Alzheimer's drug pops stock, McDonald's pushing chicken and new fracking rules

It’s a day of green across the board for all the major indices (^DJI, ^GSCP, ^IXIC) as the dollar slows its surge. Even crude is getting in on the action, up more than 3% on the day.

Here are some of the other stories Yahoo Finance is watching today:

Biogen’s big day
Most of the biotech sector (IBB) is having a strong day but perhaps none more than Biogen Idec (BIIB). The drug maker is up close to 8% after announcing it’s seen promising results from an experimental treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and is now moving the drug into late-stage testing.

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New fracking rules
The White House just announced new restrictions for hydraulic fracking on federal lands. The regulations may not satisfy either those for or against the process of using water to extract oil and natural gas. Critics say it’s dangerous to the environment while supporters point out how fracking has helped boost America’s energy independence.

Eat more chicken
Fast-food burger joints such as McDonald’s (MCD) and Burger King (QSR) hope you’ll drop the beef and switch to chicken. The soaring cost of beef is squeezing profits out of hamburgers.

What to watch next week

It’s Friday so our panel has weighed in on what mill grab out attention next week:

Mike Santoli: Inflation data
Akiko Fujita: Iran nuke talks
Andy Serwer: NFL owners’ meeting

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