NYSE:BA

Futures Mixed As Apple Lifts Nasdaq. Stocks to Watch: PACB, ILMN, AAPL, RDN, FIO, BA, C

US futures are diverging this morning after Apple reported stellar earnings in after-hours trading yesterday. Dow futures are down 40 points to 12,586. Nasdaq futures are riding the Apple effect, up over 15 points to 2,453. S&P 500 futures are following the Dow’s trend, down over 3 points to 1,308.

Apple’s earnings yesterday are driving the Nasdaq futures. A broker at Valbury Capital remarked, “The figures from Apple show that despite the global recession looming, people still want to have an overpriced, lacking-in-features iPhone 4S that they couldn’t even be bothered to change the shape on.” Maybe he can ask Siri why he’s so down this morning?

On the economic data calendar today is the a decision by the FOMC on where to keep interest rates. Analysts are starting to worry that even though the economic outlook is negative, the recent spate of good news will keep the Fed from announcing another round of QE 3. Check out one of the best swing traders on the street.

The Fed will release their outlook for rates over the coming years. They will also try to give timing for the first rate hike and their overall plan for their growing balance sheet. This move is intended to soothe both the hawks and doves that watch the Federal reserve.

The recent down-tick in unemployment has increased the talk of the Fed eventually getting away from historically low interest rates.

In European news the news has started to shift from the always-near-the-cliff Greece to Portugal. Austerity measures in Portugal have started to push economic activity off the books. A full quarter of the economy now occurs off the books in what is being deemed a shadow economy. If both Greece and Portugal were to default, the pressures on the EU could reach a breaking point with stronger countries refusing to backstop weaker ones.

Who knew you couldn’t place the economic burden on citizens that already bore the brunt? US officials should take note of the abject failure of austerity in EU before they use it as a model here in the states.

Stocks to watch today include Pacific Biosciences of California (NASDAQ:PACB), Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN), Fusion-io, Inc. (NYSE:FIO), Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) and Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C)

Pacific Biosciences of California (NASDAQ:PACB) is up 20.76% in pre market trading at $4.77. PACB shares are jumping this morning following the deal between Roche and Illumina. PACB has traded over 30 thousand shares so far in pre market and trades close to 300 thousand shares a day on average. The company has a market cap of 216.51 million. Check out one of the best swing traders on the street.

Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) is up 37.64% in pre market at $52.10. ILMN shares are up big after Swiss drug maker Roche Holdings made a $5.7 billion bid on the company this morning. Roche said it would pay $44.50 a share in cash through a tender offer. ILMN has traded over 4 million shares this morning, more than double its daily average. The company has a market cap of 4.58 billion.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is up 8.24% in pre market trading at $455.05. AAPL shares are rallying following a stellar fiscal first quarter from the company. Apple saw profit more than double in its fiscal first quarter with revenue rising 73% to $46.3 billion. EPS came in at $13.87, crushing analysts’ estimates of $10.08 per share. Apple sold more than 37 million iPhones in the quarter, up 128% from the year before. The company has a market cap of 390.73 billion.

Radian Group Inc. (NYSE:RDN) is up 4.75% this morning at $3.09. RDN shares are jumping this morning following news the company will return $12.9 billion reinsurance portfolio to Assured Guaranty Ltd. This move is expected to increase Radian’s statutory capital. The company has a market cap of 392.94 million.

Fusion-io, Inc. (NYSE:FIO) is down 12% in pre market trading at $26.70. FIO shares are taking a hit today after a disappointing fiscal second quarter. FIO’s second quarter loss narrowed but higher cots affected margins. The company has a market cap of 2.53 billion.

Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) is down 1.55% in pre market at $74.19. BA shares are dipping some following Boeing’s fourth quarter earnings. Boeing beat estimates, but its 2012 guidance was reduced because of higher than expected pension expenses. The company has a market cap of 56.01 billion.

Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C) is down about 1% in pre market trading at $29.63. C shares are slipping as the company ponders more cuts to banking and securities unit. C typically trades 55.7 million shares a day on average. The company has a market cap of 87.42 billion.

Boeing Secures $19 Billion Deal With Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) inked a $19 billion deal for 150 of Boeing’s (NYSE:BA) new 737 MAX aircraft. Southwest has become the first airline to order fuel-efficient jets.

This order is Boeing’s largest ever in terms of dollar value and the number of airplanes. The 737 MAX jets are expected to enter service in 2017.

Southwest said this purchase is a part of an effort to adopt a more fuel-efficient fleet. This well help with both environmental concerns and high fuel costs. The 737 MAX aircraft will reduce fuel burn and carbon dioxide by more than 10% compared to today’s most fuel efficient airplane. This airplane will also cost 7% less to operate than similar aircraft.

“Overall, we expect the superior economics of our fleet modernization plan to meet our 15% pretax return requirement and provide substantial flexibility to manage our growth in a variety of economic conditions over the next decade,” Southwest chief operating officer, Mike Van de Ven said in a statement.

Shares of Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) are down 0.36% at $8.40 in midday trading. LUV has traded 2.02 million shares so far today and 8.20 million shares are traded a day on average.

The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) is up 1.10% at $71.68 in midday trading. BA has traded 2.29 million shares so far today and trades 5.90 million shares a day on average. BA is up more than $2 a share over the past week.

U. S. Stock Futures Move Higher Despite S&P Warning. Stocks to Watch: AAPL, MSFT, AMZN, TOL, BA, CVX, NFLX

U.S. stock futures pointed higher despite Standard & Poor’s move to put the rating of nearly the entire euro-zone on warning for a possible downgrade if the euro zones finance ministers fail to reach an agreed upon plan to stem the sovereign debt crisis in Europe.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 40 points to 12,106, S&P 500 futures gained 3.5 points to 1,259 and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 10.8 points to 2,336.

The reaction from financial markets was mostly “muted” on Tuesday. The ratings companies have “lost their clout” among traders, James Hughes, a senior market analyst with Alpari said in an interview with FOX Business.

European blue chips fell 0.25%, while the euro rose 0.16% to $1.3409. Yields on Italian debt are up slightly after the move by S&P, but still off the painful 7% mark. The country’s 10-year bond yields 6.4% presently, and investors demand a 4.16% premium to hold its debt over safe-haven German bunds.

European blue chips fell 0.25%, the English FTSE 100 rose 0.09% to 5,573 and the German DAX dipped 0.67% to 6,065.

In Asia, the Japanese Nikkei 225 slid 1.4% to 8,575 and the Chinese Hang Seng sunk 1.2% to 18,942.

Benchmark crude oil traded in New York rose 24 cents, or 0.22%, to $101.17 a barrel. Wholesale RBOB gasoline climbed a penny to $2.62 a gallon.

Gold fell $12.30, or 0.71%, to $1,722 a troy ounce.

U.S. Treasury yields pushed higher as traders shed the asset. The benchmark 10-year note yields 2.079% from 2.062%.

Stocks to keep an eye on today include Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Toll Brothers’ Inc. (NYSE:TOL), The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA), Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) and Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is down slightly in pre-market trading at $392.31. Over the past week, AAPL stock has risen more than $20 a share. AAPL trades 15.41 million shares a day on average. Apple and Samsung continue to be locked in a legal battle over patent infringements. The latest decision in this legal battle saw Samsung come out on top after Apple’s bid to halt sales of the company’s Galaxy line of smartphones in the U.S. failed. The company has a market cap of 3.47 billion.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) closed Monday up 1.90% at $25.70. MSFT trades 52.54 million shares a day on average. MSFT stock is up about $1 a share over the past 5 trading sessions. Microsoft is set to release a sizable update for its Xbox 360 later today and will add features such as Youtube, HBO and programming from Comcast. Microsoft has a market cap of 216.19 billion.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is down a little bit in pre-market trading at $195.18. AMZN trades 7.57 million shares a day on average. Amazon shares are up around $5 a share over the past week or so. AMZN has moved higher recently thanks to better than expected Black Friday holiday numbers and sales of its line of Kindle products. Amazon.com has a current market cap of 89.24 billion.

Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL) closed up Monday at $20.74. TOL has moved nearly $2 a share over the past 5 trading sessions. Earlier today, Toll Brothers announced quarterly results and reported higher-than-expected quarterly sales and earnings that beat Wall Street expectations. For the fiscal fourth quarter, TOL had an EPS of $0.09 while analysts expected $0.05. The company has a current market cap of 3.47 billion.

Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) closed Monday slightly lower at $71.09. BA trades 6.27 million shares a day on average. The stock has moved more than $4 a share in the past five trading sessions. Boeing has a market cap of 52.84 billion.

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) closed higher on Monday at $102.82. CVX trades 10.23 million shares a day on average. Higher oil prices have helped keep Chevron moving higher over the past five trading sessions. Chevron has a market cap of 204.76 billlion.

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is down 0.60% in pre-market trading at $69.70. NFLX trades 9.37 million shares a day on average. NFLX had been trading pretty flat for the last week or so before moving up $4 yesterday. Netflix has a market cap of 3.68 billion.

Boeing (BA) Lands Record $21.7 Billion Airplane Order

Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) is on a roll with new orders. After recently landing a $18 billion plus deal at the Dubai Air Show, the company has announced it has received a massive order for Boeing jets from Indonesia’s largest domestic airline, Lion Air.

The sale of 230 short-haul 737 jets, worth $21.7 billion, is the largest commercial order in Boeing’s history, toppling a previous record set just days ago as the industry taps in to relentless demand in emerging economies.

The new order is an intention to purchase rather than a firm order. First announced by the White House, it also includes an option for another 150 aircraft worth an estimated $14 billion The US administration also announced a $2.4 billion order by Singapore Airlines for eight 777 aircraft.

Lion Air of Indonesia is Boeing’s largest single-aisle jet customer. Lion Air intends to buy 201 of the 737 Max and the remainder in other 737 models. The order is thought to be part of 600 commitments for the 737 Max that Boeing has already touted. The aircraft-maker wants to turn those commitments into firm orders and garner more interest to reach a target of 1,000 orders by the middle of next year.

Boeing is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001.

Boeing shares were trading at 65.80, down 0.81% at 2:53pm ET today.

Active Dow 30 Stocks – Buffett Buys Some IBM and Boeing Gets Huge Order

There a couple of Dow 30 stocks doing well today even though the market as a whole is flat. Investors continue to eye Europe and any sudden changes there will have a drastic effect on markets worldwide. Let’s take a look at a couple of active Dow 30 stocks this morning.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is up about 1% this morning at $188.82. Warren Buffett announced earlier that Berkshire Hatahway will be taking a 5.5% stake in IBM. This is a first for Buffett as he is usually hesitant to enter in the technology sector. IBM has traded 2.53 million shares today and usually trades 6 million shares daily. The company has a current market cap of 222.69 billion.

The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) is up 2.60% at $68.66 this morning after Emirate Airlines placed a huge order for 50 Boeing 777 jetliners. The order is worth $18 billion and is the largest commercial order by dollar value in U.S. aviation history. BA has traded 2.52 million shares this morning, and usually trades 5.77 million shares a day. The company has a current market cap of 51 billion.

The big loser today on the Dow 30 is JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) which is trading down 1.95% at $32.63. JPM has traded 7.36 million shares so far this morning. The stock usually trades 47.1 million shares daily. The company has a current market cap of 123.88 billion.

Overall the market looks to continue to trade flat as investors take a wait and see approach with Europe. Any breaking news coming out of the euro zone will cause lots of volatility in the market.

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