News Highlights: Top Equities Stories Of The Day
TOP STORIES
U.S. STOCKS SLUMP AS EARNINGS REPORTS FAIL TO INSPIRE
Stocks continued their slide, led lower by the consumer-discretionary and technology sectors, after a raft of uninspiring earnings reports provided investors with little reason to buy. DJIA was down about 60 points.
RESCUE EFFORT UNDER WAY AFTER TEXAS BLAST
Rescue workers began painstakingly scouring the blast zone of a massive fertilizer-plant explosion that has left up to 15 people dead or missing, including emergency workers who responded to the initial fire, officials said.
U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE TO 352,000 IN WEEK
The number of U.S. workers applying for jobless benefits rose for the fourth time in five weeks, a sign the economy is only slowly adding jobs. Claims rose 4,000 to 352,000, a bit more than expected, while the four-week moving average rose 2,750 to 361,250.
U.S. LEADING INDEX UNEXPECTEDLY FALLS 0.1%
The index of leading economic indicators unexpectedly dropped in March, as consumers turned gloomy on the economy. The Conference Board's leading index fell 0.1%, the first decline since August. Economists expected a rise of 0.2%.
VIDEO PROVIDES CLUES TO BOSTON BOMBER
Federal investigators said they are working to identify a person in a video who appeared to leave a bag in the spot where one of two bombs later exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
VERIZON NET UP 16% AS MARGINS IMPROVE
Verizon Communications' first-quarter earnings rose to $1.95 billion, or 68c a share, as its wireless business continued to add customers and reached its highest profitability ever, helping improve margins. Shares rose 3%.
UNITEDHEALTH NET DOWN 14% ON SMALLER RESERVE BENEFIT
Health insurer's 1Q earnings fell to $1.19 billion, or $1.16 a share, as higher medical bills continued to outpace increased revenue, but still beat estimates. Shares down 2% premarket.
PHILLY FED INDEX SLIPS BELOW EXPECTATIONS
Business conditions for mid-Atlantic manufacturers remain barely positive this month, as the Philadelphia Fed's index of general business activity within its regional factory sector slowed to 1.3.
OIL PRICES MOVE HIGHER, BUT DEMAND WORRIES PERSIST
Crude-oil futures prices were higher, but well below session highs as worries persist over the state of the global economy and sluggish oil-demand growth.
PEPSICO SHARES HIT NEW HIGH AFTER PROFIT TOPS VIEWS
PepsiCo shares hit a new all-time high after sales rose on strong results from its snacks business and in emerging markets, offsetting weak results in its North America business, where is sacrificed market share in the soda wars to boost profits.
FED'S TARULLO SAYS 'HEALTHY PLATEAU' IN JOBS NEEDED
Federal Reserve governor Daniel Tarullo said he would like to see a pretty "healthy plateau" of jobs growth before the Fed begins changing its bond buying.
======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES =======
Money Talks
COMMODITIES TURN FOCUS TO DEFLATION
Commodity prices are heading down, which is bad because it signals weakness in the global economy, but good because it gives squeezed consumers a bit more breathing space, writes Alen Mattich.
Taking Stock
EQUITY, FX VOLATILITY TAKE DIFFERENT PATHS
It's far too early to know whether the Bank of Japan's money printing will achieve its aims and slay deflation for good, but it seems to have driven a wedge between foreign exchange volatility and its equity market counterpart, writes David Cottle.
TOP STORIES
U.S. STOCKS SLUMP AS EARNINGS REPORTS FAIL TO INSPIRE
Stocks continued their slide, led lower by the consumer-discretionary and technology sectors, after a raft of uninspiring earnings reports provided investors with little reason to buy. DJIA was down about 60 points.
RESCUE EFFORT UNDER WAY AFTER TEXAS BLAST
Rescue workers began painstakingly scouring the blast zone of a massive fertilizer-plant explosion that has left up to 15 people dead or missing, including emergency workers who responded to the initial fire, officials said.
U.S. JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE TO 352,000 IN WEEK
The number of U.S. workers applying for jobless benefits rose for the fourth time in five weeks, a sign the economy is only slowly adding jobs. Claims rose 4,000 to 352,000, a bit more than expected, while the four-week moving average rose 2,750 to 361,250.
U.S. LEADING INDEX UNEXPECTEDLY FALLS 0.1%
The index of leading economic indicators unexpectedly dropped in March, as consumers turned gloomy on the economy. The Conference Board's leading index fell 0.1%, the first decline since August. Economists expected a rise of 0.2%.
VIDEO PROVIDES CLUES TO BOSTON BOMBER
Federal investigators said they are working to identify a person in a video who appeared to leave a bag in the spot where one of two bombs later exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
VERIZON NET UP 16% AS MARGINS IMPROVE
Verizon Communications' first-quarter earnings rose to $1.95 billion, or 68c a share, as its wireless business continued to add customers and reached its highest profitability ever, helping improve margins. Shares rose 3%.
UNITEDHEALTH NET DOWN 14% ON SMALLER RESERVE BENEFIT
Health insurer's 1Q earnings fell to $1.19 billion, or $1.16 a share, as higher medical bills continued to outpace increased revenue, but still beat estimates. Shares down 2% premarket.
PHILLY FED INDEX SLIPS BELOW EXPECTATIONS
Business conditions for mid-Atlantic manufacturers remain barely positive this month, as the Philadelphia Fed's index of general business activity within its regional factory sector slowed to 1.3.
OIL PRICES MOVE HIGHER, BUT DEMAND WORRIES PERSIST
Crude-oil futures prices were higher, but well below session highs as worries persist over the state of the global economy and sluggish oil-demand growth.
PEPSICO SHARES HIT NEW HIGH AFTER PROFIT TOPS VIEWS
PepsiCo shares hit a new all-time high after sales rose on strong results from its snacks business and in emerging markets, offsetting weak results in its North America business, where is sacrificed market share in the soda wars to boost profits.
FED'S TARULLO SAYS 'HEALTHY PLATEAU' IN JOBS NEEDED
Federal Reserve governor Daniel Tarullo said he would like to see a pretty "healthy plateau" of jobs growth before the Fed begins changing its bond buying.
======= DOW JONES NEWSWIRES ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARIES =======
Money Talks
COMMODITIES TURN FOCUS TO DEFLATION
Commodity prices are heading down, which is bad because it signals weakness in the global economy, but good because it gives squeezed consumers a bit more breathing space, writes Alen Mattich.
Taking Stock
EQUITY, FX VOLATILITY TAKE DIFFERENT PATHS
It's far too early to know whether the Bank of Japan's money printing will achieve its aims and slay deflation for good, but it seems to have driven a wedge between foreign exchange volatility and its equity market counterpart, writes David Cottle.
