The PBR1000 April 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

May 30, 2016 by

April 2016: Commodities Lead the Way

Petrochemical Plant-sudakitmod ID-100211349

Oil Over $100/barrel, Then Under $30/barrel, Now on the Rise, What is the Real Value of Oil?

By Larry C. Paxton

As Table 5 below demonstrates, stock exchanges in April were mixed with the DJIA and S&P 500 having modest gains. On the other hand, NASDAQ experienced a significant downward trend. Out of 21 trading days 7 were up, 14 were down, including the last 7 days. It is hard to accurately evaluate what this means, upcoming months will help us as we look back.

Table 5 also shows that commodities, especially oil, realized significant gains over the month. When will these prices start flattening out?

It is interesting the effect oil had on stock prices. As shown in Table 1, all 5 of the monthly stock leaders of The PBR1000 were related to the energy sector.

US and global economies continue to send mixed signals, but the US economy, even with modest/moderate growth, is the most robust and shows the most hope.

If you are not a current Subscriber to highly acclaimed The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 13 month subscription and automatically download the March 2016 edition.

The following partial tables are excerpts from The PBR1000 April Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on April 29th, Month % Chg is compared to March 31st, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 16 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

Table 1(S11): The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 1 Summary: The range was +75.67% to -68.55%. 557 out of 1,007 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 55.31% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 0.77%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
04/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 16 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
 842 CLF 5.27 +75.67 +233.54 -26.19
Energy Transfer Equity
 64 ETE 12.43 +74.33 -9.53 -56.67
Denbury Resources
 977 DNR 3.86 +73.87 +91.09 -52.52
Chesapeake Energy 212 CHK 6.87 +66.75 +52.67 -64.90
Southwestern Energy
 631 SWN 13.43 +66.42 +88.89 -50.79

 

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +233.54% to -93.32%. 644 out of 1,007 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 63.95% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 4.61%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
04/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 16 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
 842 CLF 5.27 +75.67 +233.54 -26.19
US Steel
 229 X 19.11 +19.07 +139.47 -28.53
Alliance One
 827 AOI 25.51 +45.27 +122.41 +61.46
SunCoke Energy
 964 SXC 7.43 +14.31 +114.12 -61.58
AK Steel
 351 AKS 4.68 +13.32 +108.93 -21.21

 

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 16 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: Range was +112.53% to -98.92%. 432 out of 1,004 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 43.03% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of -4.81%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
04/29/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 16 Mos
% Chg
Amazon.com
 18 AMZN 659.59 +11.11 -2.41 +112.53
A-Mark Precious Metals
 391 AMRK 20.48 +2.91 +8.65 +105.42
Newmont Mining
 321 NEM 34.97 +31.57 +94.39 +85.03
Netflix
 347 NFLX 90.03 -11.93 -21.29 +84.49
Skechers USA
 628 SKX 33.05 +8.54 +9.40 +79.42

 

Table 4(S15): The PBR1000 Top 5 Market Capitalization

Table 4 Summary: Range was $519.75 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $20.14 billion, median is $6.23 billion, out of 1,006 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Market Cap($B)
04/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 16 Mos
% Chg
Apple
 3 AAPL 519.75 -13.99 -11.44 -19.72
Alphabet
 44 GOOG 477.01 -6.97 -8.60 +33.58
Microsoft
 27 MSFT 394.44 -9.70 -11.00 +3.01
ExxonMobil
 5 XOM 367.10 +5.75 +13.13 -6.23
Berkshire Hathaway
 2 BRK.B 360.06 +2.46 +10.62 -0.43
The PBR1000
   20,261.58 +0.33 +0.59 -1.56

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
04/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 16 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 68,565.33 +0.63 +2.41 -2.91
DJIA 17,773.64 +0.50 +2.00 -0.28%
NASDAQ 4,775.36 -1.94 -4.63 +.83
S&P500 2,065.30 +0.27 +1.05 +0.31
Gold 1,294.90 +4.80 +22.14 +9.28
Silver 17.89 +15.72 +29.64 +14.68
Oil 45.99 +19.95 +24.16 -13.67

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The PBR1000 April 2016 Breaking News Recap

May 2, 2016 by

April 2016: 2nd Quarter Starts A New Direction?

hand working business

Is the Business Compass Functioning Properly?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

Oil prices rose, the meeting in Doha resulted in no change in global oil production policy, oil companies continue to adjust by selling off assets, the world economy indicates weak growth, The US GDP disappointed, the Federal Reserve made no change in the funds rate, annual and quarterly corporate earnings were mixed, with the tech sector getting hit hard by Apple and IBM results, but Amazon finally had an amazing report. There were some major mergers and acquisitions announced and the US presidential race continues to provide some scary entertainment value.

And so the second quarter of 2016 has started, with a fragile slow growth direction, with some volatility mixed in, and the bulls and bears still making their less than convincing cases for short and long term outlooks.

We at PBRMarketTools.com continue to not reveal our predictions  so that we can say we told you so later on.

Following are The PBR1000 and economic related breaking news items of note for April 2016, starting with the last active day.

Friday, April 29:

The PBR1000 End of April US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 17,773.64, -1.28% from last week, +0.50% MTD/QTD, +2.00% YTD, -2.94% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,775.36, -2.67% from last week, -1.94% MTD/QTD, -4.63% YTD, -8.50% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 2,065.30, -1.26% from last week, +0.27% MTD/QTD, +1.05% YTD, -3.07% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Amazon(PBR29 $AMZN) wows Wall Street analysts; $900-a-share here we come. MarketWatch PR link.

Community Health System(PBR125) completes spin-off of public Quorum Health Corp(NYSE: $QHC) with 38 hospitals in 16 states. $CYH PR link.

