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Nearly half of the U.S. Senate’s 51 Republicans urged President Trump to revive talks with Japan, Canada, Australia and eight other countries on a trade deal the White House rejected last year. The so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership is set to go into effect soon without the U.S. after years of negotiations. “As you know, increased economic engagement with the eleven nations currently in the TPP has the potential to substantially improve the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, support millions of U.S. jobs, increase U.S. exports, increase wages, fully unleash America’s energy potential, and benefit consumers,” the letter by 25 senators said. The senators also said the TPP, which excludes China, would help act as a counter to Chinese influence.

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From:: Stock Market News

Foot Locker Inc. said late Tuesday its board of directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 34.5 cents a share, payable on May 4 to shareholders of record on April 20. That represents an 11% increase in the dividend, the company said. The retailer also said its board approved a $230 million capital expenditures program for this year, compared with about $270 million spent in 2017. That reflects the company’s “greater focus on digital and supply chain initiatives relative to investments in real estate,” Foot Locker said in a statement. “The digital investments include enhancements to its mobile and web platforms, the global roll-out of its new point-of-sale software, and expanding data analytics capabilities.” Spending on its stores, however, will still comprise the majority of the company’s capital expenditures, and will include ongoing store remodels as well as the testing of off-mall retail formats, the company said. Shares of Foot Locker were flat in after-hours trading and ended the regular trading session down 2%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Shares of LendingClub Corp. fell more than 4% late Tuesday after the company missed fourth-quarter adjusted earnings and sales expectations. The lender also said it had reached a preliminary settlement of class-action lawsuits filed in federal and California state courts arising from some legacy issues disclosed in 2016. LendingClub said it lost $92.1 million, or 22 cents a share, in the quarter, compared with a loss of $32.3 million, or 8 cents a share, in the year-ago period, thanks mostly to the class-action litigation settlement expense of $77.25 million in the period, it said. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned 1 cent a share in the quarter, versus a loss of 2 cents a share a year ago. Revenue reached $156.5 million, up 20% from $30.5 million a year ago. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected adjusted earnings of 2 cents a share on sales of $157.6 million. LendingClub shares ended the regular trading session up 4.6%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Shares of Walmart Inc. on Tuesday got walloped, with the retailing giant notching its worst dollar and percentage decline of all time, according to FactSet data. The world’s largest retailer was under heavy selling pressure, down 10.2%, or $10.67, after it said online sales growth slowed during the fourth quarter. That marks a turn from three quarters of strong online growth, for the Bentonville, Ark.-based company as it attempts to wage war against rival and retailing behemoth Amazon.com Inc. . Walmart has been a publicly traded company since the early 1970s. On the upside, Walmart reported that sales in existing stores rose 2.6% in the fourth quarter, representing its 14th consecutive quarter of growth. Walmart’s decline weighed on the broader market, yanking the Dow Jones Industrial Average , where it is a component, down by about 70 points, while the S&P 500 index’s consumer-staples sector, as measured by the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF , also got whacked, with declines there weighing on the broad-market S&P 500. Nearly all the components of the XLP, referring to its ticker, ended in negative territory. The Dow closed the session down 254 points, or 1%, at 24,964, the S&P 500 index settled off 0.6% at 2,716, while the technology-laden Nasdaq Composite Index finished near flat, off less than 0.1%, at 7,234.

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From:: Stock Market News

The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished Tuesday sharply lower, weighed by a historic pullback in shares of Walmart Inc. Walmart’s shares finished the session down about 10.2%, or $10.67, at $94.11, marking the retailing giant’s worst daily point and percentage decline in history, according to FactSet data. That decline weighed mightily on the Dow, exacting a more than 70-point toll. A $1 swing in any one of the Dow’s 30 components equating to a 6.89-point move. Walmart Inc.’s share stumble comes after its fourth-quarter adjusted earnings a share were weaker than forecast. Much of of the Dow’s 254-point drop, or 1%, to 24,964 was tied to Walmart. A pair of Dow components, UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. also delivered a downward blow to the equity gauge. The S&P 500 index retreated 0.6% to end at around 2,716, while the Nasdaq Composite Index finished near break-even at, off less than 0.1%, at 7,234.

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From:: Stock Market News

U.S. stocks closed lower on Tuesday, with the Dow falling back below 25,000 as losses accelerated in the afternoon. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 260 points, or 1%, to 24,960. The S&P 500 was down 16 points, or 0.6%, to 2,716. The Nasdaq Composite Index slipped 0.1%, or 5 points, to 7,234. Both the Dow and the S&P are coming off six-day rallies, while all three posted their biggest one-week percentage gain in years last week. One of the biggest drags on the day was Walmart Inc. , which tumbled 10% in the wake of its quarterly results. The discount retailer posted its worst one-day percentage loss in years, which weighed on both the Dow and the S&P. The day’s losses were broad, with 10 of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ending lower on the day. Technology was the only positive group, up 0.3%. Market participants continued to watch a rising dollar and climbing bond yields, both of which could make equities less attractive at current levels, even as macroeconomic conditions and corporate earnings are still seen as strong.

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From:: Stock Market News

The White House said Tuesday there was “an incident” last week which will be revealed in the coming days that will show how President Donald Trump is “tough on Russia.” Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the comment at the daily briefing, but offered no more details. Trump has suggested on Twitter that President Barack Obama’s administration didn’t do enough to counter meddling in the 2016 election, and called himself “much tougher on Russia than Obama.”

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From:: Stock Market News