NYSE Dow Jones finished today at:

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 304.06 points or ▲ 1.85% on Monday, 5 October 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,776.43 ▲ 304.06 ▲ 1.85%
Nasdaq____ 4,781.26 ▲ 73.49 ▲ 1.56%
S&P_500___ 1,987.05 ▲ 35.69 ▲ 1.83%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.90 ▲ 0.07 ▲ 2.55%

NYSE Volume 4,301,827,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,976,090,380

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,298.92 ▲ 168.94 ▲ 2.76%
DAX_____ 9,814.79 ▲ 261.72 ▲ 2.74%
CAC_40__ 4,616.90 ▲ 158.02 ▲ 3.54%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,184.10 ▲ 94.90 ▲ 1.86%
Shanghai_Comp 3,052.78 ▲ 14.64 ▲ 0.48%
Taiwan_Weight 8,352.36 ▲ 47.33 ▲ 0.57%
Nikkei_225___ 18,005.49 ▲ 280.36 ▲ 1.58%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,854.50 ▲ 348.41 ▲ 1.62%
Strait_Times.__ 2,851.25 ▲ 58.10 ▲ 2.08%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,630.54 ▲ 37.03 ▲ 0.66%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-end-sharply-higher-201349483.html

US stocks end sharply higher; GE leads gains in industrials

US stocks jump; energy companies climb along with price of oil; General Electric, Twitter up
Associated Press By Ken Sweet, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks rallied in the U.S. and overseas Monday after last week's gloomy jobs report led investors to expect that the Federal Reserve will wait even longer before making its first interest rate increase since the financial crisis.

Energy stocks rose along with the price of oil, while General Electric pushed industrial stocks higher.

On Monday the Dow Jones industrial average added 304.06 points, or 1.9 percent, to 16,776.43. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 35.69 points, or 1.8 percent, to 1,987.05 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 73.49 points, or 1.6 percent, to 4,781.26.

It was the fifth straight day of gains for the S&P 500, a reversal of the five consecutive losses for the index right before the rally began.

Monday's rally was a continuation of a surge that began Friday, when the Labor Department said U.S. employers created only 142,000 jobs in September, far less than expected. Last week's jobs report is being taken as positive by investors who want the Fed to postpone raising interest rates. The Fed next meets at the end of this month and again in late December. Ultra-low interest rates in place since the 2008 financial crisis have helped drive stock prices higher.

"It seems clear that investors have decided that the Federal Reserve cannot raise rates at its October meeting and probably cannot raise rates for longer than that," said Kristina Hooper, head of investment strategies for the U.S. at Allianz Global Investors.

Hooper pointed to the trading of Fed fund futures, which are securities that bet on which way the Fed will move interest rates. Those futures now indicate that investors expect the most likely timing for the next rate increase is March 2016.

Whether the Fed agrees with investors remains to be seen. Fed officials, including Janet Yellen, have said the central bank is looking to start raising rates this year. On Thursday, investors will get the minutes from the Fed's September meeting, which should provide insight into where Fed policymakers stand.

Monday's gains were broad. Higher energy prices pushed oil and gas stocks to gains. U.S. crude gained 72 cents to close at $46.26 a barrel in New York. Brent Crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose $1.12 to close at $49.25 a barrel in London.

The energy sector of the S&P 500 gained 2.9 percent, much more than the rest of the market.

Dow member General Electric rose $1.35, or 5.3 percent, to $26.82 after activist investor Nelson Peltz disclosed he had accumulated a $2.5 billion stake in GE. Peltz is likely to put more pressure on GE's CEO Jeffrey Immelt to raise the company's stock price, which has lingered around $25-$26 a share for the last two years.

Alphabet Inc., the new parent company of Google, rose $14.69, or 2.2 percent, to $671.68. Google announced earlier this year that it would reorganize. Alphabet will be the parent company, with Google being the largest subsidiary. This would allow investors to see how well Google's core business was doing, separately from its more experimental ventures like driverless cars. Monday was the first day the company started trading as Alphabet.

Twitter jumped $1.84, or 7 percent, to $28.15 after the company said it was moving its co-founder Jack Dorsey into the CEO position full-time. Dorsey had been interim CEO since June.

U.S. government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.06 percent from 1.99 percent late Friday.

The dollar rose to 120.43 yen. The euro fell to $1.1188.

Precious and industrial metals futures closed higher. Gold edged up $1 to settle at $1,137.60 an ounce, silver rose 45 cents to $15.71 an ounce and copper increased three cents to $2.36 a pound.

In other futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

”” Wholesale gasoline rose 4.4 cents to close at $1.388 a gallon.

”” Heating oil rose 2.8 cents to close at $1.548 a gallon.

”” Natural gas fell 0.1 cents to close at $2.45 per 1,000 cubic feet.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 13.76 points or ▲ 0.08% on Tuesday, 6 October 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,790.19 ▲ 13.76 ▲ 0.08%
Nasdaq____ 4,748.36 ▼ -32.90 ▼ -0.69%
S&P_500___ 1,979.92 ▼ -7.13 ▼ -0.36%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.87 ▼ -0.03 ▼ -0.86%

NYSE Volume 4,189,089,250
Nasdaq Volume 2,069,972,880

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,326.16 ▲ 27.24 ▲ 0.43%
DAX_____ 9,902.83 ▲ 88.04 ▲ 0.90%
CAC_40__ 4,660.64 ▲ 43.74 ▲ 0.95%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,199.00 ▲ 14.90 ▲ 0.29%
Shanghai_Comp 3,052.78 ▲ 14.64 ▲ 0.48%
Taiwan_Weight 8,394.10 ▲ 41.74 ▲ 0.50%
Nikkei_225___ 18,186.10 ▲ 180.61 ▲ 1.00%
Hang_Seng.__ 21,831.62 ▼ -22.88 ▼ -0.10%
Strait_Times.__ 2,897.41 ▲ 46.16 ▲ 1.62%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,668.11 ▲ 37.57 ▲ 0.67%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rally-energy-stocks-doesnt-lift-201015922.html

A rally in energy stocks doesn't lift broader market

Stocks end slightly lower as biotechnology stocks drag down broader market; DuPont jumps
Associated Press By Ken Sweet, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks paused Tuesday, closing moderately lower after five straight days of gains. DuPont and energy companies rose sharply, but the overall market was weighed down by health-care stocks, especially biotechnology companies.

Investors remain mostly in standby mode, with the closely watched minutes from the Federal Reserve's September meeting coming out on Thursday and third-quarter company earnings just around the corner.

The Dow Jones industrial average added 13.76 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,790.19. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 7.13 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,979.92 and the Nasdaq composite lost 32.90 points, or 0.7 percent, to 4,748.36.

The biggest gainer in the S&P 500 and Dow was chemical giant DuPont, which rose $3.93, or nearly 8 percent, to $55.21. DuPont's CEO Ellen Kullman announced she would retire effective next week. DuPont's profits have lagged in recent years, and the company has been a target of activist investors like Nelsen Peltz.

Biotechnology stocks were hit hard. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index fell nearly 4 percent after the recently announced 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal provided only eight years of certain kinds of drug patent protection, less than the 12 years that the industry was lobbying for.

Biotech stocks have been hammered in recent months because of investor concerns that the industry might face more scrutiny from Washington over its drug pricing practices. The index is down 24 percent from its peak in late July.

Barring some geopolitical crisis or massive company news, the next major move for the market will likely come Thursday, when investors will get the minutes from the Fed's latest policy meeting in September.

Investors are increasingly confident the Federal Reserve will hold off for longer than previously expected on raising interest rates following last week's jobs report, which showed that the U.S. economy was creating fewer jobs.

Securities that allow investors to bet on which way the Fed will move interest rates now show the market expects the next rate hike will come in March 2016. The minutes, which break down the issues the Fed addressed at their last meeting, should provide clues on whether policymakers still feel confident about raising interest rates.

"We need to see if they had signs that last week's bad jobs report was coming, and decided to hold off on raising rates then, or if they are still set on moving this year," said J.J. Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade.

In energy markets, oil rose after the Energy Department said U.S. crude oil production declined by 120,000 barrels per day in September compared with August. The agency also expects oil production to decline from an average of 9.2 million barrels per day this year to 8.9 million barrels per day in 2016.

U.S. benchmark crude jumped $2.27 to close at $48.53 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That helped send oil and gas companies sharply higher. ConocoPhillips, Chevron and ExxonMobil rose between 2 and 4 percent each.

Brent Crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose $2.67 to $51.92 a barrel in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

”” Wholesale gasoline rose 5.1 cents to close at $1.436 a gallon.

”” Heating oil rose 6.3 cents to close at $1.612 a gallon.

”” Natural gas rose 2 cents to close at $2.47 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. government bond prices rose slightly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 2.04 percent. The dollar rose to 120.25 yen and the euro rose to $1.1269.

In metals trading, the price of gold rose $8.80 to $1,146.40 an ounce, silver rose 28 cents to $15.98 an ounce and copper was little changed at $2.36 a pound.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 122.1 points or ▲ 0.73% on Wednesday, 7 October 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,912.29 ▲ 122.10 ▲ 0.73%
Nasdaq____ 4,791.15 ▲ 42.79 ▲ 0.90%
S&P_500___ 1,995.83 ▲ 15.91 ▲ 0.80%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.89 ▲ 0.01 ▲ 0.45%

NYSE Volume 4,595,588,500
Nasdaq Volume 2,122,660,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,336.35 ▲ 10.19 ▲ 0.16%
DAX_____ 9,970.40 ▲ 67.57 ▲ 0.68%
CAC_40__ 4,667.34 ▲ 6.70 ▲ 0.14%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,228.40 ▲ 29.40 ▲ 0.57%
Shanghai_Comp 3,052.78 ▲ 14.64 ▲ 0.48%
Taiwan_Weight 8,495.23 ▲ 101.13 ▲ 1.20%
Nikkei_225___ 18,322.98 ▲ 136.88 ▲ 0.75%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,515.76 ▲ 684.14 ▲ 3.13%
Strait_Times.__ 2,961.81 ▲ 64.40 ▲ 2.22%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,650.03 ▼ -18.08 ▼ -0.32%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/down-day-stock-market-ends-203419042.html

An up-and-down day for stock market ends with a solid gain

After a see-saw day, the stock market ends with a gain; Yum Brands plunges on China weakness
Associated Press By Ken Sweet, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks posted solid gains in a quiet session Wednesday, helped by advances in health-care and industrial companies.

Without any major economic reports to work with, trading was lighter than usual. Many investors remain on the sidelines ahead of Thursday's release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting and the start of corporate earnings season.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 122.10 points, or 0.7 percent, to 16,912.29. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 15.91 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,995.83 and the Nasdaq composite rose 42.79 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,791.15.

The biggest gainers were stocks that were hit hardest the day before: health-care, particularly biotechnology companies, and energy stocks. Drugmaker Amgen rose nearly 5 percent, Celgene rose 4 percent and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals rose nearly 6 percent.

By far the biggest loser in the S&P 500 index was Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Yum sank $15.71, or 19 percent, to $67.71 after the restaurant operator's profits and sales missed analysts' expectations. Sales in China, a major market for KFC, rose only 2 percent, far less than expected.

Events over the next two weeks are likely to determine the market's next move. Earnings season will unofficially start Thursday when Alcoa, the giant maker of aluminum and other metals, will report its results.

Expectations for this round of earnings are low. Analysts expect third-quarter results to be down 5.1 percent from last year, according to FactSet, which would be the first back-to-back quarterly drop in earnings since 2009.

"Expectations are so low this quarter that it's not going to be hard for companies to beat," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank, overseeing $66 billion in assets.

Another concern lingering on investors' minds is whether the global economy is entering a downturn. Those fears were stoked by a report from the IMF that China's slowdown and tumbling commodity prices will push global economic growth this year to the lowest level since the 2009 recession.

With that in mind, companies, particularly those with exposure to businesses outside the U.S., are likely to be in focus this quarter, Ablin said.

"We need to see how the impact of international trade and global growth is having on the multinationals here," he said.

