Markets Insider (April 7)
Investors are punishing transportation stocks “in the face of sky-high fuel prices and slowing growth.” Since hitting a November high, the Dow Jones Transportation Average has fallen 20%, “the technical definition of a bear market.” Often seen as “a bellwether for the health of the underlying economy, the index is comprised of “transportation stocks, from logistics companies such as FedEx and UPS, airlines, to railroad operators like Union Pacific.”
Tags: Airlines, Bear market, Bellwether, Dow Jones, Economy, FedEx, Fuel prices, Investors, Logistics, Punishing, Railroad, Sky-high, Slowing growth, Stocks, Transportation, UPS
Wall Street Journal (October 31)
“The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined Friday, closing out its worst week and month since March in the final lap of the presidential race. Volatility reigned” as “investors have been spooked by a record high in coronavirus infections in the U.S., fresh lockdowns in Europe that threaten economic growth and a mixed bag of earnings report from big technology companies.”
Tags: Big tech, Coronavirus, Declined, Dow Jones, Earnings, Economic growth, Europe, Investors, Lockdowns, March, Presidential race, Spooked, Threaten, U.S., Volatility, Worst
Wall Street Journal (June 10)
“Growing fears of a surge in coronavirus infections sent the stock market tumbling Thursday, pulling the Dow Jones Industrial Average down more than 1,800 points for its worst day since March.” In recent days “investors have gotten more signs that the smooth reopening they have been hoping for may be increasingly difficult to achieve—throwing into doubt their hopes for a nascent economic recovery.”
Tags: Coronavirus, Dow Jones, Economic recovery, Fears, Infections, Investors, Stock market, Surge, Tumbling
Wall Street Journal (August 1)
“President Trump moved Thursday to extend tariffs to essentially all Chinese imports, escalating a trade conflict that is poised to hit U.S. consumers in the pocketbook and roiling financial markets…. Wall Street was rattled by the news.” The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite all closed lower. “Oil prices sank almost 8%, their biggest drop since February 2015.”
Tags: China, Dow Jones, Financial markets, Imports, Nasdaq, Oil, Rattled, Tariffs, Trade conflict, Trump, U.S. consumers, Wall Street
Newsweek (May 13)
“China’s decision to raise tariffs on U.S. goods made its impact felt on Wall Street as stock markets began the week on a downbeat note. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index fell by more than 2 percent in early trading,” while the Nasdaq dropped even further. Market volatility “was directly linked to the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China…. The back-and-forth retaliation between the two superpowers wiped out the marginal gains stocks recorded at the end of last week.”
Tags: China, Dow Jones, Downbeat, Gains, Nasdaq, Retaliation, Stock market, Superpowers, Tariffs, Trade war, U.S., Volatility, Wall Street
Financial Times (May 12)
There’s little obvious business sense to Pfizer’s proposed takeover of AstraZeneca. Strategically, there’s not much to be gained aside from effecting a change of tax domicile. “Pfizer’s dealmaking history is moreover a deeply dispiriting one…. Despite having spent some $240bn on three big acquisitions since 2000, its market capitalisation is just $185bn today. Meanwhile the Dow Jones index is more than 40 per cent higher.” AstraZeneca’s directors must proceed warily. This is about more than the potential short-term profit to existing shareholders.
Tags: Acquisitions, AstraZeneca, Dealmaking, Directors, Dow Jones, Market-cap, Pfizer, Profit, Shareholders, Short term, Strategy, Takeover, Tax domicile
Investment Week (October 25)
Unfazed by a recent slump in the Dow, veteran investor Warren Buffet is taking advantage of the chance to increase his equity holdings. “If the market is down, I am happier buying. If I go to the supermarket and they have reduced prices, I feel better. So if I go to the stock exchange and they have reduced prices I feel better.” Indeed, he believes growth will continue in the U.S., which has stronger fundamentals than Europe.
Financial Times (October 4)
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its findings on the May 6 Flash Crash when the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,000 points before bouncing back…all in a breathtaking 20 minutes. The cause was an institutional investor’s $4.1 billion sale of so-called “e-mini” futures contracts to hedge against an equity position. The trade appears to have been legitimate. The SEC must take action to ensure legitimate trades don’t result in excess volatility that scares investors away from stock markets. Measures should include circuit breakers and regulation of high-frequency traders, including requirements that they serve as market makers.
Tags: Circuit breakers, Dow Jones, Flash crash, SEC, Traders
New York Times (May 7)
At 2:42 yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) went into freefall. By 2:47, the DJIA recorded its greatest ever intraday point drop. Individual stocks experienced even greater volatility. Procter & Gamble fell 37%. Accenture dropped from $40 to $0.01. The New York Times says the panic was the result of “one part nervous traders, one part Greek crisis and one part trader error.” After falling more than 1,000 points, the DJIA largely recovered, closing down 347.80 points. The SEC and major stock exchanges have launched an investigation into the “unusual trading activity.”
At 2:42 yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) went into freefall. By 2:47, the DJIA recorded its greatest ever intraday point drop. Individual stocks experienced even greater volatility. Procter & Gamble fell 37%. Accenture dropped from $40 to $0.01. The New York Times says the panic was the result of “one part nervous traders, one part Greek crisis and one part trader error.” After falling more than 1,000 points, the DJIA largely recovered, closing down 347.80 points. The SEC and major stock exchanges have launched an investigation into the “unusual trading activity.”
Tags: Dow Jones, Greek crisis, Panic trading, SEC
