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Gains may be tempered by escalating violence in the Middle East between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. Oil prices have been ticking up amid growing concern about a possible ground war in Gaza.
Crude oil for January delivery rose 1.3% to $88.02 a barrel. Brent crude -- Europe's benchmark -- gained 1.2% to $110.28 a barrel.
Trading could be choppy this week as investors try to position themselves ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Markets will be closed Thursday and have a shortened day Friday.
U.S. stocks ended with slight gains Friday.
World Markets: European stocks were higher in midday trading. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.2%, and France's CAC 40 was up 1.6% while the DAX in Germany edged up 1.5%.
Asian markets closed higher. The Shanghai Composite edged up 0.1%, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong was up 0.5% and Japan's Nikkei rallied 1.4%.
Economy: The National Association of Realtors will release data on existing home sales for October at 10 a.m. ET.
Companies: Shares of Lowe's (LOW, Fortune 500) rose in premarket trading after the home improvement retailer reported better-than-expected earnings of 40 cents a share on sales of $12.1 billion. Nokia (NOK) shares jumped 3% on reports that its Lumia 920 sold out in Germany, and shares of Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500) jumped on a report that the retailer might consider a lower buyout bid from founder Richard Schulze.
Shares of Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF) and a number of movie theater chains, including Regal Entertainment Group (RGC), Cinemark Holdings (CNK) and Carmike Cinemas (CKEC), could get a lift from a the $141.3 million opening weekend for "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2." It's the fourth movie this year to open above the $140 million mark.
Currencies and commodities: The dollar was lower against the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen in early trading.
Gold futures for December delivery gained $8.90 to $1,723.60 an ounce.
Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, lifting the yield to 1.61% from 1.57% late Friday. 
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 15,112.19 | -206.04 | -1.35% |
| Nasdaq | 3,443.20 | -38.98 | -1.12% |
| S&P 500 | 1,628.93 | -22.88 | -1.39% |
| Treasuries | 2.31 | 0.13 | 5.91% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint Nextel Corp | 7.01 | -0.32 | -4.37% |
| Pfizer Inc | 29.10 | -0.30 | -1.02% |
| Bank of America Corp... | 13.19 | -0.08 | -0.60% |
| Micron Technology In... | 13.97 | 0.22 | 1.60% |
| General Electric Co | 23.98 | -0.35 | -1.44% |
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 4.05% | 4.05% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.15% | 3.18% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.87% | 2.85% | |
| 30 yr refi | 4.04% | 4.03% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.14% | 3.16% |
Today's featured rates:
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