Oil prices gave up an early gain and turned lower after the Energy Department reported that U.S. oil inventories rose by 3.1 million barrels last week and that demand for oil fell slightly. Oil had rallied earlier on signs that producers were cutting back production.

Benchmark U.S. oil fell 72 cents, or 1.5 percent, at $47.81 a barrel in New York. It had been up 2 percent earlier. Brent Crude, which is used to price international oils, lost 59 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $51.33 a barrel in London.

In other futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

”” Wholesale gasoline fell 4.6 cents to close at $1.390 a gallon.

”” Heating oil fell 3.2 cents to close at $1.580 a gallon.

”” Natural gas rose less than a penny to close at $2.474 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.07 percent. The euro edged down to $1.1240 and the dollar slipped to 119.98 yen.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 138.46 points or ▲ 0.82% on Thursday, 8 October 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,050.75 ▲ 138.46 ▲ 0.82%
Nasdaq____ 4,810.79 ▲ 19.64 ▲ 0.41%
S&P_500___ 2,013.43 ▲ 17.60 ▲ 0.88%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.95 ▲ 0.06 ▲ 2.08%

NYSE Volume 3,922,273,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,969,022,380

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,374.82 ▲ 38.47 ▲ 0.61%
DAX_____ 9,993.07 ▲ 22.67 ▲ 0.23%
CAC_40__ 4,675.91 ▲ 8.57 ▲ 0.18%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,241.40 ▲ 13.00 ▲ 0.25%
Shanghai_Comp 3,143.36 ▲ 90.58 ▲ 2.97%
Taiwan_Weight 8,445.96 ▼ -49.27 ▼ -0.58%
Nikkei_225___ 18,141.17 ▼ -181.81 ▼ -0.99%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,354.91 ▼ -160.85 ▼ -0.71%
Strait_Times.__ 2,947.03 ▼ -14.78 ▼ -0.50%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,626.29 ▼ -23.74 ▼ -0.42%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-gain-signs-point-fed-203237345.html

Stocks gain as signs point to Fed keeping interest rates low

US stocks gain as signs point to Federal Reserve keeping rates low; energy sector climbs
Associated Press By Ken Sweet and Marley Jay, AP Business Writers

NEW YORK (AP) -- Signs that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates low for several more months pushed stocks broadly higher on Thursday, adding to what has been a near eight-day rally. Energy stocks advanced with the price of oil.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 138.46 points, or 0.8 percent, to 17,050.75. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 17.60 points, or 0.9 percent, to 2,013.43 and Nasdaq composite rose 19.64 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,810.79.

The S&P 500 has risen seven out of the last eight sessions and is now above 2,000, a psychological milestone, for the first time since mid-August.

Stocks spent most of the morning little changed, but moved steadily higher after investors had a chance to work through the minutes from the Fed's September policy meeting.

In the minutes, Fed officials expressed confidence that the U.S. economy was improving, citing the improving job market. But policymakers had concerns that inflation continues to remain abnormally low, noting the recent drop in commodity prices, which were a major reason why the Fed did not raise interest rates.

The Fed has kept interest rates near zero for nearly seven years now. The Fed has repeatedly signaled it wants to raise interest rates, but it has held off on doing so.

"The Federal Reserve is waiting for the ideal time to raise rates. But, for those who live in the real world, we know that there is not a 'perfect' time to raise interest rates," said David Libovitz, global market strategist at JPMorgan Funds.

Scott Clemons, chief investment strategist for Brown Brothers Harriman's wealth management business, said investors no longer expect rates to go up this year, even though Chair Janet Yellen has said that's likely to happen. He added that the central bank is "beginning to falter" in communicating to investors what its plans are.

"The market has begun to conclude that they're the boy who cried wolf" where raising interest rates are concerned, Clemons said.

The price of oil rose Thursday as the dollar weakened, making oil more attractive to overseas buyers, and on concerns that Russia's military actions in Syria raised the threat of a wider conflict in the region.

Energy stocks were among the biggest gainers on Thursday, following oil higher. Marathon Oil rose 5 percent, Occidental Petroleum was up 3 percent and Hess Corp. added 4 percent.

Benchmark U.S. oil rose $1.62, or 3.4 percent, at $49.43 a barrel in New York. Brent Crude, which is used to price international oils, gained $1.72, or 3.4 percent, to $53.05 a barrel in London.

In other futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, wholesale gasoline rose 1.8 cents to close at $1.408 a gallon. Heating oil rose 2.2 cents to close at $1.602 a gallon and natural gas rose 2.4 cents to close at $2.498 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Netflix had a strong day as well, rising $6.83, or 6 percent, to $114.93. The streaming movie and TV show company announced it was increasing prices on its most popular plan to cover the higher costs for its new original shows and series.

With stocks posting solid advances, investors sold bonds, pushing yields higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.10 percent from 2.07 percent late Wednesday. The euro rose to $1.1274 while the dollar was little changed at 119.94 yen.

Precious and industrial metals futures ended lower. Gold lost $4.40 to $1,144.30 an ounce, silver fell 33 cents to $15.77 an ounce and copper declined two cents to $2.34 a pound.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 33.74 points or ▲ 0.20% on Friday, 9 October 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,084.49 ▲ 33.74 ▲ 0.20%
Nasdaq____ 4,830.47 ▲ 19.68 ▲ 0.41%
S&P_500___ 2,014.89 ▲ 1.46 ▲ 0.07%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.93 ▼ -0.02 ▼ -0.64%

NYSE Volume 3,675,479,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,779,859,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,416.16 ▲ 41.34 ▲ 0.65%
DAX_____ 10,096.60 ▲ 103.53 ▲ 1.04%
CAC_40__ 4,701.39 ▲ 25.48 ▲ 0.54%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,309.20 ▲ 67.80 ▲ 1.29%
Shanghai_Comp 3,183.15 ▲ 39.79 ▲ 1.27%
Taiwan_Weight 8,445.96 ▼ -49.27 ▼ -0.58%
Nikkei_225___ 18,438.67 ▲ 297.50 ▲ 1.64%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,458.80 ▲ 103.89 ▲ 0.46%
Strait_Times.__ 2,998.50 ▲ 51.47 ▲ 1.75%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,638.79 ▲ 13.01 ▲ 0.23%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-close-best-week-small-200916959.html

Stocks close out best week of the year with a small gain

US stocks close out their best week of the year with a modest advance; airlines among gainers
Associated Press By Ken Sweet, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- The stock market closed out its best week this year with a modest gain on Friday, helped by airlines and industrial companies.

Investors now turn their focus to corporate earnings, which will start to pick up next week.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 33.74 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,084.49. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.46 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,014.89 and the Nasdaq composite rose 19.68 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,830.47.

The S&P 500 ended the week up 3.3 percent, its best week since mid-December. Global markets also had a strong week, with markets in Germany and France rising more than 5 percent. In Asia, markets in Japan, China and Hong Kong are up roughly 4 percent each.

Most of the gains this week came immediately following the release of last week's disappointing jobs report, which sent a signal to investors that the Federal Reserve would hold pat on raising interest rates at least for several more months. That signal was reinforced Thursday, when the minutes from the September Fed meeting showed policymakers are too concerned about low inflation and the slowdown in China to raise interest rates.

"In short, we found little to change our view that the first Fed hike will not occur in 2015 (and the) market has reached the same conclusion," wrote Ajay Rajadhyaksha, head of fixed-income at Barclays, in a report.

One sector that did push higher was airlines. The companies said they flew nearly full flights last month, an important profit driver for the industry. United Continental flew flights on average 82.9 percent full; while American Airlines reported its flights were 82.7 percent full.

United Continental rose 6.6 percent, American rose 6.7 percent, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines added 3 percent each.

One industrial company that did not do well was Alcoa, the aluminum company, which fell 75 cents, or 7 percent, to $10.26. The company reported a steep drop in profits for its third quarter, citing lower aluminum prices and a strong U.S. dollar.

Investors are now positioning themselves for corporate earnings, which pick up steam next week with most of the nation's largest banks report their results, as well as big companies like Intel, Netflix, UnitedHealth and General Electric. Earnings are expected to be down roughly 5.5 percent from a year ago, according to FactSet, mostly because of a sharp drop in commodity prices.

"Earnings are going to dominate the next few weeks. Once we get guidance from Corporate America, investors will be reasonably more confident about getting back into the market," said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management.

The price of U.S. oil edged higher Friday. Benchmark crude oil rose 20 cents to close at $49.63 a barrel in New York. Brent Crude, which is used to price international oils, slipped 40 cents to $52.65 a barrel in London.

In other futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, wholesale gasoline rose 0.9 cents to close at $1.417 a gallon. Heating oil fell 1.1 cents to close at $1.591 a gallon and natural gas rose 0.4 cents to close at $2.502 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. government bond prices rose slightly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.09 percent. The euro rose to $1.1363 while the dollar rose to 120.24 yen.

Metals prices rose. Gold climbed $11.60 to $1,155.90 an ounce, silver gained five cents to $15.82 an ounce and copper climbed seven cents to $2.41 a pound.

7536

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 47.37 points or ▲ 0.28% on Monday, 12 October 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,131.86 ▲ 47.37 ▲ 0.28%
Nasdaq____ 4,838.64 ▲ 8.17 ▲ 0.17%
S&P_500___ 2,017.46 ▲ 2.57 ▲ 0.13%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.92 ▲ 0.01 ▲ 0.20%

NYSE Volume 2,876,690,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,329,675,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,371.18 ▲ 44.98 ▲ 0.70%
DAX_____ 10,119.83 ▲ 23.23 ▲ 0.23%
CAC_40__ 4,688.70 ▲ 12.69 ▲ 0.27%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,267.40 ▲ 41.80 ▲ 0.79%
Shanghai_Comp 3,287.66 ▲ 104.51 ▲ 3.28%
Taiwan_Weight 8,573.72 ▲ 127.76 ▲ 1.51%
Nikkei_225___ 18,438.67 ▲ 297.50 ▲ 1.64%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,730.93 ▲ 272.13 ▲ 1.21%
Strait_Times.__ 3,032.11 ▲ 33.61 ▲ 1.12%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,689.83 ▲ 51.04 ▲ 0.91%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-edge-higher-investors-205108716.html

US stocks edge higher as investors wait for earnings

US stocks edge higher as investors wait for earnings reports; Oil slumps the most in six weeks
Associated Press By Steve Rothwell, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks edged higher Monday on a quiet day for the market ahead of a busy weak for corporate earnings.

EMC climbed after Dell said it would acquire the data storage company for $67 billion. Energy stocks slumped as the price of oil fell sharply following a report that showed OPEC members are keeping up production even after a big drop in prices over the last year.

Investors will be focusing on corporate earnings this week as they try to assess the impact that slowing global growth is having on company profits. Analysts are projecting that earnings contracted more than 5 percent in the third quarter as overseas demand weakened. JPMorgan Chase, Intel and Johnson & Johnson are among companies that will publish their earnings in coming days.

While the stock market was open Monday, bond trading was closed in observance of the Columbus Day holiday.

"The market is trading in a holiday mode," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital. "We could see some hefty gyrations as earnings season moves into full gear."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.57 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,017.46. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 47.37 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,131.86. The Nasdaq composite climbed 8.17 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,838.64.

Energy stocks dropped the most among the 10 industry sectors of the S&P 500 as the price of crude fell sharply.

Oil dropped as a report showed that OPEC members are keeping up production even after a big drop in prices. Benchmark U.S. crude fell $2.53 to close at $47.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell $2.79 to $49.86 a barrel in London.

The slide in crude prices since last year is having a big impact on corporate earnings.

Overall, earnings are forecast to slide by 5.3 percent, compared with the same period last year, but much of that decline is due to a big slump in energy company profits. Earnings in the energy sector are forecast to slide by 66 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ.

Still, some analysts are confident that the outlook for companies will improve next year, as demand revives overseas and improving consumer confidence boosts the U.S. economy.

"This earnings season will be a confirmation process. 'Yes, we have low inflation and yes, we are growing very moderately, but fairly dependably,' " said Scott Wren, senior global equity strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. "It will be OK, it won't be great, but I think we can look forward to better earnings growth in 2016."

Gains were also muted as the stock market was coming off its biggest week of the year.

