SPDR® S&P 500 ETF
Latest SPDR® S&P 500 ETF News and Updates

Why Decline in LinkedIn Stock Made It a Potential Target
LinkedIn’s stock, which traded at $269 in February 2015, fell to one of its lows of $101.11 in February 2016.

The MPLX crude oil pipeline system
MPLX crude pipelines are connected to supply hubs, and transport crude oil to Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s, or MPC’s, refineries and third parties.

Why investors are preferring high-quality debt
High-quality bonds can be an investor refuge when there’s market volatility. These securities provide relatively stable cash flows. The default probability is low.

Investors Should Avoid Defensive Sectors If Rates Rise
Valuations are at the higher end of their historical range. Investors should avoid defensive sectors, which are highly sensitive to interest rate changes.

The Importance of Rebalancing Your Portfolio
Rebalancing your portfolio means bringing the portfolio back to the asset allocation levels specified in the financial plan. Not rebalancing can expose you to higher risk.

Analyzing the Prospects of Nike’s Geographic Segments
Most of Nike’s (NKE) incremental revenue was recorded in its North America market, Nike’s largest geographical segment.

Could the Model Y Change Tesla’s Profit Game?
This year, Tesla (TSLA) stock has fallen 21.3%, underperforming broader markets. Let’s look at how Tesla’s Model Y could turn things around.
Rate hike horizon: September’s jobs report was largely positive
After September’s strong jobs numbers, a Fed rate hike could be on the horizon early next year. Russ explains two equity market implications.

Analysts Still Hate Steel Stocks despite Bumper Earnings
Overall, it has been a mixed earnings season for steel companies.

Must-know update: Redbook Index same-store sales data released
The Redbook Index released the same-store weekly data on Tuesday, March 11, 2014.

January 2017 EIA Estimates: US Shale Gas Production Could Fall
The EIA expects less natural gas production at four key US shales by January 2017 compared to November 2016. It expects production to rise at three key US shales.

What S&P 500 Index Moving Averages Could Indicate
The S&P 500 Index is trading 1.2% above its 20-day moving average and 6% above its 100-day moving average.

US-China Talks: Can ‘Miles and Miles’ Be Covered in Five Weeks?
With about five weeks remaining in the trade truce, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said yesterday that the US was “miles and miles” away from a trade deal with China.

Why IBM’s Earnings Could Fall Going Forward
International Business Machines (IBM) reported its 2Q17 results on Tuesday, July 18. The company reported falling quarterly profits and sales yet again.
Must-know: Why Peabody Energy fell 1.9% on July 22
Wall Street analysts’ consensus estimate for loss per share was $0.289.

Inside Schlumberger’s 1-Year Returns as of June 16
Schlumberger’s trailing-one-year stock price has fallen 12% as of June 16, 2017, while XLE, the broader energy industry ETF, has fallen 3%.
What key PMI indicators mean for stocks and investors
Last week, the Institute for Supply Management (or ISM) and Markit both released their reports on the Purchasing Managers Index (or PMI). The ISM’s report gave its strongest reading since February.

How Did the US Election Results Affect Media Stocks?
In this series, we’ll look at what Trump’s win means for the media sector. We’ll also look at how the possibility of a change in net neutrality regulations could affect media companies.

Trump Thinks Fed’s ‘Ridiculously Timed’ Rate Hikes Hurt GDP
Last Friday, President Donald Trump in a tweet called the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes a mistake.

Yellen Wants to Keep Negative Rates on the Table, Helping Gold
When the Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen, testified to Congress on February 11, she affirmed the Fed’s consideration of negative interest rates. Under a negative interest rate scenario, investors would pay interest to the bank for holding their money.

ConocoPhillips: Investors’ Confidence Is Rising
Since ConocoPhillips (COP) reported its fourth-quarter earnings results on January 31, the stock has fallen 1.7%.

