Tuesday morning headlines

Stocks around the line: After yesterday's big gain, look for a breather today, especially with another decline in home prices. Dow is down a few points.

Gas update: Prices remain flat - an average gallon of regular in the L.A. area is $4.364, basically unchanged from Monday, according to the Auto Club. Prices have been hovering around this level for more than a week.

Dip in consumer confidence: The Conference Board's index is at 70.2, down from 71.6 last month and about in line with expectations. From press release:

Says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center: "Consumer Confidence pulled back slightly in March, after rising sharply in February. The moderate decline was due solely to a less favorable short-term outlook, while consumers' assessment of current conditions, on the other hand, continued to improve. The Present Situation Index now stands at its highest level in three and a half years (61.1, Sept. 2008), suggesting that despite this month's dip in confidence, consumers feel the economy is not losing momentum."

Airlines raising fares: Blame higher fuel costs for the increases, which range from $4 to $10 per round trip. It's the third fare hike this year. (LAT)

L.A. home prices creep lower: They're down 0.8 percent from December to January and down 5.4 percent from January 2011, according to the Case-Shiller Index. Prices fell in most metro areas. (press release)

Health care arguments, Day 2: This morning it's the individual mandate, which is at the core of the health care overhaul. From the NYT:

The law's challengers -- 26 states led by Florida, the National Federation of Independent Business and several individuals -- present the central question as one of individual liberty. May the federal government, they ask, compel individuals not engaged in commerce to buy a product, here health insurance, from private companies? The Obama administration, by contrast, urges the court to answer a different question. May Congress decide, in fashioning a comprehensive response to a national crisis in the health care market, to regulate how people pay for the health care they will almost inevitably need?

CVS shutters Beauty 360 stores: Four of the locations are in Socal. The idea was to offer more prestigious brands than a typical CVS store, but the offshoot faced a bunch of competitors. (LAT)

Most rented movie in 2011: Top honors go to the Bruce Willis action-comedy "Red," followed by "Due Date" and "Little Fockers" - none of which had huge box office runs. (LAT)


More by Mark Lacter:
American-US Air settlement with DOJ includes small tweak at LAX
Socal housing market going nowhere fast
Amazon keeps pushing for faster L.A. delivery
Another rugged quarter for Tribune Co. papers
How does Stanford compete with the big boys?
Those awful infographics that promise to explain and only distort
Best to low-ball today's employment report
Further fallout from airport shootings
Crazy opening for Twitter*
Should Twitter be valued at $18 billion?
Recent Aerospace stories:
Why they keep flying into Santa Monica airport
Morley Builders says CEO and son were in SMO crash
Deaths in jet crash at Santa Monica airport
Boeing to end C-17 production in Long Beach
How much longer can C-17 production last in Long Beach?

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Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
The multi-talented Mark Lacter
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