Most of the advance came after a disappointing jobs report which suggested the Federal Reserve could postpone a long-anticipated interest rate rise for several months. That thought was reinforced Thursday, when the minutes from the September Fed meeting showed policymakers were too concerned about low inflation and the slowdown in China to raise interest rates.

Low rates can help boost stocks by reducing returns on fixed-income investments such as bonds. They also make it easier for companies to borrow in the bond markets, giving them funds to buy back their own stock.

On Monday, Eli Lilly was among the day's biggest losers.

The stock dropped after the drugmaker said it was halting development of evacetrapib, a drug that was intended to treat patients with high-risk heart disease. The stock fell $6.70, or 7.1 percent, to $79.44.

Data storage company EMC was a winner.

The stock climbed 51 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $28.37 after Dell said it was acquiring the company in a deal valued at about $67 billion. Since going private in 2013, Dell has been investing in research and development and expanding its software and services business.

In metal trading, gold closed up $8.60 at $1,164.50 an ounce. Silver rose 4.6 cents to $15.86 an ounce and copper was little changed at $2.42 per pound.

The dollar declined to 120.02 yen. The euro rose to $1.1364.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

”” Wholesale gasoline fell 7.6 cents to close at $1.341 a gallon.

”” Heating oil fell 8.9 cents to close at $1.502 a gallon.

”” Natural gas rose 3.3 cents to close at $2.535 per 1,000 cubic feet.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -49.97 points or ▼ -0.29% on Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,081.89 ▼ -49.97 ▼ -0.29%
Nasdaq____ 4,796.61 ▼ -42.03 ▼ -0.87%
S&P_500___ 2,003.69 ▼ -13.77 ▼ -0.68%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.90 ▼ -0.02 ▼ -0.82%

NYSE Volume 3,334,656,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,534,154,120

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,342.28 ▼ -28.90 ▼ -0.45%
DAX_____ 10,032.82 ▼ -87.01 ▼ -0.86%
CAC_40__ 4,643.38 ▼ -45.32 ▼ -0.97%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,234.60 ▼ -32.80 ▼ -0.62%
Shanghai_Comp 3,293.23 ▲ 5.57 ▲ 0.17%
Taiwan_Weight 8,567.92 ▼ -5.80 ▼ -0.07%
Nikkei_225___ 18,234.74 ▼ -203.93 ▼ -1.11%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,600.46 ▼ -130.47 ▼ -0.57%
Strait_Times.__ 2,984.88 ▼ -47.23 ▼ -1.56%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,702.82 ▲ 12.99 ▲ 0.23%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-drop-investors-assess-205111381.html

US stocks drop as investors assess earnings, deals

US stocks drop as investors focus on earnings, deal news; Ryder slumps on weak guidance
Associated Press By Steve Rothwell and Marley Jay, AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks dropped on Tuesday for the first day in five as investors assessed company earnings and the latest corporate deal news. More evidence of weakness in China's economy also unsettled the market.

Ryder System led industrial stocks lower after the transportation and logistics company cut its profit forecast for the third quarter. Molson Coors surged on speculation that a tie-up between the world's two largest brewers would give it an opportunity to expand its own business.

The stock market started October with strong gains, rebounding from a big slump in the previous two months as investors worried about a slowing Chinese economy. This week investors are focusing on corporate earnings as they try and measure the impact that slowing global growth is having on profits.

Companies that are focused on the U.S. are likely to do well as consumer confidence improves, said Jerry Braakman, chief investment officer of First American Trust.

"It's been a rally here and the question is: 'Is this just a bounce?' " Braakman said. "The earnings season will help us a little with that. Looking at the consumer numbers here in the U.S., they are still very strong."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 13.77 points, or 0.7 percent, to 2,003.69. The Dow Jones industrial average declined 49.97 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,081.89. The Nasdaq composite dropped 42.03 points, or 0.9 percent, to 4,796.61.

Stocks started the day lower after a report showed that China's imports fell in September by an unexpectedly wide margin.

Imports dropped 20.4 percent after a 5.5 percent decline in August. It was the latest sign of weakness in the country's economy and indicates anemic demand in the world's second biggest economy.

"We don't think that this is a hard landing (for China's economy) in the making," said Stephen Freedman, Senior Investment Strategist, UBS Wealth Management Americas. "But we do acknowledge that there has been some spillover into the U.S."

Among individual stocks, Ryder System was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500. The transportation and logistics company cut its earnings forecast for the third quarter, blaming lower-than-forecast growth at a unit that provides services to companies that own and operate truck fleets. Its stock dropped $7.02, or 9.3 percent, to $68.63.

Chemicals company FMC Corp. fell $1.18, or 3.1 percent, to $36.35. The company lowered its earnings outlook late Monday and will lay off up to 850 workers, citing the rapid devaluation of the Brazilian real. The falling real is hurting its agricultural solutions business and FMC said it can't raise prices fast enough to compensate. The company makes almost a quarter of its sales in Brazil.

Overall, earnings for companies in the S&P 500 are forecast to contract by 5.4 percent for the third quarter, according to S&P Capital IQ. Much of the slump is attributable to a collapse in earnings at energy and material companies, where profits are shrinking as oil and commodity prices have plunged.

Molson Coors was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500.

The brewing company surged after AB InBev announced that it had reached an agreement to buy SABMiller. If the deal goes ahead, Molson Coors may get the opportunity to buy full ownership of its MillerCoors joint venture, which sells beers including Miller Lite, Coors Light and Blue Moon in the U.S. Molson Coors' stock jumped $7.83, or 9.9 percent, to $86.58.

Government bond prices rose, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note down to 2.04 percent. The euro strengthened to $1.1384, while the dollar weakened to 119.76 yen.

Stocks fell in Europe. Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.4 percent and Germany's DAX slid 0.9 percent. France's CAC 40 dropped 1 percent.

The price of oil slipped Tuesday. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 44 cents to close at $46.66 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 62 cents to $49.24 a barrel in London.

In metals trading, gold edged up 90 cents to $1,165.40 an ounce. Silver climbed 4.3 cents to $15.91 an ounce and copper fell 2.8 cents to $2.39 per pound.

In other energy futures trading on the NYMEX:

”” Wholesale gasoline fell 2.7 cents to close at $1.314 a gallon.

”” Heating oil fell 3.2 cents to close at $1.471 a gallon.

”” Natural gas fell 3.7 cents to close at $2.498 per 1,000 cubic feet.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -157.14 points or ▼ -0.92% on Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 16,924.75 ▼ -157.14 ▼ -0.92%
Nasdaq____ 4,782.85 ▼ -13.76 ▼ -0.29%
S&P_500___ 1,994.24 ▼ -9.45 ▼ -0.47%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.84 ▼ -0.06 ▼ -2.00%

NYSE Volume 3,627,707,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,890,226,880

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,269.61 ▼ -72.67 ▼ -1.15%
DAX_____ 9,915.85 ▼ -116.97 ▼ -1.17%
CAC_40__ 4,609.03 ▼ -34.35 ▼ -0.74%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,230.40 ▼ -4.20 ▼ -0.08%
Shanghai_Comp 3,262.44 ▼ -30.79 ▼ -0.93%
Taiwan_Weight 8,522.51 ▼ -45.41 ▼ -0.53%
Nikkei_225___ 17,891.00 ▼ -343.74 ▼ -1.89%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,439.91 ▼ -160.55 ▼ -0.71%
Strait_Times.__ 2,983.92 ▼ -0.96 ▼ -0.03%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,727.13 ▲ 24.31 ▲ 0.43%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-drop-wal-mart-152410485.html#

US stocks drop; Wal-Mart slumps on weak guidance

US stocks drop, led by declines in retailers after Wal-Mart plunges on weak outlook
Associated Press By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Weak earnings guidance from Wal-Mart and a couple of tepid reports on the economy pushed stocks lower on Wednesday.

Wal-Mart logged its biggest one-day decline in almost three decades after the retailer stunned investors with an announcement that it expects its profit to fall as it works to fend off intensifying competition. JPMorgan led financial stocks lower after the lender's third-quarter earnings fell short of analysts' expectations.

A rally for stocks has stalled this week as worries about weakening global growth have resurfaced. A Federal Reserve report on Wednesday showed that factory output was sluggish in the late summer, in part because of the strong dollar. A separate report on retail sales indicated that Americans are still spending cautiously.

After a sharp summer sell-off in stocks that was followed by an early October rebound, investors are split as to what comes next for the market. Some are expecting a strong fourth quarter, while others think that there could be more selling to come.

"I'm pretty much in the bearish camp," said Ken Winans, president of Winans Investments, an investment advisory and research firm. "The fear has come back in."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed down 9.45 points, or 0.5 percent, to 1,994.24. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 157.14 points, or 0.9 percent, to 16,924.75. The Nasdaq composite fell 13.76 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,782.85.

Wal-Mart was the biggest decliner in the S&P 500 and also dragged the Dow lower.

The retailer forecast that sales for its full fiscal year would be flat as the company was hurt by unfavorable currency exchange rates. Wal-Mart had previously forecast sales growth of 1 to 2 percent. For its next fiscal year, it said profit could fall by as much as 12 percent.

The stock slumped $6.70, or 10 percent, to $60.03, its worst one-day decline since January 1988.

Investors were also assessing earnings reports from three big banks.

Bank of America gained after reporting its results, but JPMorgan and Wells Fargo declined. JPMorgan said late Tuesday that its profit climbed 22 percent, but its earnings still fell short of analysts' estimates.

JPMorgan's stock fell $1.56, or 2.5 percent, to $59.99. Wells Fargo reported a slight gain in profits for the quarter, but its lending margins fell. Wells Fargo edged down 36 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $51.50. Bank of America rose 12 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $15.64.

The S&P 500 and the Dow are still lower for the year after a big slump in the previous two months on worries about the outlook for global economic growth. Some investors say the declines are overdone, and they're expecting a bounce back in the final quarter of the year.

Worries about the health of China's economy are overdone, said Michael Scanlon, managing director and portfolio manager at John Hancock Asset Management.

He's expecting a strong fourth quarter for stocks.

"The U.S. is in pretty good shape," said Scanlon. "You can overreact and take a view on every economic data point that we get, but that's probably not in your best interest."

While the recent worries about the outlook for growth have shaken the stock market, they have boosted demand for bonds. Treasury notes rallied on Wednesday, pushing the yield on the 10-year note down to 1.98 percent from 2.04 percent a day earlier.

TripAdvisor was one of the day's winners.

The travel website operator surged after it announced a tie-up with the online travel booking company Priceline. The deal will bring several Priceline brands, including Booking.com, to TripAdvisors' instant booking platform. TripAdvisor jumped $17.03, or 25.5 percent, $83.72, the biggest gain in the S&P 500.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 1 percent. Germany's DAX fell 1.2 percent and in France the CAC-40 was 0.7 percent lower.

In metals trading, gold rose $14.40 to $1,179.80 an ounce. Silver climbed 21 cents to $16.12 an ounce and copper rose 3 percent to $2.42 a pound.

In currency trading, the euro rose to $1.1488 while the dollar slipped to 118.71 yen.

The price of oil edged lower Wednesday. Benchmark U.S. crude fell two cents to close at $46.64 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, declined nine cents to $49.15 a barrel in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

”” Wholesale gasoline fell 0.6 cents to close at $1.308 a gallon.

”” Heating oil rose 1.3 cents to close at $1.483 a gallon.

”” Natural gas rose two cents to close at $2.518 per 1,000 cubic feet.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 217 points or ▲ 1.28% on Thursday, October 15, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,141.75 ▲ 217.00 ▲ 1.28%
Nasdaq____ 4,870.10 ▲ 87.25 ▲ 1.82%
S&P_500___ 2,023.86 ▲ 29.62 ▲ 1.49%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.87 ▲ 0.03 ▲ 1.20%

NYSE Volume 3,666,313,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,862,663,380

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,338.67 ▲ 69.06 ▲ 1.10%
DAX_____ 10,064.80 ▲ 148.95 ▲ 1.50%
CAC_40__ 4,675.29 ▲ 66.26 ▲ 1.44%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,265.60 ▲ 35.20 ▲ 0.67%
Shanghai_Comp 3,338.07 ▲ 75.63 ▲ 2.32%
Taiwan_Weight 8,601.52 ▲ 79.01 ▲ 0.93%
Nikkei_225___ 18,096.90 ▲ 205.90 ▲ 1.15%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,888.17 ▲ 448.26 ▲ 2.00%
Strait_Times.__ 3,015.14 ▲ 31.22 ▲ 1.05%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,775.71 ▲ 48.58 ▲ 0.85%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-advance-citigroup-gains-151653416.html

US stocks advance; Citigroup gains on strong earnings

Stocks notch biggest advance in almost two weeks; Banks lead gains after Citi beats estimates
Associated Press By Steve Rothwell, AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Financial stocks surged on Thursday, helping push the market to its biggest gain in almost two weeks.

