Dow Jones Industrial Average Today Reacting to Presidential Debate

presidential election 2016This morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was flat as investors weighed last night's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

But while everyone is focused on last night's debate, the real story still centers on the Federal Reserve. Last night, Donald Trump accused Fed Chair Janet Yellen of politicizing the central bank and creating a bubble.

Regardless of Yellen's potential political motivations, the Federal Reserve has been the primary driver of market performance over the last eight years. Now, everyone is trying to determine if the central bank is going to raise interest rates this year.

At Money Morning, we're focused on helping you find the best stocks to own, regardless of what the central bank does with monetary policy.

Money Morning Resource Specialist Peter Krauth recommends that you buy these stocks before the markets realize they are immune to an interest rate hike.

Consumer spending will be in focus today as Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) reports earnings.

On Monday, the Dow cratered more than 150 points as markets prepared for last night's debate.

Monday's Stock Market Numbers:

Dow Jones: 18,094.83; -166.62; -0.91%                             

S&P 500: 2,146.10; -18.59; -0.86%

Nasdaq: 5,257.49; -48.26; -0.91%

Now let's look at the most important market events and stocks to watch today, plus your economic calendar, for Sept. 27, 2016.

What's Ahead for the Dow Jones Industrial Average Today

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is flat before the opening bell. Global markets, though, have been rallying this morning as investors said that Hillary Clinton won last night's debate. The biggest winner of last night's debate? Mexico, which saw its peso surge more than 2%. Trump, who opposes NAFTA, has targeted companies for outsourcing to Mexico, whose largest export market is the United States.

Trending: How U.S. Interest Rates Impact Your Money

Gold prices were sliding this morning after the debate. But don't expect gold prices and gold stocks to continue to slide. Gold stocks have been one of the stellar market outperformers in 2016, and it is not too late to shop for some top gold stocks.

Oil prices were falling this morning as hopes for a possible deal among OPEC and Russia to cap production faded. Money Morning Global Energy Strategist Dr. Kent Moors has said for weeks that this deal was doomed from the start. In fact, Kent argues this week's meeting is about much more than oil prices. Here's the truth about OPEC's strategy...

The WTI crude oil price today fell 1.8%. Meanwhile, the Brent crude oil price added 2%.

But the big story today was last night's presidential debate. GOP nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton squared off in the first of three debates. Most analysts have argued that Clinton won the debate, but moderator Lester Holt was criticized for failing to ask questions about Clinton's email server, leadership on Libya, and other decisions in her career. One topic that wasn't covered significantly: the Syrian refugee crisis. Here's why the issue matters to the global economy.

Stocks to Watch Today, Sept. 26, 2016

  • Shares of Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) are sliding despite news that the company could be purchased. According to various reports, Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is considering a bid for the microblogging giant. Disney likely won't be the only firm to make a bid in the coming weeks. Names of other possible suitors include Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM), Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), and Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL).
  • On the earnings front, shares of FactSet Research Systems Inc. (NYSE: FDS) were sliding in pre-market hours after the financial data firm fell slightly short of Wall Street earnings and revenue expectations. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.69, just a penny short of expectations. Meanwhile, revenue was slightly off at $287.69 million.
  • Keep an eye out for additional earnings reports from Cintas Corp. (Nasdaq: CTAS), IHS Markit Ltd. (Nasdaq: INFO), and Neogen Corp. (Nasdaq: NEOG).

Today's U.S. Economic Calendar (all times EDT)

  • Redbook at 8:55 a.m.
  • S&P Case-Shiller HPI at 9 a.m.
  • PMI Services Flash at 9:45 a.m.
  • Consumer Confidence at 10 a.m.
  • Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index at 10 a.m.
  • State Street Investor Confidence Index at 10 a.m.
  • Federal Reserve Board Vice Chair Stanley Fischer speaks at 11:15 a.m.
  • 4-Week Bill Auction at 11:30 a.m.
  • 5-Year Note Auction at 1 p.m.

Up Next: Are you doing everything you can to grow your retirement "nest egg"? You can start today with our top 5 money-making investment reports - they're absolutely free...

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About the Author

Garrett Baldwin is a globally recognized research economist, financial writer, consultant, and political risk analyst with decades of trading experience and degrees in economics, cybersecurity, and business from Johns Hopkins, Purdue, Indiana University, and Northwestern.

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