Written by Gary
US markets closed flat-line, in the green (SPY +0.07%) and the indicators are neutral to bearish. What happens next has investors worried. Crude prices are trying to break through the resistance (WTI $50), gold holding its own at support and the US dollar is slowly melting up from session lows.
Todays S&P 500 Chart
The Market in Perspective
| Here are the headlines moving the markets. | |
 | Twitter shares plunge on report bidders are scarce(Reuters) – Twitter Inc shares plunged on Thursday as fears mounted that a much-anticipated auction of the social media company will draw minimal interest from potential buyers. |
| Wall Street flat as focus shifts to jobs report(Reuters) – Wall Street was little changed on Thursday, a day ahead of a crucial employment report that would show whether the economy is strong enough to absorb an interest rate hike. |
| Wal-Mart plans bigger e-commerce shift, tempers profit viewCHICAGO (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc said it plans to focus heavily on its e-commerce operations on Thursday and warned investors that the cost of the long-term plan would weigh on earnings over the next two years. |
| Oil hits four-month highs as OPEC keeps talks of cuts in focusNEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil rose more than 1 percent to four-month highs on Thursday, spurred by another informal OPEC meeting on output cuts and plunging U.S. crude inventories, with some saying the market has overshot itself with a near 15-percent gain in seven sessions. |
| IMF, global finance leaders fret over populist backlashWASHINGTON (Reuters) – World finance leaders on Thursday decried the growing populist backlash against globalization and pledged to take steps to make trade and economic integration benefit more people currently left behind. |
| Fed buys $10.9 billion of mortgage bonds, sells noneNEW YORK (Reuters) – The Federal Reserve bought $10.901 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities in the week |
| Apple shares perk up after strong report from iPhone chip supplierSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Shares of Apple Inc rose 1 percent on Thursday after German supplier Dialog Semiconductor Plc said its quarterly revenue were higher than expected, adding to recent enthusiasm about demand for the newest iPhone. |
| Two big hedge funds unwind bets against Deutsche in sign of confidenceLONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Two leading hedge funds which made big bets on Deutsche Bank shares falling are now reducing their “short” positions, in a sign of confidence in the stability of the lender. |
| German companies ready to provide capital for Deutsche Bank: HandelsblattBERLIN (Reuters) – The chief executives of several German blue-chip companies have discussed Deutsche Bank’s problems and are ready to offer a capital injection if needed to shore up Germany’s largest lender, newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Thursday. |
| 5 Things Hillary Clinton Has Done That Will Make You Question Her SanitySubmitted by Darius Shahtahmasebi via TheAntiMedia.org, Given the strong link between leadership and psychopathy, questioning the sanity of our future leaders might not be so preposterous. One study, for example, found high rates of superficiality, insincerity, and an inability to empathize in a number of business CEOs (one in five). In order to be successful at the level of a world-renowned politician or head of a powerful conglomeration, one often has to take actions that can severely affect others. Being able to do so without feeling guilt or remorse is an advantage in both the business and political world. When it comes to Hillary Clinton, she not only displays traits one would likely regard as psychotic, but she also seems to be completely off-balance in other aspects of her mental constitution, such as in documented instances where she has appeared to have lost complete control of her faculties or has compulsively lied and barked like a dog. Let’s take a look at the evidence. 1. Execution of Muammar Gaddafi Clinton’s leaked emails confirmed the long-held “conspiracy theory” that the plan to take out Libya’s then-dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, was motivated not by human rights concerns, but by Gaddafi’s plan to introduce a gold-backed currency that would unite the e … |
| “The Production Cuts Were Going To Happen Anyway” – An Inside Look At The OPEC “Deal”, And How It HappenedAhead of the OPEC Algiers announcement on September 28, the broad market consensus was that just like in previous summits, there would be no deal and the best market watchers could hope for from the oil producing cartel was an agreement on another meeting, with the requisite future headlines popping up occasionally to push the price of oil higher courtesy of headline scanning algos. However, in a major surprise, Saudi Arabia appeared to relent and agreed to not only freeze production but to, at least on paper, cut its output by a few hundred thousand barrels – the actual production cuts among OPEC members have yet to be determined – to return total OPEC production from a near record high 33.2 million barrels per day to 32.5mmbd, while exempting arch Saudi enemy – Iran – from the agreement terms, permitting it to pump until it hits pre-sanction levels, or higher. But how and why did Saudi Arabia relent? That is the answer provided by a probing piece by the WSJ’s Summer Said who writes that Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince sent his energy minister to an OPEC meeting last month with a difficult mission: Make a deal with rival Iran but don’t compromise the kingdom’s ability to fight for oil-market share.
The shift in the Saudi position over the past two years is shown i … |
| Elliott Agitates Samsung in the Right DirectionElliott Management’s call for change at Samsung Electronics pushes the company in a direction it is already heading. That should benefit shareholders. |
| Wal-Mart: What Will It Cost to Compete With Amazon?Investors will want proof that Wal-Mart’s spending on its new e-commerce strategy is having the needed effect. |
| Jack Welch’s Debunked Jobs Conspiracy, Four Years LaterNo, the books aren’t cooked. But is the labor market as strong as the numbers suggest? The answer isn’t so clear-cut. |
| Hurricane Matthew victims beware: That insurance repair check could mean troubleThe “mortgagee clause” can mean you’ll need your bank’s OK before you cash that check and make repairs to your home. |
| Hurricane Matthew sends roof suppliers higher, insurance stocks lowerFlorida, a major homeowners’ insurance market, is bracing for a category 4 storm that is expected to make landfall on Friday. |
| Capitol Report: SunPower joint venture gets the first letter from SEC’s new task force8Point3 Energy Partners LP had to answer questions from the Securities and Exchange Commission about its use of non-standard financial metrics before making its recent share offering |
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