The U.S. dollar index rose 0.43% today, now at 83.231. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.9% at 654.54, with commodities prices mostly higher today on a stronger dollar. WTI crude oil closed up 0.1% today, at $96.38 a barrel, after a sharp rise in inventories (more coverage here). Brent crude trades up 0.3% at $109.87 a barrel. Natural gas is up 1.8% today at about $4.07 per million BTUs. Gold settled up 0.7% today at $1,606.20 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down more than 33 points to 14,526.16 (-0.23%), the NASDAQ rose about 4 points (0.12%) to 3,256.52, and the S&P 500 fell 0.06% or about 1 point to 1,562.86.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) raised to ‘strong buy’ although price target lowered to $115 at ISI; Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) reiterated as ‘outperform’ and target price raised to $982 at Credit Suisse; AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) raised to ‘overweight’ with a price target of $44 at Barclays; General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS) raised to ‘buy’ with a price target of $57 at Argus; and Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) reiterated as ‘buy’ with a target price of $38 at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in several price moves today, including these: Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) is up 12.6% at $34.93 and SAIC Inc. (NYSE: SAI) is up 3.9% at $13.33 after posting a new 52-week high of $13.65 earlier today.

Before markets open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from The ExOne Co. (NASDAQ: XONE) (more coverage here), Paychex Inc. (NASDAQ: PAYX), Synnex Corp. (NYSE: SNX), Texas Industries Inc. (NYSE: TXI), Endeavor Mining Corp. (NYSE: END), Finish Line Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL), GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS), BlackBerry (NASDAQ: BBRY), and Winnebago Industries Inc. (NYSE: WGO).

Some standouts among heavily traded stocks today include:

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) is down 14.6% at $18.30 after posting a new 52-week low of $17.95 earlier today. The iron ore and coal miner took a number of analysts’ downgrades today.

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is up 3.5% at $26.09. The social media company is working on a new advertising plan and investors are looking for a boost to revenues.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) is up 4.4% at $47.76 after posting a new 52-week high of $47.83 earlier today. The drugmaker got a boost from an approval to proceed with testing of its hepatitis-C drug.

Stay tuned for Thursday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 8:30 a.m. – GDP
• 8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
• 8:30 a.m. – Corporate profits
• 9:45 a.m. – Chicago PMI
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
• 11:00 a.m. – Kansas City Fed manufacturing index
• 11:30 a.m. – 7-year note auction
• 4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

The U.S. dollar index rose 0.08% today, now at 82.894. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.4% at 649.03, with commodities prices mostly higher today. WTI crude oil closed up 1.6% today, at $96.34 a barrel, the highest close in more than a month. Brent crude trades up 1.1% at $109.33 a barrel. Natural gas is up 2.9% today at about $3.98 per million BTUs. Gold settled down 0.6% today at $1,595.70 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA up nearly 112 points to 14,559.65 (0.77%), the NASDAQ rose more than 17 points (0.53%) to 3,252.48, and the S&P 500 rose 0.78% or about 12 points to 1,563.77.

There were a several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU) raised to ‘outperform’ at Raymond James; Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) maintained as ‘outperform’ but price target cut to $550 at Oppenheimer; Fusion-io Inc. (NYSE: FIO) started as ‘perform’ at Oppenheimer; Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) maintained as ‘positive’ but price target cut to $109 at Susquehanna; and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) raised to ‘overweight’ at Piper Jaffray.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night resulted in several price moves today, including these: Focus Media Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN) is up 0.7% at $26.86; Sonic Corp. (NASDAQ: SONC) is up 9.3% at $12.82 after posting a new 52-week high of $12.93 earlier today; and U.S. Auto Parts Network Inc. (NASDAQ: PRTS) is down 9.4% at $1.06 after posting a new 52-week low of $1.01 earlier today.

Before markets open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) and SAIC Inc. (NYSE: SAI).

Short interest will be reported after markets close today. We’ll have our round-up of selected sectors tomorrow morning.

Some standouts among heavily traded stocks today include:

ZIOPHARM Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: ZIOP) is down 62.4% at $1.93. The drugmaker has cancelled its late-stage trial for a cancer drug.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) is up 2.3% at $23.64. The high-tech firm got an upgrade today and is likely getting some benefit from the uncertainty surrounding a possible buyout of competitor Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL).

