For Nov. 16, 2015, here's the top stock market news and stocks to watch based on today's market moves...
How Did the Stock Market Do Today?
Dow Jones: 17,483.01; +237.77; +1.38%
S&P 500: 2,053.19; +30.15; +1.49%
Nasdaq: 4,984.62; +56.73; +1.15%
The Dow Jones Industrial Average today (Monday) gained more than 237 points as investors looked past the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and oil prices surged due to geopolitical concerns. French airstrikes in Syria and news the United States is targeting the oil infrastructure and trucks used by ISIS pushed oil prices up and snapped a three-day losing streak for the commodity. Gold prices and silver prices were up marginally, just slightly more than 0.1% as traders anticipate the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in December 2015.
Tomorrow, keep an eye on the monthly Consumer Price Index report and the October report on industrial production. In addition, two members of the Federal Reserve will give speeches on monetary policy. Companies reporting quarterly earnings tomorrow include Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), TJX Companies Inc. (NYSE: TJX), Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (NYSE: DKS), Jack in the Box Inc. (Nasdaq: JACK), JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. (Nasdaq ADR: JASO), and La-Z-Boy Inc. (NYSE: LZB).
Top Stock Market News Today
- Stock Market News: All 10 S&P sectors were on the rise today, with energy stocks surging the most. The energy sector was up nearly 3% on the day. Meanwhile, the telecom sector was up more than 1.8%, fueled by strong gains and heavy volume of shares of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T). AT&T stock gained 2.3% after Warren Buffett boosted his position in the telecom giant. Buffett announced in a 13F he also increased his stake in General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), while he slashed his stakes in Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT). Buffett also increased his stake in International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), which saw shares jump 1.5% today.
- Japan Sinks: Earlier today, Japan's Cabinet Office announced its GDP declined in the September-ending quarter, pushing the country back into a technical recession. According to reports, GDP fell at an annualized pace of 0.8% in the third quarter. The news is a major blow to Abenomics and the nation's continued policy attempts to spur growth.
- Oil in Focus: Oil prices surged today as French air attacks in Syria and U.S. targeting of ISIS energy infrastructure raised geopolitical concerns about global prices. December WTI prices added 2.5% to hit $41.74, while Brent oil crude - priced in London - gained 0.2% to hit $44.56. High-volume stocks Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) gained 3.6% and 3.1% on the day, respectively. The largest mover was Baytex Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTE), which added more than 17% on the day.
Stocks to Watch: MAR, HOT, TGT, AAL, UAL, DAL, PCLN, EXPE
- Stocks to Watch No. 1, MAR: This morning, Marriott International Inc. (Nasdaq: MAR) announced it will purchase its rival Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in a $12.2 billion deal. The merger and acquisition activity will create the world's largest hotel chain, including the properties of Marriott with Sheraton, which will maintain more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms around the globe. MAR shares were up 1.4%, while HOT stock fell 3.6%.
- Stocks to Watch No. 2, TGT: Shares of Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) were up 0.5% ahead of a busy week of earnings for big box retailers. But there's a different "target" investors should be focused on. It's the "target" strategy that you should be using in order to make big gains by using options. Here's Money Morning Options Trading Specialist Tom Gentile's insight on a can't-miss strategy to use if you want to be successful at options trading.
- Stocks to Watch No. 3, AAL: Leisure stocks took a hard hit today in the wake of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and rising crude oil prices. Airline stocks fell sharply. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. (Nasdaq: AAL) slipped more than 1.4%, United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) fell 1.2%, and Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) slipped more than 2.1%. Meanwhile, Priceline Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PCLN) fell 2.4%, while booking rival Expedia Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE) slipped 2.1%.
What Investors Must Know This Week
- Grab Double-Digit Gains from This Analyst "Fail"
- Three Game Changers Fueling a Natural Gas Rebound
- Brace Yourself for This $2 Trillion Global Disruption
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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.