EIA raises U.S. crude-oil production outlooks

The U.S. Energy Information Administration raised its forecast on crude production for this year and next, according to the agency’s latest Short-term Energy Outlook report released Tuesday. The EIA forecast U.S. crude production at an average 9.21 million barrels per day in 2017, up from the previous forecast of 8.98 million. It sees 2018 output at 9.73 million barrels a day, higher than the previous forecast of 9.53 million. Its crude-price forecasts edged higher for this year, with West Texas Intermediate crude seen at an average $53.49 a barrel and Brent crude at $54.62. April West Texas Intermediate crude was trading at $53.33 a barrel, up 13 cents, or 0.2%.

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Cummings, Trump to discuss lowering prescription drug prices

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee with meet President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss lowering prescription drug prices. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland said in a statement he’s looking forward to discussing Trump’s campaign pledge to stem the rise of drug prices. Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that he is working on a “new system” for competition in the drug industry and that prices “will come way down!”

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London Bridge reopens after bomb scare found ‘not to be suspicious’

Police in London were Tuesday afternoon investigating a “security alert” around the key transportation hub London Bridge, but found the incident “not to be suspicious”. Earlier in the day, police had evacuated the area around the station, with hotels, coffee shops and office buildings in the area on lockdown. A bomb disposal robot was reportedly deployed to carry out a search on an abandoned suspicious vehicle close to the station in the U.K. capital. However, after a few hours the Metropolitan Police gave the all clear. “Thanks for bearing with us during the security alert on London Bridge St. Incident found not to be suspicious. Roads re-opening now,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post to Twitter. National Rail said the station had reopened after the suspension of all train services during the bomb scare. “Train services running to and from this station may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day,” it said.

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Liberty Media CEO says Pandora is too expensive to buy, sending shares down more than 5%

Shares of Pandora Media Inc. have slipped more than 5% in early trade on Tuesday, after Liberty Media Corp. Chief Executive Greg Maffei reportedly said it’s unlikely his company would buy the music streaming platform. Maffei reportedly told investors attending the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet and Telecom Conference on Monday that Pandora is overvalued. Maffei has floated the idea that Liberty would be interested in scooping up Pandora in the past, and said during the conference he would probably make a move on the company if it was selling for $10 a share. Liberty Media owns satellite radio provider SiriusXM. It would make sense for the company to add a business like Pandora to its ranks, which it informally tried to do last year, offering to pay $3.4 billion, or $15 a share for Pandora, according to Deadline Hollywood. Shares of Pandora have gained more than 6% in the last 12 months and Liberty Media shares are up almost 6%, while the S&P 500 index is up more than 18% and the Nasdaq Composite index is up more than 24% during the same period.

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London Bridge area in U.K. capital on lockdown due to bomb scare

Police in London are Tuesday afternoon investigating a “security alert” around the key transportation hub London Bridge, with hotels, coffee shops and office buildings in the area on lockdown. A bomb disposal robot was reportedly deployed to carry out a search on an abandoned suspicious vehicle close to the station in the U.K. capital. National Rail said all train services were suspended in and out of the station as “Metropolitan Police have requested that NO trains run through London Bridge until further notice, because of a security alert nearby.” The bus station was also evacuated.

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Craftsman portable table saws sold only at Sears recalled due to risk of injury

Craftsman portable table saws made by Rexon Industrial Corp. of Taiwan and sold exclusively at Sears Holdings Inc. have been recalled because of the danger of laceration and impact injuries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday. About 46,000 saws are impacted, according to the CPSC. So far, there have been 11 reports of the table saw collapsing, including nine reports of injured fingers and hands. The injuries include broken bones, lacerations, shoulder strain and a partial fingernail amputation. The CPSC is urging consumers to stop using the saws and to contact Rexon for a free replacement. The saws were sold by Sears for about $200 a piece in the period stretching from April 2014 through October 2016. Shares of Sears, which announced the sale of Craftsman to Stanley Black & Decker Inc. in January, were down 1.7%, and have fallen 60% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 has gained 19%.

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Snap stock falls 7% on track for second straight down day

Shares of Snap Inc. fell another 7% on Tuesday, putting the stock on track for its second down day since Thursday’s initial public offering. The social media stock slid to $22.11 a share in morning trade, after closing down more than 12% on Monday. Last week, the stock priced at $17 a share. The declines follow a wave of bearish analyst notes that have hit Snap, which calls itself a camera company, since its market debut. The average rating on the stock is the equivalent to sell, while the average price target is $16.50, according to a FactSet survey of 8 analysts. Many of the analysts have been warning clients that Snap stock is overvalued. Others have cited the company’s shaky fundamentals, with its widening losses and slowing user growth offsetting strong revenue gains.

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U.S. stocks open lower, indexes remain near record levels

U.S. stocks opened lower on Tuesday, indicating a second straight day of mild declines as investors took a breather from recent gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 24 points, or 0.1%, to 20,932. The S&P 500 lost 3 points to trade at 2,371, a decline of 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 12 points to 5,837, a decline of 0.2%. The benchmark S&P 500 has hit a series of records of late, and it is also coming off a six-week streak of gains. The rally has raised concerns that the move was too much, too quickly, and that equities could be vulnerable to a pullback in the near-term, particularly with the Federal Reserve widely expected to raise interest rates at its upcoming meeting. Among the biggest decliners of the day were health care stocks, after President Donald Trump tweeted that he was working on a new system to increase drug industry competition and reduce drug pricing. Ionis Pharmaceuticals lost 2.1% while Sage Therapeutics slid 2%.

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‘Beauty and the Beast’ ticket sales are outpacing ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ says Fandango

Walt Disney Co.’s live -action reimaginning of the animated 1991 Best-Picture nominated “Beauty and the Beast” is outpacing advance ticket sales of “Captain America: Civil War,” according to Fandango, owned by Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal. For comparison, “Captain America: Civil War” opened with $179 million in box office receipts and went on to gross $1.2 billion worldwide. “Beauty and the Beast,” starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, hits theaters nationwide this weekend. The new version of the famed fairy tale, one of the most-anticipated films of the year, is the fastest-selling family film, according to Fandango, beating out last year’s “Finding Dory.” Disney shares have gained more than 11% in the trailing 12-month period, while the S&P 500 index is up more than 18% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up nearly 23% during the same period.

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Pharma and biotech stocks slump after President Trump tweets about lowering drug prices

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology shares slumped in pre-market trade Tuesday after President Donald Trump tweeted that he was working on a new system to increase drug industry competition and reduce drug pricing. The SPDR S&P Pharmaceutical ETF slumped 0.6% and the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF declined 1.2% Tuesday pre-market. “Pricing for the American people will come way down!” Trump said, though he provided no detail as to how. Since the president met with pharmaceutical executives in late January and seemed to back away from previous statements about negotiating drug prices, the SPDR S&P Pharmaceutical ETF and the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF rebounded and then some. The president’s tweet follows the release of House Republicans’ health care plan Monday evening, whichmade no mention of drug prices. The SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF has surged 7.9% over the last three months and the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF has surged 14.5% over the last three months, compared with a 6.0% rise in the S&P 500 .

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