lasting U.S. durable goods slipped unexpectedly in August, falling 0.5 percent. But orders excluding transportation gained a better-than-expected 2.3 percent. "The durable goods numbers seem to give a little lift to the markets early on," said Stephen Carl, head of U.S. equity trading at The Williams Capital Group LP. "But really it has just been a modest move to the upside." Software company PeopleSoft Inc. rose 3.8 percent, adding 74 cents at $19.99. Rival Oracle Corp. is likely to win clearance from the European Commission for its takeover of PeopleSoft, a source close to the situation said. PalmSource Inc. fell 18 percent to $20.59 a day after the software maker posted a narrower quarterly net loss but said its forecast for the current quarter is clouded by Sony Corp.'s withdrawal from the U.S. handheld computer market. Cogent Inc. soared 50 percent to $17.98 in its market debut on Friday after the fingerprint identification company's initial public offering priced at the top end of its range. --SP 0035 Local Time 2135 GMT
