HEADLINE: Stocks rise on strong results from Ford, 3M

Matthew Craft, AP Business Writer, On Tuesday April 26, 2011, 10:11 am

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stronger earnings reports from Ford and 3M helped nudge stocks higher in early trading Tuesday.

Ford Motor Co. rose 3 percent after the carmaker reported its best first quarter earnings since 1998. Ford beat Wall Street's earnings estimates with stronger sales of new vehicles.

3M Co. rose 1.7 percent. The maker of Post-Its and Scotch Tape said quarterly profit jumped 16 percent from a year ago, beating analysts' estimates. 3M raised its full-year earnings expectations despite taking a hit from the earthquake in Japan.

Delta Air Lines Inc. said rising fuel prices played a large role in pushing its quarterly loss to 38 cents a share. That's a larger loss than a year ago, but analysts expected worse. Delta jumped 5.8 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 40 points, or 0.3 percent, to 12,520. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 4 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,339. The Nasdaq composite rose 6 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,831.

United Parcel Service Inc. also raised its earnings estimate for the year after its quarterly results jumped 66 percent, beating analysts' estimates. UPS rose 1.4 percent.

Coca-Cola Co.'s stock fell 2.7 percent, after its results fell a penny short of Wall Street's expectations. First quarter net income rose 18 percent as sales overseas gained strength.

Meanwhile, the Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index rose to 65.4 in April from a revised 63.8 in March. Economists expected a smaller rise to 64.8, according to FactSet.

The Federal Reserve begins a two-day meeting on Tuesday. Economists expect the Fed will leave short-term interest rates unchanged and end its $600 billion bond-buying program in June as scheduled. The bond-buying effort has been credited with lifting financial markets since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted at it last August.

Weak earnings reports dragged the Dow and S&P 500 lower on Monday.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

BCHC Announces Strategic Turn Around and Major Stake Buyout of VuQo Inc.

Press Release Source: BoNa Coffee Holdings Corp. On Monday April 18, 2011, 11:30 am EDT

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - 04/18/11) - VuQo Inc., creators of the world's first coconut-distilled premium vodka, today announced that BoNa Coffee Holdings Corporation (Pinksheets:BCHC - News) has acquired a majority stake in their company, shifting BCHC's focus to the alcoholic beverage industry. Bona Coffee Holdings Corp. has voted to spin off the other parts of the company including, BoNa Coffee Company, Ayurveda Day surgery and Spa, and Bohemian Nation.

CEO Candace Schmidt and current board members will step down and be replaced by current VuQo Inc. CEO and Founder, Rich Cabael, along with his current management team.

"The time is right to accelerate the company's renewal to drive BCHC to the next level of growth. It is important to me to give shareholder value, and I will do whatever it takes to make VuQo a successful brand name that is known all over the world in an industry that did $44 billion dollars last year in the United States alone," said Rich Cabael, incoming CEO of BCHC.

About VuQo Inc. (www.vuqo.com)

VuQo Inc. is the creator of VuQo Premium Vodka, the only vodka in the world distilled from coconut nectar. VuQo is 40% alcohol by volume, continuously distilled and filtered multiple times, and is packaged in an elegantly designed, 750ml bottle. Currently, VuQo is distributed in the United States in California, Texas, and Georgia, as well as Guam and the Philippines.

VuQo also owns the brand Haliya Light Fruit Wines, which are wines handcrafted in small batches using fruits that thrive in the Philippines. Haliya is available in two variants: Mango Wine which is 13% alcohol-by-volume; and Black Plum Wine which is 12%. Both are packaged in traditional wine bottles with award-winning label designs. Haliya is currently distributed in the Philippines, Guam, and the United States.