Royal Caribbean raises dividend by 25%

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. late Wednesday said its board of directors has approved a quarterly dividend of 60 cents a share, an increase of 25%. The dividend is payable Oct. 11 to shareholders of record Sept. 22. This move reflects the company’s continuing efforts to increase shareholder returns. Shares were flat late Wednesday after ending the regular trading day down 0.2%.

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Trump’s $1 million Harvey donation to be split among 12 organizations

President Donald Trump’s $1 million donation for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts will be split among 12 organizations including the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, the White House said Wednesday. The Red Cross and Salvation Army will each get the biggest amounts, of $300,000. The groups Reach Out America and Samaritan’s Purse will each receive $100,000, while the remaining groups will be given $25,000 each.

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Oil ends higher as refiners reopen after Hurricane Harvey devastation

Oil futures ended higher Wednesday, lifted as Gulf Coast refiners continued to resume operations following the shutdowns caused by Hurricane Harvey. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 50 cents, or 1%, to end at $49.16 a barrel.

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Independence Realty’s stock suffering biggest-ever loss after stock offering, acquisition

Shares of Independence Realty Trust Inc. plunged 9.6% in afternoon trade Wednesday, after the real estate investment trust announced a share offering to help pay for an acquisition. Both the percentage loss, which is enough to pace the New York Stock Exchange’s decliners, and the price loss of $1.00, are on track to be the biggest one-day selloffs since the stock started trading on Aug. 13, 2013. The company said late Tuesday that it was buying a portfolio of nine communities totaling 2,353 units for $228.1 million. To help fund a portion of that purchase, the company announced a public offering of 12.5 million shares, which represents 18% of the total shares outstanding. The company is also offering the underwriters of the offering options to buy an additional 1.875 million shares. The stock, which had closed Tuesday at the highest price since Sept. 26, has gained 5.3% year to date, while the SPDR Real Estate Select Sector ETF has climbed 7.4% and the S&P 500 has gained 10.2%.

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At Home’s stock sinks after results weren’t good enough to extend record rally

Shares of home decor superstore chain At Home Group Inc. tumbled 9.4% in afternoon trade Wednesday, as better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter results weren’t enough to extend gains further into record territory. At Home reported late Tuesday net income that rose to $9.3 million, or 15 cents a share, from $6.3 million, or 12 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding non-recurring items, adjusted earnings per share came in at 18 cents, beating the FactSet consensus of 17 cents. Revenue grew to $232.1 million from $188.4 million, above the FactSet consensus of $227.1 million, as same-store sales growth of 7.8% topped expectations of a 4.8% rise. Gross margin declined to 31.5% from 32.9%. The company raised its fiscal 2018 outlook sales to $916 million to $923 million from $906 million to $913 million, while keeping its adjusted EPS outlook intact at 73 cents to 75 cents. Analyst David Magee at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey said the results’ negatives include gross margin and the fact that the full-year EPS outlook didn’t change despite the second-quarter outperformance. The stock, which closed Tuesday at a record of $25.63, has soared 25.5% over the past three months while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF has lost 0.8% and the S&P 500 has gained 1.6%.

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Gold retreats after President Trump agrees to raise debt ceiling

Gold closed lower Wednesday following news that President Donald Trump and congressional leaders reached an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and fund the government until Dec. 15. Concerns about the debt ceiling had partly contributed to the precious metal’s recent string of gains. December gold declined $5.50, or 0.4%, to settle at $1,339 an ounce.

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Long-dated Treasury yields climb after Trump agrees deal to extend debt limit

Long-dated Treasury yields rose after President Donald Trump agreed to support a 3-month debt limit extension, attached to a relief bill to help Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey. This comes after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced they would back such a deal earlier in the day. The 10-year Treasury note yield was up 2.6 basis points to 2.098%, while the 30-year Treasury bond yield rose 2.3 basis points to 2.712%. The shorter 2-year note barely budged after the reports. On the very front-end, the one-month Treasury bill showed the biggest move, falling by more than 10 basis points to 1.088%. An auction held on Tuesday for 4-week T-bills had attracted weak demand as investors avoided Treasurys expiring early next month, the date when the federal government would run up against its borrowing cap.

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Long-dated Treasury yields climb after Trump agrees deal to extend debt limit

Long-dated Treasury yields rose after President Donald Trump agreed to support a 3-month debt limit extension, attached to a relief bill to help Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey. This comes after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced they would back such a deal earlier in the day. The 10-year Treasury note yield was up 2.6 basis points to 2.098%, while the 30-year Treasury bond yield [s:tmubmusd30y] rose 2.3 basis points to 2.712%. The shorter 2-year note [s:tmubmusd02y] barely budged after the reports. On the very front-end, the one-month Treasury bill showed the biggest move, falling by more than 10 basis points to 1.088%. An auction held on Tuesday for 4-week T-bills had attracted weak demand as investors avoided Treasurys expiring early next month, the date when the federal government would run up against its borrowing cap.

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Trump agrees to fund government, raise debt limit to Dec. 15, Schumer, Pelosi say

President Donald Trump and congressional leaders agreed to extend the debt limit and fund the government until Dec. 15, as well as approve aid for victims of Hurricane Harvey, Democratic leaders said in a statement on Wednesday. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said “both sides have every intention of avoiding default in December.”

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House approves nearly $8 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to approve nearly $8 billion in aid for states devastated by Hurricane Harvey. The $7.85 billion relief package now heads to the Senate, where it may be amended with an increase in the U.S. debt ceiling. Democrats have said they want a three-month increase in the borrowing limit but House Speaker Paul Ryan called tying such a short-term increase to Harvey aid unworkable. Republicans reportedly want to extend the debt limit past the 2018 midterm elections. Just three House lawmakers voted against the aid package, all Republicans.

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