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The main U.S. indexes ended up sharply on Thursday, with the benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) logging its biggest one-day percentage gain since early January. Analysts expect first-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies to fall 2.4% year-over-year compared with a forecast for a 5.1% fall at the start of April. ET, Dow e-minis were down 115 points, or 0.34%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 10 points, or 0.24%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 14.75 points, or 0.11%. Chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) gained 6.5% after it said gross margins will improve in the second half of the year. Colgate-Palmolive Co (CL.N) inched up 0.7% after the toothpaste maker lifted its annual organic sales forecast betting on consistent price hikes.

☆ Leaked Breitbart messages highlight right-wing media struggle over Republican party’s future
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The tense back and forth inside Breitbart reflects a growing tension inside the right-wing media universe writ large — one that could have consequences for national politics. Ahead of the 2024 Republican primary contest, battle lines are starting to be drawn. It’s reminicent of what took place in right-wing media during the 2016 GOP primary season. But the manner in which the biggest mouthpieces in right-wing media cover the looming primary is highly consequential, and could ultimately decide who gets the party’s blessing. Republican primary voters primarily get their news from partisan outlets, such as Breitbart and Fox News, while shunning news from mainstream outlets.

J&J (JNJ.N) shares fell 2.8% after the healthcare conglomerate cautioned investors over the lingering impact of inflation-driven costs this year. Goldman (GS.N) shares dropped 1.7% after the Wall Street firm's profit fell 19% as dealmaking and bond trading slumped. The early quarterly results from S&P 500 companies come as investors have been bracing for a gloomy reporting season, fearing the economy may be on the cusp of a downturn. S&P 500 company earnings are expected to have declined 4.8% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to Refinitiv IBES data as of Friday. The S&P 500 posted 28 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 66 new highs and 143 new lows.

Such diversification failed to benefit investors last year, when stocks and bonds both tumbled as the Federal Reserve raised rates to fight surging inflation. A typical 60/40 portfolio tracked by Vanguard last year suffered its worst annual decline since 2008. "Inflation, and the perception of tighter credit as a result of inflation, is going to hurt both bonds and stocks,” he said. But benchmark Treasury yields drifted lower, at least partially offsetting those declines. "We now have yield in the bond market, which we haven’t had for 10 years," said Paul Nolte, market strategist at Murphy & Sylvest Wealth Management.

This comes just days after cooling inflation raised hopes that the Fed could soon end its aggressive monetary tightening. Shares of other energy firms such as Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) and Occidental Petroleum Corp (OXY.N) were also up 4.9% and 6.0%, respectively, helping drive a 5.2% jump in the energy sector. The tech-heavy Nasdaq recorded its strongest first-quarter jump of 17% since mid-2020. Among other stocks, shares of American Airlines Group Inc (AAL.O) and Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) edged 0.6% and 1.3% lower on rising crude prices. The S&P index recorded seven new 52-week highs and no new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 40 new highs and 28 new lows.

The latest move to restore calm to restive regional bank stocks came as Pacific Western Bank (PACW.O), one of the regional lenders caught up in the market volatility, said it had raised $1.4 billion from investment firm Atlas SP Partners. While that deal brought some respite to battered banking stocks, First Republic (FRC.N) remains firmly in the spotlight. For now, the rescue of Credit Suisse appears to have calmed the worst fears of systemic contagion, boosting shares of European banks (.SX7P) and U.S. lenders (.SPXBK). Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics'HEAD IN SAND'The wipeout of Credit Suisse's Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bondholders has sent shockwaves through bank debt markets. Seeking to boost confidence among investors rattled by its $3 billion Credit Suisse rescue, UBS said on Wednesday it would buy back 2.75 billion euros ($2.96 billion) worth of debt it issued less than week ago.

March 22 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities are set to explore ways to bolster financial stability, along with steps to tackle the problems facing First Republic Bank, as central banks assess whether turmoil in banking makes interest rate rises less pressing. SVB's collapse kicked off a tumultuous 10 days for banks which led to the 3 billion Swiss franc ($3.2 billion) Swiss engineered takeover of Credit Suisse by rival UBS (UBSG.S). While that deal brought some respite to battered banking stocks, U.S. lender First Republic (FRC.N) remains firmly in the spotlight. Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics'HEAD IN SAND'The wipeout of Credit Suisse's Additional Tier-1 (AT1) bondholders has sent shockwaves through bank debt markets. For now, the Swiss bank rescue appears to have assuaged the worst fears of systemic contagion, boosting shares of European banks (.SX7P) and U.S. lenders (.SPXBK).

The U.S. central bank's two-day policy meeting will end at 2 p.m. ET to gauge the central bank’s rate-hike trajectory. U.S. Treasury yields rose, with the yield on the two-year note, which best reflects interest rate expectations, last at 4.212%. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.56-to-1 ratio on the NYSE a 1.75-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded no new 52-week high and four new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 13 new highs and 34 new lows.

