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☆ Wall St rallies on debt ceiling optimism, regional bank rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday reiterated their determination to strike a deal soon to raise the debt ceiling and avoid an economically catastrophic default. A jump in regional bank shares lifted sentiment, led by a 10.19% surge in Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N) a day after the bank said deposits grew by more than $2 billion in the quarter ended May 12. The KBW regional bank (.KRX) shot up 7.28% to notch its biggest one-day percentage gain since Jan. 6, 2021 to close at its highest level since May 1. The S&P 500 banks index also surged 4.46% for its biggest daily percentage gain since Nov. 10. "It is optimism over the debt ceiling.

☆ Wall St rallies on debt ceiling hopes, regional bank rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday reiterated their determination to strike a deal soon to raise the federal debt ceiling and avoid an economically catastrophic default. A jump in regional bank shares lifted sentiment, led by a 12.12% surge in Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N) a day after the bank said deposits grew by more than $2 billion in the quarter ended May 12. The KBW regional bank (.KRX) index was up 6.86% and on track for its biggest one-day percentage gain since Jan. 6, 2021 after touching its highest intraday level since May 3. "It is optimism over the debt ceiling it. That slowing along with recent negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling has focused attention on when the central bank will pause hiking, or cut interest rates.

Wall Street's main indexes climbed to session highs by early afternoon trading as shares of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) extended gains to rise 3.9% after its annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday. U.S. regional banks rose, led by a 14.0% rise in Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N) as the lender's deposit growth exceeded $2 billion and brokerage Bank of America Global Research resumed coverage of the bank with a "buy" rating. The KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) jumped 5.4% after losing 1.8% in the previous session, while S&P 500 banks (.SPXBK) added 3.4%. The S&P 500 retail index (.SPXRT) rose 1.3%. The S&P index recorded 12 new 52-week highs and 14 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 46 new highs and 99 new lows.

Shares of U.S. regional banks rose, led by a 12.6% rise in Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N) as the lender's deposit growth exceeded $2 billion and brokerage Bank of America Global Research resumed coverage of the bank with a "buy" rating. The KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) rose 3.1% after losing 1.8% in the previous session, while S&P 500 banks (.SPXBK) added 2.4%. "Cautious optimism expressed from both President Biden and Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy about the progress of the debt talks has made people feel a little bit better," said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities. Retailers Target Corp(TGT.N) and TJX Companies Inc (TJX.N) forecast current-quarter profit below expectations despite beating estimates for the first quarter. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.69-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.39-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

☆ Wall Street closes lower after Home Depot outlook, US retail sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Commerce Department reported retail sales rose 0.4% in April, short of the estimate for an increase of 0.8%. That slowing along with recent negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling has focused attention on when the central bank will pause hiking, or cut interest rates. While the market is currently pricing in a rate cut by the end of the year, recent comments from Fed officials suggested they are not ready to cut rates soon. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she does not think the central bank can hold interest rates steady yet. (This story has been corrected to say 'a rate cut,' instead of 'a rate hike,' in paragraph 8)Reporting by Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ S&P 500, Dow fall, dragged by Home Depot outlook, US retail sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Home Depot (HD.N) shed 1.73%, the biggest drag on the Dow Industrials and among the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 after the home improvement retailer cut its annual sales forecast and projected a steeper-than-expected decline in profit. The Commerce Department reported retail sales rose 0.4% in April, short of the estimate for an increase of 0.8%. That slowing along with recent negotiations over the U.S. debt ceiling has focused attention on when the central bank will pause hiking, or cut interest rates. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said she does not think the central bank can hold interest rates steady yet. The S&P 500 posted 10 new 52-week highs and 12 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 42 new highs and 163 new lows.

Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said on Monday he does not expect any interest-rate cuts this year, while Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said inflation is "much much too high" despite the rate hikes. Investors now await comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday for any clues on potential rate cuts this year. Shares of Magellan jumped 13.7%. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.14-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.92-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded six new 52-week highs and seven new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 44 new highs and 110 new lows.

"Markets reacted positively because they saw the inflation data as a small positive," said Michael Harris, president at hedge fund Quest Partners LLC. The rate-sensitive S&P 500 technology sector index (.SPLRCT) went up 1.22% and the communication services (.SPLRCL) rose 1.69%. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidIndexes were choppy during the session, as investors digested the positive inflation print with concerns about the looming debt ceiling. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by a 1.32-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.40-to-1 ratio favored advancers. The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and 11 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 86 new highs and 152 new lows.

Investors will look for clues on whether inflation is continuing to ease following the Labor Department's consumer price index (CPI) report on Wednesday. Shares of PayPal Holdings (PYPL.O) dropped and pressured the benchmark S&P 500 after the company cut its margin forecast. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 4, 2023. Under Armour Inc (UAA.N) fell 5.66% as the sports apparel maker forecast its annual sales and profit below street expectations. The S&P 500 posted 14 new 52-week highs and 14 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 77 new highs and 171 new lows.