ConocoPhillips’s 1Q17 Crude Oil Price Underperforms WTI
ConocoPhillips’s 1Q17 crude oil realized prices In 1Q17, excluding the effect of hedges, ConocoPhillips’s average realized crude oil price in the Lower 48 region was $45.89 per barrel, up ~70% from its price of $27.04 per barrel in 1Q16. Sequentially, ConocoPhillips’s 1Q17 price is ~4% higher than it was in 4Q16. Crude oil prices versus […]

Why the US Economy Stalled in 1Q15
The US economy stalled in 2014 for several reasons, including seasonality, weather, strength of the dollar, the West Coast port strike, and the oil price slump.

These Key Economic Indicators Were Released Last Week
In this series, we’ll take a look at the global final manufacturing PMIs and services PMIs for March 2017. These indicators help us understand the business condition of an economy.

Analyzing Denbury Resources’ 1Q16 Earnings Call
For 1Q16, Denbury Resources (DNR) reported an adjusted EBITDA of ~$105 million with an EBITDA margin of ~40%. Its EBITDA margin is only ~20% lower.

Inside the Market’s View of Corporate Tax Cuts
Are markets upbeat on potential tax reforms? The markets (SPY) (IVV) surged last week with the announcement of a phenomenal update on the corporate tax cut. The S&P and Nasdaq Comp gained ~2% in the week ended February 10, 2017. The Trump administration’s proposed tax cut is likely to boost the economy, though analysts have […]

Murphy Oil’s 4Q15 Operational Performance, Management Strategies
Along with its 4Q15 earnings, Murphy Oil announced the divestiture of its Montney midstream assets located in Canada. The transaction includes the sale of existing infrastructure capable of processing up to 320 million cubic feet per day.

What’s Leon Cooperman’s Largest Position?
Alphabet reported its 3Q17 earnings on October 26, 2017. The company posted EPS (earnings per share) of $9.57, which beat analysts’ estimates of $8.33.

WFT, FMSA, and SPN: Returns and Outlook after 3Q17
WFT, SPN, and FMSA have significantly underperformed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which has produced 23.0% returns since November 3, 2016.

FOXA’s Views on Streaming Platforms: Advertising Opportunity?
Due to the coverage of the US presidential elections this year, 21st Century Fox (FOXA) expects substantial advertising revenue from Fox News.

Investors Park Funds in Large-Cap ETFs in July
In July 2015, investors poured approximately $23 billion in US ETFs with 50% of total investments in equity funds.

Will PepsiCo’s Earnings Stay Ahead of Wall Street in 2Q15?
PepsiCo expects currency headwinds to impact its fiscal 2015 core EPS by 11% compared to its previous estimate of 7%. It expects currency headwinds to drag down EPS in 2Q15 by 12%.

Is ONEOK Stock Currently Overvalued?
ONEOK (OKE) stock is currently trading at a forward EV-to-EBITDA multiple of 14.3x.

Which Upstream Stocks Are More Sensitive to Crude Oil?
In the last three months, Abraxas Petroleum (AXAS) has had the highest positive correlation with WTI crude oil among upstream companies that are part of XOP.

Merck Expects Modest Revenue Growth in Fiscal 2016
Merck provided revenue guidance of $39.7 billion–$40.2 billion in 2016. It expects negative foreign exchange fluctuations to reduce its fiscal 2016 revenue.

It Was a Festive Holiday Season for Signet Jewelers
On January 7, 2016, Signet Jewelers (SIG), the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry, announced its broad-based success in the holiday season with revenue of $1.9 billion.

US Retail Sales Flat in April on Rising Oil Prices, Yet XRT Up 1%
Retail sales in the United States in April didn’t see any growth over March’s sales figures. But the jobless claims reading brought some positive news for the consumer sector.

Expanding Service Sector Gives Relief to Economy in September
With manufacturing slowing, a reading of the Non-Manufacturing Index at an above-neutral level (56.9) may provide some relief to the US economy, which is highly dependent on the service sector for its economic growth.

Will President Trump’s Pressure Tactics Work Out?
In March 2018, President Donald Trump imposed a tariff of 25% on steel imports. What’s happened since?

