Stocks had another mixed day, despite some key winners and losers. China's surprise rate hike came amid word of a rate by the European Central Bank, expected on Thursday of this week. Brent Crude hit what appears to be a two-year high and even Ben Bernanke's remarks on inflation didn't add much to the mix. That being said, it was not known until the final minute if the markets were going to be in the red or the black for the trading day.

Here were today's unofficial closing bell levels:

Dow Jones: 12,393.90 -6.13 (-0.05%)

S&P500: 1,332,63 -0.24 (-0.02%)

Nasdaq: 2,791,19 +2.00 (0.07%)

Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades

In a move to bolster market share, Texas Instruments (TXN) is purchasing National Semiconductor (NSM) for $7.4 billion, according to the Associated Press.

Texas Instruments is a market leader in digital signal processors (DSP)s. DSPs are found in wireless phones, DVD players, automotive systems and computer modems. They also make logic chips, microprocessors, microcontrollers, display components and calculators.

National Semiconductor offers a variety of integrated circuits (IC)s, especially analog and mixed signal chips. The analog chips transform physical information -- light, sound, pressure and radio waves into data that a computer can use. National's chips are in a host of wireless communications, networking, medical, solar, automotive and industrial applications.

Analyst Upgrades

• Parker-Hannifin (PH) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• JDSU (JDSU) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Noble Corp. (NE) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Cerner (CERN) to buy from hold at Auriga.
• Cintas (CTAS) to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• American States Water (AWR) to buy from hold at Brean Murray.
• National Semiconductor (NSM) and Texas Instruments (TXN) to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Lululemon (LULU) to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• DuPont Fabros (DFT) to top pick from outperform at RBC Capital.

National Semiconductor (NSM) issued its fiscal third-quarter numbers Thursday after the bell. The stock was behaving in a highly unexciting way in reaction to the data at the time I was writing this. At an extended-hours quote of $14.10, it was off by a mere 0.4%.

It was a different story heading into the report, however; the shares lost 2.1% of their value, closing at $14.16. Volume was strong. I should also note that in the early stages of the extended-hours session, the stock was more active, as indicated by this item over at Barron's.

So, the unemployment rate sank below 9% in February, but investors didn't seem to be impressed by that. The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all fell on Friday over concerns about how the ongoing unrest in the Middle East might affect energy prices, and thus the economic recovery.

Will this coming week's economic calendar offer anything likely to bring excitement to the markets? Here's what's on tap:

• Monday: Consumer credit numbers for January
• Tuesday: Weekly chain store sales, TIPP Economic Optimism Index

Analyst Upgrades

• Boeing (BA) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Alcoa (AA) to buy from hold at Deutsche Bank.
• BP (BP) to outperform from market perform at Raymond James.
• Office Depot (ODP) and Staples (SPLS) to buy from neutral at Janney Capital.
• ON Semiconductor (ONNN) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Kennametal (KMT) and Polyone (POL) to buy from hold at KeyBanc.
• Airgas (ARG) to outperform from market perform at William Blair.
• EchoStar (SATS) to neutral from underperform at Macquarie.

National Semiconductor's (NSM) fiscal Q2 report was not met with enthusiasm. With a little under two hours to go before the end of the session, shares were down over 7% to $13.86. Volume was high.

According to Reuters, the tech company made 34 cents per share in the second quarter. That was two pennies ahead of the overall projection. It was also, as the press release indicates, much higher than the 20 cents per share made in the year-ago period. Sequentially, however, net income took a dip: 36 cents per share was booked in Q1. Gross margin also dropped on a sequential basis, but again, the year-ago comparison was better. Top-line guidance for the third quarter apparently is one of the factors driving the sell-off.

Analyst Upgrades

• Procter & Gamble (PG) upgraded to buy from neutral at Goldman.
• Capital One (COF) upgraded to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• Airgas (ARG) upgraded to outperform from neutral at RW Baird.
• Broadcom (BRCM) upgraded to positive from neutral at Susquehanna.
• Lululemon (LULU) upgraded to hold from underperform at Jefferies.
• DryShips (DRYS) upgraded to outperform from neutral at Credit Suisse.

After a week full of mixed economic data taking its toll on the markets, things will settle down somewhat this coming week.

• Monday: Fed releases October data on consumer credit outstanding.
• Tuesday: TIPP Economic Optimism Index is due.
• Wednesday: Labor Dept. offers initial jobless claims numbers for last week, EIA's crude oil inventory last week, October wholesale trade numbers from the Census Bureau.
• Friday: Trade balance data for October, Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its Import Price Index for November, preliminary Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is due, and the Treasury Dept. releases the federal budget balance in November.

Analyst Upgrades

• Yingli Green (YGE) to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo.
• National Semiconductor (NSM) to outperform from market perform at FBR Capital.
• DuPont (DD) to buy from hold at Citigroup.
• Blackboard (BBBB) to overweight from neutral at JPMorgan.
• Kindred Healthcare (KND) to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Peabody Energy (BTU) to outperform from market perform at BMO Capital.
• Savvis (SVVS) to buy from neutral and InterActiveCorp (IACI) to neutral from underperform at BofA/Merrill.

Analyst Upgrades

• Intel (INTC) was upgraded to buy from neutral at UBS.
• Wells Fargo upgraded MetroPCS (PCS), Coventry Health (CVH) and Scientific Games (SGMS) to outperform from market perform.
• Estee Lauder (EL) was upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Barclays.
• Simon Property (SPG) was upgraded to buy from hold at Jefferies.
• Citigroup upgraded BreitBurn Energy (BBEP) to buy from hold.

The Federal Reserve's next Beige Book report is scheduled to be released this week. This report is a compilation of anecdotal information on current economic conditions from each of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank districts, and it is released eight times a year. The data comes from interviews with business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. While the June report showed modest growth across the districts, the July report showed that the economic recovery had slowed, even stalled in some districts.

Other economic data due out this holiday-shortened week include:

(NSM), a maker of analog integrated circuits, issued fiscal fourth-quarter results Thursday after the bell. According to the press release, the company made 33 cents per share. Last year at this time, a loss of 28 cents per share was booked. Not only were the year-over-year results impressive, but the sequential comparison was likewise encouraging: In the third quarter, net income came to 22 cents per share.

We've got a nice rising situation here. Reuters says that the 33-cent profit figure beat estimates by five pennies. The revenue forecast for the next quarter is looking good, too. So, should investors buy the stock?

The Federal Reserve's next Beige Book report is scheduled to be released this week. This report is a compilation of anecdotal information on current economic conditions from each of the 12 Federal Reserve Bank districts, and it is released eight times a year. The data comes from interviews with business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The June report is expected to show strengthening signs of expansion, though results could be mixed across the 12 districts.

Economic data due out this week include:

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage on BloggingStocks:

• Aeropostale Inc. (ARO) reported better-than-expected Q4 earnings and revenue and offered rosy guidance.
• American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (AEO) higher Q4 earnings matched analysts' estimates, but shares rose afterward.
• AnnTaylor Stores Corp. (ANN) swung to a profit in Q4 even though same-store sales dropped; shares fell.
• Cbeyond Inc. (CBEY) received an analyst's upgrade following its Q4 results and guidance for the full year.
• Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. (PLCE) posted strong Q4 earnings even though same-store sales were flat.