The struggle for a clearer direction comes after a rally on Friday, when U.S. jobs data pointed to a resilient labor market. Producer prices, weekly jobless claims and consumer sentiment data are all lined up for the week. A rally in regional banks' shares proved short-lived, with PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) rising 5.6% after gaining as much as about 30% earlier in the session after the lender sharply cut its quarterly dividend to boost capital. Shares of regional banks tumbled for much of last week on worries tied to the collapse of First Republic Bank. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc's Class B shares rose 0.9% after posting a $35.5 billion first-quarter profit, boosted by gains from stocks such as Apple.

On the other end, regional banks' shares stretched gains from a rebound on Friday, with PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) jumping 19.9% after the lender sharply cut its quarterly dividend to boost capital. Shares of such banks tumbled for much of last week on worries tied to the collapse of First Republic Bank. "We're in an information vacuum right now, waiting for the next inflation data. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc's Class B shares rose 1.2% after posting a $35.5 billion first-quarter profit, reflecting gains from stocks such as Apple. The S&P index recorded seven new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 31 new highs and 23 new lows.

☆ Wall Street ends down on nagging uncertainty about Fed rate path
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It increased interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, as expected, and signaled it could pause further hikes. The unanimous decision lifted the U.S. central bank's benchmark overnight interest rate to the 5.00%-5.25% range, the 10th consecutive increase since March 2022. Powell said the Fed still views inflation as too high, and said it was too soon to say the rate hike cycle is over. All of the major S&P 500 sectors ended lower, with energy (.SPNY) and financials (.SPSY) down the most. The S&P 500 posted 24 new 52-week highs and 12 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 64 new highs and 266 new lows.

[1/3] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 3, 2023. Major U.S. stock indexes dropped over 1% on Tuesday as regional bank shares tumbled on renewed fears over the financial system and as investors tried to gauge how much longer the Fed may need to hike interest rates. Estee Lauder Cos Inc (EL.N) slid 21.3% as the MAC lipstick maker forecast a bigger drop in full-year sales and profit. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 2.11-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 2.25-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 19 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 30 new highs and 76 new lows.

☆ Stock Market Today: Dow Falls Nearly 400 Points as Fed Meeting, Debt Ceiling Loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Stocks are sliding Tuesday, alongside Treasury yields, with the Dow off by nearly 400 points and nearly all of the S&P 500's sectors drooping. Energy stocks led the decliners today, with financials also pulled down. Benchmarks had held fairly steady Monday, even as the failure of First Republic Bank knocked regional lenders and buoyed JPMorgan, which is picking up most of the pieces. Today, the declines picked up heading into the early afternoon, with energy and financial stocks hard-hit. But that's a sideshow compared to tomorrow, when the latest Federal Reserve decision is due.

☆ Wall Street near flat after First Republic news, awaiting Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Fed, which has been raising rates to cool inflation, is expected to hike rates an additional 25 basis points on Wednesday. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidEnergy (.SPNY) was down the most of the major S&P 500 sectors, falling 1.3% as crude oil prices declined , . First-quarter results from S&P 500 companies have mostly beaten expectations, easing economic concerns. The S&P 500 technology index (.SPLRCT) climbed 0.2% on Monday, offsetting some of the day's weakness. The S&P 500 posted 35 new 52-week highs and one new low; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 88 new highs and 188 new lows.

☆ Wall Street near flat ahead of Fed decision; regional banks fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Caroline Valetkevitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan will pay the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp $10.6 billion to take control of most of the regional bank's assets. The S&P 500 banks index (.SPXBK) was up 0.5%, but the KBW regional banking index (.KRX) was down 2.2%. Investors have been on edge about the banking system's health following the collapse of two other regional banks in March. First-quarter results from S&P 500 companies have mostly beaten expectations, easing economic concerns. The S&P 500 posted 35 new 52-week highs and one new low.

JPMorgan Chase & Co's (JPM.N) shares rose 3.1% to a near two-month high after the deal was announced earlier in the day. The S&P 500 Banks index (.SPXBK) gained 1.1%, while the KBW Regional Banking index (.KRX) shed 1.5%. Shares of regional banks PNC Financial (PNC.N) and Citizens Financial (CFG.N), that were among the bidders for First Republic, dropped 4.7% and 5.2%, respectively. "But regional banks will face higher cost of doing business for some time until confidence is rebuilt or there is a different regulatory scheme." Analysts now expect first-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies to fall 1.9% from a year earlier, compared with a 5.1% fall expected at the start of April, according to Refinitiv data.

