And while the earnings reports of some of the world's largest technology companies dominated the headlines, a number of profit opportunities may have gone unnoticed. We want to cover those and find ways to help you profit.
Don't Miss: The Internet of Things revolution will create a $6 trillion market - and these five stocks are the best way to grab a piece of those gains for yourself.
Before we get to those stories, check out the results for the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq:
Dow Jones: 18,456.35; -15.82; -0.09%
S&P 500: 2,170.06; +3.48; +0.16%
Nasdaq: 5,154.98; +15.17; +0.30%
Now, here's the top stock market news today... and your best ways to profit.
It was a mixed day on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling and the Nasdaq rising. The Dow shed 15 points, recovering from a triple-digit decline earlier in the session. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq was trending higher as it prepares for some of its biggest heavyweights to report quarterly earnings after the bell today.
On Wednesday, the Fed Open Market Committee announced that it would not raise interest rates this month, but hinted that a hike could be possible by September. Despite the rhetoric, the markets largely do not anticipate a rate hike this year. Policymakers have not increased interest rates in 2016 for several reasons. The Fed is concerned about a slowdown in China, the uneven U.S. economic recovery, and global stock market volatility. The question now is whether we will even see another rate hike this year, let alone by September. We answer that, right here.
It was a mixed day of earnings reports and forward guidance statements. It was a brutal day for Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F). Shares fell more than 8% after the company reported second-quarter results and slashed its sales forecast. The firm said its earnings fell by 9%. The news punished other companies in the auto sector. Shares of General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) fell 3%, while Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE: FCAU) dropped 4%.
Meanwhile, shares of Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN) were up more than 25% after the firm bested earnings expectations. Here's all you need to know about why the stock is breaking out.
In deal news, Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) has announced it will purchase NetSuite (NYSE: N) for roughly $9.3 billion. The latter is the first cloud-computing company, owned by Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle.
Crude oil prices were falling again today, with concerns about a global supply glut weighing on trader sentiment. Prices are at a three-month low a day after the as the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced a surprise increase in crude inventories across the United States.
WTI crude prices were off 2.0%, while Brent crude prices fell by 1.8%.
Now, let's look at the day's biggest stock movers...
Up Next: The best dividend stocks continue to raise their payouts. The best of the best do so for 50 years in a row... like these "dividend kings"...
Follow Money Morning on Facebook and Twitter.
[mmpazkzone name="end-story-hostage" network="9794" site="307044" id="138536" type="4"]
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.