The Dec. 15 trade deadline is looming larger and larger
After the Fed kept interest rates steady yesterday, stock futures are drifting lower this morning. Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) futures are all signaling slightly lower opens, as investors turn their eyes away from the Fed and back to U.S.-China trade drama. Reports indicate President Donald Trump will meet with his top trade advisors today as the Dec. 15 deadline for additional U.S. tariffs on more Chinese goods looms. Elsewhere, the producer price index came in flat for November, lower than the expected 0.2% increase, while weekly jobless claims jumped to a two-year high last week.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
- 3 reasons we're targeting a triple for Stamps.com.
- Mastercard stock picked up a big bull note yesterday.
- Plus, GE upgraded; LULU dinged after weak guidance; and Delta ups profit forecast.
5 Things You Need to Know Today
- The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 1.05 million call contracts traded on Wednesday, compared to 552,622 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio slipped to 0.52, while the 21-day moving average fell to 0.59.
- General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) stock is up 3.6% in electronic trading, after receiving an upgrade to "buy" from "neutral" at UBS. While also upping its price target to $14 from $11.50, the analyst in coverage sees better industrial cash flow creating a positive inflection point in 2020. GE is up 50% year-to-date, and call traders have been targeting the stock.
- Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU) stock is down 3.3% ahead of the bell today. Despite the athleisure retailer reporting third-quarter earnings and revenue that topped forecasts, its current-quarter guidance was far below expectations. That hasn't stopped nine brokerages from upping their price targets, though, including Susquehanna to $260.
- The shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) are up 2.1% before the open, after the airliner upped its 2020 profit forecast. The company also announced an equity stake in private jet airliner Wheels Up. Delta stock is currently holding above the $55 area, also home to its 10% year-to-date level.
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Taking a turn in the earnings confessional will be Broadcom (AVGO), Ciena (CIEN), Costco (COST), and Oracle (ORCL).
Asian Markets React to Fed News; Europe Eyes U.K. Elections
Stocks in Asia were mostly higher after the Fed decision in the U.S. However, China’s Shanghai Composite snapped its five-day win streak with a 0.3% loss. Among the winners, the Kospi in South Korea had the best day grabbing a 1.5% win, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng wasn’t far behind with its 1.3% gain. Japan’s Nikkei also rose, adding 0.1%.
In Europe, shares are mostly struggling for upside today, though London’s FTSE 100 is outperforming with a 0.4% gain. Traders are watching the general elections in the U.K., while European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde will also give her first press conference in the role after the central bank left rates unchanged. Elsewhere, the French CAC 40 is down 0.08%, and the DAX in Germany has dipped 0.05%.