a term used to describe the expiration of four different options and futures contracts -- on Friday. About 1.4 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, equal to the 1.4 billion daily average for last year. About 1.6 billion shares were traded on Nasdaq, just under the 1.69 billion daily average last year. On the NYSE, the number of stocks on the rise outnumbered those on the decline by about 7 to 5. On Nasdaq, declining issues were about equal to advancers. General Electric Co. rose 2 percent to $34.22 after Prudential Equity Group recommended investors buy shares of GE ahead of an expected rebound in the conglomerate's energy business. Altria Group Inc. fell almost 1 percent to $48.48, making it one of the biggest drags on the blue-chip Dow Jones index. The Los Angeles Times reported that California's top court has for the first time upheld a damages award in a smoking and health case. The newspaper said the court dismissed an appeal by Altria's Philip Morris USA of a $10.5 million judgment won by a lung cancer victim and longtime Marlboro cigarettes smoker. --More 2336 Local Time 2036 GMT
