In Dow Jones news, the markets rallied as investors prepare to weigh earning reports and judge the health of the U.S. economy.
Let's look at the numbers from Monday for the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq:
Dow Jones: 20,636.92; +183.67; +0.90%
S&P 500: 2,349.01; +20.06; +0.86%
Nasdaq: 5,856.79; +51.64; +0.89%
Today's market highlights include:
New York is pushing private company Uber to provide tipping options on its app.
Shares of Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) received yet another upgrade and offered the biggest boost to the Nasdaq and S&P 500 Monday.
Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) will headline a round of earnings reports after the bell.
Now, here's a look at today's most important market events and stocks, plus a preview of Tuesday's economic calendar.
DJIA Today: Dow Climbs as Investors Turn to Earnings Reports and Weigh Tough Talk with North Korea
The Trump administration sent Vice President Mike Pence to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to deliver the message that the "era of strategic patience" with North Korea was over. Some in the media are now wondering if it is possible that President Donald Trump would meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
Money MorningExecutive Editor Bill Patalon issued a special report on Friday on the growing tensions between the United States and North Korea. Investors should know about two companies that are likely to help reduce geopolitical exposure. Here are the two stocks to watch right now.
Markets are gearing up for an important week of earnings. Highlights will include Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), and eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY). Many investors are expecting this to be the best season for corporate earnings since 2011.
Global markets received a boost of confidence after China announced that its economy grew at a faster pace than many analysts had expected. China reported that its economy grew by 6.9% in the first quarter, easily topping expectations.
Crude oil pricesfell in reaction to North Korea's failed missile launch and news that the number of U.S. production rigs continues to increase. Rising U.S. production has offset hopes that OPEC can reduce global output and help support prices. The WTI crude oil price today was off 1.09%, while Brent crude fell 0.9%.
The big news today will come after the bell as several key companies report quarterly earnings. Shares of Netflix Inc.(Nasdaq: NFLX) were up over 2% as investors expect an uptick in global subscriptions. Company executives are also expected to announce that the firm will air more than 1,000 hours of original programming in 2017. That figure is more than 50% higher than last year's original content development.
Meanwhile, look for an earnings report after the bell from United Continental Holdings Inc.(NYSE: UAL). While analysts expect the company will report earnings in line with expectations, the bigger story will be tied to the firm's ongoing public relations problems. Shares climbed more than 2% before the market closed Monday.
After the bell, look for additional earnings reports from Barracuda Networks Inc.(NYSE: CUDA), Brown & Brown Inc. (NYSE: BRO), and Celanese Corp. (NYSE: CE).
Stock Market News and Top Stocks to Watch Today: April 17, 2017
Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE ADR: CS) analysts were cheered on by shareholders of Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) and Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA) Monday. The Swiss investment bank raised its price target on AMZN stock from $900 to $1,050, which pushed the AMZN stock price up nearly 2%. The investment bank also increased its price target on BA stock. Money Morning readers are familiar with our coverage of both Boeing and Amazon. In fact, Money Morning Executive Editor Bill Patalon is adding Boeing stock to the top of his list for stocks to buy in 2017. Here's the rest of his list.
Shares of Arconic Inc. (NYSE: ARNC) added nearly 3% after the company's chairman and CEO resigned. Chief Executive Klaus Kleinfeld had been pressured by activist hedge fund Elliott Management to relinquish control of the alumina producer and spinoff of Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA).
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Shares of Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP), the parent company of social media firm Snapchat, fell over 1% and below $20.00 a share. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said that the firm had not prioritized expansion into Spain or India because he considers those nations to be "poor." The statement was revealed in a legal document from 2015 that was unsealed last week.