Natural-gas prices turn lower as U.S. supplies decline less than expected

Natural-gas futures turned lower on Thursday after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that supplies of the commodity declined by 178 billion cubic feet for the week ended Jan. 15. That was less than the fall of between 183 billion cubic feet and 187 billion cubic feet expected by analysts polled by Platts. Total stocks now stand at 3.297 trillion cubic feet, up 629 billion cubic feet from a year ago and 473 billion cubic feet above the five-year average, the government said. February natural gas was at $2.108 per million British thermal units, down a penny, or 0.4%. Prices traded at $2.174 before the supply data.

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U.S. stocks open slightly higher as Draghi hints at more stimulus

U.S. stocks opened slightly higher Thursday, on track to trim losses from the prior session, after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi hinted at more monetary stimulus. The S&P 500 opened 0.1% higher at 1,859; the Dow industrials climbed were unchanged at to 4,472; the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.1% to 4,476. Stocks have been extremely volatile in recent sessions as oil prices have plunged, dragging down energy shares.

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German bund, Treasury yields tumble to nearly 9-month low

Eurozone government bond yields plummeted Thursday after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi signaled that the ECB might authorize additional monetary easing measures at its March meeting. Treasury yields declined in sympathy, falling to a nearly nine-month low. The yield on the 10-year German bond, known as the bund, tumbled 4 basis points to 0.377%, its lowest level in nearly nine months. The yield on the 10-year Treasury yield, the U.S. Treasury market’s benchmark, tumbled 2 basis points to 1.965%, also a nearly nine-month low. Bond yields fall when prices rise and vice versa.

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Philly Fed index stays negative in January for fifth month

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The Philadelphia Fed’s manufacturing index was in negative territory in January for the fifth month in a row. The index rose to negative 3.5 from negative 10.2, and the index of new orders rose 10 points to negative 1.4. The headline index came in slightly ahead of the MarketWatch-compiled forecast for negative 6.

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Apple iPhone estimates cut again at Credit Suisse

Apple Inc. suffered another blow on Thursday in regards to quarterly iPhone estimates after Credit Suisse cut its estimate on shipments for at least the second time. Since December, analyst Kulbinder Garcha has been calling for a “subdued iPhone 6s cycle” through the next few quarters. He now expects March-quarter iPhone shipments of 48 million, down from 55 million previously, and calendar-year 2016 shipments of 207.2 million, versus an earlier 222 million. The analyst also lowered estimates on earnings per share by 2% to $9.22 for the year, which he attributed to items such as the iPhone 6s cycle and currency headwinds that are affecting gross margin. However, he reiterated an outperform rating and $140 12-month price target on the stock, which implies 45% upside. Shares of Apple rose 0.6% to $97.35 in premarket trade. They have fallen 15% over the last three months, versus an 8% decline for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is due to report its next quarter earnings after the market close on Tuesday.

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Uber’s expanded food delivery may hurt Yelp, analysts say

Yelp Inc. may face pressure from the expansion of food delivery services from Uber Technologies Inc., according to B. Riley analysts. A Wall Street Journal article reported that UberEats, a service where Uber couriers deliver food from restaurants, would grow to include 10 large U.S. cities and more delivery hours. There are other venture-backed competitors, but the analysts say Uber could curtail the growth of Eat24, Yelp’s food delivery service. “Our concern is from deep pocketed, win-at-any-cost competitors such as Uber and [Amazon] ,” the analysts wrote. That pressure may drive Yelp to to increase advertising for Eat24, along with advertising for its own core business, which will hurt its operating leverage, the analysts wrote. The analysts have a sell rating and $21 price target for Yelp. Shares of Yelp have fallen 6% in the past three months, compared to the S&P 500’s drop of 8%.

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Match parent IAC announces new corporate structure and ticker

IAC announced a corporate restructuring of its reporting segments on Thursday and said that it will begin trading under a new ticker symbol: IAC. The five segments will include Match Group Inc. , which owns the dating app Tinder and completed its initial public offering in November; HomeAdvisor, a digital marketplace for homes; video, which is headlined by Vimeo and CollegeHumor; publishing, which includes its online media properties, such as about.com and ask.com; and apps, such as SlimWare, which offers subscription desktop software. Shares of IAC were inactive in premarket trade, but they have fallen 25% over the last three months, versus an 8% decline for the S&P 500. Match’s shares have fallen 19% since their IPO.

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General Motors reports increase in global sales, strong U.S. sales from Chevrolet

General Motors reported an increase in global sales for the third year in a row. Global sales, amounting to 9.8 million vehicles sold in 2015, increased 0.2%. Cadillac sales grew 8% globally, largely driven by sales in China. Total U.S. sales were up 5%, due to sales from vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and Colorado. “GM continued to grow in 2015 as our focus on the customer and successful new vehicle launches more than offset the challenging conditions in South America and the curtailment of our presence in certain markets such as Russia,” said GM President Dan Ammann in a press release. Shares of General Motors have fallen 13.5% year to date, compared to the S&P 500’s decline of 9%.

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Alaska Air Group increases quarterly dividend

Alaska Air Group said Thursday that it would increase its quarterly dividend by 38% to pay 27.5 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on March 8, 2016 to shareholders as of Feb. 23, 2016. Alaska Air Group shares were up 1% in pre-market trade Thursday. Shares of Alaska Air Group have fallen 10% in the past three months, compared to the S&P 500’s decline of 8%.

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United Continental fourth-quarter earnings miss, will add 40 Boeing aircraft starting mid-2017

United Continental Holdings Inc. shares are down 1.4% in premarket trading after it missed on both profit and sales. The company said it had net income of $823 million, or $2.24 per share, in its fiscal fourth quarter, up from $28 million, or 7 cents per share, for the same period last year. Adjusted earnings were $2.54 per share, missing the FactSet consensus of $2.59 per share. Revenue for the fourth quarter totaled $9.03 billion, down 3% from $9.31 billion for fourth quarter 2014. The FactSet consensus was $9.08 billion. Total passenger revenue was $7.73 billion, down 4.4% from $8.08 billion last year. United Continental said it will add 40 new Boeing 737-700 aircraft to its fleet starting mid-2017, replacing aircraft used by the company’s regional partners. The airline will reduce the number of 50-seat aircraft in its fleet by 50% by 2019. United Continental shares are down 34.8% for the past 12 months. The S&P 500 is down 8.5% for the past year.

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