEMS INC, Wednesday close $23.32
** FACEBOOK INC, Wednesday close $50.28, down 0.5 pct
Cisco and Facebook said on Wednesday they will work with bigbusinesses such as hotels and retailers to provide free wirelessInternet access to consumers who sign in using a Facebooklog-in.
** ACTUANT CORP, Wednesday close $38.86
** COLUMBUS MCKINNON CORP, Wednesday close $23.89
Industrial products makers Actuant and Columbus McKinnon areamong the bidders for Crosby Group LLC, a lifting equipmentcompany that is valued at around $1 billion, several peoplefamiliar with the matter said this week.
** CLEAN ENERGY FUELS CORP, Wednesday close $13.79
The natural gas fuel supplier said early Thursday that ithas started distributing methane gas fuel made from landfills,sewage plants and other sources of waste at its gas stationsthroughout the United States. Chief Executive Andrew Littlefair,who had promised "big" news on Thursday in a Sept. 30 message onTwitter, said Clean Energy was the first company to commerciallydistribute this fuel.
** FUEL TECH INC, Wednesday close $4.40
The company, which provides air pollution reduction andcontrol solutions to utility and industrial customers, said itreceived four air pollution control contracts for about $2.5million from existing customers in China. (Compiled by Sneha Banerjee in Bangalore; Editing by SrirajKalluvila)
BP (BP.)