Occidental Petroleum(PBR123) president/COO Vicki Hollub now president/CEO, succeeds Steve Chazen who remains on the board. $OXY PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says 1Q16 Employee Cost Index(2005=100) was 126.0, +0.6 from 4Q15, +1.9 from 1Q15. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates March Personal Income Annual Rate at $15.734 trillion, +0.4% from February, +4.2% from March 2015. USDOC PR link.

The U of Michigan says April Consumer Sentiment at 89.0, -2.2% from March, -7.2% from April 2015. UMich PR link.

MNI/ISM says the April Chicago PMI at 50.4, -3.2 from March, new orders fell, sharp drop in orders backlogs MNI/ISM PR link.

Global Economy: The global economy’s wild ride is being fueled by too much debt. MarketWatch PR link.

Thursday, April 28:

Comcast(PBR42) NBC Universal unit to acquire DreamWorks Animation(NASDAQ: $DWA) for $41/share, $3.8 billion cash. $CMCSA PR link.

Oracle(PBR78) to acquire construction contracts/payment management cloud services provider Textura(NYSE: TXTR) for $26.00/share, $663 million cash. $ORCL PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) to acquire cardiovascular medical devices developer St Jude Medical(PBR440 $STJ) for $85/share, $25 billion cash/stock. $ABT PR link.

AbbVie(PBR136) to expand oncology presence with acquisition of Stemcentrx for $5.8 billion cash/stock. $ABBV PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) takes delivery of its largest ship, 133,500 ton 3,954 passenger Carnival Vista. $CCL PR link.

Level 3 Communications(PBR375) issues statement on FCC action to unlock $45 billion business data services market. $LVLT PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR553) completes acquisition of Australian based 3 locations folding carton manufacturer Colorpak(ASX: CKL). $GPK PR link.

Priceline(PBR319) CEO Darren Huston resigns after internal investigation, chairman Jeffrey Boyd now also interim CEO, Gillian Tans promoted to CEO of booking.com. $PCLN PR link.

Groupon(PBR652) hires Mike Randolfi as CFO. $GRPN PR link.

Symantec(PBR384) president/CEO Mike Brown to step down after successor found, company to focus on cybersecurity. $SYMC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce in 1st Quarter Advance Estimate says Gross Domestic Product(GDP) growing at a 0.5% annual rate, $18.2 trillion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says Unemployment Initial Claims 4 Week Average at 256,000, lowest since 12/08/1973. USDOL PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate at 3.66%, -0.05% from mo ago, -0.02% from yr ago. $FMCC PR link.

Housing: Homeownership rate falls to third lowest on record. MarketWatch PR link.

Economy: What’s concerning about the GDP numbers — economist reactions. MarketWatch PR link.

Stocks Investing: Finra issues report cards on superfast traders in effort to stop manipulation. MarketWatch PR link.

Investment Fees: A catastrophe looms over high-fee mutual funds and investment advisers. MarketWatch PR link.

Retirement: The typical American couple has only $5,000 saved for retirement. MarketWatch PR link.

Retail: This is how the retail industry is dying. MarketWatch PR link.

Eurozone: Pro-Brexit economists make case for U.K. departure. MarketWatch PR link.

Wednesday, April 27:

Here’s what Apple(PBR5 $AAPL)’s horrible quarter means for the company in the long term. MarketWatch PR link.

Comcast(PBR42) Q1 video customers increase by 53,000, best Q1 in 9 years, high-speed internet customers increase 438,000, best Q1 in 4 years. $CMCSA PR link.

Backlash leads Comcast(PBR42 $CMCSA) to boost broadband data limits to 1 terabyte. MarketWatch PR link.

United Technologies(PBR45) to do $3 billion in share repurchases beyond $6 billion accelerated share repurchases, sets aside $1-2 billion for acquisitions. $UTX PR link.

Facebook(PBR228) founder Mark Zuckerberg announces proposal for new class of stock. $FB PR link.

Avery Dennison(PBR396) to acquire $170 million/year pressure sensitive labels manufacturer Mactac Europe for $226 million. $AVY PR link.

Murphy Oil(PBR448) to sell its 5% interest in Syncrude Canada to Suncor Energy for $750 million. $MUR PR link.

HanesBrands(PBR459) authorizes 40 million shares repurchase program, $1 billion. $HBI PR link.

HanesBrands(PBR459) to acquire Australia based underwear/intimate apparel company Pacific Brands for $800 million. $HBI PR link.

McGraw Hill(PBR477) changing its name to S&P Global, symbol NYSE: $SPGI. $SPGI PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) announces board changes and agreement with Starboard. $YHOO PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561 $CMG) just hit a ‘fundamental bottom’ after rocky quarter. MarketWatch PR link.

Brown-Forman(PBR563) to acquire for $400 million the BenRiach Distillery Co with GlenDronach, BenRiach, & Glenglassaugh single malt Scotch whisky brands. $BF PR link.

YUM!(PBR217) promotes David Gibbs to president/CFO, effective 05/02/16. $YUM PR link.

Biogen(PBR282) hires Michael Ehlers, PhD, as EVP-Research/Development, effective late 05/16. $BIIB PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR408) founder/chairman Leonard Riggio to retire in 09/16, to remain on board, Paul Guenther to become non-executive chairman. $BKS PR link.

First Solar(PBR630) CFO Mark Widmar to become CEO on 07/01/16, succeeds Jim Hughes who remains on board. $FSLR PR link.

Pinnacle Foods(PBR751) hires Mark Clouse as CEO, effective 05/23/16. $PF PR link.

Federal Open Market Committee 04/26-27/16 Meeting Statement: Labor market improves, economic growth slows, no funds rate change. FRB PR link.

Compensation: Right out of college, women already earn $9,000 a year less than men. MarketWatch PR link.

Housing: Here’s what’s behind America’s renewed mania for home renovation. MarketWatch PR link.

The American Dream: We’re going broke chasing the American Dream. MarketWatch PR link.

Global Economy: The world’s debt problem is really an investment problem. MarketWatch PR link.