America Movil S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: AMX) is up 2% at $21.15. The mobile phone carrier has obtained the Latin American broadcast rights the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and the 2016 Summer Games.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans, Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren, Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto, and Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota are giving speeches. We have (also) noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
• 10:00 a.m. – Pending home sales
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report
• 1:00 p.m. – 5-year note auction
• 3:00 p.m. – Farm Prices

Align Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGN) cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) raised to Outperform Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) reiterated Outperform with $48 target at Credit Suisse.

Dynegy Inc. (NYSE: DYN) started as Accumulate at Tudor Pickering.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) cut to Outperform at Raymond James.

Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) started as Buy at Citigroup.

Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) cut to Hold at Argus.

Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) started as Neutral at J.P. Morgan.

OpenTable Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN) started as Overweight with $53 target at J.P. Morgan.

Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) reiterated Outperform with $40 target at Credit Suisse as it said, “Headwinds Fading … So, Jump on Board!” (That was its snapshot analysis.)

Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. (NYSE: POT) and Mosaic Co. (NYSE: MOS) were both resumed with Buy ratings by Goldman Sachs.

Prosperity Bancshares Inc. (NYSE: PB) raised to Outperform at Baird.

Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ: STX) cut to Underweight at J.P. Morgan.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) raised to Overweight with $18 target at Piper Jaffray.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA) cut to Market Perform at Leerink Swann after its investor day guidance.

Under Amour Inc. (NYSE: UA) started as Underweight at J.P. Morgan.

Volcano Corp. (NASDAQ: VOLC) cut to Neutral at Credit Suisse.

Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP) started as Neutral at J.P. Morgan.

Here are some other outlook pieces for the end of 2012 and 2013:

• Fortune’s Top 10 Stocks to Buy for 2013
• BofA’s 10 Defensive and Yield Stock Picks for 2013
• The Big Gold Trade: 2013 Pairing Gold Versus Miners
• S&P 500 Upside Targets for 2013 from Everyone
• Our own 2013 Alternative Energy and Cleantech Outlook for 2013

JON C. OGG

Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) cut to Neutral at Goldman Sachs, cut to Hold at Deutsche Bank and cut to Neutral at Citigroup.

Fusion-io Inc. (NYSE: FIO) started as Buy at BofA/ML.

H.J. Heinz Co. (NYSE: HNZ) reiterated Buy with $64 target at Argus.

JDS Uniphase Corp. (NASDAQ: JDSU) cut to Market Perform at Raymond James.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF) started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) cut to Market Perform at William Blair.

MetLife Inc. (NYSE: MET) cut to Equal Weight at Barclays.

Quiksilver Inc. (NYSE: ZQK) started as Neutral at Goldman Sachs.

Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG) raised to Buy at UBS.

Southern Copper Corp. (NYSE: SCCO) raised to Buy at Citigroup.

Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) raised to Outperform at Baird.

The St. Joe Co. (NYSE: JOE) named Bull of the Day at Zacks.

Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) named Bear of the Day at Zacks.

Here is a list of Fortune Top 10 Stocks to Buy for 2013.

Here is an analysis calling for a gold pairs trade for 2013.

JON C. OGG

The U.S. dollar index rose today, now up 0.16% at 79.773. The GSCI commodity index is down 0.9% at 644.95, with commodities prices mostly higher today. WTI crude oil closed down 0.7% today, at $87.88 a barrel, following this week’s petroleum status report (more coverage here). Brent crude trades down 1% at $108.77 a barrel. Natural gas is up 4.4% today at about $3.69 per thousand cubic feet. Gold settled down 0.1% today at $1,693.80 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA nearly 83 points to 13,034.45 (0.64%), the NASDAQ fell more than 23 points (-0.78%) to 2,973.31, and the S&P 500 rose 0.16% or more than 2 points to 1,409.27.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including ADTRAN Inc. (NASDAQ: ADTN) cut to ‘sell’ at Citigroup; Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP) maintained as ‘outperform’ but estimates cut and target price lowered to $92 at Credit Suisse; Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE: CLF) cut to ‘sector perform’ at RBC; Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) cut to ‘underperform’ at Raymond James; and Rackspace Hosting Inc. (NYSE: RAX) started as ‘overweight’ at J.P. Morgan.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have resulted in several price changes for reporting companies as of the last half hour of trading today: Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) is down 20.8% at $24.00 (more coverage here); Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P) is down 18.2% at $7.73 (more coverage here); and Francesca’s Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: FRAN) is up 0.7% at $26.99 (more coverage here).

