The Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSEARCA:DIA) closed at the index’s highest level since May 19, 2008: 12,949. The focus next week is whether traders capture and hold the psychological 13,000 line.

Monday

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC): Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU) hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to advise it on a possible bid for ING Groep’s (NYSE:ING) Asian insurance operations, according to South Korean media, Reuters reports.

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT): House Republican leaders are having trouble finding enough votes to pass their $260B transportation spending bill, according to The Hill. House Speaker John Boehner said he hopes the bill will pass, the publication added.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ): Cablevision (NYSE:CVC) ran a limited time promotion under which it offered a triple-play bundle of phone, TV and high-speed Internet service to new customers for just $69.95 a month, as the company tries to stem subscriber losses and undercut rival Verizon’s (NYSE:VZ) FiOS TV service, according to The New York Post.

Tuesday

JP Morgan and Chase (NYSE:JPM): Disappointing retail sales numbers have many people questioning the strength of the recovery in the U.S., and that is hurting financial stocks the most today.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC): Citigroup has moved Bank of America from Buy to Neutral. The markets have focused on BAC’s improved capital position, but earnings of the bank remain weak.

Alcoa (NYSE:AA): Materials stocks are down today, with Alcoa leading the way as weaker retail sales has the market lower.

Thursday

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC): The threat of a downgrade from Moody’s has done nothing to deter Bank of America’s prospects today. Positive information about unemployment and housing starts gave hopes the U.S. economy is in a stable recovery.

American Express (NYSE:AXP) reversed yesterday’s losses in today’s trading. Although credit cards are mixed, American Express is up with good news about the economy. Amex’s delinquency rate is lower than other companies because its customer base is more affluent.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) leads the Dow today. The introduction of html5 for smartphones could ease Microsoft’s entry into the market.

Friday

Citing strength in the financial arm of General Electric (NYSE:GE), JPMorgan Chase analyst Steve Tusa kept his Overweight rating on the stock while lifting his price target to $21 from $20 on Friday. The analyst commented that General Electric’s financial arm, known as GECS, “has moved from a drag with capital adequacy concerns to a cash ‘gusher,’ which we believe is being underappreciated in the sum-of-the-parts discussion at GE.”

Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC): Fusion-IO’s (NYSE:FIO) stock surge implies that Intel Corp could be a buyer, as renewed rumors indicate. However the origins of the chatter are obscure.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours (NYSE:DD): Announcing streamlined financing for U.S. exporters competing against foreign firms which are afforded “unfair advantages”, White House officials said that President Obama will remain focused on China.

3M (NYSE:MMM): Up to $1 billion in cash has been designated by 3M to be contributed to global pension and post-retirement plans this year.

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