Boeing’s stock gives the Dow the biggest boost after plan to cut ‘hundreds’ of more jobs

Boeing Co.’s stock surged 1.5% in afternoon trade Monday, to provide the biggest boost to the Dow Jones Industrial Average , after reports that the aerospace and defense giant was cutting more jobs. The stock’s price gain of $2.62 was adding 18 points to the Dow, which was up 132 points. The second-biggest boost was from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. shares, which rose $1.76 to add 12 points to the Dow. Boeing was planning “hundreds” of more involuntary job cuts, focused on engineers at Seattle manufacturing plants, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a staff memo. The notices will be issued on Friday, the WSJ report said. The company has already accepted about 1,800 voluntary buyouts, but said it needed to cut more jobs to meet its operating plan, the WSJ report said. Boeing’s stock has rallied 15% year to date, while the Dow has gained 4.2%.

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

Roche’s Genentech says its drug for diabetes complication has been approved by FDA

Roche Holding AG’s Genentech said Monday afternoon that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug for diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can cause blindness. The drug, Lucentis, is the first approved for patients with or without swelling in the back of the eye called diabetic macular edema. Genentech estimates that diabetic retinopathy affects nearly 7.7 million Americans, and said the condition is the leading cause of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74. Roche shares have surged 9.4% over the last three months, compared with a 3.2% rise in the S&P 500 .

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

North Korea threatens to test missiles on a weekly basis: BBC

North Korea remained defiant about its nuclear weapons program amid increasing tensions with the U.S. and South Korea and again warned that any military action by the U.S. will lead to war. “We’ll be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis,” Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol told the BBC in an interview. The comment comes on the heels of a failed North Korean missile launch that coincided with a visit to South Korea by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. Separately, the North Korean ambassador to the United Nations, Kim In Ryong, held a press conference on Monday to reiterate that his country is ready to engage in a war “desired by the U.S.” and will take “toughest counteraction against provocations.”

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

Uber may be forced to add in-app tipping in New York

The New York Taxi and Limousine Commission announced a proposal Monday that would require credit card-based car companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. to offer a tipping option within the app. The proposal came after the TLC granted a petition Monday from the Independent Drivers Guild, a union which represents 50,000 ride-hailing drivers in New York City. The Guild submitted the petition with 11,000 signatures, saying that the rule would bring in an additional $300 million a year to ride-hailing drivers in New York. Lyft currently has tipping built into the app, but Uber does not. Uber does not explicitly offer the option for tipping, but has said that drivers can accept cash tips.

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

McDonald’s upgraded on rollout of mobile order and pay, curbside check-in

McDonald’s Corp. was upgraded to outperform from market perform at Wells Fargo based on the upcoming rollout of the company’s mobile order and pay system and curbside check-in, which analysts expect to take place at the 14,000 U.S. stores by the fourth quarter of 2017. McDonald’s valuation range was lifted to $145 to $150 from $125 to $130. Analysts believe the introduction will give McDonald’s a head start among burger chains at a time when “restaurant consumers are aggressively gravitating toward concepts that offer the greatest level of convenience across ordering, payment and distribution.” Wendy’s will offer mobile order and pay across half its system by the end of the year, and both Burger King, a Restaurant Brands Inc. chain, and Jack in the Box Inc. are testing it. McDonald’s shares are up 0.2% in Monday trading, and up 7.8% for the year to date. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 4.4% for 2017 so far.

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

Stock market shakes off geopolitical worries, weak data to trade solidly higher

U.S. stocks kicked off trade on Monday with solid gains, setting the stage for a modest bounce after a three-day Easter holiday weekend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 70 points, or 0.3%, at 20,526, the S&P 500 index rose 7 points, or 0.3%, at 2,335, while the Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 22 points, or 0.4%, at 5,828. The tech-laden Nasdaq was trying to avoid its first four-session skid since November. A number of European markets remained closed in observance of Easter Monday. Moves for markets follow rising geopolitical tensions, including a warning from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who told Pyongyang not to test President Donald Trump’s “resolve” after a failed missile test over the weekend. In corporate news, shares of United Continental Holdings , parent of United Airlines, was trading higher. The air carrier has been at the center of a public-relations storm after passenger Dr. David Dao was forcibly dragged off a flight last week, as the airline sought to reaccomodate its own staffers. In economic data, a reading of New York manufacturing, the Empire State Index, disappointed, falling to a reading of 5.2 in April from a two-year high of 16.4 in March.