Before markets open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Men’s Wearhouse Inc. (NYSE: MW), SAIC Inc. (NYSE: SAI), Vera Bradley Inc. (NASDAQ: VRA), Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU), Smithfield Foods Inc. (NYSE: SFD) and Titan Machinery Inc. (NASDAQ: TITN).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) is down 16% at $32.17. The mining company has agreed to acquire both McMoRan Exploration and Production Co. (NYSE: MMR) and Plains Exploration & Production Co. (NYSE: PXP) for about $9 billion. Shares of McMoRan are up 87.7% at $XX and shares of Plains are up 23.8% at $44.65. More coverage here.

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is up 11.8% at $3.85. The mobile phone maker continues to shine on its agreement with China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE: CHL).

TIBCO Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TIBX) is down 19% at $20.01 after posting a new 52-week low of $18.95 earlier today. The software infrastructure company warned on fourth-quarter earnings last night.

Stay tuned for Thursday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 7:30 a.m. – Challenger job-cut report
• 8:30 a.m. – New claims for unemployment benefits
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly natural gas storage report
• 3:00 p.m. – Treasury STRIPS
• 4:30 p.m. – Fed balance sheet and money supply

Paul Ausick

The company said that comparable-store sales growth was 6.6% and its company-operated stores increased to 1,011. As far as the disappointment, Mattress Firm blamed lower ticket sales and lower traffic growth.

Revenue is being adjusted slightly lower for its fiscal 2012 period, from $1.022B to $1.039B down to a new range of $1.01B to $1.015B. The big drop is the adjusted earnings per share, which drops from a range of $1.67 to $1.73 in earnings down to a new range of $1.49 to $1.52 in earnings per share. Thomson Reuters had estimates of $1.70 EPS and $1.02 billion in revenue.

After rising by over 4% to $30.14 today, this mattress and bedding retailer is trading down close to 20% in the after-hours session at $24.50. The company’s 52-week trading range is $21,55 to $48.18.

JON C. OGG

The U.S. dollar index fell today, now down 0.31% at 79.634. The GSCI commodity index is up 0.1% at 650.78, with commodities prices mostly lower today. WTI crude oil closed down 0.7% today, at $88.50 a barrel. Brent crude trades down 1% at $109.83 a barrel. Natural gas is down 1.5% today at about $3.54 per thousand cubic feet. Gold settled down 1.5% today at $1,695.80 an ounce.

The unofficial closing bells put the DJIA down about 14 points to 12,951.70 (-0.11%), the NASDAQ down more than 5 points (-0.18%) to 2,996.69, and the S&P 500 fell -0.17% or more than 2 points to 1,407.04.

There were several analyst upgrades and downgrades today, including Demand Media Inc. (NYSE: DMD) cut to ‘sell’ at Goldman Sachs; IAC/InteractiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) cut to ‘sell’ at Goldman Sachs; LDK Solar Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LDK) reiterated as ‘sell’ at Argus; Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) started as ‘buy’ at Citigroup; and Dollar Tree Inc. (NASDAQ: DLTR) raised to ‘equal weight’ at Morgan Stanley.

Earnings reports since markets closed last night have resulted in several price changes for reporting companies as of the last half hour of trading today: Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY) is down 12.6% at $9.33; Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is up 11.6% at $31.29 (more coverage here); Autozone Inc. (NYSE: AZO) is down 3% at $366.83 (more coverage here); Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) is up 0.5% at $32.59 (more coverage here); and Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) is down 8.2% at $51.25.

Before markets open tomorrow morning we are scheduled to hear from Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM), Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P), and Francesca’s Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: FRAN).

Some standouts from today include the following stocks:

Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) is up 5.1% at $3.43. The mobile phone maker has reportedly signed a deal to distribute its Lumia 920 through China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE: CHL).

Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) is down 10.5% at $30.88. The apparel retailer has confirmed that it will not pay a special dividend causing despair among many investors.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) is up 15.7% at $87.93. The DVD rental and streaming media company has signed a new distribution deal with The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS). More coverage here.

