MARKET CURRENTS
real-time news and commentary for investors
MARKET CURRENTS
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Today - Wednesday, May 22, 2013
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7:13 PM Lender Processing Services (LPS) is the subject of acquisition talks with Fidelity National (FNF) and buyout shop Thomas H. Lee, with a price tag of about $2.9B, the WSJ reports. Fidelity National was LPS' parent until a 2008 spinoff; a deal would not only bring the service provider back into FNF's umbrella, but mark the latest of many deals Fidelity's made with Thomas H. Lee. The deal values LPS at about $33/share; it closed Wednesday at $29.11. 1 Comment
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4:15 PM Market recap: It was quite a day for the tea-leaf readers. Stocks spiked early on release of Bernanke’s prepared testimony, then began to fade as he seemed to break with the dovish tone during his Q&A, and then turned red as the Fed meeting minutes indicated a bit of a dilemma over when to taper. Gold futures, up more than 1% early, finished negative. The dollar rallied; Treasurys fell, lifting 10-year yields to 2%. 22 Comments
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2:04 PM FOMC Minutes: A "number" on the FOMC favored beginning a tapering of QE as early as June, but the committee as a whole decided more progress on the economy is needed first. A few participants expressed concern inflation is under target and say future price developments must be carefully watched. One member wanted to boost asset purchases, while one wanted tapering to begin immediately. 10 Comments
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10:03 AM Bernanke Congressional Testimony: Premature tightening risks choking off the economic recovery, says Bernanke in prepared remarks, and the FOMC stands ready to increase or decrease QE as necessary. Watch live here. 11 Comments
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
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4:10 PM Market recap: Stocks pushed higher as regional presidents Dudley and Bullard signaled the Fed remains far from winding down its stimulus, plus a bullish outlook from Goldman Sachs. Bernanke is on deck tomorrow with Senate testimony. Leading the gains were health care, consumer and bank stocks, while telecom and tech weighed on the downside. Treasurys rose; 30-year yields fell to 1.935%. 2 Comments
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11:49 AM As leaked earlier, Jamie Dimon will keep both jobs at JPMorgan (JPM +2.1%) as the vote to separate the Chairman and CEO roles receives only about 32% support (got 40% last year). Additionally, all board members are re-elected, including risk-committee member Ellen Futter, who got 53.1% of the vote. 6 Comments
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9:09 AM Sprint (S) raises its offer for Clearwire (CLWR) to $3.40/share ahead of today's shareholder vote on a $2.97/share offer, which was widely expected to be shot down. The revised offer, which trumps Dish's (DISH) $3.30/share bid and has been sent to Clearwire's board for review, is said to have the support of Comcast, Intel, and Bright House, who collectively own 26% of Clearwire shares not held by Sprint. Nonetheless, Clearwire +6.1% to $3.46, above the offer price. Sprint +1.1%. (previous) 6 Comments
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8:59 AM The effort to split the Chairman and CEO jobs at JPMorgan (JPM) appears to have failed, reports the NYT, citing sources who have seen the early tallies. The 3 members of the board's risk committee also look to have survived (an earlier leak says the 3 may be going no matter the vote outcome). The annual meeting begins at 10 ET. Shares +0.9% premarket. 1 Comment
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Monday, May 20, 2013
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4:15 PM Market recap: Stocks pulled back after the Dow and S&P hit new all-time highs, as comments from the Fed's usually-dovish Charles Evans on the improving economy added to views that he would support tapering QE bond purchases. Energy issues posted strong gains, balanced by lagging consumer staples. Gold and silver each rose more than 2% after big early losses, likely due to short covering. Comment!
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5:15 AM Directors at Chesapeake Energy (CHK) recruit Anadarko (APC) senior VP of international and deep-water operations Robert Douglas Lawler to succeed Aubrey McClendon as CEO, WSJ says. Lawler, a seasoned industry veteran, will join CHK on June 17 and says he "looks forward to generating value for shareholders in the years ahead." Besides plugging a multi-billion dollar gap between the company's spending and cash flow, Lawler's greatest challenge might be dealing with McClendon, whose contractual well investment rights mean he will likely be a part of the picture at CHK even if he isn't at the helm. 4 Comments
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Friday, May 17, 2013
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4:10 PM Market recap: The familiar buy-the-dip trade was back in action, and a bigger than expected rise in consumer sentiment plus a gain in leading economic indicators bolstered the view that maybe the economy isn't so bad. All key S&P sectors were in the green, led by energy and industrials. The dollar index jumped to its highest since July 2010, one of the factors behind gold's seventh straight losing session. 9 Comments
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10:41 AM Tableau's (DATA) IPO is as good as advertised. Shares opened at $47 and are currently at $49.82, up 61% from a raised IPO price of $31. That gives the analytics/data visualization software vendor a valuation of $2.86B, or a whopping 22x 2012 revenue. Rival Qlik (QLIK +4.6%) is up in sympathy - a bullish BMO note might also be helping. (S-1) (Pac Crest) Comment!
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Thursday, May 16, 2013
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4:10 PM Market recap: Stocks staged a mild retreat from record highs as talk of a Fed wind-down from its bond-buying program grows louder. Downbeat reports on jobless claims and housing starts weighed on sentiment at the open. Most S&P sectors fell, led by health care and utilities, while techs rallied after Cisco (+12.5%) topped expectations. Treasurys rose, pulling the 10-year yield to 1.87%. 4 Comments
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8:31 AM Initial Jobless Claims: +32K to 360K vs. 330K consensus, 328K prior (revised). Continuing claims -4K to 3.00M. 11 Comments
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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4:30 PM More on Tesla: The company announces it's offering 2.7M shares (current value of $244M) and $450M in convertible debt due 2018 in a public offering. Elon Musk plans to buy $100M worth of shares - $45M through the offering, $55M through a private placement. Tesla expects $830M in gross proceeds. TSLA now +6.8% AH. 51 Comments
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4:10 PM Market recap: An anticipated pullback fizzled out early, and stocks continued to climb to new records, this time led by utilities and consumer staples which had been lagging recently. Tech shares trailed, as Apple continues to drop. Reports on manufacturing, industrial production and producer prices all were disappointing; though nothing seems to touch the broader stock market, most commodities were whacked. 5 Comments
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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
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4:15 PM Market recap: Why do people listen to David Tepper? Because he's often right. His appearance on CNBC this morning to share his bullish views set the table for today's rally, led by big banks including BofA and AmEx. However, techs lagged after Apple sold off on no apparent news. Nymex crude ended below $95 as the IEA detailed a "supply shock"; gold fell to a three-week low at $1,424.50. 12 Comments
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11:38 AM Dell (DELL -0.6%) will deliver its FQ1 report on Thursday instead of next Tuesday and EPS will miss estimates, David Faber reports. Though light on details, Faber says annualized operating income will be "well below" the $3B the Street is looking for, and notes weaker free cash flow will hurt the ability of a buyer to lever up the company. Shares are down to $13.44, 2% below Michael Dell/Silver Lake's $13.65 offer price. Update: Dell confirms its FQ1 report will now arrive on Thursday afternoon. 5 Comments
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Monday, May 13, 2013
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4:53 PM Verizon Wireless is making a fresh $7B cash distribution to owners Verizon (VZ) and Vodafone (VOD) - Verizon will get $3.85B, and Vodafone $3.15B. A $10B distribution was made in 2011, and an $8.5B distribution last November. CEO Lowell McAdam appeared to be hinting earlier this month Vodafone might not get a distribution this year, as Verizon Wireless focuses on paying down debt. VOD +0.5% AH. VZ +0.3%. 5 Comments
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