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

Arconic CEO to leave company after using ‘poor judgment’ by sending letter to activist investor

Shares of Arconic Inc. surged 5.2% in premarket trade Monday, after the company said Chief Executive Klaus Kleinfeld was leaving the company after he used “poor judgment” by contacting an activist investment without authorization. Arconic named board member David Hess as interim CEO, while lead director Patricia Russo was named interim chairman. The company said in a statement that Kleinfeld stepped down after the broad learned that he sent a letter directly to a senior officer at investor Elliott Management, which has been pushing for Kleinfeld to step down, and for four new board members. “Importantly, this decision was not made in response to the proxy fight or Elliott Management’s criticisms of the company’s strategy, leadership or performance and is not in any way related to the financials or records of the company,” the company said in a statement. Kleinfeld was CEO of Alcoa Inc. since 2008, then became CEO of Arconic after he led the aluminum giant’s separation into two companies. The stock had soared 40% year to date through Thursday, while the S&P 500 had gained 4%.

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

Arconic CEO to leave company after using ‘poor judgment’ by sending letter to activist investor

Shares of Arconic Inc. surged 5.2% in premarket trade Monday, after the company said Chief Executive Klaus Kleinfeld was leaving the company after he used “poor judgment” by contacting an activist investment without authorization. Arconic named board member David Hess as interim CEO, while lead director Patricia Russo was named interim chairman. The company said in a statement that Kleinfeld stepped down after the broad learned that he sent a letter directly to a senior officer at investor Elliott Management, which has been pushing for Kleinfeld to step down, and for four new board members. “Importantly, this decision was not made in response to the proxy fight or Elliott Management’s criticisms of the company’s strategy, leadership or performance and is not in any way related to the financials or records of the company,” the company said in a statement. Kleinfeld was CEO of Alcoa Inc. since 2008, then became CEO of Arconic after he led the aluminum giant’s separation into two companies. The stock had soared 40% year to date through Thursday, while the S&P 500 had gained 4%.

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

Cloudera sets IPO price range below $4.1 billion private valuation

Cloudera Inc. set a price range for its offering Monday that would give the company a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, below its most recent private valuation. The software company received a $4.1 billion valuation in March 2014, according to the Wall Street Journal. Cloudera set a price range of $12 to $14 per share and plans to sell 17.3 million shares, which would bring in up to $242 million. On a per share basis, Intel Crop. paid $30.92 in 2014 along with its $740 million investment. Cloudera has been approved to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “CLDR.”

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

HCA Holdings stock slumps 2% after it warns of Q1 revenue, earnings miss

HCA Holdings Inc. stock slumped 2% in premarket trade Monday after the company warned of a first-quarter revenue and earnings miss. HCA Holdings expects earnings of $659 million, or $1.74 per share, down from $694 million, or $1.69 per share, in the year-earlier period. Earnings of $1.74 per share are below the FactSet consensus of $1.79. The company reaffirmed its 2017 financial guidance. HCA Holdings expects revenue of $10.6 billion, below the FactSet consensus of $10.7 billion. The latest results can be attributed to changes in payer mix, including a slightly higher percentage of Medicare admissions, and a slightly lower percentage of same facility managed care/health exchange admissions, the company said. The company said same facility admissions increased 1.2% in the first quarter and same facility equivalent admissions increased 1.6%, with same facility emergency room visits increasing 1.1%. The company plans to report earnings around May 2, it said. HCA Holdings shares have risen 8.4% over the last three months, compared with a 2.7% rise in the S&P 500 .

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