US : Pre Market News – 07 Dec 2016

Dec E-mini S&Ps (ESZ16 +0.01%) are up +0.02% and European stocks are up +1.01% at a 7-1/4 month high on optimism the ECB will prolong QE. Expectations are for the ECB at its monthly meeting tomorrow to extend its monthly asset purchases of 80 billion euros by 6 to 9 months. Also, energy producing stocks are higher with Jan WTI crude oil (CLF17 -0.55%) up +0.20% after the API reported late yesterday that U.S. oil inventories fell -2.21 million bbl last week. Market anxiety has also fallen since last month’s surprise election of Donald Trump as U.S. President as the VIX volatility index dropped to a 3-1/2 month low today. Asian stocks settled mostly higher: Japan +0.74%, Hong Kong +0.55%, China +0.71%, Taiwan +0.14%, Australia +0.91%, Singapore +0.36%, South Korea +0.28%, India -0.59%. India’s S&P Sensex Stock Index erased an early rally and closed down -0.59 % after the Reserve Bank of India unexpectedly kept the benchmark repurchase rate unch at 6.25% when expectations were for a -25 bp cut to 6.00%.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.03%) is unch. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is up +0.06%. USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is down -0.04%.

Mar 10-year T-note prices (ZNH17 +0.16%) are up +5.5 ticks.

German Oct industrial production rose +0.3% m/m and +1.2% y/y, weaker than expectations of +0.8% m/m and +1.6% y/y.

UK Oct industrial production unexpectedly fell -1.3% m/m, weaker than expectations of +0.2% m/m and the biggest decline in 4 years.

Key U.S. news today includes: (1) weekly MBA mortgage applications (previous -9.4% with purchase sub-index -0.2% and refi sub-index -16.2%), (2) Oct JOLTS job openings (expected +14,000 to 5.500 million, Sep +33,000 to 5.486 million), (3) Oct consumer credit (expected +$ 18.3 billion, Sep +$ 19.292 billion), (4) EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report.

Russell 1000 earnings reports today include: Costco (consensus $ 1.19), John Wiley (0.66), Brown-Forman (0.50), Casey’s General Stores (1.57), H&R Block (-0.68), lululemon athletica (0.43), Orbital ATK (1.39).

U.S. IPO’s scheduled to price today: Collplant Holdings (CQPTD).

Equity conferences during the remainder of this week include: UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Mon-Wed, Goldman Sachs U.S. Financial Services Conference on Tue-Wed, Wells Fargo Pipeline, MLP and Utility Symposium on Wed, Citi Global Health Care Conference on Wed-Thu, Barclays Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference on Wed-Thu, Bernstein Consumer Summit on Wed-Thu, Capital One Southcoast Energy Conference on Wed-Thu, ACI European Biopolymer Summit on Thu.

Discover Financial Services (DFS +1.38%) was upgraded to ‘Outperform’ from ‘Neutral’ at Wedbush with a 12-month target price of $ 78.

Best Buy (BBY +0.23%) was rated a new ‘Buy’ at Loop Capital with a price target of $ 58.

ABIOMED (ABMD +2.72%) was rated a new ‘Buy’ at Guggenheim Securities with a 12-month target price of $ 150.

MasterCard (MA -1.50%) gained almost 1% in after-hours trading after it boosted its quarterly dividend to 22 cents a share from 19 cents, and then approved a $ 4 billion stock buyback program, effective upon completion of a previous program that has $ 1.3 billion remaining.

Western Digital (WDC +2.83%) rallied over 5% in after-hours trading after it renewed a royalty-bearing cross licensing agreement with Samsung through 2024, and then raised guidance on Q2 adjusted EPS to $ 2.10-$ 2.15 from an October 26 view of $ 1.85-$ 1.95.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (PLAY -1.70%) jumped 12% in after-hours trading after it reported Q3 EPS of 25 cents, well above consensus of 14 cents, and then raised guidance on fiscal 2017 comparable store sales to up +3.1%-3.6% from a prior view of +2.25%-3.25%.

Bluebird Bio (BLUE +9.42%) fell over 2% in after-hours trading after it proposed a $ 200 million stock offering.

HealthEquity (HQY -2.76%) dropped over 4% in after-hours trading after it reported Q3 EPS of 10 cents, below consensus of 12 cents.

AeroVironment (AVAV +2.66%) tumbled nearly 10% in after-hours trading after it reported a Q2 loss per share of -18 cents, a much bigger loss than expectations of -1 cent, and then said it sees a Q3 loss per share of -34 cents to -38 cents, more than consensus of -24 cents.

Ensco PLC (ESV +4.55%) declined over 6% in after-hours trading after it started a private placement of $ 650 million senior notes due 2014.

Sigma Designs (SIGM +1.31%) sank over 10% in after-hours trading after it said it expects Q4 revenue of $ 42 million-$ 45 million, weaker than consensus of $ 57.4 million.

TerraForm Power (TERP +1.83%) slid nearly 2% in after-hours trading after it said it sees completing the rest of its 2016 filings and regaining full compliance by March.

Dec E-mini S&Ps (ESZ16 +0.01%) this morning are up +0.50 of a point (+0.02%). Tuesday’s closes: S&P 500 +0.34%, Dow Jones +0.18%, Nasdaq +0.22%. The S&P 500 on Tuesday closed higher on carry-over support from a rally in European stocks to a 3-week high on expectations that the ECB this Thursday will extend QE past March of next year. Stocks were also boosted by the +2.7% increase in U.S. Oct factory orders, stronger than expectations of +2.6% and the biggest increase in 16 months. Stocks were undercut by the U.S. Oct trade deficit of -$ 42.6 billion, which was wider than expectations of -$ 42.0 billion and was negative for Q4 GDP. There was also weakness in energy producer stocks as crude oil prices fell -1.70%.

Mar 10-year T-notes (ZNH17 +0.16%) this morning are up +5.5 ticks. Tuesday’s closes: TYH7 unch, FVH7 +1.00. Mar 10-year T-notes on Tuesday closed little changed. T-notes were boosted by the the wider-than-expected U.S. Oct trade deficit, which was negative for Q4 GDP. T-notes were also boosted by the slide in crude oil prices, which undercut inflation expectations. T-note prices were undercut by the +2.7% increase in U.S. Oct factory orders, their biggest increase in 16 months.

The dollar index (DXY00 -0.03%) this morning is unch. EUR/USD (^EURUSD) is +0.0006 (+0.06%). USD/JPY (^USDJPY) is -0.05 (-0.04%). Tuesday’s closes: Dollar index +0.400 (+0.40%), EUR/USD -0.0046 (-0.43%), USD/JPY +0.17 (+0.15%). The dollar index on Tuesday closed higher on the stronger than expected U.S. Oct factory orders report and by weakness in EUR/USD on expectations that the ECB on Thursday will announce an extension of QE beyond March of 2017.

Jan WTI crude oil prices (CLF17 -0.55%) this morning are up +10 cent s(+0.20%) and Jan gasoline (RBF17 -0.18%) is +0.0064 (+0.42%). Tuesday’s closes: Jan crude -0.88 (-1.70%), Jan gasoline -0.0158 (-1.01%). Jan crude oil and gasoline on Tuesday closed lower on a stronger dollar and on news that OPEC Nov crude production rose by +200,000 bpd to a record 34.160 million bpd.