Tech stocks were mostly higher today. The broader indexes of the DJIA and S&P 500 were too close to call until the final minutes of trading. The markets were just that choppy today, even despite the rise seen in Asian markets.

Here were today's closing bell levels:

Dow Jones 12,268.19 -5.07 (-0.04%)
S&P 500 1,332.32 +3.17 (0.24%)
Nasdaq 2,817.18 +7.74 (0.28%)

Top Analyst Calls

A slightly positive ISM report and a positive report from China kept the U.S. markets in the black on Friday. The first day of the month and quarter is on the heels of a strong September, which was the strongest September in most of our lifetimes. Unfortunately, the joint report on the "Flash Crash" does little to instill any confidence that the system is safe and does not take away concerns that the system may be rigged against retail investors.

Here were today's unofficial bell levels:

Dow Jones 10,829.68 +41.63 (0.39%)
S&P 500 1,146.22 +5.02 (0.44%)
Nasdaq 2,370.75 +2.13 (0.09%)

TOP ANALYST CALLS

The past month has been nirvana for the shareholders of Diedrich Coffee (DDRX ), at least for those who held on. The company was the object of a fierce bidding war from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) and Peet's Coffee (PEET).

But today, the hostilities are over as Green Mountain finally won the battle. The company has agreed to pay $35 per share for Diedrich (the bidding started at $26). Keep in mind that -- about a year ago -- the shares were trading at 21 cents.

"Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) recently reported an outstanding second quarter," notes growth stock expert Michael Cintolo in The Cabot Market Letter.

The advisor explains, "Initially after the earnings report, the stock fell following its report, supposedly because revenue growth was light. But we think focusing on that detail misses the big picture.

"First, revenue growth is still accelerating; the second quarter's rose 61% from a year ago, compared to 60%, 56% and 45% growth the prior three quarters.

The earnings crunch rolls on this coming week, with quarterly reports expected from Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH), Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM), Kellogg (NYSE: K), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S), Travelers (NYSE: TRV), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), U.S. Steel (NYSE: X), Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS), and many others.

Below are some reporting companies for which analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters have high hopes. What does that mean? Well, all of them are expected to report double-digit earnings grown in the most recent quarter. They have tended to offer positive surprises in recent quarters. They have long-term EPS growth forecasts of greater than 10%, and they have earnings multiples that are higher than their industry or sector averages, or higher than at least one top competitor. And they all have First Call consensus recommendations to buy.

Stocks felt choppy all day, although the late day move and afternoon stability allowed stocks to have another solid day. Housing starts added some strength, and the buyers are still deciding they need to be in rather than out of the market.

Here are today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow 8,746.51 +25.07 (0.29%)
S&P 500 945.36 +2.49 (0.26%)
Nasdaq 1,836.89 +8.21 (0.45%)

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