Dow Jones Today Dips 30 Points – but DGLY Spikes Again

Dow Jones Today, Sept. 2, 2014: The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 30 points Tuesday after a rash of geopolitical concerns hit markets and crude oil prices slipped to a 15-month low. Rising concerns in Pakistan, Iraq, and Ukraine outweighed positive news on the U.S. economy. According to reports released today, U.S. factory orders struck a near four-year high in August, while the housing industry saw construction spending increase by 1.8% in July. U.S. construction spending is now at a five-and-a-half-year high.

Following the invasion of eastern Ukraine by Russian forces, the European Union announced plans to decide whether it will employ greater sanctions on the country.

Here's the scorecard from today's trading session:

Dow: 17,067.56, -30.89 (-0.18%)
Nasdaq: 4,598.19, +17.92 (+0.39%)
S&P 500: 2,002.28, -1.09 (-0.05%)

Now, here are the top stories from the stock market today: 

    Dow Jones today

  • Merger Mania: The battle for Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE: FDO) continued to sizzle this afternoon. This morning, rival Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) increased its bid for Family Dollar to $80 per share, a 2% increase from its previous bid. Family Dollar rejected a $9 billion bid from the company last month, choosing instead to accept an offer from Dollar Tree Inc. (Nasdaq: DLTR) worth $8.5 billion.
  • Super Deal: Shares of Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA) were up more than 4% this afternoon on news that supermodel Gisele Bundchen has signed a deal to promote the company's successful women's clothing line. The news comes just days after the company lost out to Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) on a long-term deal to sign Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant to an exclusive contract.
  • Another Merger: Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: NCLH) were up more than 11% on news the company planned to purchase Prestige Cruises International Inc., the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The cash and stock deal is valued at roughly $3.025 billion.

Now our experts share some of the most important investment moves to make based on today's market trading - for Money Morning Members only:

  • Why Investing in Solar Energy Is Attracting the Big Boys: What began as backup to more conventional grid-networked sources of power has quickly blossomed into a separate profit center in solar energy. And a blockbuster acquisition announced earlier this month is about to make investing in solar energy a lot more appealing - and profitable for those in the know...
  • The Apple-IBM Deal Has One Clear Winner: You: Apple Inc. vs. International Business Machines Corp. was one of the bitterest tech rivalries of the past 30 years. But now, the two are joining forces in a bold new pact. It's a good deal for both companies... And today Defense & Tech Specialist Michael A. Robinson reveals which stock will end up as the better buy - and make it a great deal for you...

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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