Category Archives: Economy

Stocks Tick Lower

U.S. stocks traded lower Thursday, but holding much of the week’s gains, after service sector reports and ahead of Friday’s jobs data.

The ISM non-manufacturing survey for February came in at 53.4. The figure was expected at 53, down from 53.5 in January.

January factory orders rose 1.6 percent.

The 2-year Treasury yield edged lower to 0.84 percent. The 10-year yield held steady at 1.85 percent.

The U.S. dollar index extended losses, with the euro at $1.093.

The final February Markit services PMI was 49.7, down from January’s final 53.2 print

Oil held lower in choppy trade but remained above $34 a barrel as of 9:53 a.m.
Coming Up:
Thursday
Earnings: Kroger, Royal Ahold, Barnes and Noble, Joy Global, Broadcom, Embraer, Ciena, Trina Solar, Cooper Cos.
10:30 a.m.: Natural gas inventories
10:45 a.m.: Dallas Fed President Rob Kaplan speaks
Friday
Earnings: Staples, WPP Group
8:30 a.m. Employment report; international trade
1 p.m.: Oil rig count

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Stocks Slightly Higher After Data

U.S. stocks traded mostly higher Friday, on pace to end the week with solid gains, as oil prices rose amid some data reports.

Personal income in January rose 0.5 percent, while personal spending rose 0.5 percent. The core PCE, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3 percent.

The core PCE price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, increased 1.7 percent in the 12 months through January, the largest rise since July 2014, after rising 1.5 percent in December.

Stocks pared gains following the report and the Dow Jones industrial average briefly fell into negative territory. Oil also came off session highs.

As of this morning, the major U.S. averages were on pace to end the week with gains of more than 2 percent.

The S&P 500 closed above the key 1,950 resistance level Thursday as stocks rallied into the close. Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones industrial average were within 10 percent of their 52-week intraday highs, out of correction territory.

Coming Up:

G-20 meets in Shanghai
10 a.m. Consumer sentiment, personal income, consumer spending
Earnings: J.C. Penney, Foot Locker, Sotheby’s, Sempra Energy, AmericanTower, Centerpoint, Liberty Media, Telefonica, Rowan Cos

Saturday:
Earnings: Berkshire Hathaway

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Indexes Struggle For Gains, Oil Lower

THURSDAY – U.S. stocks traded in a range Thursday, after a better-than-expected durable goods report, as oil held mostly lower.

The Nasdaq composite gave up opening gains as declines in Apple and other major tech stocks weighed.

The S&P 500 struggled to hold initial gains as energy weighed on the index, while telecommunications and utilities led advancers.

WTI traded more than 1 percent lower near $31.70 a barrel in morning trade ET.

Coming Up This Week:

Thursday

Earnings: AB InBev, Bayer, Apache, Best Buy, Campbell Soup, Domino’s Pizza, Kohl’s, Chico’s FAS, Sears Holdings, SeaWorld, Baidu, Autodesk, Gap, Intuit, Kraft Heinz, Herbalife, Live Nation Ent., Noodles & Co., Weight Watchers
10:30 a.m.: Natural gas inventories
11 a.m.: Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index
12 p.m. San Francisco Fed President John Williams
1 p.m. $28 billion seven-year notes
G-20 finance ministers meet in Shanghai

Friday

G-20 meets in Shanghai
Earnings: J.C. Penney, Foot Locker, Sotheby’s, Sempra Energy, AmericanTower, Centerpoint, Liberty Media, Telefonica, Rowan Cos
8:30 a.m. Real GDP Q4 (second reading); international trade
8:30 a.m.: Personal income, consumer spending
10 a.m. Consumer sentiment

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Stock Market: The Week Ahead

With next week’s calendar full of economic data releases and speeches by economic policymakers, investors have been poised to watch the Federal Reserve for clues about the U.S. central bank’s next move, but an unexpectedly hot reading on inflation on Friday will further sharpen that focus.

After coming into 2016 with an expectation of three or four interest rate hikes through the year, market participants recently were viewing the Fed as likely raising interest rates once, if at all, in light of weak inflation and global volatility.

