Stockhouse @ the Bell: Stocks up as oil weakens

Today on Stockhouse

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TickerTrax’s Danny Deadlock profiles a promising nanotech stock.

While Matt Badiali of Growth Stock Wire claims to hold the key to a double or triple in the next big energy bull market.

Top Bullboards post: “A very simple and modest calculation with a lot of assumptions reveals this: Depth 500 meters (even though holes end in mineralization). Length 300 meters (distance between the two known holes, so assuming it ends right there... unlikely). Width 300 meters (assuming the same width as the length between the two holes). Density 2.5. Value per tonne $500 (even though only the Neodymium is already $300 per tonne and docmz calculated all the metal at over US$ 1100 per tonne...). Gives you a cubed rock worth: 500x300x300x2.5x500= US$ 62,500,000,000. That is 62.5 billion dollars. With all assumptions on the low side you can see why this discovery is huge, with mineralization open in all directions.” From cruisie on the Geomega Resources (TSX: V.GMA, Stock Forum) board.

Top Bullboard:OPEL Solar International (TSX: V.OPL, Stock Forum) received the most reads and posts on a day its share price rose 12%.

Top blog: vette350 points to some big insider buying of this copper/gold junior in the CUU FACTS blog.

For news about small stocks that made big moves in Thursday’s trading, please read the Stockhouse Canadian Small and Micro-cap Stock Report.

Word on Wall Street

“The U.S. labor market is picking up decisively, and it isn’t just coming from claims,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief economist at MF Global, in an interview with MarketWatch. “It’s likely just a matter of time before the pickup becomes more apparent in the payrolls data.”

Today In The Markets

Solid bank earnings support TSX; energy stocks falter as oil prices declin

DJIA	12,258.20	+191.40
NASDAQ	2,798.74	+50.67
S&P500	1,330.97	+22.53
S&P/TSX	14,214.72	+70.70
S&P/TSX Venture	2,410.82	+8.80

Toronto & New York (The Canadian Press) - Strong earnings reports from TD Bank (TSX:TD) and Royal Bank (TSX:RY) helped push the Toronto stock market to a higher close Thursday as oil prices and energy stocks retreated ahead of possible mediation efforts to end the Libyan conflict.

The S&P/TSX composite index moved 70.7 points higher to 14,214.72 while the TSX Venture Exchange was ahead 8.8 points at 2,410.82.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 191.4 points to 12,258.2.

The Nasdaq composite index climbed 50.67 points to 2,798.74 while the S&P 500 index was up 22.53 points at 1,330.97.

Please click here for the complete U.S. and Canadian market summaries.

After-Hours News

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT, Stock Forum)
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. says its board of directors has approved an annual dividend of $1.46 per share, a 21 percent increase from the $1.21 per share paid during fiscal year 2011. For the current fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2012, the annual dividend of $1.46 per share will be paid in four quarterly installments of $0.3650 per share.

Forbes & Manhattan (Coal) Corp. (TSX: T.FMC, Stock Forum)
Forbes & Manhattan (Coal) Corp. said it has appointed Kudakwashe Muchenje as the Vice President – Exploration & Development for its Africa Operations. Mr Muchenje is a seasoned exploration geologist with over 15 years experience in the generation of exploration targets and management of exploration and evaluation programmes. Most recently, Mr Muchenje was Country Manager (Mozambique) for a large international mining company.