Stocks Close Mixed

Chinese solar cell producer JA Solar(JASO) said it swung to a profit in the third quarter as shipments jumped nearly 80% since the year-earlier period.

Oracle's(ORCL) bid for Sun Microsystems(JAVA) also hit a snag, as the European Commission formally objected to the proposed takeover.

With the lack of any major economic reports, statements from Federal Reserve officials also took up the day. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, speaking at a conference for the Urban Land Institute, said he saw growth at a "subdued" pace through the medium term.

San Francisco Fed President Janet Yellen, speaking to the Phoenix Chapter of Lambda Alpha, also noted that "we face an economy with substantial slack, prospects for only moderate growth, and low and declining inflation."

Speaking in London about systemic risk and the "too big to fail" phenomenon, Boston Fed Chief Eric Rosengren noted the continuing growth of large banks and advocated "requiring more capital, and requiring the institutions to build up larger reserves during good times" to stave off insolvency for systemically important institutions.

In Europe, the FTSE in London and the DAX in Frankfurt dropped 0.1%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.3% and Japan's Nikkei went higher by 0.6%.

After commodities surged yesterday, crude oil lost 38 cents to settle at $79.05 a barrel. Gold added $1.10 to settle at $1,102.50 an ounce.

--Written by Sung Moss in New York

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