Schacknow - Monday's Brief, February 11, 2013

TODAYS PRIMER

Peter Schacknow, Senior Producer, CNBC Breaking News Desk
Wall Street is coming off an uneven week that nonetheless saw some notable achievements: the S&P 500 chalked up its 6th straight week of gains, something it had not done in 42 years, while the Nasdaq posted its highest close since November 9, 2000. The Dow, however, did break a five-week string of advances.

There are no economic reports out today as the new week begins, and the earnings calendar is extremely light as well. Loews Corporation (L) is one of the few companies out with quarterly numbers this morning, while Dun & Bradstreet (DNB) is among a handful issuing earnings after today's closing bell.

Dell (DELL) leads our list of stocks to watch, with opposition mounting to the company's $13.65 per share buyout deal. Reports say three more of Dell's largest investors are joining Southeastern Asset Management in objecting to the buyout. Those shareholders feel the deal undervalues the company and that it is worth more than $20 per share.

Google (GOOG) executive chairman Eric Schmidt is selling about 42 percent of his stake in the company, or about 3.2 million shares. An SEC filing shows that Schmidt plans to sell the stock over a one-year period.

Sanofi (SNY) shares are already benefitting overseas after the FDA demanded additional tests for a new long-acting insulin made by drugmaker Novo Nordisk. Analysts see the setback as a positive development for Sanofi's rival product Lantus.

U.S. Airways (LCC) remains in the news, on indications that the announcement of a merger with American Airlines parent AMR (AAMRQ) will happen sometime this week.

Ford (F) says the winter storm that hit the Northeast this past weekend should have no major impact on February sales. A Ford executive says there was no significant infrastructure damage, unlike what happened with Superstorm Sandy in October.

Boeing (BA) completed a weekend test flight of its 787 jet, the first since the Dreamliner was grounded more than three weeks ago. Boeing says the flight – which was taken to test the jet's lithium ion batteries under flight conditions – was "uneventful".

Carnival (CCL) says its Triumph cruise shift is being towed to port, after an engine fire left it without propulsion power. There were no injuries reported, and passengers have food, water, and electricity from generators. However, passengers will be receiving a full refund and future cruise credit.

Apple (AAPL) is said to be testing a device with a watch-like design, according to reports. The device would use the Apple's iOS platform.

BlackBerry (BBRY) has reportedly lost a significant enterprise customer, with AllThingsD saying Home Depot (HD) is transitioning about 10,000 employees to Apple's iPhone.

Microsoft's (MSFT) new Surface Pro tablet is said to be in short supply, according to ZDNet. Microsoft called the reception to the device "amazing" but the report also says stores only received a few Surface Pro models.