☆ First Republic shares volatile as capital infusion remains in limbo
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 22 (Reuters) - Shares of First Republic Bank (FRC.N) were volatile in morning trading on Wednesday as the regional lender struggled to raise capital amid worries that it may need to downsize or seek government support. Major banks and private equity firms have so far balked at infusing capital on fear of losses on the bank's loan book and investment portfolio following a rapid rise in interest rates. The bank's shares flitted between gains and losses and were last up 3.6% at 10:31 a.m. Shares have lost roughly 87% of their value so far this month. Reporting by Manya Saini and Amruta Khandekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tesla, tech and travel stocks have ginormous gains this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Beaten-up travel stocks have also enjoyed solid gains this year, as investors bet that the worst-case fears of an imminent recession may turn out to be for naught and consumers catch up on missed travel. Some fear this ferocious rebound in consumer and tech stocks may be happening too quickly. “That means there are broader opportunities outside of tech and growth stocks and more in the value and small cap sectors.”Growth stocks, and tech in particular, make more sense as investments if the Fed were set to start slashing interest rates. Add all that up and it could mean that the recent rebound for Tesla, big techs and media firms and other consumer stocks could be short-lived. “Inflation and interest rate uncertainty means we continue to believe value stocks, including the global energy sector, will outperform growth stocks,” Haefele said.

☆ Wall Street Week Ahead: Retailers' results may be next test for rally in U.S. stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nolte is considering buying home-improvement retailer stocks that were hit hard in 2022 as the housing market struggled. Other companies set to report next week include chip company Nvidia (NVDA.O), COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna (MRNA.O) and e-commerce firm eBay (EBAY.O). Both companies are set to report on Tuesday and will "set the stage for everyone else," according to JPMorgan retail analysts. Reuters GraphicsAmong the other retailers set to report in the coming week are TJX Companies (TJX.N) and Bath & Body Works (BBWI.N). "We are clearly emphasizing retailers in select industries versus the mass market retailers," Tuz said.

JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) fell 1.2% as it set aside $1.4 billion in anticipation of a mild recession, even after beating quarterly profit estimates. The bank's Chief Executive Jamie Dimon listed a number of uncertainties facing the economy including geopolitical tensions and sticky inflation. Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) reported better-than-expected profit, with CEO Brian Moynihan also acknowledging an "increasingly slowing economic environment". Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) and Citigroup Inc (C.N) fell short of quarterly profit estimates, sending their shares down 3.9% and 0.6% respectively. Keeping the pressure off the Dow Jones, UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH.N) rose 1.9% after beating Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter profit.

☆ S&P 500 near flat as investors weigh chances of less aggressive rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Dow ended lower, and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) ended well off the day's highs. A consumer prices report due Thursday could be key for rate expectations, said Quincy Krosby, chief global strategist, LPL Financial in Charlotte, North Carolina. Also, S&P 500 companies are about to kick off the fourth-quarter earnings period, with results from top U.S. banks expected later this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) fell 112.96 points, or 0.34%, to 33,517.65, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 2.99 points, or 0.08%, to 3,892.09 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 66.36 points, or 0.63%, to 10,635.65. The S&P 500 posted 13 new 52-week highs and two new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 129 new highs and 32 new lows.

☆ Instant View: US payrolls show labor market remains strong but wages rises cool
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nonfarm payrolls increased 223,000 last month, the Labor Department said in its closely watched employment report on Friday. Monthly job growth is well above the pace needed to keep up with growth in the working age population. "Through the rest of the report, the average hourly earnings month over month came in at 0.3%. But everything else about this shows a very, very resilient labor market which doesn’t bode well for a smaller rate hike. "Fed will look at these numbers and say that the labor market is still pretty robust and to the extent that they would like to see a bit of slack in the labor market."

Most rate-sensitive technology and growth stocks such as Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) fell between 0.7% and 1.4% on Friday, as U.S. Treasury yields rose. The losses made communication services (.SPLRCL), technology (.SPLRCT) and the retail index (.SPXRT) among the top decliners on the S&P 500, with the three sectors shedding between 0.9% and 1.2%. The S&P 500 growth index (.IGX) is down about 30.5% this year, while the value index (.IVX) has fallen just 7.7%, with investors preferring high dividend-yielding sectors with steady earnings such as energy. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 2.51-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 1.73-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded no new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 45 new highs and 79 new lows.

The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) fell for the fifth straight session on Wednesday. The Nasdaq (.IXIC) was down for the fourth straight session, dragged lower by a 1.3% drop in Apple Inc (AAPL.O) on Morgan Stanley's iPhone shipment target cut and a 3.9% fall in Tesla Inc (.IXIC) over production loss worries. The CBOE volatility index (.VIX), also known as Wall Street's fear gauge, rose to a two-week high to 23.01 points. The S&P 500 is on track to snap a three-year winning streak, down 17.4% so far in 2022. The S&P index recorded six new 52-week highs and seven new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 36 new highs and 226 new lows.

☆ Dow dips ahead of Powell speech; Nasdaq kept afloat by growth stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) has gained 17.5% in the last two months, while the Nasdaq index (.IXIC) has added 4.2%. Traders expect the Fed to increase rates by 50 basis points in December, with the rates peaking in June 2023. So I don't really make much out of that, I'd like to see what Powell has to say," Saluzzi added. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.15-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 1.09-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded three new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 51 new highs and 120 new lows.

