Market News: Activision Blizzard, Baxalta, Lantheus Holdings

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The stock markets in the United States declined today after experiencing a two-day rebound. Investors still perceive a lot of volatility in the equity markets.

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In an interview with Bloomberg, Andrew Brenner, the head of international fixed income at National Alliance Capital Markets said, “We’re not done with all the volatility in equities. The Dow gave back 300 point gain and then ended up more than 300 yesterday. It’s hard to say how today will be judged. I think the worst is over but are we out of the woods yet? No. We’re still going to have a lot of volatility.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index increased 2.8% to 26.84% today. The VIX, a measure of market instability dropped 36% over the past three days.

St. Louis Federal Bank President James Bullard said the U.S. fundamentals are good despite the volatility of the global financial markets. He added that policymakers should not change its economic forecast.

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Cleveland Federal Bank President Loretta Mester also believes that the U.S. economy is strong enough to withstand an interest rate hike.

Federal Reserve Bank Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer told CNBC that the central bank hadn’t decided whether to raise interest rates during its next meeting.

U.S. Markets

  • Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) – 16,644.80 (-0.66%)
  • S&P 500- 1,976.07 (-0.58%)
  • NASDAQ- 4,797.86 (-0.33%)
  • Russell 2000- 1,158.63 (+0.44%)

European Markets

  • EURO STOXX 50 Price EUR- 3,286.59 (+0.18%)
  • FTSE 100 Index- 6,247.94 (+0.90%)
  • Deutsche Borse AG German Stock Index DAX- 10,298.53 (-0.17%)

Asia-Pacific Markets

  • Nikkei 225- 19,136.32 (+3.03%)
  • Hong Kong Hang Seng Index- 21,612.39 (-1.04%)
  • Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index- 3,342.29 (+4.26%)

Stocks in Focus

The stock price of Activision Blizzard increased more than 4% to $29.22 per share. The video game developer and publisher replaced Pall Corp in the S&P 500. Activision Blizzard gained 45% in stock value year-to-date.

Baxalta declined more than 3% to $35.25 per share. The company is in talks to acquire Ariad Pharmaceuticals to enhance its oncology business, according to people familiar with the matter. The stock price of Ariad Pharmaceuticals surged more than 41% on the report.

Lantheus Holdings declined 9% to $6.75 per share. The company announced the appointment of Mary Anne Heino as president and CEO. She replaced Jeff Bailey, who is retiring from operational management to focus on board positions.

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