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Results for Monday, March 24 2014
● Standard & Poor’s 500: -0.49 percent to 1,857.44
● Dow Jones Industrial Average: -0.16 to 16,276.69
● NASDAQ: -1.18 percent to 4,226.39
Monday’s trading session saw stocks heading lower from the opening bell onward, with the Dow rallying late to climb back into the green for a brief moment only, as investors hurdled more troubling data out from the Chinese economy, as well as continued geopolitical tension arising from Russia’s de-facto annexation last week of the Eastern Ukranian region of Crimea. China’s PMI for the month of March came in at a reading of 48.1, well behind the forecasted 48.7 and the worst result in 8 months, as well as the fifth consecutive month of contraction. Meanwhile, the G-7 nations threatened further action against former member Russia as the latter continues to amass troops on its eastern border with Ukraine, which has led many to fear that it plans expand its grip on the country’s east beyond Crimea.
Our Top Stories
● David Drake files this report on how the European Union is far ahead of the US on its way to passing a crowdfunding law that would apply to the entirety of the economic zone.
● John Mauldin has an insightful piece on the potential risks that could arise as China’s enormous debt payments near their due-date.
● Andrew Klips on the bump for crude oil futures in the wake of the Sunoco (SU) pipeline spill in Ohio.
● Equities.com resident IPO expert Francis Gaskins has the run-down on the 11 offerings taking place this week.
● Casey Research argues for bullishness on stocks in the junior mining space.
● Nick Hodge makes the case for Fission Uranium in a lengthy research report following the company’s recent and successful drilling campaign.
● Senior Editor Jacob Harper argues that getting rid of hashtags and ‘@’ symbols is a necessary move for the popular social media messaging service Twitter (TWTR) .
Stocks
● Senior Editor Joel Anderson provided comprehensive coverage of healthcare stocks from Monday’s trading session, with the story behind the price action for Arrowhead Research ($ARWR), Cell Therapeutics ($CTIC), Idera Pharmaceuticals ($IDRA), and Novovax ($NVAX).
● North American Palladium (PAL) had another big day, with the stock heading to gains of some 20 percent as investors continue to be pleased with operational results as well as last week’s upgrades to reserve estimates at its Lac des Iles mine in Ontario, Canada.
● Social media giant Facebook (FB) put enormous downward pressure on the NASDAQ with the stock dropping over 4 percent in the wake of the stock’s downgrade last week from Argus Capital.