Macro Focus
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 13 points to 19,878.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures
dropped 2.25 points to 2,258.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index slipped 3.75 points to 4,945.50.
Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures dropped 0.53 percent to trade at $54.17 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures
also fell 0.69 percent to trade at $52.13 a barrel.
USA GDP (QoQ) for Q3 3.50% vs 3.30% consensus estimate. The prior reading was 3.20%.
Initial Jobless Claims for Dec 16 275.0K vs 256.0K estimate. Continuing Claims for Dec 09 2.04M vs 2.02M estimate.
- Data on personal income and consumer spending for November will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET.
- The index of leading economic indicators for November is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET.
- The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on natural gas stocks is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- The Kansas City Fed manufacturing index for December will be released at 11:00 a.m. ET.
- Data on money supply for the recent week will be released at 4:30 p.m. ET.
BZ News Desk Focus
-
Micron (NASDAQ: MU) Reports Q1 Adj. EPS
$0.32 vs $0.28 Est., Sales $3.97B vs $3.95B Est.
-
Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY)
Reports Q3 EPS $0.85 vs. Est. $0.98, Rev. $2.955B vs. Est. $3.01B
-
Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD) Reports Q3 EPS $0.02
vs $0.04 Est, Revenue $8.1B vs $8.2B Est
-
CalAmp (NASDAQ: CAMP) Reports Q3 Adj
EPS $0.21 vs $0.26 Est, Revenue 83.4M vs $83.93M Est
-
Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) Reports Q3 EPS $0.61
vs. Est. $0.58, Rev. $615M vs. Est. $618M
Sell-Side Themes
Aegis Capital initiated coverage on several casinos, with Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) and Melco Crown (NASDAQ: MPEL) receiving Buy ratings, while Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) received a Neutral rating.
Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) received at
least three downgrades following the stock's 9 percent drop on Wednesday.
Sell-Side's Most Noteworthy Calls
- B. Riley downgraded Zumiez (NASDAQ: ZUMZ) to Neutral.
- Wells Fargo downgraded Swift Transportation (NYSE: SWFT) to Market Perform.
- FBR Capital upgraded Sunoco (NYSE: SUN)
to Outperform.
- Summit upgraded Micron from Sell to Buy.
Deal Talk
Aetna (NYSE: AET) and
Humana (NYSE: HUM) have reached a pact to
extend the date to waive until February 15, 2017, with the right to terminate merger due to failure to complete merger on or before
December 31.
Shares of 8x8 (NASDAQ: EGHT) spiked as
high as $15.45 on Wednesday, as Benzinga reported that the company's Board of Directors has started a process to find a buyer,
according to a source. However, the source said that no buyers have come forward.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) confirmed it
has entered into exclusive negotiations with Actelion (OTC: ALIOF) regarding a potential transaction. The companies confirmed on December 13 that
discussions had ended.
In The News
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) ties to scandal-plagued 1MDB run deep. The
bank courted state fund now at heart of global embezzlement probes, and investigators want to know if it should have reported
suspicious activity.
Seasoned traders know rumors are a major part of the Wall Street world. Rumors can be both frustrating and profitable to traders
who time them right because the rumors don’t actually need to turn out to be true to influence share prices. Here’s a look at
seven of the biggest
rumors of 2016 and how they were resolved.
Blogosphere
Need a little self-examination? "Do yourself a favor
and get a grip. Log into your account and examine your performance. It might not feel good and it might not even change your
approach, but maybe it will dampen any illusions you have about the future."
Trending
TWLO TWTR MU BBBY MACK RHT FINL TBT DGAZ UGAZ EGLT LNN
With Christmas now just a few days away, last-minute holiday shoppers have only a few more days to get those final gifts for
friends and loved ones. Here’s a
list of 14 gifts to get for that special stock trader in your life this holiday season.
© 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.