Suncor Energy: The Only Integrated Energy Loser This Week
Suncor Energy (SU) is the only losing stock in the current week from the integrated energy sector. It fell from last week’s close of $34.67 to $34.52 on October 11, 2017.

Why The US Saw Positive Fund Flows In 2014
The US saw positive fund flows in 2014 due to a relatively better economic position.

Why Time Warner Intends to Pull Its HBO Programming from Amazon
Time Warner announced at its fiscal 1Q17 earnings call that it most likely won’t extend its agreement with Amazon beyond 2018.

Trading at a Discount, Netflix Has Mixed Recommendations
Of the 44 analysts covering Netflix, 23 have given it a “buy” recommendation, seven have given it a “sell” recommendation, and 14 have given it a “hold” recommendation.

Kocherlakota said the FOMC could have done more for labor markets
In evaluating the FOMC’s performance over the past three years, Kocherlakota mentioned that the unemployment rate fell to 5.6%.

Can GM’s Stock Sustain Its Year-to-Date Rise in December?
General Motors has delivered a return of 6.9% year-to-date as of December 16, 2016. This return was much lower than the 10.5% return of the S&P 500 Index.

Top Energy Losses Last Week
On June 8–15, Whiting Petroleum (WLL) and California Resources (CRC) fell the most on our list of energy stocks.

How Does Devon Energy’s Relative Valuation Compare to Its Peers’?
Devon Energy (DVN) has a forward EV-to-EBITDA (enterprise value to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) ratio of ~13x.
You should pay particular attention to this valuation metric
I would pay particular attention to the Shiller P/E Ratio, which is a variation on the Cyclically Adjusted P/E or CAPE. This indicator is worth watching as it has historically correlated with long-term stock market returns.

US Businesses Push Back against Trump’s Tariffs
Farmers for Free Trade’s campaign was rolled out on September 12 with the slogan “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland.”

A Look at Time Warner’s Key Metrics
In fiscal 1Q16, Time Warner bought back $700 million worth of shares. Including dividends, it has returned around $1.3 billion to its shareholders year-to-date.

BlackRock’s Retail Continues to Attract New Clients across Classes
BlackRock’s (BLK) retail business had assets under management (or AUM) of $542 billion as of March 31, 2016.

Rising Stocks: Why It May Not Be Time for the Jitters
Rising stocks have been buoyed by various factors, including the accommodative monetary policy of the Federal Reserve and robust US corporate earnings.

Why Campbell Soup’s Sales Could Be Disappointing
Campbell Soup (CPB) has been disappointing investors with its sales and has missed the analysts’ consensus estimates in the past three quarters.

Range Resources’ Valuation: How Does It Compare with Peers’?
In 4Q15, Range Resources was trading at higher price-to-book and price-to-sales multiples than peers.

Fertilizer Stocks and Commodity Prices: Week Ending March 24
The week ending March 24, 2017, was broadly negative for agricultural fertilizer stocks. The VanEck Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO) fell 0.98%.

Will a Partnership with GE Improve BHI’s Returns?
Between December 2014 and December 2016, Baker Hughes (BHI) stock hit its peak in April 2015. It troughed at ~$39 in January 2016.

Why Analysts Revised Micron’s Earnings Estimate for Fiscal 2018
Micron’s PE ratio For the past two to three months, many analysts have been touting Micron Technology (MU) as a cheap stock at a forward PE (price-to-earnings) ratio of 6.0x. Micron’s PE ratio is well below the semiconductor industry’s (SMH) average PE ratio of 23.4x and the S&P 500’s (SPY) average PE ratio of 21.5x. […]

Why Netflix Is Stopping Short of an All-Time High
Netflix (NFLX) is expected to announce its 1Q17 results on April 17, 2017. In its 4Q16 results, Netflix had total streaming revenues of $2.4 billion, up 41% year-over-year.

Colgate-Palmolive’s Developed Markets Remained a Drag in 1Q17
Net sales in North America fell 5.0% in 1Q17, reflecting a strong decline in volumes coupled with lower pricing.