St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Thursday the U.S. central bank needed to keep raising interest rates given that its tightening so far "had only limited effects on observed inflation". The comments, coming on the heels of strong retail sales data, dampened hopes of the Fed toning down its hawkish approach following softer-than-expected inflation reports. They are getting more comfortable with a generally higher interest rate regime," said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago. ET, Dow e-minis were up 224 points, or 0.67%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 35.5 points, or 0.9%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 118.25 points, or 1.01%. Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O) gained 4.0% after the chip tools maker forecast first-quarter revenue above estimates, on hopes of easing supply chain constraints.

☆ Instant View: Comfortably cool U.S. CPI suggests aggressive Fed hikes taking hold
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

read moreMARKET REACTION:STOCKS: S&P 500 futures turned sharply higher and were up 3.1%BONDS: The yield on 10-year Treasury notes tumbled and was down 21.5 basis points at 3.927%; The two-year U.S. Treasury yield was down 26.6 basis points at 4.362%. The dollar index was off 1.3%COMMENTS:BRIAN JACOBSEN, SENIOR INVESTMENT STRATEGIST, ALLSPRING GLOBAL INVESTMENTS, MENOMONEE FALLS, WISCONSIN“Well, that was a relief. And I think the expectation now is the Fed hikes rates 50 basis points in December. ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY WEALTH, NEW YORK"A softer than expected inflation report is acting as a tailwind for markets. "Given just this data, it would allow the Fed to raise by only 50 basis points rather than 75 at the next meeting.

☆ VIEW Comfortably cool US Oct CPI spells relief for Fed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

And I think the expectation now is the Fed hikes rates 50 basis points in December. ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY WEALTH, NEW YORK"A softer than expected inflation report is acting as a tailwind for markets. Next, we immediately turned our attention to the CPI and that clearly came in better than expected. It rocketed the futures higher and then to top it off, weekly initial unemployment claims came in higher than expected. "Given just this data, it would allow the Fed to raise by only 50 basis points rather than 75 at the next meeting.

☆ Comfortably cool US CPI suggests aggressive Fed hikes taking hold
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

read moreMARKET REACTION:STOCKS: S&P 500 futures turned sharply higher and were up 3.1%BONDS: The yield on 10-year Treasury notes tumbled and was down 21.5 basis points at 3.927%; The two-year U.S. Treasury yield was down 26.6 basis points at 4.362%. And I think the expectation now is the Fed hikes rates 50 basis points in December. ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY WEALTH, NEW YORK"A softer than expected inflation report is acting as a tailwind for markets. Next, we immediately turned our attention to the CPI and that clearly came in better than expected. "Given just this data, it would allow the Fed to raise by only 50 basis points rather than 75 at the next meeting.

☆ 3 Markets rejoice after surprisingly cool inflation report
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

YUNG-YU MA, CHIEF INVESTMENT STRATEGIST, BMO WEALTH MANAGEMENT, CHICAGO“The better-than-expected CPI numbers are welcome but show a lot of underlying volatility. What Powell said is that we are going to need a few more reads on good CPI data before he can say we’re done." Shelter is the main contributor to inflation and everyone should know by now that it’s a garbage indicator of where inflation is headed. ART HOGAN, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, B. RILEY WEALTH, NEW YORK"A softer than expected inflation report is acting as a tailwind for markets. “The good news is that we saw a significant sequential improvement, inflation is clearly moving in the right direction.

☆ Energy shares shine again on Wall Street, lifted by earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Lewis Krauskopf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A standout all year, the S&P 500 energy sector (.SPNY) is up 26% in October alone, against an 8% rise for the overall S&P 500 (.SPX). Overall S&P 500 earnings are expected to have climbed just 4%. Indeed, excluding energy's contribution, S&P 500 earnings are set to have declined 3.5% in the quarter, according to IBES. Energy companies are benefiting from rising oil and gas prices, with U.S. crude prices up 16% so far this year. Indeed, energy sector earnings are expected to decline 11.5% in 2023, according to IBES data.

☆ Wall Street surges as market seeks bottoming signs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

FILE PHOTO: Raindrops hang on a sign for Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., October 26, 2020. That seems to be the daily MO for the market.”PHIL BLANCATO CEO OF CEO OF LADENBURG THALMANN ASSET MANAGEMENT“This is the turnaround week every single year. If you look for the single best turnaround week for the year, it’s always the second week of October. The fourth quarter is on average the best quarter every single year and on average the turnaround week happens the second week of October. You’re seeing earnings hold on so far.

☆ Dow, S&P 500 rise after recent losses; investors prepare for inflation, earnings data
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterInvestors were anxiously awaiting the producer price index report Wednesday and consumer price index data on Thursday. "A few investors might be trying to bet on a better-than-expected inflation report," said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Investment Management in Chicago. The S&P bank index (.SPXBK) was down 1.1% ahead of quarterly results from some major banks later this week. The reports are expected to kick off the third-quarter reporting period for S&P 500 companies. The S&P 500 posted one new 52-week high and 95 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 19 new highs and 517 new lows.

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