US/China Trade: Apple(PBR5) is failing in China, while many others are starting to succeed. MarketWatch PR link.

Investing: Five steps to beating the market. MarketWatch PR link.

Tuesday, April 26:

Regulators block Walt Disney(PBR57 $DIS) from entering China online video market. MarketWatch PR link.

Laclede Group(PBR967) to acquire equity in EnergySouth, parent company of Mobile Gas and Willmut Gas, for $344 million. $LG PR link.

Markit April Flash US Composite PMI Output Index at 51.7, up from 51.3 in March, increase from services. Markit PR link.

ConferenceBoard says April Consumer Confidence Index at 94.2, down from March’s 96.1. CB PR link.

S&P/Case-Shiller February US Home Price Index at 175.61, continued slow growth from Jan 175.26. S&P/C-S PR link.

Economy: Cars no longer providing spark to economy. MarketWatch PR link.

Investing: Chart watchers say the stock market is stalling and exhausted, others are bullish. MarketWatch PR link.

Oil: World Bank lifts oil-price forecast, sees supply glut subsiding. MarketWatch PR link.

Corporate Ratings: Exxon Mobil(PBR2)’s downgrade leaves just two AAA-rated companies in the US. MarketWatch PR link.

Monday, April 25:

Honeywell(PBR74) announces $5 billion share repurchase program. $HON PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) breaks ground on $200 million Waco facility expansion, to add 100 fulltime jobs. $AGN PR link.

US Justice Department Allows Charter Communications(PBR297)’s Acquisition of Time Warner CablePBR119) and Bright House Networks to Proceed with Conditions. $HON PR link.

Ball Corp(PBR312) to sell select metal beverage can assets for $3.42 billion to meet regulatory requirements for purchase of Rexam plc. $BLL PR link.

Gannett(PBR414) proposes to acquire Tribune Publishing Company(NYSE: TPUB) for $12.25/share in cash, $815 million. $GCI PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) to acquire Las Vegas assets of Cannery Casino Resorts for $230 million cash. $BYD PR link.

Global Payments(PBR762) completes $4.3 billion acquisition of Heartland Payment Systems(PBR821 $HPY). $GPN PR link.

Bob Evans(PBR1020) to close 27 restaurants. $BOBE PR link.

Community Health System(PBR125) promotes Tim Hingtgen EVP-Operations, & John McClellan president, Division IV Operations. $CYH PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) Chairman/CEO Joseph Papa resigns, president John Hendrickson adds CEO title, effective immediately. $PRGO PR link.

CIT Group(PBR608) hires John C Erickson as president of Consumer Banking, & president, California, reports to CEO. $CIT PR link.

The US Dept of HUD says March New Single-Family Houses Sold at a 511,000 annual rate, -1.5% from February, +5.4% from March 2015. HUD PR link.

Retail: Retail layoffs in 2016 could be highest since 2010. MarketWatch PR link.

Retail: More department stores should close, study says. MarketWatch PR link.

Trade Deficit: America’s trade deficit begins at home. MarketWatch PR link.

Share buybacks delivering more bang for the buck. MarketWatch PR link.

Friday, April 22:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 18,003.75, +0.59% from last week, +1.80% MTD/QTD, +3.32% YTD, -1.69% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,906.23, -0.65% from last week, +0.75% MTD/QTD, -2.02% YTD, -5.99% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 2,091.58, +0.52% from last week, +1.55% MTD/QTD, +2.33% YTD, -1.84% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

China suspends Apple(PBR5 $AAPL)‘s online book, movie services. MarketWatch PR link.

For McDonald’s(PBR101 $MCD), breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. MarketWatch PR link.

ADT(PBR627) stockholders approve $42.00/share cash acquisition by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906 $APO), to close 05/02/16. $ADT PR link.

Under Armour(PBR668) to be exclusive performance footwear & apparel supplier for UC Berkeley Golden Bear athletic teams through 2027. $UA PR link.

AmerisourceBergen(PBR16) EVP Retail Strategy & president, Good Neighbor Pharmacy David Neu to retire in summer 2016. $ABC PR link.

Economy: FreddieMac(PBR41) April Outlook: Economic outlook darkens, but housing remains bright spot $FMCC PR link.

Economy: On the U.S. economy, is the glass half full, or half empty? MarketWatch PR link.

Mortgage delinquencies fall to lowest in at least 16 years. MarketWatch PR link.

Markit Flash US Manufacturing PMI drops to 50.8 in April, lowest level in over 6.5 years Markit PR link.

Executive Compensation: Tesla(PBR651)’s Elon Musk is doing for executive compensation what he did for electric #cars. MarketWatch PR link.

Investing: Investors are ‘really overpaying’ for stocks, by this measure. MarketWatch PR link.

The Eurozone economy mired in low growth, no inflation. MarketWatch PR link.

Thursday, April 21:

Johnson Controls(PBR68) expects merger with Tyco plc(NYSE $TYC) to be completed on 10/01/16 with global headquarters in Cork, Ireland. $JCI PR link.

Sears Holding(PBR93) to close 68 KMarts & 10 Sears stores this summer to accelerate profitability effort. $SHLD PR link.

Starbucks(PBR178) adds 900,000 Rewards Loyalty Members in US in Q2, adds 100 million shares to repurchase authorization. $SBUX PR link.

DISH Network(PBR196) & Viacom(PBR212 $VIA) issue joint statement confirming multi-year contract agreed to. $DISH PR link.

AMD(PBR446) gets $293 million plus royalties in IP high performance processor/SoC licensing agreement in Chinese joint venture. $AMD PR link.

Tesla(PBR651 $TSLA)’s Musk says has almost 400,000 orders for Model 3. MarketWatch PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) to acquire Aliante Casino Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas for $380 million cash. $BYD PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782) undertakes Chapter 11 Reorganization, secures $300 million in new DIP financing. $SUNE PR link.

