Morgan Stanley downgraded healthcare stocks Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSIC) and Patterson Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ:PDCO) to "underweight" from "equal weight," citing risk from Amazon's (AMZN) entry into the pharmaceutical field, as well as expectations for a possible consolidation in the dental consumables market that could create headwinds. The bearish note has shares of HSIC and PDCO trading low...Read More
Square Inc (NYSE:SQ) stock is up 4.3% today at $39.21, thanks to news the company is expanding bitcoin services on its Cash app. SQ shares rallied to a record high near $50 last month after the payments processor initially announced customers could buy and sell bitcoin. While the security has pulled back from these highs, yesterday it took a sharp bounce off the closely watched 50-day moving avera...Read More
Shares of tech powerhouse Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) are in focus today, as traders digest the online retail giant's partnership with Apple (AAPL) to include its Prime Video app on Apple TV. This news follows Tuesday's escalation in the Amazon-Google rivalry, which saw Google yank its YouTube content from Amazon's Echo Show and Fire TV platforms in retaliation for the lack of Google hardware...Read More
A little more than a month after delivering a a substantial third-quarter earnings beat, First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) issued its fiscal 2018 outlook yesterday, sending the shares up 6.9% to close at $61.21. Upbeat analysts are chiming in, with the solar energy solutions provider seeing a flurry of price-target hikes today.Specifically, First Solar has received no fewer than four price-target...Read More
After closing last night at $60.93, shares of DaVita Inc (NYSE:DVA) are up nearly 9% in pre-market trading. UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH) said it is purchasing the kidney dialysis company's DaVita Medical Group in a $4.9 billion all-cash deal, and the primary care unit will become part of UNH's Optum division. This follows Monday's major healthcare merger announcement between CVS Health (CVS)...Read More
U.S. stock futures are signaling a lower open today, pointing to a fourth straight down day for the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC). Investors this morning are digesting the ADP private payrolls report, which topped expectations for November with 190,000 jobs added -- possibly providing a hint for traders ahead of Friday's nonfarm payrolls report. Still, the Dow Jones Industrial Av...Read More
Something strange happened last week as the S&P 500 Index (SPX) gained over 1.5%. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) spiked 18%. It's strange because those two indexes typically move in opposite directions. The VIX measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options and it's often referred to as the market's "fear gauge." Stocks moving higher, like last week, would typically calm the fears of investor...Read More
LONDON, 6 December 2017 - British national newspaper The Daily Telegraph today carries research and comment from BullionVault on its internet finance pages."According to BullionVault, the largest online platform for the trading of physical gold and silver," says The Telegraph, "existing owners of gold are currently increasing their holdings. "But new investors are drying up - possibly drawn by th...Read More
Consumer Inflation Official vs 1980 AlternateSource: ShadowStats.com; BMG Group Inc.Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by David StockmanThere's a con job taking place in Washington as a desperate mob of Republicans attempts to enact something-anything-that can be vaguely labeled tax reform/tax cut. And for a reason that lies only slightly below the surface.They are scared that the political train wreck in the Oval Office will put them out...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by John RubinoA recurring pattern of the past few decades involves governments promising to limit their borrowing, only to discover that hardly anyone cares. So target dates slip, bonds are issued, and the debts keep rising.This time around the timing is especially notable, since eight years of global growth ought to be pr...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Michael KosaresWilliam White is a Canadian economist who did research at the Bank of England and the BIS before taking over the Economic Development and Review Committee at the OECD. He presented one of the earliest and most thoughtful warnings of the financial crisis back in 2003. He can, and should, be taken seriously...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Chris MartensonWe are at the apex of the most incredible nest of financial bubbles in all of human history. Few are aware of the nature of America's predicament, and an even smaller subset is physically or financially ready for the future.Even fewer are mentally prepared for it, and it's the mental and emotional prepara...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Pavel LisitsynThe Central Bank of Russia (CBR) is increasing the country's gold reserves to meet a goal set by President Vladimir Putin to make Russia less vulnerable to geopolitical risks.As of November, Russia had 1,801 tons of gold that accounted for 17.3% of all reserves. Russia is the sixth-largest gold owner after...Read More
The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Ronan ManlyThe annual Russian Bullion Market conference took place on November 24 in Moscow. The most notable speaker was Sergey Shvetsov, First Deputy Chairman of Russia's central bank.Shvetsov discussed an important development involving the Russian central bank in the worldwide gold market, and gave insight into the...Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) finished lower today, surrendering more than 100 points, as blue-chip stock Walt Disney (DIS) slumped amid Twenty-First Century Fox (FOXA) buyout buzz. The S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) also gave up early gains, suffering a third straight loss, as an early tech rebound lost steam. Looking ahead, the House tomorrow is expected to vote on a...Read More
It's been a rocky road for tech stocks recently, and semiconductors are no exception. While the tech sector is attempting to stage a rebound today, a handful of recently beat-up securities are trading at relative bargains, if history is any indicator. One such stock is KLA-Tencor Corp (NASDAQ:KLAC), which tends to rally in the month of December.After touching a record high of $110.01 in early Nove...Read More
U.S. stocks are slightly higher this afternoon. Among the names making big moves are homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE:TOL), biotech Revance Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:RVNC), and pharma stock Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc (NASDAQ:COLL). Here's a quick look at what's moving shares of TOL, RVNC, and COLL. TOL Stock Pulls Back to 40-Day After Earnings Toll Brothers stock is falling today after the co...Read More
Shares of the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) are trading lower today, after homebuilder Toll Brothers (TOL) reported disappointing fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue. At last check, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) was down 1.3% at $43.58. The housing sector is likely to remain in focus in the near term, with the Fed expected to raise interest rates at next week's meeting and Republicans sc...Read More
Although earnings season has all but wrapped up, there are still a few stragglers who have yet to step up to the plate. One such company is athleisure retailer Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU), which reports earnings after the close tomorrow. Below, we will take a look at the yoga wear maker, and examine how options traders are analysts are playing LULU stock ahead of earnings. While LULU...Read More