Here's where markets stand at mid-day:
-NYSE down 53.93 (-0.72%) to 7,428.78
-DJIA down 48.89 (+0.43%) to 11,434.01
-S&P 500 down 7.81 (-0.64%) to 1,196.78
-Nasdaq down 23.99 (-0.93%) to 2,531.89
GLOBAL SENTIMENT
Nikkei up 0.2%.
Hang Seng down 0.2%.
Shanghai Composite down 0.7%.
FTSE-100 down 1.3%.
MID-DAY NYSE INDEX WATCH
NYSE Energy down 1.23% at 12,140.25
NYSE Financial down 1.21% at 4,256.74
NYSE Health Care down 2.83% at 6,631.21
NYSE Arca Tech 100 down 0.87% at 1,044.60
UPSIDE MOVERS
(+) SKS (+3.3%) reports smaller loss than expected, sales
beat.
(+) RLRN (+23.2%) gets buyout.
(+) TJX (+2.4%) down despite earnings beat, raised guidance.
DOWNSIDE MOVERS
(-) URBN (-8.7%) gives up early after-hours gain after mostly
positive results.
(-) DKS (-2.1%) beats with EPS but sales miss, raises
guidance.
(-) GKSR (-0.4%) beats Q4 estimates.
(-) MY (-0.3%) misses Q2 estimates.
(-) VVTV (-29.4%) misses Q2 estimates.
(-) HEV (-9.1%) to restate financial results.
MARKET DIRECTION
Stocks are paring some of their early declines but the major
indexes are still lower at mid-day, as investors shift their
attention to concerns across the pond, where new data suggests the
global recovery is stalled. Domestically, new residential
construction also slowed last month.
Weaker-than-expected German GDP data is pressuring European
stock averages. Germany's economy expanded only 0.1% in Q2 from the
preceding three months, marking a sharp slowdown from the 1.3%
growth posted in Q1. Also today, the euro zone's economy expanded
0.2% in Q2, below expectations for a 0.3% rise.
Housing remains a drag on the U.S. economy. Residential
construction starts fell 1.5% in July. The Commerce Department said
starts fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 604,000 from a
downwardly revised 613,000 rate in June. Economists polled by
MarketWatch had anticipated a 600,000 annualized rate for July,
while many had thought June's initial reading of 629,000 was too
strong. Single-family starts fell 4.9% to 425,000. Building
permits, a less volatile statistic, fell 3.2% to an annual rate of
597,000 in July, and June's data also was downwardly revised, to
617,000 from 624,000.
July import prices were up 0.3% as oil prices gained early in
that period before falling.
In company news:
Shares of Marshall Edwards (
MSHL
) are scoring big in the regular session after the company
announced this morning that its investigational new drug
application for its anti-tumor drug has been approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration. The company says it plans to start a
Phase I clinical trial by September.
Allstate Corp (
ALL
) has sued Goldman Sachs (
GS
), accusing the bank of hiding the risks associated with more than
$123 million of mortgage backed securities it sold to the insurance
company.
Shares of Electronic Arts (
ERTS
) are down as media reports indicate the video game developer
acquired social mobil-game maker Bight Interactive. Bight focuses
on so-called "freemium" games where people can play for free but
must pay for virtual goods within the game environment, according
to a report in the Silicon Valley Business Journal on the matter.
The makes games for iOS, Android and other mobile platforms.
Shares of Icagen (
ICGN
) are down following news that the company has mailed a letter to
its stockholders reiterating its recommendation that they accept
the $6 per share tender offer from Pfizer (PFE). The company said
that its board of directors has unanimously determined that the
tender offer is fair to and in the best interests of the
company.
Shares of Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC) are down after Bloomberg
reported that Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B)
added 9.7 million shares in the second quarter to its stake in the
biggest U.S. home lender, boosting its holdings by 2.8%. Buffet
told Charlie Rose in an interview to be broadcast on PBS, that his
company on Monday, "spent more money in the stock market buying
than any day this year."
Statoil (STO) is up after the Associated Press reported that the
Aldous and Avaldsnes oil discoveries together contain between 500
million and 1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent - a great deal
more than previously thought. Statoil owns a 40% stake in both
discoveries.
In earnings news:
--Shares of Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) are firm in the regular
session - paring initial pre-market weakness - to trade up 3.8%.,
or $1.89, to $51.87 after the company said Q2 EPS from continuing
operations was $1.09, a penny more than the Thomson Reuters mean.
Sales were $108.6 billion, more than estimates for $108.35991
billion. The retail giant said it sees Q3 EPS between $0.95 to
$1.00 and raised FY EPS guidance to $4.41 to $4.51. Estimates are
for FY EPS of $4.46.
--Shares of Home Depot (HD) are adding to pre-market gains in
the regular session. Shares are getting boost after the home
improvement retail chain said second quarter earnings came in at
$0.86 per share, better than the analyst consensus of $0.83 per
share on Thomson Reuters. Sales were $20.2 billion, better than the
Street view of $19.9 billion.
Commodities are mixed. December gold contracts are up 1.18% to
$1,778 an ounce while September crude oil contacts are down 0.17%
to $87.48 a barrel.
In energy ETFs, the United States Oil Fund (USO) is down 0.44%
to $34.07 and the United States Natural Gas fund (UNG) is down
1.92%, to $9.97.
In precious metal ETFs, the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is up 0.75% to
$173.11. Market Vectors Gold Miners (GDX) is down 0.33% to $60.71.
iShares Silver Trust (SLV) is up 0.75% to $38.96.