Congress blows it on the economy
The Senate left Washington yesterday without putting its plan for the next coronavirus aid package on the table. That guarantees, in case you had any doubt, that the enhanced $600 a week unemployment benefit that, for practical purposes, expires with today’s...
Market is amazingly calm today–all things considered
Let’s see. The Senate went home for the weekend without passing an extension to the $600 a week in enhanced unemployment benefits–so that program will pay out its last checks tomorrow. China retaliated for U.S. action to close China’s Houston...
Quickly, some of the Trump administration’s lines in the sand for the next coronavirus rescue package get washed away
You remember those lines in sand that the Trump White House declared before it began talks with the leaders of the Republican-controlled Senate? Well, a number of them have already vanished, washed out of existence by the fears of Republican Senators that the White...
Microsoft’s growth disappoints Wall Street in yesterday’s earnings report
Shares of Microsoft (MSFT) were down 4.35% as of the close today in spite of the company’s strong beat of Wall Street projections for the company’s fiscal fourth quarter that ended on June 30. The company reported earnings of $1.46 a share, versus Wall...
Initial claims for unemployment total ticks up, ends downward streak
Too much news today. But let me start. Today the Labor Department reported that new claims for unemployment through regular state programs rose to 1.42 million in the week ended July 18. That was a 109,000 increase from the prior week and the first increase in the...
Trump administration ratchets up tension with China by closing Houston consulate
This morning the Trump Administration ordered China to close its consulate in Houston by Friday. China vowed to retaliate, calling the move illegal. The United States accused Chinese diplomats of aiding a nationwide pattern of economic espionage and attempted theft of...
Let the stimulus logrolling begin (I hope): Republicans near $1 trillion (maybe) with Democrats at $3 trillion as McConnell describes his plan on Senate floor
Of course, there isn’t actually a Republican bill in the Senate yet, but in a floor speech today Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said “The American economy needs another shot of adrenaline.” McConnell also noted that infections are “climbing in hot spots...
Good vaccine news from Oxford/AstraZeneca–and others today
With 160 coronavirus vaccine candidates under development around the world, it’s not surprising that we would get reports on three successful, if very early, trials today. The coronavirus vaccine that Oxford University is developing with AstraZeneca (AZN) showed...
Charles Schwab misses on revenue and earnings drop 21% over year–but long-term metrics stay on track
On Thursday, after the close of trading in New York, brokerage Charles Schwab (SCHW) reported net revenue of $2.4 billion for the second quarter, a 9% drop year over year and short of the $2.47 billion projected by Wall Street analysts. Non-GAAP adjusted earnings fell...
Today it’s Amazon’s market
This morning shares of Amazon (AMZN) burst higher out of the box, gaining 5.98% as of noon New York time. The catalyst, it appears, was a new target price from Goldman Sachs of $3800 a share, up from the previous target of $3000. The shares had closed at $2961.97 on...
Market worries that a smaller-than-expected drop in new claims for unemployment portends future downturn in economy
Initial jobless claims in regular state programs totaled a seasonally adjusted 1.3 million in the week ended July 11, down just 10,000 from the prior week, the Labor Department reported this morning. That’s the smallest drop in the new claims since March and...Vaccine hopes drive stock prices higher today–and tomorrow?
U.S. stocks broke strongly higher today as Moderna (RNA) disclosed results from an initial safety trial. Investors also got a report on the ITV.com website that new findings from the vaccine candidate being developed at the University of Oxford could be published as...
Dividend Portfolio member Hanesbrands pops 9.51% today on analyst upgrade
Last time I visited Hanesbrands (HBI) on May 11 in my Dividend Portfolio it was down 37.66% from my February 21 pick. But it was worth holding on, I argued, for the hefty 6.69% dividend and an eventual turn in the share price. Well, today, July 14, the shares yield...
Banks start off earnings season by pouring cold water on V-shaped recovery
“I don’t think anybody should leave any bank earnings call this quarter simply feeling like the worst is absolutely behind us and it’s a rosy path ahead,” Citigroup (C) CEO Michael Corbat said this morning as he announced the bank’s second quarter earnings. “We...
