Market Minute: Smith & Wesson Earnings Fire Up; Best Buy Boosts Windows

Some calm could return to the stock market today, and the gun debate lifts profits for a big gun maker. Those and more are what's making business news Friday.

The Dow industrials (^DJI) rallied 180-points yesterday, snapping the first three-day losing streak this year. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) jumped 23 and the Nasdaq (^IXIC) rose 45 points.

We might see less volatility today after a week or so of whip-saw trading. Japanese stocks rebounded overnight, and there are reports Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may try to calm investor fears next week about plans to taper the Fed's bond-buying program.

Shares of Smith & Wesson (SWHC) are expected to shoot higher after the gun-maker reported preliminary earnings that beat expectations. Worries that Congress would impose restrictions on gun sales spurred demand and led to record sales.

Over the years, Best Buy Co. (BBY) has carved out space in its stores for Apple (AAPL) products and more recently, Samsung. Now it's setting up Windows Stores with products from Microsoft (MSFT), featuring Xbox games, computers and phones. For Microsoft, it's a way to pump up sales of Window 8.

Shares of Restoration Hardware Holdings (RH) are set to jump. Earnings at the home furnishings retailer topped expectations, and the company raised its forecast for the full year. Since going public last November, the stock has soared 89 percent.

A setback in Eli Lilly & Co.'s (LLY) attempt to conquer Alzheimer's. It's stopping a clinical trial of one drug because of potential side-affects involving the liver.

The private-equity firm KKR & Co. (KKR) is reportedly looking to sell its most well-known unit -- the Del Monte canned food business. The company would then focus on Del Monte's pet-food operations. The Wall Street Journal says the canned food business could be worth around $2 billion.

And Deutsche Bank (DB) has raised its rating on the daily deals firm Groupon (GRPN) to "buy" from "hold."

Check back after the market closes Friday for the new DailyFinance closing bell report.

-Produced by Drew Trachtenberg

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