Citigroup jumped after reporting that its earnings rose sharply in the third quarter as the bank continued to cut expenses and clean up its books in the wake of the financial crisis. KeyCorp also climbed after posting solid earnings.

The reports cheered investors, who have been looking for good news to boost stocks since a summer sell-off roiled the markets. However, the optimism may be short-lived. Third-quarter earnings are forecast to contract overall as falling energy prices and weak global demand start to eat into profits.

"Financials could be the bright spot of the whole earnings season, so let the market have its fun," said Karyn Cavanaugh, senior market strategist at Voya Investment Financial. "We'll take any bright spot we can get in this earnings season, because things really don't look good."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 29.62 points, or 1.5 percent, to 2,023.86. That was the biggest one-day gain for the index since Oct. 5.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 217 points, or 1.3 percent, to 17,141.75. The Nasdaq composite rose 87.25 points, or 1.8 percent, to 4,870.10.

Earnings for companies in the S&P 500 are forecast to drop 5 percent in the third quarter, according to S&P Capital IQ. If earnings do end up lower, it would be the first time in six years they have contracted.

On Thursday, financial stocks climbed 2.3 percent, the most among the 10 sectors that make up the S&P 500. Citigroup climbed $2.25, or 4.4 percent, to $52.97, and KeyCorp rose 60 cents, or 4.7 percent, to $13.31.

Stocks have started October with a strong rally after closing out September with their worst quarterly performance in four years. Worries about the Chinese economy and the possibility of a Federal Reserve rate increase shook the market in August and September.

After a run of weak economic reports in the last month, many investors now think the Fed will keep interest rates unchanged for the rest of the year. Fed policymakers have kept the bank's benchmark lending rate close to zero for almost seven years, supporting a bull market in stocks.

The outlook for interest rates will likely hold the key for how stocks perform for the rest of the year, said Sean Lynch, co-head of global equity strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

"Last year, we had a pretty good rally into year end," Lynch said. "I wouldn't be surprised, should people get a clear indication of what's going to happen with the Fed, if we see that happen again."

Netflix was among the day's biggest losers.

The stock slumped $9.14, or 8.3 percent, to $101.09 after the company reported late Wednesday that it is hooking fewer U.S. viewers than it hoped.

First Data, an electronic payment company based in Atlanta, raised $2.6 billion in an initial public offering, making it the biggest listed IPO of the year so far, according to data provider Dealogic. The stock priced at $16, but closed down 25 cents, or 1.6 percent.

In metals trading, gold rose $7.70 to $1,187.50 an ounce. Gold has climbed 6 percent this month as doubts about the health of the global economy have resurfaced. Silver rose 4.7 cents to $16.16 an ounce. Copper rose 0.8 cents to $2.42 per pound.

In European stock trading, Germany's DAX rose 1.5 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 advanced 1.1 percent and the French CAC-40 was 1.4 percent higher.

Bonds edged lower, pushing the yield on the 10-year note up to 2.02 percent from 1.98 percent on Wednesday. The euro fell to $1.1382 while the dollar edged down to 118.89 yen.

The price of oil fell on Thursday. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 26 cents to close at $46.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, declined 44 cents to $48.71 a barrel in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

”” Wholesale gasoline fell 0.1 cents to close at $1.307 a gallon.

”” Heating oil rose 0.3 cents to close at $1.486 a gallon.

”” Natural gas fell 6.5 cents to close at $2.453 per 1,000 cubic feet.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 74.22 points or ▲ 0.43% on Friday, October 16, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,215.97 ▲ 74.22 ▲ 0.43%
Nasdaq____ 4,886.69 ▲ 16.59 ▲ 0.34%
S&P_500___ 2,033.11 ▲ 9.25 ▲ 0.46%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.86 ▼ -0.01 ▼ -0.31%

NYSE Volume 3,562,024,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,798,547,380

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,378.04 ▲ 39.37 ▲ 0.62%
DAX_____ 10,104.43 ▲ 39.63 ▲ 0.39%
CAC_40__ 4,702.79 ▲ 27.50 ▲ 0.59%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,303.70 ▲ 38.10 ▲ 0.72%
Shanghai_Comp 3,391.35 ▲ 53.28 ▲ 1.60%
Taiwan_Weight 8,604.95 ▲ 3.43 ▲ 0.04%
Nikkei_225___ 18,291.80 ▲ 194.90 ▲ 1.08%
Hang_Seng.__ 23,067.37 ▲ 179.20 ▲ 0.78%
Strait_Times.__ 3,030.61 ▲ 15.47 ▲ 0.51%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,820.01 ▲ 44.30 ▲ 0.77%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/modest-rise-gives-stocks-third-201209746.html

Modest rise gives stocks a third straight week of gains

US stocks end modestly higher after a day of wavering, marking a third straight week of gains
Associated Press By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

U.S. stocks closed modestly higher Friday, giving the market its third straight week of gains.

Consumer staples and health care stocks were among the biggest risers as investors assessed the latest company earnings and economic news.

After several weeks speculating about the implications of a slowdown in China and the timing of an interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve, traders are squarely tuned into company earnings as they hunt for insight into how the global economy is doing.

"That's what the market is focused on," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist at Prudential Financial. "Are we seeing a pickup in demand overseas and in the United States, and if so, which sectors? That's what this is about."

General Electric rose 3 percent, the most in the Dow Jones industrial average, after the industrial conglomerate reported earnings that beat analysts' forecasts.

The Dow rose 74.22 points, or 0.4 percent, to 17,215.97. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 9.25 points, or 0.5 percent, to 2,033.11. The Nasdaq composite added 16.59 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,886.69.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq is up 3.2 percent this year. The Dow and S&P 500 are still negative. The Dow is down 3.4 percent, while the S&P 500 is off 1.3 percent.

The three major stock indexes began the day slightly higher, then wavered after midday. The indexes slipped into the red at times before drifting back into positive territory.

Investors appeared to brush off some discouraging economic data, including a Federal Reserve report indicating that U.S. manufacturing production fell for the second straight month in September. A separate Labor Department report showed that employers advertised fewer job openings in August and kept hiring flat. The job market has weakened the past two months, reflecting slower global economic growth.

All told, nine of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 rose. Health care and consumer staples stocks each gained about 1 percent. The industrials sector declined 0.2 percent.

General Electric reported a decline in third-quarter profit, but strong performances from its core units helped the company top Wall Street expectations. GE rose 95 cents, or 3.4 percent, to $28.98.

Mattel climbed 6 percent after analysts at Oppenheimer published a research note highlighting the toymaker's core brands as a bright spot. The report came a day after Mattel reported disappointing third-quarter results. Mattel gained $1.36 to $23.89.

Traders hammered Quanta Services after the contracting services company lowered its third-quarter profit and revenue outlook, citing project delays and a tough market. The stock plunged 28.5 percent, losing $7.47 to $18.74.

Third-quarter earnings are forecast to contract overall as falling energy prices and weak global demand start to eat into profits.

Among companies in the S&P 500 that have already reported third-quarter results, earnings declined 5.1 percent from a year ago, the first drop in earnings growth since the July-September period in 2009, according to S&P Capital IQ.

"When all is said and done we'll probably be looking at earnings that are flattish for the quarter," said David Lefkowitz, an executive director and equity strategist at UBS. "But excluding the energy sector, we're looking for 6 percent growth, which is consistent with what we saw earlier this year."

The earnings season hits a peak next week with scores of major companies scheduled to report results including Morgan Stanley, Boeing, General Motors, McDonald's and Microsoft.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.6 percent, while Germany's DAX rose 0.4 percent. France's CAC 40 gained 0.6 percent. In Asia, South Korea's Kospi inched down 0.1 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.8 percent. The Shanghai Composite in mainland China was up 1.6 percent. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 1.1 percent, aided by expectations that the country's central bank will come up with more stimulus measures this month or next.

In energy futures trading, Benchmark U.S. crude added 88 cents to close at $47.26 in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 73 cents to close at $50.46 a barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline rose 2.1 cents to close at $1.328 a gallon, while heating oil rose 1 cent to close at $1.497 a gallon. Natural gas fell 2.3 cents to close at $2.43 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. government bond prices didn't budge. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held at 2.02 percent. The euro was little changed at $1.1349 while the dollar edged up to 119.49 yen.

In metals trading, gold fell $4.40 to $1,183.10 an ounce, silver declined five cents to $16.11 an ounce and copper lost two cents to settle at $2.40 a pound.

8144

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 14.57 points or ▲ 0.08% on Monday, October 19, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,230.54 ▲ 14.57 ▲ 0.08%
Nasdaq____ 4,905.47 ▲ 18.78 ▲ 0.38%
S&P_500___ 2,033.66 ▲ 0.55 ▲ 0.03%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.88 ▲ 0.02 ▲ 0.70%

NYSE Volume 3,273,303,500
Nasdaq Volume 1,605,710,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,352.33 ▼ -25.71 ▼ -0.40%
DAX_____ 10,164.31 ▲ 59.88 ▲ 0.59%
CAC_40__ 4,704.07 ▲ 1.28 ▲ 0.03%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,304.60 ▲ 0.90 ▲ 0.02%
Shanghai_Comp 3,386.70 ▼ -4.65 ▼ -0.14%
Taiwan_Weight 8,631.50 ▲ 26.55 ▲ 0.31%
Nikkei_225___ 18,131.23 ▼ -160.57 ▼ -0.88%
Hang_Seng.__ 23,075.61 ▲ 8.24 ▲ 0.04%
Strait_Times.__ 3,024.50 ▼ -6.11 ▼ -0.20%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,834.83 ▲ 14.82 ▲ 0.25%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-eke-tiny-gains-201058771.html

US stocks eke out tiny gains after a sluggish day

Stocks end slightly higher after spending most of the day lower, dragged down by energy sector
Associated Press By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

U.S. stocks mustered a slight gain in the final moments of trading on Monday, capping a day of listless action that had the market headed for a downbeat close.

A slide in oil prices hammered energy stocks, including Chevron and Exxon Mobil, which ended up as the biggest decliners in the Dow Jones industrial average. Other commodities also fell, hurt by a strengthening dollar.

Weight Watchers more than doubled on news that Oprah Winfrey is buying a 10 percent stake in the weight management company and will help promote the company's services.

Investors had their eye on company earnings from Morgan Stanley, Hasbro and others. Both companies tumbled after their results left investors less-than-impressed.

Still, Monday's sluggish trading suggests many investors were holding off on any big moves until they see a broader slice of companies report third-quarter earnings over the next few days, said David Schiegoleit, managing director of investments at the Private Client Reserve at U.S. Bank.

"A lot of participants are on the sidelines waiting to see those numbers come out and use them as a cue to move forward," Schiegoleit said. "The big push in earnings season starts today, particularly after the close, and as we head into the rest of the week."

All told, the Dow rose 14.57 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,230.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 0.55 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,033.66. The Nasdaq composite rose 18.78 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,905.47.

Major stock indexes have closed higher for three days in a row.

Five of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 rose, led by consumer discretionary stocks, which gained 0.5 percent. The sector is up 9 percent this year.

Energy stocks fell the most, 1.9 percent. The sector is down about 15 percent this year, hurt by the slide in oil prices. Benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.37 on Monday to close at $45.89 a barrel in New York.

Shares in Exxon Mobil fell $1.49, or 1.8 percent, to $80.99, while Chevron slid $1.26, or 1.4 percent, to $90.03.

