Stock Market Today, Investment News and Hot Stocks
The Fed gave the market quite a jolt yesterday morning when he uttered the word ‘stimulus’. Once in the mind of investors, it sent the market soaring. Every major index closed up better than a percent.
This was set against the backdrop of yet another data miss. Pending home sales dipped on expectations of a rise from January to February. Lends credence to Bernanke’s call for more stimulus. [Read more...]
Seems one day of selling does not create a bear market. Domestic markets are shrugging off yesterday’s sell-off thanks to Oracle’s earnings beat. Dow futures are up 32 points to 13,140. Nasdaq 100 futures are tacking on 3.75 points to 2,739. The S&P 500 futures are rounding out the gains, up 3 points to 1,403.
On the economic data front, a single report on housing is expected to be released at 8:30 am EST. February existing home sales are expected to be at an annual rate of 4.6 million, up from 4.57 million in January. This is on the heels of a report that showed a jump in building permits.
Today, Fed Chairman Bernanke will give the second of his 4 scheduled lectures at George Washington University. The topic will be on the history of the central bank.
Overnight, Asian indexes continued their slide as fears over a Chinese slowdown intensified. Japan’s major index closed in the red for the first time in six sessions.
While Europe is currently in positive territory, all eyes will be on a major budget address in Britain today. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osbourne, is expected to push for a reduction in the top tax rate from 50% to 45%. [Read more...]
Growth prospects out of China are causing the bulls here in the states to take a breather. Dow futures are down 68 points to 13,099. Nasdaq 100 futures are down 12.75 to 2,715. The S&P 500 futures are rounding out the red start, down 8.50 points to 1,395.
The economic data calendar is fairly stacked this morning with February housing starts up first. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is set to give the first of four lectures at 12:45pm EST. The first will be at the George Washington School of Business.
Housing start data this AM was a mixed bag. While starts fell slightly, permits jumped 5.1%. The sector is still lagging the rest of the recovery and at this point you have the question the robustness of such recovery. Maybe it could stand a permit for a new foundation, because it looks awfully shaky.
Fears of a slowdown in China were exacerbated overnight when Ian Ashby, CEO of BHP’s Iron-Ore Division, told Australian reporters that demand from China is waning in the commodity sector. If that pattern holds it could signal a downturn in China.
More bad news from China came when they decided o raise the price of retail gasoline. This was the second time this year they raised both gasoline and diesel prices. The move is weighing heavily on auto stocks this morning. [Read more...]
Cavium, Inc. (NASDAQ:CAVM) is down 5.23% in after hours trading at $26.99. CAVM traded 589 thousand shares today and trades 1.1 million shares a day on average. CAVM is down in after hours after the company’s outlook for fourth quarter revenue fell short of expectations. The company has a market cap of 1.40 billion.
Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA) is down 2.96% in after hours trading at $12.13. ARIA traded 4.1 million shares today, nearly a million more than its daily average. ARIA stock closed the day 6.47% higher. The company has a market cap of 1.66 billion. Short Sell Your Way to Profits
International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT) is down 4.72% in after hours trading at $16.55. IGT traded more than double its daily average with 6.1 million shares traded. IGT finished the day up nearly 5%. A lot of gaming companies saw gains today following a positive ruling on internet gambling from the Department of Justice. The company has a market cap of 5.17 billion.
Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited (NYSE:CCM) is down 8.52% in after hours trading at $2.79. CCM traded 115 thousand shares today, well above its daily average of 29 thousand shares. The company has a market cap of 144.73 million.
Clearwire Corporation (NASDAQ:CLWR) is down 2.97% in after hours trading at $1.96. CLWR traded 6.3 million shares today and trades 13 million shares a day on average. The company has a market cap of 504.40 million. Short Sell Your Way to Profits
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ:EBAY) is down 2.52% in after hours trading at $30.14. EBAY traded 3.4 million shares today and averages more than 10 million on any given day. The company has a market cap of 39.92 billion.
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