Market Wrap: Stocks Surge; Amazon Ain't in De-Nile; Volt Sparks Up

Market wrap-up for November 28th

End of the Day: Dow Jones up 291 to 11,523.01; Nasdaq up 86 to 2,527.34; S&P 500 up 34 to 1,192.55

The following is a brief summary of events moving markets today:

• The hills are alive...with the sound of debt negotiation: U.S. markets staged a bit of a rally Monday, following reports that leaders in Europe would begin talks aimed at preventing disaster in the euro zone.
  
  Should the leaders be able to reach agreements on debt issues, including potential curbs on excessive debt by making fiscal discipline legally binding, the European Central Bank (ECB) might move to provide more assistance to the zone. Another rumor had the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mulling providing anywhere from €400 to €600 billion in aid to Italy, which was quelled a short time later.
  
  
• With continued sales growth, Amazon might need to change its name to Nile.com: Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) ended the session higher, as it was seen as one of the big winners from increased online shopping during Black Friday events. For a comparison, Amazon reported a fourfold increase in Kindle sales when compared with the same period last year. No numbers were given, as always, and investors might note that both prices on existing Kindle models dropped and the new Kindle Fire media tablet was introduced in October, becoming an attractive, cheaper alternative to Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad.
  
  Overall, ShopperTrak reports sales -- or traffic, at the very least -- increased 6.6 percent on Black Friday. The National Retail Federation (NRF) also estimated at 9.1 percent increase in overall sales: in physical stores or online shops.
  
  
• The roof, the sides, the batteries on fire!: Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that General Motors' (NYSE: GM) Chevy Volt batteries caught fire following side pole crash tests. It wouldn't be weird should the fires have started immediately, but NHTSA said the fires could start three-weeks after an incident.
  
  To calm nerves of owners, GM is offering loaner cars to Volt owners who are still concerned. The autos will be free of charge, and able to be used by owners until the Volt issue is fixed.
  
  
• KKR to buy an innuendo: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR) entered a definitive agreement to acquire Capital Safety from Arle Capital Partners in a $1.12 billion deal. Though investors might think Capital Safety is an awesome investment management firm, or solid brokerage, neither are correct. It is a company that produces equipment which helps laborers stay safe in iffy working conditions.
  
  But, investors simply like the term "Capital Safety," something KKR isn't unfamiliar with anyway.
  
  The move comes just under a week since KKR reported a group led by the investment firm would be in a deal to acquire Samson Investment for $7.2 billion.
  
  
• What's up, Homes? Not sales of new units: According to the Department of Commerce, new home sales in October rose 1.3 percent to an annual pace of 307,000. Economists were looking for more robust growth, to 315,000 for 2011. Data also suggests that sales for 2011 would reach just 301,000, lower than 323,000 last year, the slowest year on record since the Commerce Department began gathering data in 1963.

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