The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined to a day’s low at 12,583.41 then cut the day’s loss by more than a half. The NASDAQ declined to 2852.88 then rebounded to a day’s high at 2898.05, still in the red.
Asian stocks moved lower on Monday. The Nikkei 225 ended the day at 8,508 – down 1.86%. The Hang Seng ended the day at 19,053 – down 2.99%. European exchanges were crushed on Monday on renewed fears related to the debt crisis. The FTSE 100 ended the day at 5,534 – down 2.09%. The DAX ended the day at 6,419 – down 3.18%. The CAC 40 ended the day at 3,102 – down 2.89%. The yield on the 10-Year US Treasury note declined to 1.398% setting a new all time low as the “flight to quality” intensified, then rose to 1.445%.
Gold declined from $1582.4 the Troy ounce to $1562.0 as the 50-day and 200-day simple moving averages decline to $1587.1 and $1658.6. Crude oil declined from $91.64 per barrel to $87.91 with the 50-day simple moving average at $86.51. The euro versus the dollar gapped lower trading down to 1.2071 with the June 2010 low looming at 1.1880, then rebounded to 1.2143.
Energy
Cnooc (CEO) has agreed to acquire Canada’s Nexen (NXY) for $15.1 billion in a deal that enhances Cnooc’s presence in Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico, and in Canada. The $27.50 per share price represents a 61% premium to Nexen’s Friday closing price. Chesapeake Midstream Partners (CHKM) has been reinstated with an Overweight rating by Barclays. Schlumberger (SLB) – Argus upgrades the oil services company to Buy from Hold on its impressive execution. Valero Energy (VLO) has been upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS, with a $26 price target. Whiting Petroleum (WLL) has been upgraded to Positive from Neutral at Susquehanna. Dow components – Chevron (CVX) down 2.07%, Exxon Mobil (XOM) down 1.53%.
Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) was trading at $68.06 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 1.06% on the day – down 1.55% year-to-date.
Materials
Mosaic (MOS) has been upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citigroup, which cites the recent rise in corn prices. The new target is $66 per share. AK Steel (AKS) has been downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS. Albemarle (ALB) has been removed from the Top Picks Live list at Citigroup. Kinross Gold (KGC) – Macquarie downgrades the miner to Neutral from Outperform. Dow Components – Alcoa (AA) down 2.30%, DuPont (DD) down 1.53%.
The Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) was trading at $34.89 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 1.50% on the day – up 4.15% year-to-date.
Industrials
Genesee & Wyoming (GWR) will buy RailAmerica (RA) for $2 billion, with the $27.50 per share, which is a 10.6% premium to Friday close. That was the last before RailAmerica said it would explore strategic alternatives. Gardner Denver (GDI) has been downgraded by some analyst this morning, but not at Credit Suisse who upgrades the stock to Outperform from Neutral. Gardner Denver (GDI) has been downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Janney Capital, which cites concerns including overcapacity. Goldman added MDC Holdings (MDC) to its Conviction Buy list, and upgraded KB Home (KBH) to Buy from Neutral. Textron (TXT) has been downgraded to Sector Perform from Outperform at RBC Capital. Dow components – Boeing Co (BA) down 1.57%, Caterpillar (CAT) up 0.26%, General Electric (GE) flat, 3M Company (MMM) down 1.42%, United Technologies (UTX) down 1.86%.
The Industrial Select Sector SPDR (XLI) was trading at $35.07 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 0.26% on the day – up 3.91% year-to-date.
Consumer Discretionary
Warner Bros.’ (TWX) “The Dark Knight Rises” earned $161 million at the weekend despite the horrific shooting near Denver on Friday. The amount is below the $185 million estimates of the film before the terrible event. McDonald’s (MCD) missed Q2 EPS estimates by six cents with a miss on the revenue line. Goldman Sachs has initiated Neutral ratings on Cinemark (CNK) and Regal Entertainment (RGC), and initiates MAX Corp. (IMAX) with a Buy rating. Boyd Gaming (BYD) has been upgraded to Neutral from Underperform at Sterne Agee amid an increasingly attractive valuation. Cablevision (CVC) has been upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. Deckers Outdoor (DECK) has been downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at Sterne Agee. Penn National Gaming (PENN) has been downgraded to Hold from Buy at KeyBanc. Dow Components – Disney (DIS) down 2.08%, Home Depot up 0.39%, McDonalds (MCD) down 3.05%.
The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY) was trading at $43.22 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 1.21% on the day – up 10.76% year-to-date.
Consumer Staples
Rupert Murdoch has resigned from the boards of a several of News Corp. (NWS) businesses, including News International, following the long-running hacking scandal. This move may be a precursor to the proposed split of News Corp and the subsequent sale of the newspapers. Aeropostale (ARO) has been upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray, on an optimistic call on its back-to-school price increase. The price target is $24 as share. Danone (DANOY) – The world’s biggest yogurt maker has been downgraded to Hold from Buy at Société Générale. Walgreen (WAG) has been downgraded to Neutral from Buy at UBS. Dow components – Kraft (KFT) down 2.07%, Coca Cola (KO) down 0.64%, Procter & Gamble (PG) down 0.49%, Wal-Mart (WMT) down 0.74%.