Heartland Payment Systems(PBR821 $HPY) stockholders approve $4.3 billion acquisition by Global Payments(PBR762), to close within 3 business days. $GPN PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) hires Robert Webb as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective 05/16/16. $THC PR link.

The Philadelphia Fed says April General Activity Indicator at -1.6, was +12.4 in March, cites employment weakness. PhillyFed PR link.

The Conference Board says the March US Leading Economic Index at 123.4, +0.2% from February, 2010=100. CB PR link.

Jobs: Robots at work will mean higher pay and more skills for you. MarketWatch PR link.

Wednesday, April 20:

Amazon(PBR29) to open 6th fulfillment center in Texas, creates 1,000 new fulltime jobs, in Haslet near Dallas/Ft Worth. $AMZN PR link.

Comcast(PBR42) launches Xfinity TV Partner Program for apps independent of set-top boxes, Samsung is first partner. $CMCSA PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR101 $MCD) is testing new Big Macs and analysts want fries with that. MarketWatch PR link.

Devon Energy(PBR143) to sell non-core Mississippian assets for $200 million to White Star Petroleum, part of 2016 plan to sell $2-3 billion in assets. $DVN PR link.

Assurant(PBR268) hires Ajay Waghray as Chief Technology Officer, reports to president/CEO. $AIZ PR link.

Alliant Energy(PBR634) to do 2:1 stock split after close of business on 05/04/16. $LNT PR link.

Lincoln Electric(PBR710) adds 10 million shares to 2.8 million available for repurchase program. $LECO PR link.

Plexus(PBR807) EVP/COO Todd Kelsey to become president/CEO on 10/02/16, succeeds retiring Dean Foate. $PLXS PR link.

Rowan Cos(PBR925) appoints executives in finance, marketing, & investor relations in reorganization. $RDC PR link.

Natl Assn Realtors says March Existing Home Sales Annual Rate at 5.33 million, Median price $222,700 NAR PR link.

Jobs: Most new obs in U.S. are not crummy. MarketWatch PR link.

Compensation: These are the highest paying companies in the U.S. MarketWatch PR link.

Healthcare: Here’s how UnitedHealth(PBR14 $UNH)’s Obamacare retreat does — or doesn’t — affect you. MarketWatch PR link.

Infrastructure-Water: America’s water crisis is way bigger than Flint. MarketWatch PR link.

Investing: Hedge funds suffer biggest outflows since the Great Recession. MarketWatch PR link.

Tuesday, April 19:

CVS Health(PBR11) partners & invests in Curbside mobile app for customer orders pickup in an hour. $CVS PR link.

United Health(PBR14 $UNH) will exit most Obamacare state exchanges in 2017. MarketWatch PR link.

Intel(PBR51) to reduce global workforce by up to 12,000, 11%, through mid 2017. $INTC PR link.

Harley-Davidson(PBR400) in Q1 report says it expects to ship 269,000-274,000 motorcycles in 2016. $HOG PR link.

Netflix(PBR447 $NFLX) expects subscriber growth to slow as price, competition increases. MarketWatch PR link.

McCormick(PBR552) buys Australia based private global chilled packaged herbs Gourmet Garden brand provider Botanical Food Co for $114 million cash. $MKC PR link.

AmTrust Financial(PBR564) to acquire ANV Holdings from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan for $218.7 million cash. $AFSI PR link.

Allscripts Healthcare(PBR1014) completes joint venture deal to acquire private Netsmart Technologies to combine with Homecare unit to create largest technology company exclusively dedicated to human services and post acute care. $MDRX PR link.

SuperValu(PBR164) hires James Weidenheimer to new position of EVP, Corporate Development & Chief Innovation Director. $SVU PR link.

Rockwell Automation(PBR380) to promote Blake Moret to president/CEO, effective 07/01/16, Keith Nosbusch to remain chairman. $ROK PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates March New Residential Building Permits annual rate at 1,086,000, -7.7% from February, +4.6% from March 2015. USDOC PR link.

Economy: There’s no secret U.S.-China pact, economists say after IMF meeting. MarketWatch PR link.

Monday, April 18:

Whirlpool(PBR138) announces $1 billion share repurchase program. $WHR PR link.

Nordstrom(PBR214) changing operating model, to phase out up to 400 jobs in corporate/regional support teams. $JWN PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Las Vegas, NV, based managing general insurance agent KDC Associates, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Colfax(PBR517) hires Shyam Kambeyanda as SVP & President, ESAB, effective 05/16/16, reports to president/CEO. $CFX PR link.

AmTrust Financial(PBR564) completes purchase of Texas based property/casualty insurance provider Republic Cos for $233 million. $AFSI PR link.

Nortek(PBR763) hires Bruno Biasiotta as COO, Air Management, reports to Nortek president/CEO. $NTK PR link.

Bristow Group(PBR919) promotes Chet Akiri to acting SVP operations & Chief Commercial Officer, 3 executive positions eliminated in restructuring. $BRS PR link.

Housing: Natl Assn of Home Builders says April Homebuilder Confidence remains at 58 for 3rd consecutive month, indicates slow but steady growth. NAHB PR link.

Tax Day-Opinion: Here’s how to fix the IRS and end America’s Tax Day mess. MarketWatch PR link.

Taxes: Compared to most countries, we’re undertaxed. MarketWatch PR link.

Friday, April 15:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 17,897.46, +1.82% from last week, +1.20% MTD/QTD, +2.71% YTD, -2.27% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,938.22, +1.80% from last week, +1.40% MTD/QTD, -1.38% YTD, -5.38% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 2,080.73, +1.62% from last week, +1.02% MTD/QTD, +1.80% YTD, -2.35% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

MGM Resorts(PBR273) & partner Infinity World complete $1.1 billion sale of Las Vegas CityCenter The Shops at Crystals Mall to Invesco & Simon Property(PBR494 $SPG). $MGM PR link.

