Live Index – Mon, 16 May 2016 Premarket

Jun E-mini S&Ps (ESM16 +0.16%) are little changed up +0.01% as a +1.95% rally in crude oil (CLM16 +2.16%) to a 6-1/2 month high underpins energy producers. Signs of increased M&A activity is another positive for stocks with Yahoo up nearly 2% in pre-market trading after people familiar with the matter said that Warren Buffett is backing a group bidding for the company’s internet assets. European stocks are down -0.67% in thin trade with Germany and Switzerland closed for holiday. Asian stocks settled higher: Japan +0.33%, Hong Kong +0.84%, China +0.84%, Taiwan +0.17%, Australia +0.56%, Singapore +0.04%, South Korea +0.09%, India +0.64%. Despite weaker-than-expected Chinese economic data on Apr industrial production and retail sales, Asian stocks closed higher after the PBOC issued a statement saying that it will create appropriate monetary and financial environment to facilitate steady economic growth.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.05%) is down -0.06%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.14%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.21%.

Jun T-note prices (ZNM16 -0.11%) are down -3 ticks after a Washington Post story quoted Richmond Fed President Lacker saying “at this point it looks to me as if the case for raising rates looks to be pretty strong in June as inflation is moving decidedly toward 2% and the labor markets have tightened significantly.”

In a statement released on its website, the PBOC said the slowdown in new yuan loan growth last month was mainly due to an acceleration in local government debt swaps and that prudent monetary policy remains unchanged, overall credit supply and aggregate financing growth are steady, and the PBOC will create appropriate monetary and financial environment to facilitate steady economic growth.

China Apr industrial production rose +5.8% year-to-date y/y, unch from Mar and weaker than expectations of +6.1% year-to-date y/y.

China Apr retail sales rose +10.3% year-to-date y/y, unch from Mar and weaker than expectations of +10.4% year-to-date y/y.

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) May Empire manufacturing index (expected -3.06 to 6.50, Apr +8.94 to 9.56), (2) May NAHB housing market index (expected +1 to 59, Apr unch at 58), (3) Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari holds a town hall meeting on “Too Big to Fail” at the University of Minnesota, (4) USDA weekly grain export inspections, and (5) USDA Weekly Crop Progress.

There are 3 of the Russell 1000 companies that report earnings today: Urban Outfitters (consensus $ 0.25), Agilent Technologies (0.39), Akorn (0.54).

U.S. IPO’s scheduled to price today: Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals (CPP).

Equity conferences today: American Gas Association Financial Forum on Mon, Electrical Products Group Investor Conference on Mon-Wed,
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Transportation Conference on Tue, Goldman Sachs Basic Materials Conference on Tue-Wed, Barclays Americas Select Franchise Conference on Tue-Wed, CBI’s Life Sciences IT Governance and Cybersecurity Summit on Tue-Wed, Barclays Insurance Forum on Wed, MoffettNathanson Media and Communications Conference on Wed, BMO Capital Markets Farm to Market Conference on Wed-Thu, Citi Car of the Future Symposium on Thu, ITG Global Industrials Conference on Thu, Needham Emerging Technology Conference Thu, Business Analytics Innovation Summit on Thu-Fri, Medical Affairs Summit on Fri.

Yahoo! (YHOO -1.49%) climbed nearly 2% in pre-market trading after people familiar with the matter said that Warren Buffett is backing a group bidding for the company’s internet assets.

Globalstar (GSAT +35.36%) jumped 16% in pre-market trading after the chairman of the FCC late Friday asked the agency to vote on Globalstar’s proposal to offer mobile service on airwaves now reserved for satellite use.

Nokia OYJ (NOK unch) was upgraded to ‘Buy’ from ‘Hold’ at Canaccord Genuity with a price target of $ 7.

Weibo (WB +2.10%) was downgraded to ‘Neutral’ from ‘Buy’ at Goldman Sachs.

Vornado Realty Trust (VNO -1.54%) was upgraded to ‘Buy’ from ‘Hold’ at Evercore ISI with a 12-month price target of $ 108.

Regions Financial Corp. (RF -1.53%) was downgraded to ‘Underperform’ from ‘Market perform’ at KBW.

Infoblox (BLOX -2.99%) was downgraded to ‘Underperform’ from ‘Neutral’ at DA Davidson.

Globus Medical (GMED +0.51%) was downgraded to ‘Sell’ from ‘Neutral’ at Goldman Sachs.

Digital Realty Trust (DLR -0.29%) climbed nearly 4% in after-hours trading after it was announced that it will replace Tim Warner Cable in the S&P 500 after the close of trading on Tuesday, May 17.

Blue Buffalo Pet Products (BUFF -0.83%) slid over 4% in after-hours trading after it started a 25 million share secondary offering of common stock.

TerraForm Global (GLBL -1.50%) rose nearly 3% in after-hours trading after Appaloosa Management’s 13F filing showed it increased its stake in TerraForm Global.

June E-mini S&Ps (ESM16 +0.16%) this morning are little changed, up +0.25 of a point (+0.01%). Friday’s closes: S&P 500 -0.85%, Dow Jones -1.05%, Nasdaq -0.37%. The S&P 500 on Friday closed lower on concern about a sooner-than-expected Fed rate hike after the very strong U.S. retail sales and consumer sentiment reports. In addition, retail stocks moved lower, led by a -13% plunge in Nordstrom, after the retailer cut its full-year earnings forecast and added to evidence that the U.S. department-store industry is in a deep and probably permanent slump. Stocks were boosted by improved confidence about the U.S. economy after U.S. Apr retail sales rose +1.3% and +0.8% ex-autos, stronger than expectations of +0.8% and +0.5% ex-autos, and by the +6.8 point increase in the U.S. May University of Michigan U.S. consumer sentiment index to an 11-month high of 95.8, stronger than expectations of +0.5 to 89.5.

June 10-year T-note prices (ZNM16 -0.11%) this morning are down -3 ticks. Friday’s closes: TYM6 +12.00, FVM6 +5.25. Jun T-notes on Friday closed higher on increased safe-haven demand with the sell-off in stocks. T-notes were above to shake off the strong U.S. retail sales and consumer sentiment reports.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.05%) this morning is down -0.059 (-0.06%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.0016 (+0.14%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.23 (+0.21%). Friday’s closes: Dollar Index +0.426 (+0.45%), EUR/USD -0.0068 (-0.60%), USD/JPY -0.39 (-0.36%). The dollar index on Friday rallied to a 2-1/2 week high and closed higher on increased chances for a Fed rate hike after the strong U.S. Apr retail sales and May U.S. consumer sentiment reports.

June WTI crude oil (CLM16 +2.16%) this morning is up +90 cents (+1.95%) at a 6-1/2 month high. June gasoline (RBM16 +1.44%) is up +0.0206 (+1.30%) at a 2-week high. Friday’s closes: CLM6 -0.49 (-1.05%), RBM6 +0.0049 (+0.31%). Jun crude oil and gasoline on Friday settled mixed. Crude oil prices were undercut by the rally in the dollar index to a 2-1/2 week high and by the ongoing U.S. crude oil supply glut with U.S. crude inventories at +33% above their 5-year average. Crude oil prices received a boost from Baker Hughes’ report that the number of active U.S. oil rigs fell by another -10 rigs to 318 in the week ended May 13, the fewest in 6-1/2 years.