"Oil has had a tough time getting off the ground and most commodities are down," said JJ Kinahan, TD Ameritrade's chief strategist. "Normally you would say it is demand, but because pretty much every commodity is getting hit today. I relate that more to dollar strength."

The dollar edged up to 119.48 yen and the euro fell to $1.1326.

Investors are tuned into earnings as they hunt for insight into how the global economy is doing.

Roughly 57 percent of the companies in the S&P 500 index report earnings over the next two weeks. That works out to about 117 companies this week, including Verizon Communications, eBay, Caterpillar and Alphabet. Another 170 companies in the S&P 500 report earnings next week.

Morgan Stanley and Hasbro's latest results put many investors in a selling mood.

Hasbro fell the most among stocks in the S&P 500 after the toy maker reported that sales of girls' toys and games dropped 28 percent in the third quarter. The stock lost $5.60, or 7.2 percent, to $72.18. Morgan Stanley slumped 4.8 percent after reporting a sharp drop in quarterly earnings as the bank's bond trading business weakened. The stock fell $1.63 to $32.32.

Weight Watchers surged 105 percent on news that Oprah Winfrey is paying about $43.2 million for a 10 percent stake in Weight Watchers and is joining the weight management company's board. Winfrey also agreed to endorse the company's programs and services, and to help promote the company. Weight Watchers' shares climbed $7.13 to $13.92.

Stock markets overseas were mixed. Germany's DAX rose 0.6 percent, while France's CAC 40 rose 0.03 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 inched down 0.4 percent. In Asia, China's Shanghai Composite Index lost an early gain to end down 0.1 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended little changed. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.9 percent.

Data released Monday showed that China's economic growth decelerated in the latest quarter but relatively robust spending by Chinese consumers helped to avert a deeper downturn. The world's second-largest economy grew by 6.9 percent in the three months ended in September, down from the previous quarter's 7 percent and the slowest since early 2009 in the aftermath of the global crisis. Growth of 6.8 percent had been forecast by analysts.

In other energy trading, Brent Crude, which is used to price international oils, slid $1.85 to $48.61 a barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline fell 7.7 cents to close at $1.251 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while heating oil fell 4.8 cents to close at $1.449 a gallon. Natural gas edged up 1.2 cents to close at $2.442 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In metals trading, gold fell $10.30 to $1,172.80 an ounce, silver dropped 27 cents to $15.84 an ounce and copper lost four cents to settle at $2.37 a pound.

U.S. government bond prices rose slightly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.02 percent.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -13.43 points or ▼ -0.08% on Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,217.11 ▼ -13.43 ▼ -0.08%
Nasdaq____ 4,880.97 ▼ -24.50 ▼ -0.50%
S&P_500___ 2,030.77 ▼ -2.89 ▼ -0.14%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.92 ▲ 0.04 ▲ 1.35%

NYSE Volume 3,280,623,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,697,936,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,345.13 ▼ -7.20 ▼ -0.11%
DAX_____ 10,147.68 ▼ -16.63 ▼ -0.16%
CAC_40__ 4,673.81 ▼ -30.26 ▼ -0.64%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,271.60 ▼ -33.00 ▼ -0.62%
Shanghai_Comp 3,425.33 ▲ 38.63 ▲ 1.14%
Taiwan_Weight 8,653.60 ▲ 22.10 ▲ 0.26%
Nikkei_225___ 18,207.15 ▲ 75.92 ▲ 0.42%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,989.22 ▼ -86.39 ▼ -0.37%
Strait_Times.__ 3,019.03 ▼ -5.47 ▼ -0.18%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,895.49 ▲ 60.66 ▲ 1.04%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-edge-lower-ibms-woes-201140139.html

Stocks edge lower; IBM's woes weigh on the Dow average

US stocks end slightly lower; weakness in IBM pulls Dow down; Harley-Davidson plunges
Associated Press By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

U.S. stocks snapped a three-day winning streak Tuesday as weak company earnings and outlooks weighed on the market.

Major indexes wavered between small gains and losses for most of the day before settling slightly lower in the last 15 minutes of trading. The slide in crude oil prices deepened.

Investors are mostly focused on corporate America the next couple of weeks as the third-quarter earnings season unfolds. This week and next week are particularly heavy, with big companies including Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Apple reporting earnings.

Traders are trying to glean whether the global economy is slowing and how U.S. companies are coping with factors like the stronger dollar, which can crimp profits for companies as their goods become pricier overseas.

Tuesday's tentative trading action suggests investors are not sure what to make of the earnings season so far, said Chris Gaffney, president at EverBank World Markets.

"Everybody's watching earnings and it's been mixed so far," Gaffney said. "We went into this earnings season with lowered expectations and even in spite of that we're seeing some misses."

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 13.43 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,217.11. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 2.89 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,030.77. The Nasdaq composite shed 24.50 points, or 0.5 percent, to 4,880.97.

The Dow is down 3.4 percent this year, while the S&P 500 is off 1.4 percent. The Nasdaq is up 3.1 percent for the year.

Weak hardware sales and the impact of the strong dollar hurt IBM's results in the third quarter. The company, which reported its latest results late Monday, was among the stocks to slump on Tuesday as investors sized up earnings. The stock weighed heavily on the 30-stock Dow, losing $8.58, or 5.7 percent, to $140.64.

Harley-Davidson sank 13.9 percent after the company reported a drop in third-quarter profit and cut its forecasts for motorcycle shipments. Harley shares slid $7.80 to $48.25.

About 57 percent of the companies in the S&P 500 index report earnings over the next two weeks. That works out to about 117 companies this week, including Boeing, General Motors and eBay on Wednesday.

"The major data points for investors are really still going to be with earnings, getting a sense of how confident businesses are, demand and pricing," said Eric Wiegand, senior portfolio manager at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

Beyond earnings, traders welcomed some deal news Tuesday.

SanDisk climbed 4.4 percent on media reports indicating that the data storage company was in advanced talks to sell itself to rival Western Digital. SanDisk gained $3.19 to $75.19. Western Digital fell $5.62, or 7 percent, to $74.86.

Investors also bid up shares in Team Health Holdings on news that AmSurg is offering to buy the health care staffing and services company in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $7.8 billion. Team Health vaulted $10.09, or 19.2 percent, to $62.59.

Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, rose 1.8 percent after saying it plans to spin off its China business, which has stumbled recently. The stock added $1.32 to $73.03.

In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 0.2 percent, while the CAC-40 in France slid 0.6 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares dipped 0.1 percent. In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.1 percent, while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.4 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.4 percent.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 34 cents to $45.55 a barrel in New York. U.S. crude has fallen six of the last seven trading days. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 10 cents to $48.71 a barrel in London.

In other trading, wholesale gasoline rose 2.7 cents to close at $1.278 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while heating oil was little changed at $1.449 a gallon. Natural gas rose 3.4 cents to close at $2.476 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Precious and industrial metals futures ended little changed. Gold rose $4.70 to $1,177.50 an ounce, silver rose eight cents to $15.92 an ounce and copper slipped less than a penny to $2.37 a pound.

U.S. government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.07 percent from 2.02 percent the day before. The euro rose to $1.1347 and the dollar rose to 119.85 yen.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -48.5 points or ▼ -0.28% on Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,168.61 ▼ -48.50 ▼ -0.28%
Nasdaq____ 4,840.12 ▼ -40.85 ▼ -0.84%
S&P_500___ 2,018.94 ▼ -11.83 ▼ -0.58%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.87 ▼ -0.05 ▼ -1.78%

NYSE Volume 3,574,111,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,879,665,380

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,348.42 ▲ 3.29 ▲ 0.05%
DAX_____ 10,238.10 ▲ 90.42 ▲ 0.89%
CAC_40__ 4,695.10 ▲ 21.29 ▲ 0.46%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,286.50 ▲ 14.90 ▲ 0.28%
Shanghai_Comp 3,320.68 ▼ -104.65 ▼ -3.06%
Taiwan_Weight 8,609.23 ▼ -44.37 ▼ -0.51%
Nikkei_225___ 18,554.28 ▲ 347.13 ▲ 1.91%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,989.22 ▼ -86.39 ▼ -0.37%
Strait_Times.__ 3,025.70 ▲ 6.67 ▲ 0.22%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,918.26 ▲ 22.77 ▲ 0.39%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/early-rally-fades-leaving-stocks-201419387.html

An early rally fades, leaving stocks modestly lower

Early gains fade for stocks, leaving the market lower; Yahoo slides on disappointing results
Associated Press By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

U.S. stocks closed lower on Wednesday after a late-afternoon slide erased modest gains made earlier in the day.

The decline added to the market's losses from the day before and came as crude oil prices fell and investors focused primarily on the latest wave of companies reporting quarterly financial results.

Yahoo slumped 5 percent after reporting a sharp drop in a closely watched measure of revenue, while Chipotle Mexican Grill tumbled 5.7 percent after the restaurant chain's results fell short of Wall Street's expectations.

Not all the earnings news was bad. Investors bid up shares in General Motors, which climbed 5.8 percent, and Biogen, which rose 4 percent, among others.

Only about a quarter of the companies slated to report their results have done so.

"As we get a fuller picture of how (third-quarter) earnings are going to wind up shaking out, that will give people more of a comfort level in terms of the directional cues in the market," said Mike Ryan, chief investment strategist at UBS Wealth Management Americas.

A roaring start to Ferrari's market debut and news about a couple of corporate deals also failed to keep the market from slipping into the red.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 48.50 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,168.61. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 11.83 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,018.94. The Nasdaq composite slid 40.85 points, or 0.8 percent, to 4,840.12.

The major stock indexes started trading higher early Wednesday, but lost momentum by midmorning. They drifted between small gains and losses until the last half-hour of trading, then veered lower.

Investors have been reviewing company earnings this week as they hunt for insight into how the global economy is doing.

All told, 104 companies in the S&P 500 index have reported third-quarter earnings so far. Some 69 percent of those have reported results that beat Wall Street's expectations. That's better than the historic average of 66 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ.

Traders cheered General Motors' latest quarterly results, including strong North American sales that helped GM overcome $1.5 billion in costs from its deadly ignition switch problem. The stock gained $1.94 to $35.42.

Biogen also rose, adding $10.53 to $276.34 after the biotechnology said it will cut 11 percent of its workforce and disclosed that its third-quarter profit and revenue topped expectations.

Some companies' results prompted traders to sell.

Chipotle Mexican Grill lost $39.96 to $665.67, while Yahoo shed $1.71 to $31.12.

Nine of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 moved lower. Energy stocks fell the most, about 1 percent. The sector is down 15.5 percent this year. Industrial stocks bucked the trend notching a tiny gain.

In Europe, Germany's DAX was up 0.9 percent, while the CAC-40 in France rose 0.5 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares rose 0.1 percent. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index took a hit from selling of heavy industrials. The Shanghai benchmark fell 3.1 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 1.9 percent and South Korea's Kospi was up 0.2 percent. Hong Kong's market was closed for a public holiday.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.09 to close at $45.20 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 86 cents to $47.85 a barrel in London.

In other trading, wholesale gasoline rose 0.3 cents to close at $1.281 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Heating oil rose 0.1 cent to $1.45 a gallon, and natural gas fell 7.2 cents to close at $2.404 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.03 percent from 2.07 percent the day before.

In currency action, the euro fell to $1.1342, while the dollar rose to 119.94 yen.

Precious and industrial metals futures ended lower. Gold fell $10.40 to $1,167.10 an ounce, silver slid 20 cents to $15.71 an ounce and copper slipped less than a penny to $2.36 a pound.

Among the other stocks making big moves:

__ Ferrari, founded in 1929 by Italian sports driver Enzo Ferrari, surged 5.8 percent in its stock market debut. The shares, which priced at $52, added $3 to $55.

