For Nov. 20, 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 Jones: 17,824.02; +91.27; +0.51%
S&P 500: 2,089.17; +7.93; +0.38%
Nasdaq: 5,104.92; +31.28; +0.62%
The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished its best week in more than a month today, fueled by a 5.2% surge in Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) stock. The global shoe and apparel retailer announced that it has authorized a $12 billion stock buyback program and a two-for-one stock split. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department introduced new rules to deter U.S. companies from engaging in tax inversions, although Secretary Jack Lew admitted that the policies are unlikely to stop a very large merger in the pharmaceutical space that is near completion between Allergan Plc. (NYSE: AGN) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE).
Top Stock Market News Today
Stock Market News: Eight of 10 S&P sectors saw gains on Friday with healthcare stocks leading the way. Shares of Botox-maker Allergan Plc. (NYSE: AGN) gained more than 4.2% on deal rumors involving Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE). Meanwhile, shares of health insurers Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) and Anthem Inc. (NYSE: ANTM) added 4.2% and 1.9%, respectively, after the companies said their profitability has not been impacted by the Affordable Care Act.
Stimulus Watch: Earlier this morning, European Central Bank Mario Draghi announced that his team of policy makers are prepared to take action should their current strategy on monetary policy fail to stimulate the stagnate Eurozone economy. Many analysts project the euro could fall to parity with the U.S. dollar next year as monetary policy strategies of the Fed and the ECB appear to be heading in opposite directions.
Oil in Focus: Oil prices slipped again as concerns about oversupply continue to rattle trader sentiment. December WTI prices dipped 0.8% at $40.42 per barrel. Meanwhile, Brent oil fell 0.1% to hit $44.11. High-volume stocks Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) fell 0.7% and 1.7% on the day, respectively. Shares of Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE: KMI) were off more than 1.0%.
On Tap Next Week: On Monday, keep an eye out for a monthly update on existing home sales and a number of earnings reports. Companies set to report quarterly earnings include GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), Palo Alto Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: PANW), Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN), and Trina Solar Ltd. (NYSE: TSL).
Stocks to Watch: SQ, ANF, TSLA, GOOGL, INTU, GOOGL, MTCH
Stocks to Watch No. 1, SQ: Shares of Square Inc. (NYSE: SQ) jumped more than 42% during its first day of trading on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The mobile payment company opened trading at $9 but quickly shot up as investors continue to pile money into tech startups - even though this one has yet to report any revenue.
Stocks to Watch No. 2, ANF: Shares of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) gained more than 26% after the company offered positive data to suggest that its turnaround is slowly working. The teen retailer said that quarterly same-store sales fell less than expected and its profit more than doubled as the teen apparel retailer boosted gross margin by offering fewer promotions and controlling costs. Despite the positive news, ANF's quarterly revenue has declined for 11 straight quarters.
Stocks to Watch No. 3: TSLA: Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) fell about 1% on news that the company will voluntarily recall 90,000 Model S cars due to a single report indicating that the front seat belt was not functioning properly.
Stocks to Watch No. 4: GOOGL: Shares of Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG, GOOGL), the parent company of search giant Google, added another 2.2% on news that it will launch a Chinese version of the Google Play smartphone app in 2016.
Stocks to Watch No. 5: INTU: Shares of Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) gained nearly 6.5% on news that the company reported stronger than expected first-quarter earnings. The maker of tax-management software reported more than $713 million in revenue, besting consensus expectations of $670 million. The company also hiked its full-year profit forecast.
Stocks to Watch No. 6: MTCH: Shares of Match Group Inc. (Nasdaq: MTCH) traded near $16 per share in late morning trading today after the successful Match.com IPO yesterday. Despite an unfavorable 2015 IPO market, MTCH stock attracted investors because of the profitable online dating industry. According to Financial Times, the online dating industry is now worth roughly $2 billion. So, should you buy into the owner of Match.com and Tinder?
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.
