DJIA Today Sheds 6 Points in Choppy Session

For April 16, 2015, here's how the stock market did today, earnings reports, the top stock market news, and stocks to watch based on today's market moves…

How Did the Stock Market Do Today?

Dow: 18,105.77, -6.84, -0.04%

S&P 500: 2,104.99, -1.64, -0.08%

Nasdaq: 5,007.79, -3.23, -0.06%

The DJIA today gave up mid-afternoon gains to end the session down 6 points amid mixed earnings reports and lackluster economic data. Weekly jobless claims jumped to a six-week high this morning, although the moving average remains near a 15-year low.

March housing starts rose far less than analysts expected. Shares of homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. (NYSE: TOL) slipped 3%, while rival Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) fell 4.3%.

Top Stock Market News Today

• Labor Pains: The number of people who sought new U.S. unemployment benefits in the second week of April rose to the highest level in six weeks, government data showed Thursday. Initial jobless claims rose to 294,000 in the seven days ended April 11 from a revised 282,000 the prior week, the U.S. Department of Labor Department reported.
• Oil Prices Today: Energy price volatility continues to rattle the markets and energy stocks. The S&P 500 energy index dropped by more than 1% earlier today, before rallying back in the later afternoon on rising oil prices. Brent oil, priced in London, gained 1% to jump to $63.98 per barrel. WTI crude, priced in New York City, gained 0.6% on production concerns to hit nearly $56.71 per barrel.
• Financial Blowout: This morning, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) easily beat quarterly earnings estimates. The financial giant reported quarterly per-share profits of $5.94, outpacing consensus expectations of $4.26. The firm also said it has increased its quarterly dividend from $0.60 to $0.65.

Stocks to Watch: C, ETSY, KMI, SNDK, NFLX

• Stocks to Watch No. 1, C: Shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) were up 1.5% on news that the company reported its highest quarterly profits in eight years. The third-largest bank in the United States by assets reported first-quarter per-share earnings of $1.52, up from $1.23 in 2014. The company's optimism has grown since the Federal Reserve allowed Citi to proceed with its capital plans and return money to shareholders for the first time since the financial crisis.
• Stocks to Watch No. 2, ETSY: Shares of handicrafts retailer Etsy (Nasdaq: ETSY) soared more than 85% this morning in a stunning debut on the Nasdaq. It's clear that Etsy's IPO was underpriced at $16 per share. This afternoon, shares soared as high as $35 as investors scrambled to get a piece of the online marketplace. The deal has become one of the most talked-about tech offerings so far this year. Everything you need to know about this public launch can be found in our full coverage here.
• Stocks to Watch No. 3, NFLX: Shares of Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) were up 18% this afternoon on news that the company's subscription base surpassed 60 million and the firm announced quarterly revenue of $1.57 billion, a figure in line with analysts' estimates. With shares soaring, is now the time to buy NFLX stock? Here's your answer.
• Stocks to Watch No. 4, SNDK: Shares of SanDisk Corp. (Nasdaq: SNDK) slipped 4.5% this afternoon on news that the semiconductor giant slashed its outlook and reported dismal first-quarter earnings. The tech giant reported per-share earnings of just $0.17, compared to $1.14 in the same period last year. Today, Susquehanna Bank downgraded SanDisk from "Positive" to "Neutral."
• Stocks to Watch No. 5, KMI: Shares of Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE: KMI) rallied back this afternoon to a 0.58% gain as energy shares reversed. Today, the company announced plans to hike its quarterly dividend by 6.7% to $0.48 per share. The company recently announced plans to pay an annual dividend of $2 per share. The company reported weaker than expected revenue and earnings after the bell yesterday.

What Investors Must Know This Week

• Make More Money in the Markets Today with the Single Best Investing Strategy
• Beat the Market by 656% with Tech Stocks
• Why an Iran Nuclear "Deal" Won't Drive Oil Prices Down

Garrett Baldwin

About the Author

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Garrett Baldwin is a globally recognized research economist, financial writer, and consultant with degrees from Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Purdue, and Indiana University. He is a seasoned financial and political risk analyst, with a focus on stocks, hedge funds, private equity, blockchain, and housing policy. He has conducted risk assessment projects for clients in 27 countries, and consulted on policy and financial operations for some of the nation's largest financial institutions, including a $1.5 trillion credit fund, a $43 billion credit and auto loan giant, as well as two of the largest Wall Street banks by assets under management.

Garrett joined Money Map Press as an economist and researcher in 2011, specializing in alternative strategies with an emphasis on fundamental and technical analysis.

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