EMCOR(PBR392) completes $205 million cash acquisition of electrical/instrumentation services providers Ardent Services and Rabalais Constructors. $EME PR link.

Newell Rubbermaid(PBR434) completes $60/share cash/stock acquisition of Jarden(PBR324 $JAH), now called Newell Brands, to be a $16 billion/year consumer products company. $NWL PR link.

McGraw Hill(PBR477) to Sell J.D. Power for $1.1 billion to investments firm XIO Group. $MHFI PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) completes recapitalization into three tracking stocks. $LMCA PR link.

ON Semiconductor(PBR656) extends $20.00/share, $2.4 billion cash tender offer for Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) to 04/28/16. $ON PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says March Industrial Production Total Index at 103.4, -0.6 from February, -2.0 from March 2015. FRB PR link.

The U of Michigan says Preliminary March Consumer Sentiment Index at 89.7, -1.4% from February, -6.5% from March 2015. UMich PR link.

Thursday, April 14:

Berkshire Hathaway(PBR4) owned utility plans $3.5 billion for additional 2,000 megawatts Iowa wind farm. MarketWatch article link.

Microsoft(PBR31 $MSFT) sues US government over secret customer data searches. MarketWatch article link.

McDonald’s(PBR101 $MCD) pulls wraps from most menus. MarketWatch article link.

Gannett(PBR414), Tribune, McClatchy, & Hearst newspaper chains form advertising network. MarketWatch article link.

Chipotle(PBR561 $CMG) illness outbreaks cost it three years of earnings, but there is hope. MarketWatch article link.

EnerSys(PBR776) acquires advanced industrial applications lithium battery developer Enser, terms not disclosed. $ENS article link.

SunEdison(PBR782 $SUNE) internal investigation finds accounting issues but no fraud. MarketWatch article link.

Verisk Analytics(PBR943) acquires insurance automation provider Risk Intelligence Ireland, terms not disclosed. $VRSK article link.

Estee Lauder(PBR255) makes global leadership changes for EMEA, promotes Nancy Mahon to SVP/Global Corporate Citizenship/Sustainability & Maria Cristina Gonzalez Noguera to SVP/Global Public Affairs. $EL article link.

Southwest Gas(PBR867) hires Paul Daily as CEO of subsidiary Centuri Construction Group. $SWX article link.

The US Dept of Labor says March Current Average Earnings/Hour at $25.43, +0.28% from February, +2.3% from March 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says March Consumer Price Index was +0.1% over Feb, +0.9% over past 12 mos. USDOL PR link.

The PBR1000 Fun Fact: The PBR1000 March Market Capitalization was at $20.312 trillion, +6.40% from February, +0.29% YTD, -1.80% from December 2014.

Housing: Foreclosures fall to pre-crisis lows, RealtyTrac says. MarketWatch article link.

Housing/Pay: Americans are spending almost all of their pay raises on rent. MarketWatch article link.

Food: Americans are paying less for groceries amid global glut of crops. MarketWatch article link.

Personal Finance: Why Americans are some of the world’s worst savers. MarketWatch article link.

Retirement Planning: Don’t rely on the 4% rule for your retirement. MarketWatch article link.

International Economy: China’s giant bonfire of #debt needs one spark to become an inferno. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, April 13:

Nearly 40,000 Verizon(PBR15 $VZ) workers go on strike. MarketWatch article link.

Amazon(PBR29) introduces Kindle Oasis, thinner/lighter than previous versions, priced at $289.99. $AMZN article link.

PVH(PBR328) completes acquisition of balance of Tommy Hilfiger China joint venture, will add $100 million in revenues. $PVH article link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, coal industry related, will continue to operate as usual during reorganization. $BTU article link.

McCormick(PBR552) announces that it does not intend to make an offer for Premier Foods plc. $MKC article link.

Legg Mason(PBR709) completes $585 million acquisition of 82% majority interest in real estate investment & $40 billion portfolio management firm Clarion Partners. $LM article link.

Gap Inc(PBR179) promotes Sonia Syngal to global president, Old Navy unit, reports to Gap CEO. $GPS article link.

Level 3 Communications(PBR375) CEO Jeff Storey returns after temporary medical leave from heart surgery. $LVLT article link.

GoPro(PBR1010) hires Danny Coster as VP of Design, reports to CEO. $GPRO article link.

The US Dept of Labor says March Final Demand Producer Price Index was -0.1%. Final demand index was -0.1% for 12 months. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says February Total Trade Sales/Manufacturers’ Shipments are estimated at $1,284.4 billion, -0.4% from January, -1.4% from February 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates March Total US Retail/Food Services Sales at $446.9 billion, -0.3% from February, +1.7% from March 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases the Beige Book, says economy growing at modest/moderate rate, expects trend to continue. USDOC document link.

Investing: These 12 U.S. companies have increased sales for at least 60 straight quarters. MarketWatch article link.

Taxes: Americans pay more in taxes than for housing, food, clothes combined. MarketWatch article link.

Banking: Regulators reject ‘living wills’ of five huge U.S. banks. MarketWatch article link.

Infrastructure: Our crumbling infrastructure is hurting U.S. competitiveness. MarketWatch article link.

Housing: The mortgage interest tax deduction may fuel inequality, researchers suggest. MarketWatch article link.

Healthcare: Yes, you are paying more for your health insurance. MarketWatch article link.

Student Loans: Why Obama is forgiving the student loans of nearly 400,000 people. MarketWatch article link.

Gas Prices: Drivers rev up for the cheapest summer gasoline prices in 12 years. MarketWatch article link.

Entertainment: The movie theater business is in panic mode over this. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, April 12:

Penske Automotive(PBR170) acquires Ontario, Canada, based Harper Truck Centres, to add $130 million revenues/year. $PAG PR link.

