Author: admin

Shares of Antares Pharma Inc. and Amag Pharmaceuticals soared in premarket trade Thursday, after Amag said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved their Makena subcutaneous auto injector drug-device combination product, a ready-to-administer treatment to reduce the risk of preterm birth in women who are pregnant with one baby and who spontaneously delivered one preterm baby in the past. Under the terms of a deal agreed between the two companies in 2014, Amag will make and supply the drug product to Antares, which will manufacture the device, assemble and package it for sale to Amag at cost plus margin. Antares will receive high single digit to low double digit royalties on sales and be eligible for milestone payments. Antares shares soared 26%, while Amag shares were up 19%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.5%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Avon Products Inc. reported Thursday fourth-quarter net income of $91.5 million, or 17 cents a share, after a loss of $10.7 million, or 4 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, such as a $50 million tax benefit, adjusted earnings per share came to 12 cents, beating the FactSet consensus of 7 cents. Revenue was unchanged at $1.57 billion, just below the FactSet consensus of $1.60 billion. EMEA reveue rose 3%, while North Latin America was flat, South Latin America fell 2% and Asia Pacific declined 3%. Active representatives declined 2%, while the average order and ending representatives were unchanged. Gross margin improved 0.70 percentage points to 61.0%. The beauty products company realized cost savings of over $250 million in 2017 as part of its transformation plan, exceeded its target of $230 million. “Our top line remains under pressure as we continue to operate in challenging macro and competitive conditions, particularly in our largest markets,” said Chief Financial Officer Jamie Wilson. The stock, which was still inactive in premarket trade, has rallied 20.7% over the past three months but has tumbled 61.3% the past 12 months, while the S&P 500 gained 5.2% the past three months and 14.9% the past year.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

U.S. stocks futures pushed higher early Thursday, a day after Wall Street equities booked a fourth-straight gain. Dow futures climbed 126 points, or 0.5%, to 24,987, while S&P 500 futures rose 11.35 points, or 0.4%, to 2,708.25. Nasdaq-100 futures rose 37.25 points, or 0.6%, to 6,725. On Wednesday, investors shook off data that showed a jump in consumer prices to drive a 253-point gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average . The S&P 500 rose 1.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index jumped 1.9%. Asia followed up on that upbeat day with a near 1.5% rise for the Nikkei 225 index and almost a 2% jump for the Hong Kong Hang Seng Index . European stock futures also pointed to a firmer session. The dollar was weaker Thursday, with the ICE Dollar Index dropping 0.3%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

More than 100 top White House officials lacked permanent security clearances a year into Donald Trump’s presidency, according to separate reports Wednesday by NBC News and CNN, including the president’s daughter, son-in-law and the White House counsel. Having only an interim clearance can hinder the job performance of staffers, CNN said, since they may not be able to access all pertinent information. NBC News reported more than 130 staffers lacked permanent clearance as of November, 47 of those reporting directly to Trump. Of the 24 officials on the National Security Council, 10 — about 42% — lacked permanent clearance, NBC News reported. A number of lawmakers and former government officials said it was highly unusual for so many staffers to lack permanent clearance so long into an administration. Among the most prominent names still working with an interim clearance: Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner; White House counsel Don McGahn; and press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Lacking permanent clearance does not necessarily signal they are security risks. CNN reported that staffers with sizable wealth and ties to foreign nationals and governments posed particular problems, since their finances must be vetted, which can be a long process.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Billionaire hedge-fund investor David Tepper’s Appaloosa Management was a buyer of technology, energy and bank shares in the fourth quarter, according to a Wednesday regulatory filing. Between the end of the third and fourth quarter, Appaloosa boosted its stake in Bank of America Corp. , upping his position by 170% to 10.8 million shares. He also increased his stake in Apple Inc. , raising that investment to 3.2 million shares and raising his stake in Micron Technology Inc. to 10.45 million shares, representing his largest holding according to WhaleWisdom.com. The hedge-fund luminary also lifted his position in Facebook Inc. by about 70% to 2.2 million shares, while adding to his holdings in the tech-heavy PowerShares QQQ Trust Series 1 to 4.3 million shares. Meanwhile, Tepper took a long position in the exchange-traded Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF , purchasing $280 million worth, though the fund also sold call options in the ETF worth $35 million. Call options give the holder the right but not the obligation to buy an asset a set price and time. Appaloosa also made bullish bets in the energy-centered Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF for $35 million. The investor was a buyer in gambling assets, with new stakes in Caesars Entertainment Corp. , about 5.86 million shares, and MGM Resorts International , where he picked up 2.3 million shares, from the end of the third quarter. Tepper notably divested his entire stake in Kinder Morgan Inc. , Chesapeake Energy Corp. , Whirlpool Corp. and General Motors , recent filings showed. Large investors are required to reveal their long equity holdings at the end of each quarter in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Billionaire hedge fund investor David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital, as previously disclosed, boosted its stake in Brighthouse Financial Inc. and took a small stake in Twitter Inc. in the final quarter of 2018, while trimming holdings of General Motors Co. , according to a regulatory filing on Wednesday. In a 13-F form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the fund said it boosted its holdings in Brighthouse by more than 4.2 million shares to a total of 11 million shares. It also bought nearly 2.8 million Twitter shares. Greenlight reduced its stake in GM by nearly 8.7 million shares from the end of the third quarter, leaving it with a stake of around 25.8 million shares. GM still made up the largest chunk of the fund’s reported portfolio at 19.3%, while Brighthouse was No. 2 at 11.7%, according to filings tracking firm Whalewisdom.com.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Amazon.com Inc. has partnered with Bank of America Corp. to provide sellers on its platform access to credit so they can buy more inventory, according to a CNBC report. Bank of America stock is up 1% to $32.34 and Amazon stock is flat after hours. Citing anonymous sources, the report said allows Amazon to reduce its risk and the program offers loans of $1,000 to $750,000 for firms that may have trouble borrowing money through more traditional sources. The lending program is invite only, has no website, and is geared toward helping sellers move more inventory, not turning a large profit on interest payments from the loans, the CNBC report said.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. raised its stake in Apple Inc. by 31.24 million shares to 165.33 million shares as of Dec. 31 versus 134.09 million at the end of September, according to a 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It also took a new stake of 18.88 million shares in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in the fourth quarter. Apple rallied 9.8% during the quarter while Teva rose 7.7% compared with S&P 500’s 6.1% gain. However, Berkshire Hathaway slashed its stake in International Business Machine Corp. to 2.05 million shares versus 37.03 million shares. Berkshire’s other holdings in major companies such as Bank of America Corp. , Wells Fargo & Co. , and Coca-Cola Co. were mostly unchanged.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Florida police in Broward County said an unidentified shooter was in custody Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Authorities said the scene was still being treated as active-shooter situation, with students and teachers barricaded, according to reports. According to CNN, at least 2 fatalities and several injured. Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters said President Trump is aware of the shooting: “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected,” she said. Trump later tweeted that “no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school. On television footage, some people were seen exiting the school, despite the lock down. The stock market was little changed amid the downbeat reports, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index booking a fourth straight gain. Developing story. Check back for updates.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Florida police in Broward County said an unidentified shooter was in custody Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Authorities said the scene was still being treated as active-shooter situation, with students and teachers barricaded, according to reports. According to CNN, at least 2 fatalities and several injured. Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters said President Trump is aware of the shooting: “Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected,” she said. Trump later tweeted that “no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school. On television footage, some people were seen exiting the school, despite the lock down. The stock market was little changed amid the downbeat reports, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index booking a fourth straight gain. Developing story. Check back for updates.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News