Net 1 Ueps Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: UEPS) is down 61% at $3.06 after posting a new all-time low of $3.01 earlier today. The electronic payments company has said it is being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department. More coverage here.

Stay tuned for Wednesday. We have noted the following events on the schedule (all times Eastern):

• 7:00 a.m. – Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications
• 8:15 a.m. – ADP employment report
• 8:30 a.m. – Productivity and costs report
• 10:00 a.m. – Factory orders
• 10:00 a.m. – Institute for Supply Management non-manufacturing index
• 10:30 a.m. – EIA weekly petroleum status report

Paul Ausick

The company’s comments on the competitive landscape and on international sales are having an adverse effect on competitors Select Comfort Corp. (NASDAQ: SCSS) and Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM). Leggett & Platt Inc. (NYSE: LEG), which makes bedding components, has so far escaped the downturn.

Tempur-Pedic’s adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.70 was a penny above the consensus estimate, but the company posted a GAAP EPS loss of $0.03. Sales were down 11% in the quarter and gross margins declined by more than 3%. Tempur-Pedic also lowered its EPS guidance to $2.55, well under the consensus estimate of $2.78.

The company’s $229 million merger with Sealy Corp. (NYSE: ZZ) is also under fire. Including assumed debt, the deal is valued at around $1.3 billion. Announced late last month, the deal has attracted investor lawsuits claiming that the deal is not in the interests of shareholders other than Sealy’s controlling shareholder, KKR & Co. (NYSE: KKR). KKR paid Bain Capital Partners LLC $1.6 billion for Sealy in 2004.

The deal for Sealy is not subject to Sealy shareholder approval because KKR reportedly has added enough votes to its 46% stake to push the total shares in favor of the acquisition above 50%. That does not mean, of course, that the lawsuits could not materially impact KKR, Sealy or Tempur-Pedic.

Shares of Tempur-Pedic are down 22.2% at $24.77 in a 52-week range of $20.70 to $87.43.

Paul Ausick

Tempur-Pedic’s CEO said:

This is a transformational deal that brings together two great companies, each with globally recognized brands. Tempur-Pedic and Sealy together will have products for almost every consumer preference and price point, distribution through all key channels, in-house expertise on most key bedding technologies, and a world-class research and development team.

The boards of both companies have approved the offer and stockholders with about 51% of Sealy stock also have approved the deal. No additional stockholder agreement is required.

Tempur-Pedic said the deal represents a 23% premium to Sealy’s 30-day average closing price as of last night. Sealy’s shares closed at $2.14 yesterday.

Earlier this year the maker of Serta and Simmons mattresses was acquired by leveraged buyout firm Advent International Corp. for about $3 billion. The mattress business is popular with private equity and buyout firms because people are always buying new or replacing an old mattress, which generates a steady cash flow for investors.

Other mattress makers Select Comfort Corp. (NASDAQ: SCSS), Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) and Leggett & Platt Inc. (NYSE: LEG) have all outperformed both Tempur-Pedic and Sealy in share price performance in the past year. Today’s acquisition is likely aimed at beefing up revenues with the expectation that profits will follow.

Shares of Sealy are up 7.5% in premarket trading this morning at $2.30. The stock’s 52-week range is $1.09 to $2.45.

Tempu-Pedic’s stock is up about 5% at $28.10 in a 52-week range of $20.70 to $87.43.

Paul Ausick

In the top five companies for job opportunities, three are consulting firms: Bain and Co. (#2), Booz & Co. (#4), and Boston Consulting Group (#5). The top-rated company is Dallas-based Worldwide Express and the only publicly traded company is Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), which ranked third in the listing. A comment on Facebook: “Management is hit or miss.” Ahem.

Other publicly traded firms include LinkedIn Corp. (NYSE: LNKD) at number 11, ExactTarget Inc. (NYSE: ET) at number 14, National Instruments Corp. (NASDAQ: NATI) at number 17, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) at number 18, Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM) at number 19, Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) at number 23, Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE: RDS-A) (NYSE: RDS-B) at number 24, and Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM).

Only 9 of the 25 companies are publicly traded, which may or may not mean anything significant. And 9 of the 25 are consulting firms, which again may or may not mean anything. But both factoids are interesting.

The complete list is available here.

Paul Ausick