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The Senate will take a vote at about 10 p.m. Eastern on a House-passed bill to keep the government open through Feb. 16. Without a new funding bill the federal government would partially shut down at midnight for the first time since 2013. It’s unclear if the bill will be able to pass in the Senate, where Republicans control 51 votes.

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From:: Stock Market News

In a blog post released Friday afternoon, Twitter Inc. provided updated information on the use of its platform by a Russian government-linked group to spread misinformation during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Twitter said that it would email more than 677,000 U.S. users of its social-media platform to inform them that they had interacted with accounts now linked to the Internet Research Agency. Twitter said it had identified 3,814 accounts–1,062 more than previously reported–linked to the IRA that sent more than 175,000 tweets in the ten weeks leading up to the election. In addition, Twitter said it had identified more than 50,000 automated accounts used to spread the information. “Any such activity represents a challenge to democratic societies everywhere, and we’re committed to continuing to work on this important issue,” the company said. Twitter said it would improve machine-learning capabilities to detect and deal with such accounts, limit some abilities within Tweetdeck and on Twitter’s API to combat the spread of misinformation, and work with politicians to ensure more trustworthy information in this year’s mid-term elections. Twitter stock fell about 0.3% in after-hours trading.

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.

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From:: Stock Market News

Apple Inc. has filed new documents with the Federal Communications Commission that suggest its HomePod speaker launch may be approaching. Made public Friday, the documents include a diagram of the bottom of a “wireless speaker” that includes the location of an FCC label required on such devices and a series of reports about the radio emissions dated Nov. 8, 2017. Apple stock is up a fraction to $178.56 in late trading. Already a late entrant, behind tech titans such as Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc. [s:goog], Apple delayed its smart speaker launch in November, and said it would ship in early 2018. Apple stock is up 49% in the last 12 months, as the S&P 500 index has gained 24%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average , of which Apple is a component, gained 32% in the past 12 months.

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.

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From:: Stock Market News

President Donald Trump called for a 4-week funding extension just hours ahead of a partial government shutdown. Trump said in a tweet late Friday he’d had an “excellent preliminary meeting” with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and that they were working on solutions for security and the military. Without a deal before midnight the government would shut down for the first time since 2013.

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S&P Global Ratings raised Greece’s credit rating by one rung to B from B- on Friday, marking the first time S&P has upgraded the country’s sovereign debt in two years. The outlook was kept positive, which implies another upgrade is likely. The sovereign bond rating is still 5 notches below investment grade. “Greece’s growth and fiscal outlooks have improved alongside a labor market recovery and amid a period of relative policy certainty,” S&P said. Investor reaction to the announcement is likely to show up later next week as European markets were closed before the report.

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From:: Stock Market News

Sanmina Corp shares plunged in the extended session Friday after the electronics maker warned investors about its fiscal first-quarter results. Sanmina shares fell 16% to $29.90 after hours. The company said it expects first-quarter adjusted per-share losses of 48 cents, compared with its previous guidance of adjusted earnings of 68 cents to 74 cents. Sanmina now expects revenue of $1.74 billion and had previously issued guidance of sales of $1.75 billion to $1.8 billion. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had estimated adjusted earnings of 71 cents a share on revenue of $1.77 billion. “Our disappointing financial results are driven by slower than expected new program ramps and an unfavorable program mix,” said Chief Executive Bob Eulau. “Our GAAP financial results were mainly impacted by the non-cash charge to our deferred tax assets that resulted from the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We are right-sizing our fixed cost structure and we remain confident that our pipeline is strong and our second half of fiscal 2018 will be stronger than our first half as we continue to execute on our strategy.” Said it expects fiscal second-quarter profits of 40 cents to 50 cents a share on sales of $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion. Analysts modeled adjusted earnings of 70 cents on sales of $1.73 billion. Sanmina stock has gained less than 1% in the last 12 months, as the S&P 500 index rose 24%.

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From:: Stock Market News

Bunge Ltd. shares roared higher just before the close Friday, after a report that Archer Daniels Midland Co. was attempting a takeover. Bunge, which trades and processes agricultural commodities, had reportedly been approached previously by Glencore PLC about a merger, which portends a potential bidding war, according to The Wall Street Journal report. Bunge had been trading close to flat for the day before the report hit just minutes before markets closed for the weekend, and then spiked to a daily gain of 11.4% at $77.56. Archer Daniels stock gained 1.2%, almost all at the very end of the session, and both stocks gained slightly in after-hours trading as well.

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.

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From:: Stock Market News

Apple Inc. brought on several dozen employees from Silicon Valley Data Science, according to Bloomberg, as it seeks to enhance its analytics capabilities. Silicon Valley Data Science’s website says that the firm uses data to help clients increase retention, engagement, and sales. Bloomberg reported that some data scientists from the company said on their LinkedIn profiles that they were now working for Apple on ad projects, potentially for the App Store. The App Store is part of Apple’s fast-growing services segment, which provides the company a recurring stream of revenue that isn’t tied to device sales. Apple shares fell 0.5% in Friday trading, though they’re up 49% over the last 12 months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average , of which Apple is a component, has gained 32% in that time.

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.

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From:: Stock Market News