The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR (XLP) was trading at $34.77 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 0.80% on the day – up 7.02% year-to-date.
Health Care
Apricus Biosciences (APRI) – Ascendiant Capital initiates the stock with a Strong Buy with a $6 price target, on their impressive portfolio of drugs to treat oncology. Leerink Swann initiates Irish drug maker ELAN (ELN) with a Market Perform rating, and initiates Outperform ratings on Acorda Therapeutics (ACOR), Biogen (BIIB), and Questcor Pharmaceuticals (QCOR). Illumina (ILMN) – Leerink Swann upgrades the stock to Outperform from Market Perform. Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX) has been upgraded to Buy from Hold at Jefferies. Akorn (AKRX) has been downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank amid a weaker than expected Vancomycin launch. Dow Components – Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) down 1.09%, Merck (MRK) down 0.33%, Pfizer (PFE) down 0.46%.
The Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) was trading at $37.86 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 1.02% on the day – up 9.77% year-to-date.
Financial
Associated Estates (AEC) – This Reit has been downgraded to Hold from Buy at Jefferies. EastGroup (EGP) – This Reit has been downgraded to Hold from Buy with Wunderlich due to valuation issues. LaSalle Hotel Properties (LHO) has been downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Goldman. Wintrust Financial (WTFC) has been downgraded to Neutral from Outperform at Macquarie. Dow Components – American Express (AXP) down 1.20%, Bank of America (BAC) down 1.56%, JP Morgan Chase (JPM) up 0.50%, Travelers (TRV) down 1.67%.
The Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) was trading at $14.27 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 0.76% on the day – up 9.77% year-to-date.
Information Technology
The ITC has dismissed Kodak’s (EKDKQ.PK) infringement suit against Apple (AAPL) and RIM (RIMM), affirming the May decision by an administrative law judge. Kodak will appeal the ruling, which relates to an image-preview patent for digital cameras. Cypress Semiconductor (CY) – Cantor Fitzgerald upgrades the stock to Hold from Sell, saying fourth quarter earnings have upside potential. Microsoft (MSFT) has been upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Hilliard Lyons. VeriSign (VRSN) has been downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup amid a lack of catalysts. The new lower price target is $46. Dow Components – Cisco Systems (CSCO) down 1.96%, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) down 2.83%, IBM (IBM) down 1.14%, Intel Corp (INTC) down 1.68%, Microsoft (MSFT) down 3.27%.
The Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) was trading at $28.55 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 0.73% on the day – up 12.18% year-to-date.
Telecommunication Services
BT Group (BT) declined 2.88%, Cellcom Israel (CEL) declined 3.93%, China Unicom (CHU) declined 3.78%, France Telecom (FTE) declined 3.01%, Leap Wireless (LEAP) declined 4.45%, NII Holdings (NIHD) declined 5.24%, MetroPCS (PCS) declined 3.12%, and Sprint Nextel (S) declined 4.37%. Dow Components – AT&T Inc (T) flat, Verizon (VZ) down 0.67%.
The NASDAQ Telecommunications Index (IXTC) was trading at $175.62 at 3:30 PM on Monday, down 1.33% on the day – down 10.82% year-to-date.
Utilities
NRG Energy (NRG) will acquire GenOn Energy (GEN) for $1.7 billion in stock, which creates one of the largest independent electricity utility in the US. The deal is the latest in the power sector as companies attempt to cope with falling prices. GenOn Energy (GEN) has been upgraded to Outperform from Neutral with a $3 price target at Macquarie. Dominion Resources (D) down 0.89%, Edison International (EIX) down 0.89%, First Energy (FE) down 0.89%, PG&E Corp (PCG) down 1.06%, Southern Company (SO) down 0.31%.
STOCKS: CVX, XOM, CEO, NXY, CHKM, SLB, WLL, AA, DD, MOS, AKS, ALB, KGC, BA, CAT, GE, MMM, UTX, GWR, RA, GDI, MDC, KBH, TXT, DIS, HD, MCD, TWX, CNK, RGC, IMAX, BYD, CVC, DECK, PENN, KFT, KO, PG, WMT, NWS, ARO, DANOY, WAG, JNJ, MRK, PFE, APRI, ELN, ACOR, BIIB, QCOR, ILMN, ONXX, AKRX, AXP, BAC, JPM, TRV, AEC, EGPLHO, WTFC, CSCO, HPQ, IBM, INTC, MSFT, EKDKQ.PK, AAPL, CY, VRSN, T, VZ, BT, CEL, CHU, FTE, LEAP, NIHD, PCS, S, D, EIX, FE, PCG, SO, NRG, GEN
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