Macro Focus
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 61 points to 18,047.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures
declined 7 points to 2,130.00. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index fell 7 points to 4,836.75.
Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures gained 0.60 percent to trade at $51.69 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures
also rose 0.43 percent to trade at $50.85 a barrel.
- Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo is set to speak in New York at 10:15 a.m. ET.
- The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET.
- San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams will speak in San Francisco at 2:30 p.m. ET.
BZ News Desk Focus
-
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Reports Q1 EPS 0.76 vs $0.68 Est., Sales $22.33 billion vs $21.7 billion Est.
-
McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) Reports
Q3 EPS $1.50 vs $1.49 Est., Sales $6.42 billion vs $6.28 billion Est.
-
General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) Reports
Q3 Adj. EPS $0.32, In line, Sales $29.27 billion vs $29.6 billion Est.
-
Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL)
Reports Q3 Adj EPS $0.35, In line, Revenue $2.667 billion vs $2.65 billion Est.
-
Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON)
Reports Q3 EPS $1.67 vs $1.70 Est., Sales $9.804 billion vs $9.79 billion Est.
-
Schlumberger Limited. (NYSE: SLB) Reports
Q3 Adj EPS $0.25 vs $0.22 Est, Rev $7.019 bilion vs $7.08 billion Est
-
Skechers USA Inc (NYSE: SKX) Reports Q3
EPS $0.42 vs. Est. $0.47, Rev. $942 million vs. Est. $954 million
Sell-Side Themes
Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP)
received a pair of downgrades to Market/Sector Perform.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK)
received a pair of upgrades to Neutral.
Sell-Side's Most Noteworthy Calls
- Jefferies downgraded Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) to Hold.
- Stifel upgraded Paypal to Buy.
- Piper Jaffray started Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) at Neutral.
- JPMorgan started Valvoline Inc (NYSE: VVV) at Neutral.
- Wunderlich started CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) at Buy.
Deal Talk
British American Tobacco PLC (ADR) (NYSE: BTI) made a $47 billion takeover offer for the roughly 58 percent of Reynolds
American, Inc. (NYSE: RAI) that it doesn’t already own
— a move that would cement the two cigarette giants’ longstanding trans-Atlantic ties and create the world’s largest listed tobacco
company by revenue and market value. BAT owns 42.2 percent of Reynolds, and is offering cash and BAT stock worth $56.50 a share for
the rest of the company.
In The News
Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS) is
running recruiting ads on Spotify as part of a retooled effort to reach young potential employees. The audio and banner ads
appearing in the U.S. and U.K. link to Goldman’s app and introduce potential recruits to different parts of the company. One of
Wall Street’s largest investment banks, Goldman is trying to entice potential applicants by stressing the opportunity to have a
positive impact on society.
Shares of Alkermes Plc (NASDAQ: ALKS)
are trading up more
than 40 percent after the company announced positive topline results from its late-stage clinical study of ALKS 5461 for the
treatment of depression. According to data out of FORWARD-5, the company’s third phase 3 efficacy study, ALKS 5461 considerably
reduced the symptoms seen in patients with major depression disorder, compared to a placebo.
Blogosphere
"Nintendo's new games console isn't named for its key feature. It's a plea: Switch," write Gadfly's Tim Culpan. "Catchy name,
catchy concept. Instead of choosing between a TV-connected machine and a handheld device, the Nintendo Switch offers both."
Trending
MSFT GE RAI PYPL ALKS TWLO SKX SYF STI TBI
The Chicago Cubs, who last night knocked off the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-4, to take a 3-2 lead in the National League Series
championship, are one win away from appearing in their first World Series since 1945. #Postseason
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