The Dow Jones today will be bogged down by the weight of global economic uncertainty.
Investors are left gritting their teeth with Brexit now delayed until June, replacing the original March 29 deadline. The delay ratchets up the uncertainty around the deal and signals Brexit may be messier than anyone thought. This comes a day after the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw its biggest gains in a month, thanks to a big pop in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock.
More on what's moving the Dow below, including sanctions on Venezuela and the latest pressures facing Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA).
Here are the numbers from Thursday for the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq:
Index
Previous Close
Point Change
Percentage Change
Dow Jones
216.84
+216.84
+0.84%
S&P 500
2,854.88
+30.65
+1.09%
Nasdaq
7,838.96
+109.99
+1.42%
Now, here's a closer look at today's Money Morning insight, the most important market events, and stocks to watch.
The Top Stock Market Stories for Friday
This morning, markets are paying close attention to ongoing developments in the United Kingdom. Britain was set to leave from the European Union (aka Brexit) next week, and the government was still no closer to a resolution than they were 1,000 days ago, after voters approved the referendum. However, EU leaders voted to kick the can down the road for another few weeks (April 12) and allow England more time to reach a domestic deal. Prime Minister Theresa May has said that she will return to the House of Commons to attempt to pass a deal or return with "alternative plans."
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Keep a close eye on oil prices. Last week, the United States imported no oil from Venezuela. Last November, the U.S. imported 500,000 barrels. This is important given that the U.S. must replace the source of this much crude oil. The sanctions on Venezuela are just one of the three major factors that will drive oil prices to 2019 highs in the third quarter. This morning, U.S. WTI oil was flat at $60 per barrel, while Brent crude was sitting just short of $68 per barrel. Prices faced some pressure today due to ongoing concerns about global economic growth.
Three Stocks to Watch Today: BA, NKE, FV
Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) is facing new pressure after an international airline giant canceled a large order of 737 Max planes in the wake of two crashes of the same aircraft in five months. Indonesian airline Garuda said that it still may change its order to another type of Boeing jet. Governments around the globe have grounded 737 Max jets as authorities investigate the two recent fatal crashes. The FBI has reportedly joined a criminal investigation into the certification process for the 737 Max jets.
Shares of Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) slumped more than 4.5% after the sports apparel giant reported weaker-than-expected sales in North America. Although the firm topped Wall Street EPS expectations and fell in line with revenue forecasts, it reported very weak sales in its Converse brand. Nike executives said its brand is strong overseas, especially in China, where opportunity continues to grow. However, Wall Street is more concerned about Nike's forecast in the United States and Canada for the balance of 2019.
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) is facing yet another public relations problem this week. According to reports, Facebook revealed that its staff had complete access to the passwords of hundreds of millions of users. According to KrebsOnSecurity, the social media giant stored passwords in "plain text that was searchable by thousands of Facebook employees." Although no evidence suggests any wrongdoing, this is the latest self-inflicted black eye for the company at a time when it continues to face data privacy scandals.
These 3 Stocks Are the Key to 2019's Greatest Profits
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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.