The S&P 500 Banks index (.SPXBK) gained 1.4%. Big banks such as Bank of America (BAC.N) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) rose 0.3% and 2.8%, respectively. First Republic's woes kicked off last week on a bleak note, but upbeat earnings from Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) helped the benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) notch its second consecutive month of gain on Friday. Analysts now expect first-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies to fall 1.9% from a year earlier, compared with a 5.1% fall expected at the start of April, according to Refinitiv data. The S&P index recorded 21 new 52-week highs and no new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 48 new highs and 47 new lows.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: First Republic, JPMorgan Chase, SoFi Technologies & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the First Republic Bank logo at the Park Avenue location, in New York City, March 10, 2023. Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:First Republic Bank , JPMorgan Chase — First Republic shares were halted during premarket trading after falling more than 45%. The move comes after JPMorgan took control of First Republic after the beleaguered bank was taken over by regulators. SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF — The regional banking fund fell 0.4% in premarket trading as investors reacted to the failure of First Republic. Norwegian Cruise Line — The cruise line stock jumped 3% after Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings beat first-quarter expectations on the top and bottom lines.

Chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) gained 4.6% after it said gross margins will improve in the second half of the year. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) was set for a second consecutive monthly gain on better-than-expected earnings from megacap companies including Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Meta Platforms Inc (META.O). Analysts expect first-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies to now fall 1.9% year-over-year compared with a 5.1% fall expected at the start of April, according to latest Refinitiv data. The KBW Regional Banking index and the S&P 500 bank index (.SPXBK) gained over 1% each. The S&P index recorded 21 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 42 new highs and 97 new lows.

[1/2] Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., April 10, 2023. Chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) gained 6.1% after it said gross margins will improve in the second half of the year. Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) fell 3.5% as the company signaled its cloud growth would slow further, overshadowing its better-than-expected quarterly results. Analysts expect first-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies to fall 2.4% year-over-year compared with a 5.1% fall expected at the start of April. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 3.01-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 2.01-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

SummarySummary Companies Microsoft up as quarterly results top estimatesAlphabet gains on buyback plans, ad sales beatActivision Blizzard down as UK blocks Microsoft dealIndexes: Dow slips 0.01%, S&P up 0.30%, Nasdaq climbs 1.23%April 26 (Reuters) - The tech-heavy Nasdaq advanced on Wednesday as strong results from Microsoft and Alphabet offset concerns over rising interest rates and their effect on the U.S. economy. Earnings forecasts have improved, with analysts expecting a 3.2% contraction in first-quarter profit for S&P 500 companies compared with a 5.2% decline estimated at the start of the earnings season. Of the 163 S&P 500 companies that reported first-quarter profit through Wednesday, 79.8% topped analysts' expectations, as per Refinitiv IBES data. PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) gained 14.2% as the regional lender beat estimates for first-quarter profit and managed to stabilize deposit outflows. The S&P index recorded five new 52-week highs and seven new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 42 new highs and 300 new lows.

SummarySummary Companies Microsoft up as quarterly results top forecastsCloud firms gain on Microsoft earnings cheerActivision Blizzard down as UK blocks Microsoft dealIndexes: Dow off 0.02%, S&P up 0.16%, Nasdaq climbs 1%April 26 (Reuters) - The tech-heavy Nasdaq advanced on Wednesday as strong Microsoft results offset concerns over rising interest rates and their effect on the U.S. economy, while an upbeat forecast from Boeing further boosted sentiment. Earnings forecasts have improved, with analysts expecting a 3.9% contraction in first-quarter profit for S&P 500 companies compared with a 5.2% decline estimated at the beginning of the earnings season. Of the 124 S&P 500 companies that reported first-quarter profit through Tuesday, 79% topped analysts' expectations, as per Refinitiv IBES data. Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) is scheduled to report results after market close on Wednesday. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.09-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, while advancers outnumbered decliners by a 1.04-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

This helped push the Dow Jones Transport Average index (.DJT) down 3.6%, for its biggest one-day drop since September. The Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) dropped 238.05 points, or 1.98%, to 11,799.16 in its biggest one-day percentage decline since March 9. The KBW Regional Banking index (.KRX) dropped 3.9% as First Republic (FRC.N) shares fell 49%, hitting a record low. General Motors Co (GM.N) shares fell 4% after it cautioned that 2022 price gains will not last as the year goes on, even as it lifted full-year profit and cash flow forecasts. On U.S. exchanges 10.78 billion shares traded compared with the 10.32 billion average for the last 20 sessions.

The benchmark S&P 500 has been generally stable over early stages of a first-quarter earnings season that investors expect to show tepid results. For the week, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, the Dow dipped 0.2% and the Nasdaq lost 0.4%. Amazon shares rose 3% on Friday after a research firm predicted the online retailer's business in North America would beat Wall Street's estimates. The materials group (.SPLRCM) fell 0.9%, most among S&P 500 sectors, weighed down by declines in Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX.N) and Albemarle Corp (ALB.N). So far, analysts have largely retained last week's expectations of a near-5% year-on-year fall in quarterly profits at S&P 500 companies, according to Refinitiv data.

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