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| US shares mixed in volatile trade, Microsoft weathering EU probe /US Stocks
NEW YORK, Aug 6 (AFP) - US shares were mixed in volatile early-afternoon trading Wednesday, with Microsoft sharply in focus as European Union regulators signalled their patience is wearing thin with some of the software giant's practices. Microsoft's stock, however, is holding up amid EU warnings it's facing a "last opportunity" to clear its name before the European Commission concludes an anti-trust case against the company. BizVantage – Beyond the news - a realtime Net clipping service: for business, investment or technology. The Dow Jones industrials were up 56.17 points, or 0.62 percent, at 9,092.49 at 1615 GMT. The technology-laden Nasdaq was down 10.47 points, or 0.63 percent, at 1,663.03. The broader Standard and Poor's 500 index was up 3.81 points, or 0.39 percent, at 969.27. Morning trading was volatile as the Dow industrials swung back and forth, switching between positive and negative territory as traders sought direction. Navigational pointers, however, were scant: There are no US economic reports due for release Wednesday, the second-quarter earnings season is winding to an end, and there was little news from Iraq. Investors instead focused on Microsoft's ongoing spat with the EU over its Windows computer operating system. The EU believes Microsoft's tying of its Media Player -- which enables users to download music and watch movies from the Internet -- to Windows enables Microsoft to unfairly squash rivals out of the market. Citing new evidence collated from a survey of more than 150 companies using Microsoft products, the European Commission said Wednesday it had a "very impressive and substantive" case that could lead to fines against the company. "Microsoft takes this investigation very seriously and continues to work hard to maintain a dialogue that will allow a positive resolution to the commission's concerns," Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler said. At 1615 GMT, Microsoft was trading up 19 cents, or 0.7 percent, at 25.85 dollars compared with Tuesday's close. Other stocks in focus included local telephone behemoth Verizon Communications, as Verizon negotiators are continuing talks with labor unions related to prospective job cuts. Verizon workers across the East Coast have vowed to walk off the job if their demands are not met. Verizon was trading up 68 cents, or 1.9 percent, at 35.73 dollars, in line with wider Dow industrials gains. In the financial sector, Lehman Brothers was trading up 1.85 dollars, or 3.0 percent, at 62.65 dollars after Merrill Lynch upgraded Lehman's stock to "buy" from "neutral." Traders said they are eagerly awaiting the latest weekly snapshot on the job market, due Thursday from the Labor Department. Last week's report showed the number of new jobless benefit claimants shrank to a five-month low. Traders will be looking to see if claims remain under the 400,000 threshold Thursday following several weak job reports in recent days. Most European stock markets ended lower, with investors largely focused on the Microsoft case. bur-jjc/ejp Stocks-US
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