Good MorningEquity markets traded flat on Thursday following three days of upward movement. The pause is due to weaker-than-expected retail sales data that shows sales grew by only 0.4% in December. Even so, a 0.4% gain is solid enough to offset the 0.4% price increase indicated by the CPI. Demand may not have grown in December, but it remains strong relative to last year's numbers and points to growth in the retail sector.
A warning from Target compounded the retail data, weighing on the sector and the S&P 500. Target updated its Q4 guidance to include better-than-expected revenue but warned margin would be weakened. In this scenario, the earnings guidance was reaffirmed despite the increased expectation for revenue. The question is if this is a trend or a problem isolated to Target. Shares of Target fell on the news but confirmed support at a critical level near long-term lows and may be at their bottom. Featured: I was wrong. Dead wrong. (Porter & Company) 
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Stocks | | | U.S. stock indexes drifted lower Thursday following a mixed set of earnings reports from Morgan Stanley, UnitedHealth Group and other big companies. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% after flipping between small gains and losses through the day. More stocks rose within the index than fell, but drops for... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | | U.S. stock indexes closed their best week in two months with a flourish on Friday.The S&P 500 climbed 1% to clinch its first winning week in the last three. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 334 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.5%. SLB helped lead the market after the prov... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | |
Bank stocks are on fire after a round of better-than-expected reports. Expected to grow earnings by 40%, the financial sector is outperforming the expectations on widespread strength supported by broad-based demand. Some takeaways from the reports are that revenue is growing with strength driven b... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | |
The financial sector is booming, including small caps like Unity Bancorp (NASDAQ: UNTY), Plumas Bancorp (NASDAQ: PLBC), and Community Trust Bancorp (NASDAQ: CTBI). The results from 2024 show consumers remain healthy, commercial volumes are improving, and higher-for-longer interest rates drive... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | | China's economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in 2024, slower than the year before but in line with Beijing’s target of “around 5%” growth, thanks to strong exports and recent stimulus measures. The economy picked up speed in the last quarter, the government reported Friday, growing 5.4% in October-D... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | |
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) stock price is pulling back from highs set last year, presenting a healthy opportunity for investors. Although the outlook for revenue growth has dimmed, the company continues to grow, cost controls offset the weakness, and capital return remains robust.
The stock... Read the Full Story |
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Tech | | |
The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is rapidly reshaping the technological sector, and at the heart of this transformation is the need for advanced memory solutions. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) is a global leader in the semiconductor sector, and it is strategically positioned to c... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | | The global economy is growing steadily in the face of war, protectionist trade policies and high interest rates. It just isn’t growing fast enough to bring relief to the world’s poorest, the World Bank said Thursday in its latest assessment of the global economy.The bank expects the world economy to... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | |
Shares of AI-assistant maker Cerence (NASDAQ: CRNC) exploded upward to kick off 2025 after the company announced an expanded partnership with NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA). Shares rose nearly 144% in one day after the announcement. Since that one-day surge, shares have traded down approximately 31% as o... Read the Full Story |
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Markets | | | UnitedHealth posted a better-than-expected profit in the final quarter of 2024, but a nagging rise in medical costs and care utilization surprised Wall Street.Shares of the health care giant slid Thursday after it released its first financial report since the brazen shooting of one of its executives... Read the Full Story |
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Friday's Early Bird Stock Of The Day Palladyne AI Corp., a software company, focuses on delivering software that enhances the utility and functionality of third-party stationary and mobile robotic systems in the United States. Its Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) software platform enables robots to observe, learn, reason, and act in structured and unstructured environments. The company's software platform enables robotic systems to perceive their environment and quickly adapt to changing circumstances by generalizing from their experience using dynamic real-time operations without extensive programming and with minimal robot training. It serves customers from various industries, such as industrial manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, defense, infrastructure maintenance and repair, energy, aerospace and aviation, and others. The company was formerly known as Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation and changed its name to Palladyne AI Corp. in March 2024. Palladyne AI Corp. was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. | | View Today's Stock Pick |
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