But Friday’s data showed the core consumer price index (CPI), a measure of underlying U.S. inflation, rose in January by the most in nearly 4-1/2 years to a 2.2 percent annualized rate. It drew particular attention as the number was above the Fed’s 2.0 percent target, though it is not the central bank’s benchmark inflation measure.

The uptick in price pressures has already shifted the market’s expectations on the Fed’s next move.

The dollar rose alongside Treasury yields shortly after the data, as markets saw the higher inflation as nudging the Fed toward tightening policy. The euro hit its lowest since Feb. 3.

Equity markets have also closely followed expectations on Fed policy. Lower rates tend to support stocks in general, with high-paying dividend names like utilities gaining investors’ favor. In an environment of rising rates, banks tend to take the lead.

The expectation of higher interest rates has been cited as one of the reasons for stocks having fallen as much as 11 percent this year. The S&P 500 .SPX is down 6 percent so far in 2016, and on track for its third positive week of the year.

The inflation numbers add to recent economic data, including a stronger job market and consumer spending, that will force the Fed to seriously reconsider more rate hikes, said Jim Paulsen, chief investment officer at Wells Capital Management in Minneapolis.

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Stock Futures Higher After Janet Yellen Remarks

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a sharply higher open on Wednesday after a very volatile week so far, as investors digested the written testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

In her prepared remarks, Yellen said that, if the economy were to disappoint, a lower path of Fed funds rates would be appropriate. She also said that near-term inflation remains low due to falling energy prices, but that the FOMC expects inflation to reach 2 percent in the medium term.

Dow futures held about 110 points higher after the testimony’s release, after briefly gaining 150 points. Yellen is scheduled to testify in front of Congress Wednesday and Thursday.

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday
MBA Mortgage Applications
EIA Petroleum Status Report

Thursday
Jobless Claims
Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index
Janet Yellen Speaks

Friday
Retail Sales
Consumer Sentiment
Baker-Hughes Rig Count

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Stocks Lower on Weak Service Data

WEDNESDAY – U.S. stocks were lower on Wednesday, erasing initial gains, despite an oil bounce and decent jobs data.

The Dow briefly rose 100 points shortly after the open and fell 100 after the ISM non-manufacturing index reading for January came in weaker than expected.

Coming Up This Week:

Wednesday

Earnings: MetLife, Allstate, AvalonBay, Boston Properties, GoPro, Lincoln Natl., NXP Semiconductor, Yum Brands
9:45 a.m. Services PMI
10 a.m. ISM nonmanufacturing
10:30 a.m.: Oil inventories

Thursday

Earnings: AstraZeneca, ConocoPhillips, Philip Morris, Cigna, Clorox, Credit Suisse, Dunkin Brands, NY Times, Tempur Sealy, Hartford Fincl., LinkedIn, News Corp., Symantec, Decker’s Outdoor, DeVry Education, Lions Gate
7:30 a.m.: Challenger Job-Cut Report
8:30 a.m. Initial claims; productivity and costs
10 a.m. Factory orders
10:30 a.m.: Natural gas inventories
4:30 p.m.: Fed Balance Sheet/Money Supply
5 p.m. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester on economy, policy

Friday

Earnings: BNP Paribas, Nippon Telegraph, Estee Lauder, Toyota Motors, Tyson Foods, Moody’s, Weyerhaeuser, Aon, CME Group, Ametek
8:30 a.m. Employment report; international trade
1 p.m.: Oil rig count
3 p.m. Consumer credit, Treasury STRIPS

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Stocks Open Lower As Market Eyes Data

U.S. stocks opened down today, as investors prepare for earnings while worrying about Chinese data.

“The market today is going to be focused on earnings,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital.

Over a 1/5 of the S&P500 companies are scheduled release results this week. Morgan Stanley posted earnings per share 20 cents below estimates before the bell, with revenue also disappointing.

Hasbro and Halliburton reported quarterly results ahead of Monday’s open that beat analyst’s expectations.

Housing data will offer more clues about the strength of the U.S. economy, with the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market index due at 10 a.m. ET.

Wall Street will also digest remarks made by Federal Reserve officials Lael Brainard and Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker at 10 a.m. ET and noon, respectively.

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