Will Kinder Morgan Stock Continue to Surge in 2017?
Kinder Morgan stock has risen 44% in the past year, as compared to Enterprise Products Partners’ 32% rise and ONEOK’s 162% rise.

Weighing in with Boston Scientific’s 4Q15 Revenues
Boston Scientific reported its 4Q15 earnings on February 4 and registered adjusted EPS of $0.26 in 4Q15, which represents 18% YoY growth.

Why Do Central Bankers Continue to Surprise Bill Gross?
In his recent webcast by Janus Capital, Bill Gross expressed his surprise at the extent to which central bankers of the developed world (EFA) (VEA) have distorted the financial system.

Why Netflix Is Streaming Low-Quality Video on AT&T and Verizon
Netflix has been streaming low-quality videos for subscribers on AT&T and Verizon Communications’ (VZ) wireless networks. Here’s why.

Interest Rate Woes Continue to Haunt the US Stock Market
Now that the Fed’s meeting is over, the timing of the rate hike has made investors anxious. The delay in the rate hike is a sign of the health of the domestic economy.

Why Blackstone’s Q2 Performance Beat Estimates
The Blackstone Group (BX) reported its second quarter earnings on July 21. The company beat Wall Street analysts’ economic net income estimates of $0.39.

What’s Really Driving Growth for 21st Century Fox’s Television Segment?
FOXA believes that its “ability to create, own and monetize hit content” for its television segment will drive long-term value for its shareholders.

EIA Projections for December 2015: Key US Shale Natural Gas Production
The EIA expects less natural gas production at four key US shales by December compared to October, but it expects production to rise at three key shales.

Will Fiat Chrysler’s Stock Continue to Rally after a Flat 2016?
In 2016, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) sold about 2.24 million vehicle units in the US market, compared to 2.25 million units in 2015

What Drove Whiting Petroleum Stock in 2017?
Whiting Petroleum (WLL) stock rose 5.3% in the week ending December 29 from the previous week. However, the stock fell ~47.6% by the end of 2017.

Why European Politics Are Likely To Take Center Stage in 2015
After a year with relatively less drama, European politics are likely to return to center stage next year.

What Went Wrong with Macy’s 1Q15 Operating Margins?
Macy’s (M) operating margins declined to 6.6% in 1Q15—ending May 2, 2015—from 7.1% in the same quarter last year. The operating income declined by 7.7%.

How Did Fertilizer Stocks Perform in the Week Ended September 23?
Last week was mostly negative for agricultural fertilizer (FXZ) stocks. However, the VanEck Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO) ended the week in positive territory.

Philip Morris’s Low 2014 Volumes in Latin America and Canada Segments
In 2014, Philip Morris’s Latin America and Canada segment reported a 2.3% decline in net revenues. The region had the company’s lowest revenues, at 11%.

Why Larry Fink Thinks Markets Could See Some Setbacks
In a recent interview with CNBC, Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock (BLK), shared his views on market movement, the US economy, and the dangerous impact of the lower interest rates.

Slowing PC Shipments Hit Intel’s Earnings
As the PC demand slowed, Intel started reducing its exposure in the CCG segment.

What Stretched Utility Sector Valuation Means
Utility sector valuation appears stretched. 2014 was a great year for utilities, which gained 26.62% ex-dividends and were the best-performing sector.

AT&T’s Net Additions of Postpaid Customers Declined in 2Q15
On the positive side, growth in AT&T’s net additions of connected devices continued to be solid during 2Q15. AT&T added ~1.4 million connected devices during the quarter.

September Manufacturing Report: Are US Business Conditions Better?
The US September manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers’ index) report indicated an improvement in US (QQQ) (IWM) business conditions.

Emerging Market Equities See Valuations Rise on Fundamentals
Valuations rose by 3.10% in the week ended September 11, 2015. The rise was mainly due to buying in India’s equities on higher industrial production and low inflation.

Japan’s trade deficit with China: Worse for GM than the recall
This article considers the impact of Japan’s trade dynamics on Japanese automakers like Toyota (TM) versus General Motors (GM) from a macroeconomic perspective.

