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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 | 15,387.58 | 52.30 | 0.34% |
| Nasdaq | 3,502.12 | 5.69 | 0.16% |
| S&P 500 | 1,669.16 | 2.87 | 0.17% |
| Treasuries | 1.94 | -0.02 | -1.07% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 13.44 | -0.07 | -0.52% |
| Ford Motor Co | 14.96 | -0.10 | -0.66% |
| Microsoft Corp | 34.85 | -0.23 | -0.66% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 24.01 | 0.06 | 0.27% |
| Merck & Co Inc | 47.33 | 2.12 | 4.69% |
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.67% | 3.62% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 2.80% | 2.76% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.60% | 2.58% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.65% | 3.61% | |
| 15 yr refi | 2.80% | 2.76% |
Today's featured rates:
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