home sales fell by 9 percent in November, the largest monthly decline in over 12 years. In financial news, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that U.S. and European banks, including Citigroup and HSBC, are considering the sale of a number of branches and units. Light sweet crude for February delivery fell 62 cents to $96 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The Dow Jones industrial average was virtually unchanged, rising 6.26 to 13,365.87. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.12, or 0.1 percent, to 1,478.49. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 2.33, or 0.1 percent, to 2,674.46. The New York Stock Exchange composite index rose 24.59 to 9,803.89. The American Stock Exchange composite index rose 2.63 to 2,428.22. And the Russell 2000 index fell 1.75 to 771.76.