Celgene’s Revlimid Expected to Post Strong Revenue in 2017
According to unaudited financial results published by Celgene (CELG) on January 9, 2017, Revlimid sales for 2016 are about $7.0 billion, a YoY rise of about 20.0%.

What Facebook Was Aiming for with Its Stock Reclassification
In this series, we’ll review updates in the US Internet space and discuss some of the current issues faced by companies in the industry.

Investors respond differently to upstream companies’ capex plans
In this environment of crude oil prices declining sharply and staying low, investors continue to favor stocks that are increasing investments.

Hormel’s Specialty Food Segment Performed Well in 3Q15
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minnesota, is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products.

21st Century Fox’s Rising STAR in India
21st Century Fox owns STAR India, India’s largest media network. STAR India develops, broadcasts, and produces programming for 51 channels in its portfolio.

Why Fiat Chrysler Stock Is Trading in a Narrow Range
Last week, which ended October 13, 2017, Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) stock remained mixed and witnessed a minor rise of 0.90%.

Lack of Rate Hike in September Leads US Stocks Down
The US Federal Reserve met on September 16 and 17 in one of the most anticipated monetary policy meetings in recent memory.

Key ADP Highlights: 135,000 Jobs in September
The ADP National Employment Report for September 2017 showed some weaker improvement in private sector employment to 135,000 in September compared to the market’s expectation of 125,000.

Natural Gas Prices Driving Chesapeake Energy Stock in 2017
Chesapeake Energy’s (CHK) 2016 debt management efforts included a combination of debt exchanges, open market repurchases, and equity-for-debt exchanges.

Credit Suisse and Barclays Are Bullish on European Equity for 2016
Credit Suisse (CS) strategists forecast 10% earnings growth in Europe versus a 6.8% growth expected from the US.

Schlumberger’s 1-Year Returns on August 11
Schlumberger’s (SLB) one-year stock price fell 21.0% as of August 11, 2017. In the past year, the Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) has fallen 7.0%.

Donald Trump or Xi Jinping: Whose Ammunition Will Run Out First?
The trade war between the United States and China has shown no signs of abating.

Natural Gas Prices: Is a Reversal Possible?
On July 19, 2017, natural gas August futures closed at $3.07 per MMBtu (million British thermal units), 0.7% below their previous settling price.

General Electric’s 1Q18 Earnings Beat Estimates
General Electric (GE) released its 1Q18 earnings on April 20. GE’s adjusted earnings per share were $0.16, up 14.0% year-over-year.

What Devon Energy’s Implied Volatility Could Say about Its Stock Price
On May 18, 2017, Devon Energy (DVN) had an implied volatility of ~33.9, which is ~14.9% below its 260-trading day historical price volatility of ~39.9%.

SaaS, PaaS Playing a Role in Oracle’s Growing Net Margins
In the past ten quarters including fiscal 1Q17, Oracle’s revenues have missed analyst expectations nine times.

Shell’s Upstream Portfolio: Is it Poised to Grow?
Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) produced 3.8 MMboepd in 1Q17 from its worldwide operations, compared to 3.7 MMboepd in 1Q16.

Verizon’s Revenue Growth Should Slow down in 1Q15
Verizon (VZ) will report its 1Q15 results on April 21, 2015. It’s the largest US telecom company. It had a market capitalization of $200.08 billion as of April 13, 2015.

What’s Been Driving Diamondback Energy’s Stock Price Movement?
Diamondback Energy’s stock price saw uptrend from October 2012 to June 2014. When NYMEX WTI crude oil started falling in June 2014, FANG’s stock peaked.

How Costco’ Margins Fared in Fiscal 1Q18
Margins remained pressured Similar to peers, Costco Wholesale (COST) saw its margins pressured in fiscal 1Q18. Increased investments in growth initiatives and lower pricing to fend off competition from Amazon (AMZN) in the grocery space are taking a toll on the profitability of mass US (SPY) merchandisers. Whereas rising digital sales and fulfillment costs have […]