Facebook(PBR228) provides update on popular Messenger Platform at F8 Conference. $FB PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires S Barrington, IL, based national retail insurance broker Insurance Plans Agency. $AJG PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) sets new CS:GO major esports records with 45 million hours watched, 1.6 million concurrent viewers 03/31-04/03/16. $ATVI PR link.

Triumph Group(PBR578) to reorganize from 6 to 4 business units, announces executive leadership changes. $TGI PR link.

Scotts Miracle-Gro(PBR705) to eliminate neonicotinoid-based pesticides from all its outdoor products. $SMG PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) Chief Marketing Officer Martine Reardon leaving 05/13/16 after 32 years of service. $M PR link.

Abercrombie & Fitch(PBR595) hires Ashley Sargent Price as SVP & Creative Director of Marketing, reports to Chief Merchandising Officer. $ANF PR link.

Cracker Barrel(PBR729) hires Jill Golder as its next CFO. $CBRL PR link.

Revlon(PBR900) hires Juan Figuereo as EVP/CFO. $REV PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US March Receipts were $227.8 billion, Outlays $335.9 billion, Deficit -$108.0 billion, Fiscal YTD Deficit $461.0 billion. Treasury PR link.

Housing: CoreLogic says February Houses in Serious Delinquency at 1.252 million, -19.9% from February 2015. CoreLogic document link.

The US Dept of Labor says March US Import Prices were +0.2% compared to -0.4% in February, Exports were 0.0% after -0.5% in February. USDOL PR link.

Investing-Stocks: Why some analysts are nearly throwing in the towel on the S&P 500 this year. MarketWatch article link.

Wages: IWPR says gender wage gap widened in 2015. IWPR article link.

Monday, April 11:

Lockheed Martin(PBR64) delivers 150,000th Enhanced Laser Guided Training Round. $LMT PR link.

Goldman Sachs(PBR76 $GS) completes $5 billion deal to settle mortgage securities claims. MarketWatch PR link.

Chesapeake Energy(PBR131) has amended its $4.0 billion secured revolving credit facility agreement. $CHK PR link.

Marathon Oil(PBR250) to divest $950 million of non-core assets. $MRO PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) founder makes another plea for immediate removal of CEO. MarketWatch article link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) responds to latest letter from founder Bill Pulte. $PHM article link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) buys Minnesota based Midwest retail insurance broker Charles Allen Agency. $AJM PR link.

England’s Daily Mail confirms it’s exploring bid for Yahoo!(PBR519 $YHOO). MarketWatch article link.

Liberty Media(PBR534 $LMCA) Sirius XM($SIRI) unit adds 465,000 new subscribers in the first quarter. MarketWatch article link.

CNO Financial(PBR559) hires Gary Bhojwani as President, promotes Erik Helding to EVP/CFO. $CNO PR link.

Cabot Corp(PBR607) promotes Hobart Kalkstein to SVP & president, Reinforcement Materials & Jay Doubman to SVP-corporate strategy/development. $CBT PR link.

The PBR1000 FYI: March Stock Index was 68,902.18, +6.60% from February, +1.74% YTD, -3.48% from 12/31/14.

Company defaults headed for largest cyclical rise since recession. MarketWatch article link.

Investing: Forget flipping houses-these retail investors flip mortgages. MarketWatch article link.

Pharmaceuticals: Walgreens(PBR36 $WBA), CVS(PBR11 $CVS) are taking this big step to fight the opioids epidemic. MarketWatch article link.

Computer Industry: IDC says PC shipment decline continued in 1st quarter with hopes for improvement. IDC article link.

Economy-Inflation: Consumer inflation expectations retreat, even as gasoline climbs, survey finds. MarketWatch article link.

China: China’s grand strategy: Use the world as one large supply chain. MarketWatch article link.

Oil: 5 reasons #oil is trading above $40 a barrel again. MarketWatch article link.

OECD sees weaker global growth; China will steady. MarketWatch article link.

Friday, April 8:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 17,576.96, -1.21% from last week, -0.61% MTD/QTD, +0.87% YTD, -4.02% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,850.69, -1.30% from last week, -0.39% MTD/QTD, -3.13% YTD, -7.05% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 2,047.60, -1.21% from last week, -0.59% MTD/QTD, +0.18% YTD, -3.91% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Marriott Intl(PBR211 $MAR) $77.94/share, $13.3 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels(PBR417) gets okay at both shareholder meetings, to close mid 2016. $HOT article link.

Gannett(PBR414) completes $12/share, $280 million acquisition of Journal Media Group(NYSE: JMG). $GCI article link.

Crown Castle(PBR603) has acquired 336 towers in US & Puerto Rico Tower Development Corp for $461 million cash. $CCI article link.

HB Fuller(PBR870) hires John Corkrean as EVP/CFO, effective 05/17/16, succeeds Jim Giertz who is now EVP-Strategy. $FUL article link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates February US Wholesale Trade Sales at $427.6 billion, -0.19% from January, -3.10% from February 2015. USDOC article link.

Economy: Why poor first-quarter GDP is nothing to worry about. MarketWatch article link.

Jobs: Millennials are in the driver’s seat as companies ramp up hiring. MarketWatch article link.

Housing: Is there a place for micro apartments & micro hotels in a country notorious for macro tastes? MarketWatch article link.

Auto Industry: Americans have fallen out of love with small cars. MarketWatch article link.

Taxes(Opinion): Inherited money doesn’t do much for the economy, so let’s spread it around. MarketWatch article link.

Thursday, April 7:

Alcoa(PBR115) to supply 3D printed titanium fuselage & engine pylon parts for Airbus aircraft. $AA PR link.

L Brands(PBR247) restructuring Victoria’s Secret into 3 business units, to lay off 200 workers in Columbus & New York. $LB PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR408) outsourcing certain NOOK technology functions, closing Santa Clara & Taiwan offices. $BKS PR link.

