Stocks that are expected to trade actively in the U.S. market on Monday include Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB), Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT).
Market Level
US: DJIA 16,221.14 (0.26%), S&P 500 1,818.32 (0.48%), NASDAQ 4,104.74 (1.15%)
Europe: FTSE 6,634.26 (0.42%), DAX 9,436.07 (0.38%), CAC 40 4,194.03 (0.01%)
Asia Pacific: NIKKEI 15,870.42 (0.07%), HANG SENG 22,921 (0.48%), SHANGHAI 2089.71 (0.24%), KOSPI 1,996.81 (0.68)
Commodities: Oil 99.01 (-0.31%), NAT GAS 4.51 (2.20%), Gold 1201.60 (-0.29%), Silver 19.35(1.44%), Wheat 612.75 (-0.12%), Corn 433.00(-0.06%).
Currencies: EUR/USD 1.3678 (0.07%), GBP/USD 1.6359 (0.18%), USD/JPY 103.95 (-0.12%).
10 year Treasury bond: 2.904 (0.013).
Market & Economic Update
U.S. market up – shares on the U.S. stock indices surged on Friday owing to strong data on economic growth, which fueled confidence that the economy is on the path towards recovery. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 42.06 points, or 0.26%, to end at 16,221.14. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index added 8.71 points, or 0.48%, to finish up at 1,818.31. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 46.61 points, or 1.15%, to close at 4,104.74.
European market up – stocks on European market indices moved higher Monday, offering more gains to the investors based on U.S. growth and the gradual withdrawal of Federal Reserve stimulus. At 0841, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 was up 0.2% at 1,290.22 points on the back of better than expected GDP data from the United States.
Asian markets up marginally – shares on Hong Kong Index moved up slightly on Monday from the previous trading session. The Hang Seng Index, which dropped to its lowest reading since November 14, closed up 0.5% at 22, 921.6 points. The China Enterprises Index surged 0.2%.
Stocks to Watch
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) stock is included in the S&P 500 stock for the first time, and will trade as the part on the stock exchange on Monday. Last week, the stock increased more than 3% and added more than double since last year.
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) shares surged nearly 13% on Friday after the Canadian smartphone maker entered into a five year manufacturing deal with Foxconn. Quarterly numbers were poor, and the 13% share price increase might be due to covering of the short position, which stands at 31.2%. Since the start of 2013, BlackBerry has shed more than 40% of its market value.
Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)
Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is a stock to keep an eye on as the retailer intensifies its efforts to minimize damage from the news that 40 million of its customer’s credit and debit card accounts were compromised between Black Friday and December 15th. Target shares were down late last week, nullifying the surge on Wednesday.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock surged 0.8% on Friday. However, the shed down earlier this week caused NASDAQ composite and the S&P 500 technology sector to decline containing their rise. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the most valuable stock on the S&P at present, outpacing Exxon on August 1, 2013.
Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT)
Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) might see some movement after adding 14% in late trading on Friday after the news broke that the company is looking to buy Beechcraft Corp. Beechcraft filed for bankruptcy last year following its inability to follow through on a proposed sale to Chinese buyer Superior Aviation Beijing for $1.79 billion.