__ KLA-Tencor shares vaulted 18.8 percent on news the semiconductor company is being acquired by Lam Research for about $10.6 billion. KLA-Tencor climbed $10.12 to $63.98. Shares in Lam Research gained 76 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $70.79.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 320.55 points or ▲ 1.87% on Thursday, October 22, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,489.16 ▲ 320.55 ▲ 1.87%
Nasdaq____ 4,920.05 ▲ 79.93 ▲ 1.65%
S&P_500___ 2,052.51 ▲ 33.57 ▲ 1.66%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.86 ▼ -0.01 ▼ -0.38%

NYSE Volume 4,362,398,500
Nasdaq Volume 2,124,915,500

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,376.28 ▲ 27.86 ▲ 0.44%
DAX_____ 10,491.97 ▲ 253.87 ▲ 2.48%
CAC_40__ 4,802.18 ▲ 107.08 ▲ 2.28%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,299.60 ▲ 13.10 ▲ 0.25%
Shanghai_Comp 3,368.74 ▲ 48.06 ▲ 1.45%
Taiwan_Weight 8,608.46 ▼ -0.77 ▼ -0.01%
Nikkei_225___ 18,435.87 ▼ -118.41 ▼ -0.64%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,845.37 ▼ -143.85 ▼ -0.63%
Strait_Times.__ 3,038.11 ▲ 12.41 ▲ 0.41%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,923.60 ▲ 5.34 ▲ 0.09%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/strong-company-earnings-send-stock-172850379.html

Strong company earnings send stock indexes sharply higher

US stock indexes march higher after encouraging results from eBay, McDonald's and others
Associated Press By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

The U.S. stock market rebounded Thursday from a two-day slump, notching its biggest gain in more than two weeks and pushing the Dow Jones industrial average up more than 300 points.

The gains brought the Standard & Poor's 500 index nearly back to breakeven for the year following steep declines in August and September. Industrials stocks were among the index's biggest gainers.

The rally followed a batch of encouraging earnings from McDonald's, eBay and other companies. Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon also delivered better-than-expected results shortly after the close of regular trading.

News that the European Central Bank could consider expanding its stimulus program in December also helped rally the market. Such a move could help stimulate spending in the region, a plus for U.S. companies struggling with declining overseas revenue, said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management.

"We've had some pretty good earnings in a season that so far has been mixed," Doll said. "Then you layer some chatter out from the ECB, and all the uncertainty and skepticism and negativism, and the mass amount of cash on the sidelines, and it doesn't take much to get a rally going."

The Dow climbed 320.55 points, or 1.9 percent, to 17,489.16. The S&P 500 index rose 33.57 points, or 1.7 percent, to 2,052.51. The last time the Dow and S&P 500 delivered bigger single-day gains was Oct. 5.

The Nasdaq added 79.93 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,920.05.

A surge in European stocks set the stage for the three major U.S. stock indexes to go higher early on Thursday.

Mario Draghi, head of the European Central Bank, signaled that the bank could boost monetary stimulus at its meeting in December. That raised expectations that the ECB might extend its $1.2 trillion bond purchase program. Draghi also said that the ECB was also considering other measures, such as further cutting one of its key interest rates.

"The market was in a tight trading range leading up to today's move to the upside, waiting for a catalyst in essence to push the market in one direction or the other," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist at Prudential Financial. "And you can see clearly that the Draghi comments were very positively received by the market."

Beyond that, investors pored over the latest slate of company earnings, which helped put them in a buying mood.

Traders bid up eBay, which reported earnings late Wednesday that came in well ahead of what analysts were expecting. The e-commerce company jumped $3.37, or 13.9 percent, to $27.58.

McDonald's climbed 8.1 percent after the world's largest burger chain handily beat Wall Street estimates and said its sales increased in the third quarter. McDonald's shares added $8.33 to $110.87.

Texas Instruments' earnings also beat projections. The company also gave an upbeat outlook for the current quarter. The stock vaulted $6.19, or 11.9 percent, to $58.09.

Some companies turned in disappointing results, which sent their share prices tumbling.

Homebuilder PulteGroup fell $1.29, or 6.6 percent, to $18.16. American Express slid 5.2 percent a day after the credit card issuer reported a 16 percent drop in profits and cut its full-year forecast. The stock lost $4.01 to $72.50.

U.S. companies have been struggling to drum up sales overseas amid a stronger dollar, which makes their products less competitive, and decreased demand due to a sluggish global economy.

All told, about 148 companies in the S&P 500 index have reported third-quarter earnings so far. Some 68 percent of those have reported results that beat Wall Street's expectations. That's better than the historic average of 66 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ.

Nine of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 index rose, led by industrials, up 2.8 percent. The sector is down 2.7 percent this year. Health care stocks fell 0.5 percent. The sector, which was among the biggest risers in the index for much of the year, is down 0.9 percent.

Among the hardest-hit health care stocks Thursday were Tenet Healthcare and Universal Health Services. Tenet slumped $6.57, or 18.9 percent, to $28.23, while Universal Health slid $13.74, or 11 percent, to $111.73.

Germany's DAX rose 2.5 percent, while the CAC-40 in France rose 2.3 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares gained 0.4 percent.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index finished up 1.4 percent following a 3 percent slide Wednesday. Elsewhere in Asia stock markets closed mostly lower. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.6 percent and South Korea's Kospi dropped 1 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.6 percent.

In energy futures trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 18 cents to $45.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 23 cents to $48.08 a barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline rose 2.6 cents to close at $1.307 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while heating oil rose 1.5 cents to $1.465 a gallon. Natural gas fell 1.8 cents to close at $2.386 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Precious and industrial metals futures were mixed. Gold fell $1 to $1,166.10 an ounce, silver rose 13 cents to $15.84 an ounce and copper gained 2 cents to $2.38 a pound.

U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.02 percent from 2.03 percent the day before. The euro fell to $1.1109 while the dollar rose to 120.72 yen.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 157.54 points or ▲ 0.90% on Friday, October 23, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,646.70 ▲ 157.54 ▲ 0.90%
Nasdaq____ 5,031.86 ▲ 111.81 ▲ 2.27%
S&P_500___ 2,075.15 ▲ 22.64 ▲ 1.10%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.90 ▲ 0.04 ▲ 1.26%

NYSE Volume 4,073,883,500
Nasdaq Volume 2,161,919,500

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,444.08 ▲ 67.80 ▲ 1.06%
DAX_____ 10,794.54 ▲ 302.57 ▲ 2.88%
CAC_40__ 4,923.64 ▲ 121.46 ▲ 2.53%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,388.10 ▲ 88.50 ▲ 1.67%
Shanghai_Comp 3,412.43 ▲ 43.69 ▲ 1.30%
Taiwan_Weight 8,673.81 ▲ 65.35 ▲ 0.76%
Nikkei_225___ 18,825.30 ▲ 389.43 ▲ 2.11%
Hang_Seng.__ 23,151.94 ▲ 306.57 ▲ 1.34%
Strait_Times.__ 3,068.46 ▲ 30.35 ▲ 1.00%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,970.67 ▲ 47.07 ▲ 0.79%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tech-stocks-lead-rally-p-155246033.html

Tech stocks lead a rally; S&P 500 turns positive for year

Microsoft, Amazon and other big technology names lead stocks higher; S&P 500 positive for year
Associated Press By Alex Veiga, AP Business Writer

U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, delivering their second gain in two days and pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index back into positive territory for the year.

Strong quarterly earnings from several big-name technology companies helped rally the market, which has been gradually regaining ground following a swoon in August and September. Microsoft vaulted to a 15-year high, while Amazon and Google's parent company Alphabet closed sharply higher.

Investors also welcomed an interest rate cut by China's central bank and the possibility of more economic stimulus for Europe.

"It's been a great couple of days for the market and it's actually impressive to see such a good follow-up after yesterday's unbelievable move," said JJ Kinahan, TD Ameritrade's chief strategist.

The Nasdaq composite, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, rose 111.81 points, or 2.3 percent, to 5,031.86.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 157.54 points, or 0.9 percent, to 17,646.70. The S&P 500 index climbed 22.64 points, or 1.1 percent, to 2,075.15.

The gains pushed the Nasdaq up 6.3 percent for the year. The S&P 500 index is now up 0.8 percent. The Dow is down 1 percent.

The stock indexes notched healthy gains early on Friday, as investors bid up shares in Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet a day after the three tech giants reported surprisingly strong quarterly results.

Microsoft surged $4.84, or 10.1 percent, to $52.87. Amazon gained $35.12, or 6.2 percent, to $599.03, while Alphabet climbed $38.19, or 5.6 percent, to $719.33.

Shares in Capital One Financial jumped 8.2 percent. The credit card issuer and lender reported third-quarter earnings late Thursday that came in ahead of Wall Street's expectations. The stock added $6.18 to $81.12.

The market action in the U.S. followed a rally in European and Asian stock markets as traders welcomed new action by China's central bank and the possibility of more stimulus for Europe.

China's central bank on Friday announced cuts in its benchmark interest rates on loans and deposits. It was the sixth interest-rate cut in a year.

A day earlier, the head of the European Central Bank hinted that the bank might extend its $1.2 trillion bond purchase program or take other measures to stimulate the Eurozone's economy.

"Both of those were positive and begin to lift the cloud of uncertainty which drove the volatility in the third quarter," said Michael Baughen, global investment specialist at J.P. Morgan Private Bank.

Next week, the spotlight turns to the world's other big central banks, the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan, which are holding policy meetings at which officials will undoubtedly factor the ECB's intentions into their own outlooks.

Wall Street has been trying to discern when the Fed will begin to raise its benchmark interest rate from a record low near zero, where it's been since late 2008.

Six of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 index moved higher, led by technology stocks. The sector rose 3 percent and is up 6.6 percent this year. Utilities stocks declined the most, sliding 1.8 percent and extending its loss for the year to 5.7 percent.

While only about a quarter of the companies in the S&P 500 index have reported results this earnings season, the market has seen some encouraging signs so far.

"There are just hints everywhere that things might not be in the dire situation we were all thinking it was a month ago," Kinahan said, citing strong sales growth for General Motors, which gets more than half its revenue from China, and Amazon.com.

Some companies failed to live up to expectations Friday.

Pandora Media tumbled 35.4 percent after the Internet radio giant reported a loss for the third quarter and gave a weak outlook. The stock lost $6.80 to $12.39. Skechers U.S.A. slumped 31.5 percent after the shoe company's revenue disappointed Wall Street. The stock slid $14.55 to $31.64.

Overseas, Germany's DAX gained 2.9 percent, while France's CAC 40 rose 2.5 percent Britain's FTSE 100 climbed 1.1 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 2.1 percent, while South Korea's Kospi gained 0.9 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.3 percent.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 78 cents to $44.60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent Crude fell 9 cents to $47.99 a barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline fell 0.3 cents to close at $1.304 a gallon, heating oil fell 1.1 cents to close at $1.454 a gallon and natural gas fell 10 cents to close at $2.286 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold fell $3.30 to $1,162.80 an ounce, silver slipped a penny to $15.83 an ounce and copper declined 3 cents to $2.35 a pound.

U.S. government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.09 percent from 2.03 percent the day before.

The dollar rose to 121.41 yen. The euro fell to $1.1009.

8688

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -23.65 points or ▼ -0.13% on Monday, October 26, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,623.05 ▼ -23.65 ▼ -0.13%
Nasdaq____ 5,034.70 ▲ 2.84 ▲ 0.06%
S&P_500___ 2,071.18 ▼ -3.97 ▼ -0.19%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.87 ▼ -0.03 ▼ -1.00%

NYSE Volume 3,336,593,250
Nasdaq Volume 1,742,568,500

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,417.02 ▼ -27.06 ▼ -0.42%
DAX_____ 10,801.34 ▲ 6.80 ▲ 0.06%
CAC_40__ 4,897.13 ▼ -26.51 ▼ -0.54%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,386.30 ▼ -1.80 ▼ -0.03%
Shanghai_Comp 3,429.58 ▲ 17.15 ▲ 0.50%
Taiwan_Weight 8,745.36 ▲ 71.55 ▲ 0.82%
Nikkei_225___ 18,947.12 ▲ 121.82 ▲ 0.65%
Hang_Seng.__ 23,116.25 ▼ -35.69 ▼ -0.15%
Strait_Times.__ 3,083.07 ▲ 14.61 ▲ 0.48%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,970.67 ▲ 47.07 ▲ 0.79%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-slip-earnings-reports-201132950.html

US stocks slip as earnings reports fail to impress

Stocks dip at the start of a big week of company earnings and a Federal Reserve meeting
Associated Press By Marley Jay, AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks edged lower Monday as investors began another big week of company earnings and looked ahead to a policy meeting of the Federal Reserve.

