US : Pre Market News – 11 Aug 2016

Sep E-mini S&Ps (ESU16 +0.25%) are up +0.21% and European stocks are up +0.62% at a 1-1/2 month high on better-than-expected company quarterly earnings results. Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd is up over 5% in pre-market trading after posting better-than-expected Q1 EPS and revenue. Zurich Insurance Group AG rose 4% after it said earnings fell less than expected and KBC Group NV gained over 5% after posting higher-than-expected profit and revenue. Asian stocks settled mixed: Japan closed for holiday, Hong Kong +0.39%, China -0.53%, Taiwan -0.75%, Australia -0.64%, Singapore -0.20%, South Korea +0.29%, India +0.31%. The South Korean won retreated from a 14-month high against the dollar after the Bank of Korea (BOK) kept interest rates at a record low and BOK Governor Lee Ju Yeol said the central bank “still has monetary and fiscal policy room.”

The dollar index (DXY00 +0.16%) is up +0.18%. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.20%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.06%.

Sep T-note prices (ZNU16 -0.09%) are down -4.5 ticks.

Economists at the IMF said that the ECB may need to rely more on asset purchases for monetary stimulus as negative interest rates reach their limit of effectiveness. They said, “while negative interest rates have spurred a modest credit expansion that supports growth and inflation, they have also squeezed bank profitability.”

The UK Jul RICS housing market survey fell to 5% from a downward revised 15% in Jun, the lowest in 3-1/4 years.

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) weekly initial unemployment claims (expected -4,000 to 265,000, previous +3,000 to 269,000) and continuing claims (expected -5,000 to 2.133 million, previous -6,000 to 2.138 million), (2) Jul import price index (expected -0.4% m/m and -4.3% y/y, Jun +0.2% m/m and -4.8% y/y), (3) Treasury auction of $ 15 billion of 30-year T-bonds, and (4) USDA weekly Export Sales.

There are 4 of the S&P 500 companies that report earnings today: Macy’s (consensus $ 0.45), Kohl’s (1.03), Nordstrom (0.57), NVIDIA (0.48).

U.S. IPO’s scheduled to price today: AzurRX BioPharma (AXRX).

Equity conferences during the remainder of this week include: Jefferies Industrials Conference on Tue-Thu, Canaccord Genuity Growth Conference on Wed-Thu, Jefferies Financial Services Conference on Wed-Thu, Goldman Sachs Power, Utilities, MLP, and Pipeline Conference on Thu.

Kohl’s (KSS +0.90%) rallied 6% in pre-market trading after it reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $ 1.22, higher than consensus of $ 1.03.

Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd (BABA +2.45%) jumped over 5% in pre-market trading after it reported Q1 revenue of $ 4.84 billion, well above consensus of $ 4.54 billion.

Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI +1.04%) was downgraded to ‘Hold’ from ‘Buy’ at Evercore ISI.

Flowers Foods (FLO -9.01%) reported Q2 adjusted EPS of 24 cents, below consensus of 26 cents, and then cut its 2016 adjusted EPS view to 90 cents-95 cents, weaker than consensus of $ 1.00.

Masonite International (DOOR +0.13%) reported Q2 adjusted EPS of $ 1.02, well above consensus of 88 cents.

Shake Shack (SHAK -1.71%) tumbled nearly 10% in pre-market trading after it reported Q2 comparable sales of up +4.5%, below consensus of +5.4%.

Chesapeake Energy (CHK -0.21%) climbed over 5% in after-hours trading after it cut $ 1.9 billion in commitments by selling its interests in the Barnett Shale operating area to Saddle Barnett Resources.

Spark Energy (SPKE +0.52%) rose over 6% in after-hours trading after it raised its 2016 adjusted Ebitda view to $ 75 million-$ 82 million from a May 4 view of $ 44 million-$ 48 million.

Blue Buffalo Pet Products (BUFF +1.17%) gained over 2% in after-hours trading after it reported Q2 adjusted EPS of 19 cents, better than consensus of 17 cents, and then raised its full-year adjusted EPS view to 74 cents-76 cents from a prior view of 73 cents-74 cents.

Avinger (AVGR -1.70%) slumped over 15% in after-hours trading after it began a secondary offering of common stock, no amount was mentioned.

Omeros (OMER -3.81%) dropped nearly 9% in after-hours trading after it announced a secondary offering of $ 40 million of common stock.

Gulf Resources (GURE -3.39%) surged 14% in after-hours trading after it reported Q2 EPS of 28 cents, versus 23 cents y/y.

Sep E-mini S&Ps (ESU16 +0.25%) this morning are up +4.50 points (+0.21%). The S&P 500 on Wednesday closed lower: S&P 500 -0.29%, Dow Jones -0.20%, Nasdaq -0.26%. Bearish factors included (1) the +110,000 increase in U.S. Jun JOLTS job openings to 5.624 million, weaker than expectations of +175,000 to 5.675 million, and (2) the -2.48% slide in oil prices, which undercut energy producing stocks.

Sep 10-year T-notes (ZNU16 -0.09%) this morning are down -4.5 ticks. Sep T-notes on Wednesday closed higher: TYU6 +12.50, FVU6 +6.50. Bullish factors included (1) the weaker-than-expected U.S. Jun JOLTS job openings, (2) the side in stocks, which boosted the safe-haven demand for T-notes, and (3) strong foreign demand for the Treasury’s $ 23 billion 10-year T-note auction where indirect bidders, a proxy for foreign buyers, bought 72.2% of the total auction, above the 12-auction average of 62.8%.

The dollar index (DXY00 +0.16%) this morning is up +0.171 (+0.18%). EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is down -0.0022 (-0.20%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is up +0.06 (+0.06%). The dollar index on Wednesday closed lower: Dollar index -0.533 (-0.55%), EUR/USD +0.0059 (+0.53%), USD/JPY -0.59 (-0.58%). Bearish factors included (1) the smaller-than-expected increase in U.S. Jun JOLTS job openings, and (2) increased speculation that the Fed will refrain from raising interest rates until next year at the earliest.

Sep WTI crude oil (CLU16 +0.02%) this morning is up +2 cents (+0.05%) and Sep gasoline (RBU16 -0.19%) is down -0.0010 (-0.08%). Sep crude oil and gasoline on Wednesday closed lower: CLU6 -1.06 (-2.48%), RBU6 -0.0448 (-3.33%). Bearish factors included (1) ramped up Saudi output as Saudi Arabian Jul crude production rose to a record 10.67 million bpd, (2) the unexpected +1.05 million bbl increase in weekly EIA crude inventories, more than expectations of -1.5 million bbl. Bullish factors included (1) a weaker dollar and (2) the -2.81 million bbl decline in weekly EIA gasoline supplies to a 7-month low, a bigger drop than expectations of -1.3 million bbl.