What’s new

Fresh Market Inc.’s stock soared 14% in active afternoon trade, after Reuters reported that supermarket chain Kroger Co. was seeking to acquire the company. Volume was about 3 million shares at 2:20 p.m. ET, or nearly five times the full-day average over the past 30 days, according to FactSet. The surge comes about 2 1/2 weeks after the stock closed at a record low of $18.46, on Jan. 25. Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Kroger is in the second round of an auction, and is competing with other bidders such as private-equity firms Apollo Global Management LLC and KKR & Co. L.P. . Kroger’s stock slipped 0.8% in afternoon trade. In October, Fresh Market said it would conduct a strategic review of its business, that could lead to a potential sale of the company. The stock was still down 42% over the past 12 months, while while Kroger shares were up 2.1% and the S&P 500 had lost 12%.

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

Gold futures jumped 4.5% on Thursday to settle at their highest level in about a year as steep losses in global stock markets helped to lift the metal’s investment appeal. April gold rose $53.20 to settle at $1,247.80 an ounce on Comex, after tapping an intraday high of $1,263.90. The settlement was the highest since Feb. 5, 2015.

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

Gold futures jumped 4.5% on Thursday to settle at their highest level in about a year as steep losses in global stock markets helped to lift the metal’s investment appeal. April gold rose $53.20 to settle at $1,247.80 an ounce on Comex, after tapping an intraday high of $1,263.90. The settlement was the highest since Feb. 5, 2015.

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

Whole Foods Market Inc. has signed leases for fives new, lower-priced 365 by Whole Foods Market stores, the company said Thursday. The new stores will be located in Evergreen Park, Ill.; Gainesville, Fla.; and Concord, Claremont and Los Alamitos, Calif. There are now 13 signed leases for the new 365 stores, the company said. The first will open in Los Angeles in about 100 days, said Jeff Turnas, president of 365. The company plans to open 10 stores by October 2017. Whole Foods shares are down 0.4% in Thursday trading and down 46.3% for the past year. The S&P is down 12.2% for the same period.

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

Sling TV said Thursday it has added HBO-owned Cinemax to its programming line-up, marking the first time the cable channel will be available on a standalone Internet TV service. Sling TV, the Dish Network Corp.’s $20-a-month Internet streaming service, will charge an extra $10 a month to customers who sign up for its “Best of Live TV” or Sling International base package for Cinemax, which includes a live channel, as well as more than 500 on-demand films and TV shows. Until now, Cinemax was only available on traditional cable packages. Dish shares were trading up 3.9% in early afternoon trade, as the S&P 500 was down about 2%. HBO parent Time Warner Inc. was up 3.6%.

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

Boeing Co.’s stock was tumbling $12.36, or 11%, to a 2 1/2-year low in morning trade Thursday, after Bloomberg reported that the aerospace giant was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding accounting for its 787 Dreamliner and 747 jumbo jetliners. The selloff puts the stock on track to suffer the biggest one-day price drop since the company went public in January 1972. The stock’s previous biggest price drop was $11.43 (8.9%) on Jan. 27, 2016 after Boeing reported fourth-quarter results. The stock’s price drop was shaving off about 85 points from the Dow Jones Industrial Average , which is a price-weighted index. Bloomberg reported earlier Thursday, citing people with knowledge of the matter, that the SEC is probing whether Boeing properly accounted for the costs and expected sales, and its projections on the long-term profitability, of its two jetliners. Boeing’s stock has plunged 28% year to date, while the Dow has lost 11%.

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

BJ’s Wholesale Club said on Thursday that it will source all of its whole eggs from cage-free farms. BJ’s, a membership warehouse club operating in the Eastern U.S., has more than 210 locations. It plans to source its liquid eggs from cage-free suppliers by 2025. Recently, a number of other food companies have announced plans to source cage-free eggs in the coming years, including Bob Evans Farms Inc. , McDonald’s Corp. and Kellogg Co..

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