Companies from Apple to Xerox are reporting earnings this week. About one-third the way through the quarterly earnings season, the results so far have been "nothing spectacular," says investment strategist Kristina Hooper of Allianz Global Investors.

More troubling than the middling income reports, Hooper says, is the fact that many companies are failing to meet analysts' forecasts for revenue. "What we really should be focusing on is the revenue picture, and that's more negative."

The Federal Reserve will meet Tuesday and Wednesday, and while the central bank has said it wants to raise interest rates soon, few investors expect that to happen this year because the global economy remains weak. The Fed left interest rates untouched in September, which helped set off a rally that pulled stocks out of the red for 2015 last week.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index dipped 3.97 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,071.18. The S&P 500 remains positive for the year. The Dow Jones industrial average, which is still negative for the year, fell 23.65 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,623.05. The Nasdaq composite rose 2.84 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 5,034.70.

Not all the earnings news was bad. LendingTree soared $22.98, or 23.5 percent, to $120.98 after the online mortgage broker reported better-than-expected results for the third quarter. LendingTree also raised its revenue estimate for the year and gave an optimistic forecast for 2016. Medical laboratory operator Laboratory Corporation of America rose $5.79, or 5.2 percent, to $117.74 after its third-quarter results topped estimates.

Xerox fell 31 cents, or 3 percent, to $10.03 after the business services and copier company reported disappointing quarterly revenue said it will conduct a review of its operations in hopes of boosting value for its shareholders.

Companies continued to combine. Intercontinental Exchange, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange and other stock markets, said it will buy the privately held market data company Interactive Data for $5.2 billion. Duke Energy, the biggest electric company in the U.S., said it will buy Piedmont Natural Gas for about $4.9 billion. Piedmont surged $15.60, or 37 percent, to $57.82.

Russ Koesterich, global chief investment strategist for BlackRock, says he expects the current wave of company deals to continue as global economic growth remains gradual and borrowing costs remain low. The boost that the stock market gets from those deals, however, might not be as long-lasting, he said. Deals have given the market "a bit of a sugar high," Koesterich said, driving stocks higher despite disappointing company results.

In economic news, the government reported an unexpected drop in new home sales. Sales fell to their slowest pace in 10 months in September, hit by higher home prices and softer economic growth. That helped send homebuilder shares lower. KB Home fell 14 cents, or 1 percent, to $13.83.

U.S. crude oil lost 62 cents, or 1.4 percent, to close at $43.98 a barrel in New York. Brent Crude, which is used to price international oils, fell 45 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $47.54 a barrel in London.

Wholesale gasoline fell 1.6 cents to close at $1.288 a gallon, heating oil fell 2.9 cents to close at $1.426 a gallon and natural gas sank 22 cents to close at $2.062 per 1,000 cubic feet.

The price of gold rose $3.40 to $1,166.20 an ounce. Silver rose eight cents to $15.91 an ounce and copper edged up a penny to $2.36 a pound.

U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.06 percent from 2.09 percent late Friday. The dollar declined to 121.02 yen. The euro edged up to $1.1050.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -41.62 points or ▼ -0.24% on Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,581.43 ▼ -41.62 ▼ -0.24%
Nasdaq____ 5,030.15 ▼ -4.56 ▼ -0.09%
S&P_500___ 2,065.89 ▼ -5.29 ▼ -0.26%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.85 ▼ -0.02 ▼ -0.56%

NYSE Volume 4,143,230,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,900,202,880

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,365.27 ▼ -51.75 ▼ -0.81%
DAX_____ 10,692.19 ▼ -109.15 ▼ -1.01%
CAC_40__ 4,847.07 ▼ -50.06 ▼ -1.02%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,384.60 ▼ -1.70 ▼ -0.03%
Shanghai_Comp 3,434.34 ▲ 4.76 ▲ 0.14%
Taiwan_Weight 8,701.32 ▼ -44.04 ▼ -0.50%
Nikkei_225___ 18,777.04 ▼ -170.08 ▼ -0.90%
Hang_Seng.__ 23,142.73 ▲ 26.48 ▲ 0.11%
Strait_Times.__ 3,052.53 ▼ -30.54 ▼ -0.99%
NZX_50_Index_ 6,001.02 ▲ 30.35 ▲ 0.51%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/stocks-tick-lower-mixed-earnings-180944160.html

Stocks tick lower on mixed earnings; price of oil skids

Stocks slip as companies report mixed 3Q results; drop in oil price hits energy sector
Associated Press By Marley Jay, AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks slipped Tuesday afternoon after several U.S. companies delivered disappointing results and forecasts. Energy companies fell more than the rest of the market as the price of crude oil hit two-month lows.

The market made only small moves as the Federal Reserve started a two-day meeting to discuss interest rates. That marked a pause after a rally this month that has wiped out much of a steep loss from August.

Investors are still concerned about the slow pace of the economic recovery in the U.S. and are wondering how the economy and the market will react when interest rates eventually start to rise. Few expect the Fed to raise interest rates this year. And while ultra-low rates tend to be favorable for stocks and bonds, many investors would like to see the uncertainty over interest rate policy resolved.

"We don't think there's going to be enough evidence between now and the end of the year to support a move by the Fed," said Patrick Maldari, a senior fixed income investment specialist at Aberdeen Asset Management. "They just have not had the ammunition. The economic data continues to be weak."

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 41.62 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,581.43. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5.29 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,065.89. The Nasdaq composite fell 4.56 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,030.15.

The price of U.S. oil fell almost 2 percent and reached its lowest level since the market turmoil of late August. Oil prices had recovered some of their losses from this summer as companies cut back on production.

Energy analyst Jim Ritterbusch said a recent increase in oil stockpiles, the result of decreased refining production, has sent oil prices back down. Ritterbusch says he thinks crude will slip back to its August lows of around $38 a barrel and stay there through the end of 2015.

Energy stocks declined along with the price of oil. Chesapeake Energy fell 41 cents, or 5.8 percent, to $6.72, while Marathon Oil was down 48 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $17.11 and Anadarko Petroleum lost $3.71, or 5.4 percent, to $65.29.

Health care was the only sector to rise after some of the world's largest drug companies announced strong results. Pfizer raised its profit forecast after its third-quarter results came in better than expected, while Bristol-Myers said sales of key new medicines like the cancer drugs Opdivo and Yervoy improved. Pfizer rose 83 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $34.99 and Bristol-Myers added $2.25, or 3.5 percent, to $66.80.

Among other stocks making big moves:

”” Ford reported improved sales of its new F-150 pickup truck, but its net income fell short of Wall Street estimates. Ford fell 79 cents, or 5 percent, to $14.89.

”” UPS slumped after the package delivery company surprised investors by saying its revenue dipped in the third quarter. The stock fell $3.08, or 2.9 percent, to $103.10.

”” Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant, said it got a big boost from mobile sales in the third quarter. The results reassured investors about Alibaba's performance while prospects for the Chinese economy remain uncertain. Alibaba rose $3.09, or 4 percent, to $79.44. Yahoo, which owns a big stake in Alibaba, picked up 90 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $34.30.

Earnings continued to pour in after the close of regular trading. Apple's results were stronger than expected and the tech giant said it expects to surpass last year's record of 74.5 million iPhones sold in the December quarter. The stock rose $3.21, or 2.8 percent, to $117.76 in late electronic trading.

Twitter skidded $3.39, or 10.8 percent, to $27.95 aftermarket after Wall Street was disappointed with the messaging service's fourth-quarter outlook.

In other oil trading, Brent crude, which is used to price international oils used in many U.S. refineries, fell 73 cents to $46.81 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline fell by a fraction of a cent to close at $1.287 a gallon in New York, heating oil fell 2 cents to $1.424 a gallon and natural gas edged up 3 cents to $2.092 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.04 percent from 2.06 percent late Monday. The dollar fell to 120.33 yen and the euro edged down to $1.1040.

The price of gold dipped 40 cents to $1,165.80 an ounce. Silver fell four cents to $15.86 an ounce and copper picked up 0.5 cents to $2.36 per pound.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed HIGHER ▲ 198.09 points or ▲ 1.13% on Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,779.52 ▲ 198.09 ▲ 1.13%
Nasdaq____ 5,095.69 ▲ 65.54 ▲ 1.30%
S&P_500___ 2,090.35 ▲ 24.46 ▲ 1.18%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.86 ▲ 0.01 ▲ 0.42%

NYSE Volume 4,666,566,000
Nasdaq Volume 2,118,165,250

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,437.80 ▲ 72.53 ▲ 1.14%
DAX_____ 10,831.96 ▲ 139.77 ▲ 1.31%
CAC_40__ 4,890.58 ▲ 43.51 ▲ 0.90%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,374.40 ▼ -10.20 ▼ -0.19%
Shanghai_Comp 3,375.20 ▼ -59.14 ▼ -1.72%
Taiwan_Weight 8,665.99 ▼ -35.33 ▼ -0.41%
Nikkei_225___ 18,903.02 ▲ 125.98 ▲ 0.67%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,956.57 ▼ -186.16 ▼ -0.80%
Strait_Times.__ 3,040.51 ▼ -12.02 ▼ -0.39%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,998.99 ▼ -2.03 ▼ -0.03%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wobble-stocks-end-higher-investors-205116250.html

After a wobble, stocks end higher as investors watch the Fed

A late rally leaves stock market higher as traders anticipate a possible Fed move on rates
Associated Press By Marley Jay, AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- The stock market ended solidly higher Wednesday, recovering from an afternoon wobble, after the Federal Reserve indicated that it will consider raising its benchmark interest rate at its December meeting. Bond yields rose and the dollar climbed against other currencies as traders anticipated that higher rates were on the way.

Federal Reserve policymakers decided to leave interest rates unchanged after a two-day meeting, but they also said they would consider raising rates at the last meeting of 2015 if the economy keeps improving.

Bob Doll, chief investment strategist for Nuveen Investments, said October and November employment data will feature prominently in the Fed's deliberations.

"If they're OK, I think the Fed will finally, finally, finally go," Doll said.

The Dow Jones industrial average had been up 130 points just before the Fed released its policy statement at 2 p.m. Eastern time, then briefly retreated into the red after the statement came out. By late afternoon the Dow more than recovered, closing up 198.09 points, or 1.1 percent, at 17,779.52. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 24.46 points, or 1.2 percent, to 2,090.35. The Nasdaq composite picked up 65.55 points, or 1.3 percent, to 5,095.69.

The Fed cut its benchmark interest rate to almost zero in late 2008 to stimulate the economy during the Great Recession. Although Fed Chair Janet Yellen has said she wants to start raising rates this year, the Fed struck a cautious tone in its September meeting following some rough patches in the U.S. economy and warning signs from overseas.

Investors concluded that the Fed would probably leave rates alone until next year, but the latest release shows that an increase on Dec. 16 is very possible. In its latest statement, the Fed eliminated language expressing concern about the global economy.

The prospect of higher interest rates set off a rally in banks, which stand to make more money on lending. Bank stocks in the S&P 500 jumped 2.4 percent, twice as much as the broader index.

The dollar rose against the yen and the euro. If the Fed does begin to raise rates in December, it would come as central banks in Europe and Japan continue to pursue stimulus programs. The euro fell sharply against the dollar, to $1.0925 from $1.1040 late Tuesday. The dollar rose to 121.03 yen from 120.33 yen.

In bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.09 percent from 2.04 percent the day earlier. Yields on Treasury notes affect rates on mortgages and many other kinds of loans.

Oil prices soared after Pemex, the national oil company of Mexico, said it received permission to swap crude oil with the U.S. That could represent a step toward ending the U.S. ban on exporting crude. The price of oil had had been sliding since early October and reached its lowest level in two months Tuesday. The 6.3 percent gain Wednesday was the largest increase since Aug. 31.

U.S. crude climbed $2.74 to $45.94 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, rose $2.24, or 4.8 percent, to $49.05 a barrel in London.

In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline rose 6.3 cents to close at $1.350 a gallon in New York, heating oil rose 6 cents to $1.484 a gallon and natural gas fell 5.9 3 cents to $2.033 per 1,000 cubic feet.