HanesBrands(PBR459) to acquire $210 million/2016 Champion Europe, uniting Champion brand globally. $HBI PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) says in the first week since the Model 3 announcement it has received 325,000 reservations at $1,000 each, representing $14 billion in future sales. $TSLA PR link.

Ruby Tuesday(PBR1041) hires Tom Williams as Chief People Officer. $RT PR link.

Ruby Tuesday(PBR1041) EVP/CFO Jill Golder is leaving, effective 04/11/16. $RT PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says February Total Consumer Credit at $3.568 trillion, +0.49% from January, +6.73% from February 2015. FRB PR link.

Housing: First-time buyers are skipping the starter home and saving for the big house in the suburbs. MarketWatch article link.

Wealth Management: America’s super-rich are hiding trillions of dollars in plain sight. MarketWatch article link.

Oil: What OPEC’s political agenda means for oil prices. MarketWatch article link.

Consumerism: The real reason Wal-Mart(PBR1 $WMT) and Starbucks(PBR178 $SBUX) want you to get their rewards cards. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, April 6:

Verizon(PBR15) acquires 24.5% equity in AwesomenessTV, to create short-form mobile video service. $VZ PR link.

Amazon(PBR29 $AMZN): 5 key lines from Jeff Bezos’s latest letter to shareholders. MarketWatch PR link.

Pfizer(PBR56) terminates $150 billion acquisition of Allergan(PBR219 $AGN), cites new US Treasury policies regarding inversions. $PFE PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) signs $2.2 billion deal for the sale and lease-back of certain existing network assets. $S PR link.

Halliburton(PBR90) & Baker Hughes(PBR108 $BHI) to contest US Dept of Justice antitrust suit against merger. $HAL PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) gets FDA approval for world’s smallest pacemaker for US patients. $MDT PR link.

Monsanto(PBR187 $MON) swears off blockbuster deals. MarketWatch article link.

Allergan(PBR219) reiterates strong standalone growth profile and strategy following termination of Pfizer(PBR56 $PFE) $150 billion acquisition transaction. $AGN PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR377) enhances fine wine portfolio with The Prisoner Wine Company Brands acquisition, terms not disclosed. $STZ PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) promotes Smith’s VP-Operations Kenny Kimball to president of the division, effective 04/30/16, succeeds retiring Jay Cummins. $KR PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR101) Andrew McKenna retiring after 12 years as chairman, 25 years as a director. $MCD PR link.

Pentair(PBR363) hires Dennis Cassidy as president, Valves & Controls segment. $PNR PR link.

JM Smucker(PBR437) SVP Supply Chain/Operations Dennis Armstrong retiring 09/30/16, promotes Randal Day to SVP Operations & Robert Ferguson to SVP Supply Chain. $SJM PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases March 15-16 minutes, moderate growth, keeps federal funds rate at 1//4-1/2%. FOMC PR link.

Financial Advisers: Obama administration targets financial advisers better at enriching themselves than clients. MarketWatch PR link.

Tuesday, April 5:

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) reorganizes leadership structure in Oil & Gas subsidiary to reduce costs. $FCX PR link.

NextEra Energy(PBR173) completes $1.55 billion sale of 2 Texas fossil generating assets to Energy Future Holdings affiliate. $NEE PR link.

Stryker Corp(PBR283) completes $1.28 billion cash acquisition of defibrillators provider Physio-Control Intl from Bain Capital. $SYK PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) responds to founder Bill Pulte’s letter, summarizes events, supports CEO. $PHM PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Oklahoma City, OK, based employee benefits insurance broker Capital Benefits Group. $AJG PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1061) wins Proposition 65 lawsuit, judge rules in company’s favor. $LL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says February US Hires were 5.422 million, +5.82% from Jan, +8.20% from February 2015. USDOL article link.

The US Dept of Commerce says March Exports estimated at $178.1 billion, Imports $225.1 billion, Deficit $47.0 billion, -2.4% from February. USDOC article link.

Markit says Final March US Services PMI at 51.3, up from 49.7 in February. Markit article link.

ISM says March Non-Manufacturing NMI at 54.5, up 1.1 from February, ISM article link.

Investment Strategies: Earnings don’t matter—until they do. MarketWatch article link.

Investment Strategies: ‘Seinfeld,’ mean reversion and the best time to rebalance your portfolio. MarketWatch article link.

Auto Industry: Why Tesla(PBR651 $TSLA)’s Model 3 could mean better, cheaper cars from other luxury brands MarketWatch article link.

Monday, April 4:

McKesson(PBR6) completes total of $1.2 billion for acquisitions of Vantage Oncology & of Biologics. $MCK PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR107) to acquire ACC inhibitor NASH developer Nimbus Apollo from Nimbus Therapeutics for $400 million plus $800 million future incentives. $GILD PR link.

Staples(PBR122) and Workbar offer full service coworking spaces in retail locations, initially in Boston area. $SPLS PR link.

Air Products(PBR267) to exit Energy-from-Waste business, take up to $1 billion discontinued operations write-off. $APD PR link.

BB&T(PBR277) complete $1.8 billion acquisition of National Penn Bancshares. $BBT PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) to acquire majority interest in India based IT services provider Mphasis for $825 million-$1.1 billion. $BX PR link.

Axiall(PBR521) rejects revised $23.12/share cash/stock offer from Westlake Chemical(NYSE: WLK). $AXLL PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) delivers 14,820 vehicles in Q1 2016, some Model X parts supply issues, Model S orders +45% from Q1 2015. $TSLA PR link.

Groupon(PBR652) gets $250 million investment from Atairos, who gets board seat, includes possible collaboration with Comcast(PBR42 $CMCSA). $GRPN PR link.

Armstrong World(PBR772) completes spin-off of $1.2 billion/2015 Armstrong Flooring as separate public company(NYSE: AFI). $AWI PR link.

