Stock Futures Cautiously Higher Ahead of Busy Week

A number of analysts are adjusting their outlooks on NFLX before earnings

Jul 16, 2018 at 9:06 AM
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Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are signaling a slightly positive start to the week. Earnings will continue to dominate the headlines, with financial firms Bank of America (BAC) and BlackRock (BLK) reporting quarterly results this morning. Then, after the close, Netflix (NFLX) will unveil its second-quarter numbers, while fellow FAANG stock Amazon (AMZN) could be in focus as its annual Prime Day gets underway this afternoon.

There's plenty else to hold investor attention in the meantime, including the much-anticipated meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as well as today's economic data. Specifically, retail sales for June rose 0.5% to match expectations, and the Empire State manufacturing index dipped in July. Elsewhere, oil prices are extending last week's retreat, with August-dated crude futures down 2.2% at $69.42 per barrel.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

stocks this morning

5 Things You Need to Know Today

  1. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.1 million call contracts traded on Friday, compared to 679,760 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio rose to 0.62, while the 21-day moving average edged up to 0.60.
  2. Shares of troubled Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB) are set to rebound in a big way today, after the Germany-based financial giant announced upbeat preliminary results for the second quarter. The stock is trading up almost 7% before the open, which would put it near the $12 mark for the first time since May. Shares of DB started 2018 near $19.
  3. Alcoa (AA) spinoff Arconic Inc (NYSE:ARNC) has risen 12% in pre-market trading, thanks to a Wall Street Journal report that the company has drawn takeover interest from private equity firms. Meanwhile, the aerospace parts supplier just announced a major multi-year deal with Boeing (BA), as well as a 3-D printing collaboration with Lockheed Martin (LMT). To top it all off, Jefferies called ARNC stock a "buy."
  4. Ahead of earnings this afternoon, Netflix is again seeing mixed analyst attention. Buckingham Research downgraded the streaming stock to "underperform" from neutral," citing stronger international competition and "underwhelming" content. Citigroup also weighed in cautiously, saying a strong U.S. dollar could weigh on the company's third-quarter guidance. SunTrust Robinson and Susquehanna, meanwhile, both raised their price targets to $415. NFLX closed Friday at $395.80.
  5. Business inventories are due out today, too. J.B. Hunt (JBHT) earnings also came out this morning.

stock market news july 16

Asian Markets Slip After Chinese GDP Data

It was a mostly lower finish in Asia today, after data showed China's economy grew 6.7% in the second quarter. While this was in line with the consensus estimate, it was slightly lower than the 6.8% first-quarter growth rate. Along similar lines, industrial production slowed to 6% in June from 6.8% in May. The Shanghai Composite fell 0.6% and South Korea's Kospi gave back 0.4%, though Hong Kong's Hang Seng eked out a 0.05% gain. Markets in Japan were closed for holiday.

European markets are trading in negative territory at midday, as mining stocks drop on the soft Chinese economic data. On the economic front, the trade surplus for the eurozone narrowed for a third straight month in May. At last check, London's FTSE 100 is off 1%, the French CAC 40 is down 0.3%, and the German DAX is 0.08% lower.

 

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