NYSE Ends Flat As Volume Dips; MGM Roars Up

Stocks finished mixed again Tuesday. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%. The Dow and NYSE composite ended virtually unchanged. Volume tapered off for the second session in a row.

MGM Mirage MGM gapped above its 50-day moving average and shot up 17.03, or 27%, to 79.98 in monster trade.

Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. said late Monday that it is mulling the purchase of MGM's Bellagio Hotel and Casino and CityCenter properties. Tracinda already owns a 56% stake in the company.

The Leisure-Gaming/Equipment group was the session's top performer, rising 4.3%.

Koppers Holdings KOP jumped 1.58, or 6%, to 29.59 on nearly double its average volume. The firm makes chemicals, carbon compounds and treated wood products for various markets.

Mutual fund ownership of the stock has more than doubled in recent quarters to 41 funds from 17 just three quarters ago.

Neenah Paper NP climbed 1.50 to an all-time high of 45.22. Earlier this month the company posted a 339% surge in Q1 earnings. Sales growth accelerated for the third straight quarter, to 69%.

New Oriental Education & Technology EDU gapped up and rallied 1.67 to a record 50.04 on heavy trade.

The Chinese provider of language training and test preparation services has gained about 12% since clearing a 44.90 buy point 18om a seven-week consolidation April 16.

On the downside, Lan Airlines LFL dropped 3.01 to 78.69 on almost triple its average trade.

Chilean equities took a hit after the country's president raised foreign investment limits on the nation's pension funds. That raised fears of capital flight. The country's IPSA stock index tumbled 3.4%.