Jubak Picks member Xylem gains 8.97% on upgraded guidance ahead of earnings
Just a reminder today from Xylem (XYL) of why the company is one of the best investments in trends in the water market. The shares moved up 8.97% ahead of the release of second quarter earnings on July 30, 2020 to close at $73.38. Today, July 14, I’m raising my...
Everything was rosy until the last hour
At the high point during the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2.2%. It closed with a gain of just 0.1% for the day. The trend wasn’t limited to U.S. stocks. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM) was up 1.26% at noon New York time but closed off...
Disney parks re-open in Florida as state hits record new coronavirus cases; Hong Kong park closes again
On Sunday, Florida reported the highest single-day total of new coronavirus cases by any state since the start of the pandemic. The 15,299 new cases surpassed the previous high for any state on a single day of 12,274 recorded in New York on April 4. The record comes...
Another day, another market Put: this time it’s remdesivir
et’s count the Puts that are keeping any Bad News Bear from biting this market. Of course, first and foremost there’s the Federal Reserve Put (or Powell Put for lovers of alliteration). The Fed has told investors they can expect the current near 0%...
In context today’s new claims for unemployment number is bad news
These days you can’t read an economic report, especially a jobs report, without a calendar. Today’s report on initial claims for unemployment — a weekly number for the week ended July 4–showed that new claims for unemployment continued their...
Inflection point for stocks approaches
Today what I’m calling “re-opening dependent” stock fell again. At least in the early going. Toward the end of session–like yesterday–these stocks and stocks in general rallied. Which in and of itself tells us something important about...
Amazon gets more competition from Walmart
Walmart (WMT) will launch a new subscription service, Walmart+ later this month according to Recode.com. For $98 a year, a price comparable to Amazon Prime, subscribers will get same-day delivery of groceries and general merchandise, discounts on fuel at Walmart gas...
Analyst upgrade is catalyst for 6.17% jump in Acadia Pharmaceuticals today
Stifel analyst Paul Matteis upgraded Acadia Pharmaceuticals (ACAD) to a Buy from a Hold today and raised his target price to $71 from $41. (Shares closed at $57 today, up 6.17%) The upgrade from Matteis was especially powerful since he has been skeptical on the stock...
Today markets forget China rally and return to coronavirus recession worries with UAL announcement
United Airlines Holdings (UAL) has warned employees that it has seen a sharp drop in bookings in the last few weeks. Bookings at United’s Newark hub were at 16% of July 2019 levels as of July 1. That rate is roughly half of the level a few weeks ago when it...
China powers “risk on” rally
Chinese stocks are burning up the track–and that has led the way to a shift toward “risk on” assets across global markts. Today alone the Shanghai Composite Index was up 5.71% as of noon New York Time. This continued as streak that has seen the CSI...
Pfizer good news on coronavirus vaccine moves stocks ahead
Just in case you were wondering if the market is counting on a coronavirus vaccine in the nearer term, wonder no longer. (Expectations, for the moment, look to a vaccine by January, if I can judge by comments I’m seeing.) News from Pfizer (PFE) and partner...
Apple says it will close 30 more stores
I’m using Apple (AAPL) as one indicator for the state of the re-opening economy. Apple’s decision today to re-close 30 more of its stores in seven states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah,...
Royal Dutch Shell to take $15 to $22 billion second quarter write down
It’s a measure of how dire things are in the oil sector that Royal Dutch Shell (RDS-A) has announced a write down of between $15 billion and $22 billion for the second quarter. The write down is larger than the $17.5 billion write down that BP (BP) took in June...
The debt load for consumers and companies just keeps rising
We’ll soon get new figures from the Federal Reserve now that the second quarter is coming to an end today, but I’d guess that the debt picture won’t be better than it was at the end of the first quarter on March 31. At the end of May non-financial...Wells Fargo says it will cut its current dividend after Fed stress test
Wells Fargo (WFC) said today that it will cut its current 51-cent dividend after the Federal Reserve’s most recent round of stress tests set new limits on dividend payouts and share buybacks. The bank said it will announce the size of the cut on July 14 when it...Jim’s Daily Email Alerts:
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