Stocks looked set to extend their rally Friday,
although a report on the battered housing sector could pressure
sentiment. Nasdaq and S&P futures were slightly higher and pointing
to a positive start on Wall Street.
Companies to watch include Yahoo, which responded late Thursday to
activist investor Carl Icahn's plan to unseat the company's board. In a
letter that the Internet bellwether sent to the activist investor, it
said Icahn had "a significant misunderstanding of the facts about the
Microsoft proposal." Icahn has launched a battle for control of Yahoo's
board in the hopes of rekindling takeover talks with Microsoft. Yahoo
shares slipped 0.2% in after-hours trading.
In a similar filing, investment guru Warren Buffett's Berkshire
Hathaway (BRK.A) Inc. disclosed Thursday that it had sold its stake in
Ameriprise Financial, the financial adviser firm. It sold 661,742
shares of the firm during the first quarter, equal to a 0.3% stake.
Shares of Ameriprise fell 2.7% in after-hours trading after Berkshire's
filing.