While the Fed news weighed heavily on the broader market, earnings reports continued to drive many individual stocks. Northrop Grumman surged $9.90, or 5.5 percent, to $190.50 after the defense contractor said it received a contract worth up to $80 billion to build new bombers for the Air Force. Northrop Grumman stock has been trading at all-time highs.

Apple gained $4.72, or 4.1 percent, to $119.27 after the tech giant reported another quarter of record earnings late Tuesday, boosted by surging sales in China. Apple also forecast healthy iPhone sales during the upcoming holidays.

AIG advanced $2.97, or 4.9 percent, to $63.89 after billionaire investor Carl Icahn said he's taken a "large" stake in the company. Icahn said the insurance conglomerate should split into three separate businesses. Icahn said his view has support from other major shareholders.

Metals prices increased. Gold rose $10.30, or 0.9 percent, to $1,176.10 an ounce and silver added 43 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $16.29 an ounce. Copper prices stayed steady at $2.36 a pound.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -23.72 points or ▼ -0.13% on Thursday, October 29, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,755.80 ▼ -23.72 ▼ -0.13%
Nasdaq____ 5,074.27 ▼ -21.42 ▼ -0.42%
S&P_500___ 2,089.41 ▼ -0.94 ▼ -0.04%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.96 ▲ 0.10 ▲ 3.56%

NYSE Volume 4,000,595,750
Nasdaq Volume 1,904,705,750

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,395.80 ▼ -42.00 ▼ -0.65%
DAX_____ 10,800.84 ▼ -31.12 ▼ -0.29%
CAC_40__ 4,885.82 ▼ -4.76 ▼ -0.10%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,310.20 ▼ -64.20 ▼ -1.19%
Shanghai_Comp 3,387.32 ▲ 12.12 ▲ 0.36%
Taiwan_Weight 8,571.08 ▼ -94.91 ▼ -1.10%
Nikkei_225___ 18,935.71 ▲ 32.69 ▲ 0.17%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,819.94 ▼ -136.63 ▼ -0.60%
Strait_Times.__ 3,001.51 ▼ -39.00 ▼ -1.28%
NZX_50_Index_ 6,002.97 ▲ 3.98 ▲ 0.07%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/earni...;_ylg=X3oDMTBhYWM1a2sxBGxhbmcDZW4tVVM-;_ylv=3

Earnings fail to lift US stocks as economic growth slows

US stocks dip after economic growth slows; weak results hit Buffalo Wild Wings, GoPro
Associated Press By Marley Jay, AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks slipped Thursday after the U.S. said economic growth slowed more than expected in the summer.

A mixed batch of third-quarter earnings reports didn't inspire investors. Companies including restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings and camera maker GoPro plunged after releasing weak results.

The market was lower all day after the Commerce Department said the economy cooled off in the summer as businesses cut production and drew down their inventories. The department estimated that gross domestic product grew 1.5 percent, a bit less than analysts had forecast.

RBS senior economist Kevin Cummins said the report isn't a major warning sign. In his view, consumers are spending more money because gas prices have tumbled, and the labor market is doing well even though fewer people are in the workforce than in years past. While jobs reports for August and September showed reduced growth, Cummins expects to see better results in October.

"The domestic economy is in pretty healthy shape right now," Cummins said.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 23.72 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,755.80. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dipped 0.94 point to 2,089.41. The Nasdaq composite sank 21.42 points, or 0.4 percent, to 5,074.27.

Those little losses weren't enough to undo the gains stocks made in the last hour of trading on Wednesday, after the Federal Reserve voiced some confidence in the economy by saying it might raise interest rates in December.

U.S. government bond prices kept falling, pushing yields higher as investors anticipated that U.S. interest rates could rise. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.18 percent from 2.10 percent late Wednesday.

The higher bond yields pulled buyers away from income-producing investments. Utility stocks in the S&P 500 index slid 0.6 percent, far more than the rest of the market.

Several companies dropped after releasing their reports. Buffalo Wild Wings skidded $31.95, or 17.3 percent, to $152.45 after the restaurant chain's profit and sales fell short of expectations. Computer networking company F5 Networks dropped after reporting disappointing fourth-quarter revenue and first-quarter projections. The stock lost $11.26, or 9.3 percent, to $110.08.

While some companies have gotten major bumps after reporting good results, particularly in the tech sector, this earnings season hasn't been great so far. Most of the companies on the S&P 500 have now disclosed their third-quarter earnings, and S&P Capital IQ says 52 percent of those have reported lower-than-expected revenue. Per-share profits are also down compared to last year.

GoPro slumped $4.59, or 15.2 percent, to $25.62 after the wearable camera maker reported disappointing results for its most recent quarter. It was the lowest closing price for GoPro shares, which began trading in 2014 and have lost more than half their value since mid-August.

Deutsche Bank said it lost about $6.6 billion in the third quarter. The company says it will sell businesses that employ about 20,000 people and eliminate 15,000 other jobs in an effort to improve profitability. It also won't pay a dividend this year or next. The stock sank $2.42, or 8 percent, to $27.89.

There were some big gainers to be found, though. Hanesbrands rose after the maker of underwear, socks and t-shirts announced strong third-quarter results and raised its profit estimate for the year. The stock gained $4.05, or 14.7 percent, to $31.65.

The latest company to surge on talks of a possible sale was Allergan, which makes Botox. The Irish drugmaker jumped 6 percent after Allergan said it is in preliminary talks with Pfizer about a sale, which could become the largest deal in the history of the pharmaceutical industry. Allergan jumped $18.17 to $305.37, which put its market value at about $120 billion.

Pfizer makes the pain and fibromyalgia treatment Lyrica, erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, and Prevnar 13, a vaccine against pneumonia and ear and other infections. It's the second-largest drug company in the world and bought competitor Hospira for $15 billion last month.

Just last year Pfizer failed to complete a similarly sized deal: it tried to buy competitor AstraZeneca for $119 billion, but the Anglo-Dutch company rejected the offer.

U.S. crude added 12 cents to $46.06 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, lost 25 cents to $48.80 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline was unchanged at $1.350 a gallon in New York, heating oil fell less than one cent to $1.475 a gallon and natural gas slid 4.1 cents to $2.257 per 1,000 cubic feet.

The price of gold fell $28.80, or 2.4 percent, to $1,147.30 an ounce and silver declined 74 cents, or 4.6 percent, to $15.55 an ounce. Copper fell four cents, or 1.8 percent, to $2.32 a pound.

The dollar slipped to 121.13 yen from 121.23 yen. The euro rose to $1.0975 from $1.0909.

____

This story has been updated to clarify that Deutsche Bank will sell divisions with 20,000 employees and cut 15,000 jobs.

 

[bigdog]

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com

The NYSE DOW closed LOWER ▼ -92.26 points or ▼ -0.52% on Friday, October 30, 2015
Symbol …........Last …......Change.......
Dow_Jones 17,663.54 ▼ -92.26 ▼ -0.52%
Nasdaq____ 5,053.75 ▼ -20.53 ▼ -0.40%
S&P_500___ 2,079.36 ▼ -10.05 ▼ -0.48%
30_Yr_Bond____ 2.93 ▼ -0.03 ▼ -1.08%

NYSE Volume 4,235,014,000
Nasdaq Volume 1,996,195,500

Europe
Symbol... .....Last ….....Change.......
FTSE_100 6,361.09 ▼ -34.71 ▼ -0.54%
DAX_____ 10,850.14 ▲ 49.30 ▲ 0.46%
CAC_40__ 4,897.66 ▲ 11.84 ▲ 0.24%

Asia Pacific
Symbol...... ….......Last .....Change…......
ASX_All_Ord___ 5,288.60 ▼ -21.60 ▼ -0.41%
Shanghai_Comp 3,382.56 ▼ -4.75 ▼ -0.14%
Taiwan_Weight 8,554.31 ▼ -16.77 ▼ -0.20%
Nikkei_225___ 19,083.10 ▲ 147.39 ▲ 0.78%
Hang_Seng.__ 22,640.04 ▼ -179.90 ▼ -0.79%
Strait_Times.__ 2,998.35 ▼ -3.16 ▼ -0.11%
NZX_50_Index_ 5,986.37 ▼ -16.60 ▼ -0.28%

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks-slip-finish-month-200814204.html

US stocks slip but finish month with biggest gain in 4 years

US stocks dip as they complete the strongest month since 2011, recovering their summer losses
Associated Press By Marley Jay, AP Markets Writer

The stock market drifted lower Friday but finished October with its biggest monthly gain in four years.

U.S. government economic data released Friday and earlier this week suggests the economy is still sluggish, stuck in a pattern of gradual but uneven growth it has followed since the Great Recession. But the outlook for future growth improved and fears waned that a slowing Chinese economy would send the U.S. economy into a tailspin.

Strong corporate earnings in some sectors, like health care and telecommunications, also helped propel the market all the way back to positive for the year after a swoon in August and a rocky September.

Paul Christopher, global market strategist for Wells Fargo, said investors are now gaining confidence in the U.S. economy and are more hopeful that China won't suffer an abrupt downturn.

"We could see investors finally put that correction in August and those fears permanently behind them," he said.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index has risen for five consecutive weeks and it ended October up 8.3 percent, its best month since October 2011. The index's increase of 159 points was the biggest in its 77-year history. The next-best month was March 2000, the height of the dot-com bubble, when it rose 132 points.

Sam Stovall, U.S. equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ, said a very strong October usually means the market won't make big gains in November and December, muting the so-called Santa Claus rally. He does expect stocks to keep rising for the rest of this year, though, and make gains in 2016, lifted by overall economic growth and improving corporate earnings.

He said 2016 "has a chance of being a good year but not a great year" for equities. "Investors will continue to buy the dips until the prospect of either a U.S. or global recession spooks investors again."

On Friday, stocks were largely flat through much of the day, venturing into positive territory in the early afternoon before ending lower. The S&P 500 lost 10.05 points, or 0.5 percent, to 2,079.36. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 92.26 points, or 0.5 percent, to 17,663.54. The Nasdaq composite index slid 20.53 points, or 0.4 percent, to 5,053.75.

The Commerce Department said Friday that consumer spending inched up just 0.1 percent in September, partly because consumers were spending less on gasoline as energy prices fell. The gain was the smallest in eight months. The department said Thursday that economic growth slowed sharply in the summer, although most economists think the economy has improved this month.

Wells Fargo's Christopher said the November and December U.S. unemployment reports will help set the course of the markets for the rest of this year, along with the Federal Reserve's interest rate policies.

The busiest week of third-quarter earnings wrapped up Friday with big moves for a slew of companies. The professional networking service LinkedIn surpassed analyst estimates and its stock gained $23.87, or 11 percent, to $240.87. Drugmaker AbbVie surged as sales of its anti-inflammatory Humira, the biggest-selling drug in the world, continued to rise. AbbVie rose $5.45, or 10.1 percent, to $59.55.

Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil company, said its profit fell almost two-thirds. The company said it will eliminate around 10 percent of its jobs, or up to 7,000 positions, and will also slash capital and exploration spending as it deals with lower oil prices that are cutting deeply into profit.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals suffered more losses Friday as controversy around its drug prices and sales practices climbed. The stock sank $17.73, or 15.9 percent, to $93.77. On Thursday the two largest pharmacy benefits management companies in the U.S., CVS and Express Scripts, cut ties with a Valeant-linked specialty pharmacy called Philidor. Philidor has been criticized as a "phantom pharmacy" used to artificially boost Valeant's sales. On Friday Valeant said Philidor has informed it that it will shut down as soon as possible.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.14 percent.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 53 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $46.59 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, advanced 76 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $49.56 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline rose 5.5 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $1.405 a gallon. Heating oil picked up 2.5 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $1.499 a gallon. Natural gas rose 6.4 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $2.321 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold fell $5.90, or 0.5 percent, to $1,414.40 an ounce. Silver rose 1.7 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $15.57 an ounce. Copper slipped a fraction of a cent to $2.257 a pound.

The dollar lost value against the yen, falling to 120.67 yen from 121.11 on Thursday. The euro rose compared to the dollar, reaching $1.099 from $1.0974.

0176