Active broad-market exchange-traded funds at mid-day:
SPDR S&P 500 (
SPY
): +0.37%
iShares MSCI Japan Index (
EWJ
): +0.81%
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index (
EEM
): +0.72%
PowerShares QQQ Trust, Series 1 (
QQQ
): +0.53%
iShares Russell 2000 Index (
IWM
): +0.93%
Broad Market Indicators
Broad-market exchange-traded funds, including SPY, IWM, IVV and
others, continue to be firmer. Actively traded PowerShares QQQ (
QQQ
) is up 0.5%.
U.S. stocks are paring back gains as House Speaker John Boehner
said that there has been little progress in the talks between
President Obama and House Republicans over the fiscal cliff issue.
Boehner's comments have quashed earlier optimism that a compromise
on the U.S. budget could be reached. Despite this, investors
cheered upbeat housing data released today, with the report that
U.S. pending home resales climbed to their highest level since
2007, jumping 5.2% to 104.8, above forecasts.
Winners and Losers
Financial -
Select Financial Sector SPDRs (XLF) is up 0.38%. Direxion Daily
Financial Bull 3X shares (FAS) is up 1%. Its bearish counterpart,
FAZ, is down 0.9%.
Among financial stocks, KBW Inc. (KBW) is down 0.35% as the
investment bank and asset managers declared a special dividend of
$2 a share payable Dec. 17 to shareholders of record on Dec. 10.
KBW also said it will be reducing the cash portion to be paid to
Stifel Financial Corp as part of the company's Nov. 5 merger
agreement to reflect payment of the special dividend. SF shares are
at $30.30 apiece, down 0.3%.
Technology -
Tech
ETFs
are in positive territory at mid-day: Technology Select Sector SPDR
ETF (XLK), up 0.5%; iShares Dow Jones US Technology ETF (IYW), up
0.5%; iShares S&P North American Technology ETF (IGM), up 0.5%;
and iShares S&P North American Technology-Software Index (IGV),
up 0.65%.
Semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor (XSD) is up 0.89%
and Semiconductor Sector Index Fund (SOXX) is up 0.26%.
SPDR S&P International Technology Sector ETF (IPK) is up
1.87% to within $1 of 52 week highs.
In sector news, BOS Better OnLine Solutions (BOSC) is up 70%
after the company reported today a Q3 loss of $0.01 per share,
versus the prior-year period's loss of $0.30 per share. Revenues
were $5.39 mln, down from $8.2 mln in the same period last year. No
analyst estimates were available for comparison.
Industrial -
Industrial ETFs are higher and closer to 52 week highs: Vanguard
Industrials (VIS), up 0.4%; iShares Trust Dow Jones U.S. Industrial
Sector Index Fund (IYJ), up 0.43%; and Select Sector
SPDR-Industrial (XLI), up 0.4%.
Among ADRs, Rio Tinto (RIO) is now up 4.2% following a report on
Reuters that stated the company is planning to cut $7 billion in
costs over the next two years. RIO will also sell more assets to
offset weaker commodity prices, and at the same time ramp up its
production of iron ore, the report added.
Commodities -
Crude was up 1.54%; natural gas is down 2.74%. United States Oil
Fund (USO) is up 1.4%. United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) is down
3.8%.
Gold was up 0.46%; likewise, silver was up 1.41%. Among rare
metal funds, SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is up 0.4% and iShares Silver
Trust (SLV) is up 1.8%.
Healthcare -
Healthcare ETFs are firmer: Health Care SPDR (XLV), up 0.7%;
Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT), up 0.7%; and iShares Dow Jones US
Healthcare (IYH), up 0.67%. Biotech ETF iShares NASDAQ
Biotechnology Index (IBB), is up 1.3%.
In corporate news, DARA Biosciences (DARA) is up 16.5% and
moving further away from near 52 week lows after it said that it
has submitted an Orphan Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for KRN5500, a compound the company is
developing as a treatment for a painful form of chronic
chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. It was designated as a
"Fast Track" drug by the FDA in October 2011.
Power Play -
Retail -
The retail sector is lower, underperforming the broader market
as the most November sales reports from retailers came in below
expectations. Retail ETFs are mostly weaker: SPDR S&P Retail
(XRT), down 0.7%; While PowerShares Dynamic Retail (PMR) has turned
positive and is now up 0.3%; and Market Vectors Retail ETF (RTH) is
down 0.3%.
Among retailers that missed November same store sales estimates,
Kohl's (KSS) is now down 10%, adding to earlier losses of some 6%.
It reported November same store sales fell 5.6%, versus the Retail
Metrics consensus of an increase of 2.1%. Total sales for the month
decreased 4.9% to $1.84 bln from $1.93 bln in the same month last
year. Other retailers that missed expectations include Nordstrom
(JWN), down 1.29%, reporting comps decline of 1.1% versus the
Retail Metrics consensus of an increase of 4.5%; Macy's (M), down
2.63%, reporting comps decline of 0.7% versus the Retail Metrics
consensus of an increase of 2.5%; and Target (TGT), down 1.13%,
reporting comps decline of 1% versus the Retail Metrics consensus
of an increase of 2.1%