STOCKS NEWS US-Wells Fargo cuts dividend by 85.3 percent

The firm said that volatile oil prices had hurt biofuels in recent months, and that "at current crop prices, we estimate that most biofuel refineries will need WTI crude oil prices above $60 per barrel to break even without government help."

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net 0749 ET 06March2009-GFT sees lower open on jobs report ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GFT on Friday forecast a lower opening for the U.S. stock market, reversing an earlier estimate that called for a modestly positive opening. Explaining the revised estimate, the firm said it was "starting to see some pre-jobs report jitters."

GFT expects the Dow Jones industrial average .DJI to open down 14 points while the S&P 500 .SPX opens down 2.5 points.

"We are heading for one of the highest-profile non-farms number ever, with estimates for the payrolls being subject to repeatedly more negative revisions following the endless slew of grim news," GFT wrote, adding, that "the report comes at a time when the markets are in severe distress - it doesn't get much more important than this. There is an aura of make-or-break for the markets over these jobs numbers."

Reuters Messaging: ryan.vlastelica.reuters.com@reuters.net 0740 ET 06March2009-Feb retail sales beat expectations: TR data ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thomson Reuters late Thursday said that its same-store sales index rose 0.3 percent in February, more than expected and "the first positive same store sales month we've seen over the last five months."

The expectation was for a decline of 1.2 percent in comparable sales.

In the index, 16 of the covered companies beat expectations while 12 performed below consensus.