Brocade Communications(PBR845) to acquire Ruckus Wireless(NYSE: $RKUS) for $14.43/share, $1.5 billion cash/stock. $BRCD PR link.

Charles River Labs(PBR1025) completes $585 million cash acquisition of biopharma/ag/industrial chemicals CDMO co WIL Research. $CRL PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR57 $DIS) COO Thomas Staggs stepping down on 05/06/16, will be a special advisor to the CEO through fiscal year. MarketWatch article link.

Honeywell(PBR74) promotes Darius Adamczyk president/COO, other promotions announced. $HON PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) hires Douglas Sesler as EVP-Real Estate. $M PR link.

Advance Auto Parts(PBR279) hires Thomas Greco as CEO, effective 04/11/16, interim George Sherman to remain president. $AAP PR link.

Owens & Minor(PBR292) hires Rony Kordahl as EVP, N American Operations, reports to president/CEO. $OMI PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) Chairman/CEO Richard Dugas to retire in May 2017, in part due to recent suggestion for CEO change. $PHM PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) to acquire Virgin America(NASDAQ: $VA) for $57/share, $4.0 billion cash. includes debt. $ALK PR link.

Triumph Group(PBR578) SVP/CFO Jeffrey McRae leaving after 10-K filing in May, search for new CFO starts. $TGI PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584) promotes Huw Bower to president, Boat Group, continues to report to chairman/CEO. $BC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates Total February US Manufacturing New Orders at $453.9B, -1.73% from January, -3.03% from February 2015. USDOC PR link.

Retirement: New conflict-of-interest rule will protect retirement investors. MarketWatch article link.

Global Economy: IMF says insurers pose risks to the global economy MarketWatch article link.

Healthcare: America’s facing a shortage of primary-care doctors. MarketWatch article link.

Banking: Regulators seen as exhausted in effort to end too-big-to-fail banks. MarketWatch article link.

Energy: Stress in oil credit market hits record level MarketWatch article link.

Housing: A tale of two housing markets is playing out in home equity MarketWatch article link.

Inflation: Why inflation expectations have fallen and won’t get up. MarketWatch article link.

Corporate Regulations: Treasury takes new steps to limit tax inversions. MarketWatch article link.

Friday, April 1:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 17,792.75, +1.58% from last week, +0.61% MTD/QTD, +2.11% YTD, -2.84% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,914.54, +2.95% from last week, +0.92% MTD/QTD, -1.85% YTD, -5.83% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 2,072.78, +1.81% from last week, +0.63% MTD/QTD, +1.41% YTD, -2.72% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

General Electric(PBR9 $GE) to sell stake in Poland’s Bank BPH’s Core Bank in $2.1 billion deal. MarketWatch article link.

Community Health System(PBR125) to spinoff public Quorum Health Corp on 04/29/16, will have 38 hospitals in 16 states. $CYH PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) completes $575 million sale of Atlanta area 5 hospitals, 26 physician clinics to regional network WellStar Health. $THC PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) completes up to $600 million acquisition of private biotech autoimmune diseases therapies developer Padlock Therapeutics. $BMY PR link.

BB&T(PBR277) completes $500 million acquisition of $200 million revenues/year commercial wholesale insurance provider Swett & Crawford. $BBT PR link.

Stryker Corp(PBR283) completes $2.775 billion cash acquisition of medical disposable products provider Sage Products from Madison Dearborn Partners. $SYK PR link.

Frontier Communications(PBR501) completes $10.54 billion acquisition of Verizon(PBR15 $VZ) Wireline Operations in California, Texas & Florida. $FTR PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) to sell 8 grain & plant nutrients facilities in Iowa to MaxYield Cooperative. $ANDE PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) starts accepting $1,000 to reserve newly announced 215 miles range, starting at $35,000 Model 3. $TSLA PR link.

Tesla(PBR651 $TSLA) Model 3 electric sedan reservations of nearly 200,000 on first day top total of all US 2015 plug-in car sales. MarketWatch article link.

ON Semiconductor(PBR656) extends $20.00/share, $2.4 billion cash tender offer for Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000 $FCS) to 04/14/16. $ON PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) buys Philadelphia, PA, building products distributor Atlantic Building Products. $BECN PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) buys N Carolina based Lyf-Tym Building Products. $BECN PR link.

Hub Group(PBR611) EVP-Sales Jim Gaw to retire on 06/30/16, Steve Rand being promoted to succeed him. $HUBG PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says March US Employment at 151.3 million, 8.0 million unemployed, 5.0% unemployment rate. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says February Construction Spending at a $1,144.0 billion annual rate, -0.5% from January, +10.3% from February 2015. USDOC PR link.

Manufacturing: ISM says March PMI at 51.8, up from February’s 49.5. ISM PR link.

Consumer Index: March Consumer Sentiment Index at 91.0, -0.7 from February. U of Michigan article link.

Healthcare: America’s 1 million-doctor shortage is right upon us. MarketWatch article link.

Auto Industry: March Total US Auto Sales were $54.691 billion, Average Vehicle Price $32,887, Average Unit Spending $3,005. TrueCar article link.

Auto Industry: Total March US Vehicle Units Sold were 1,595,065, +3.1% from March 2015. Automotive News article link.

Employment: Part-timers might account for labor-force surge. MarketWatch article link.

Minimum Wage: California, New York pass $15 minimum-wage laws MarketWatch article link.

Corporate: Companies with unequal voting rights underperform shareholder friendly ones, study finds. MarketWatch article link.

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Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 March 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

May 1, 2016 by

March 2016: The Bull Looks Good as Stocks Rally

Business Bull-ddpavumba ID-100185941

March Was A Good Month For The Bull.

By Larry C. Paxton

In March oil prices rose and stocks followed accordingly.

In terms of volatility, for the S&P500 stocks, out of the 22 trading days in March 2016, 15 of them were positive, 1 was greater than 2%, 0 were less than -2%. 

So, the Bull won March.  But the overall US and world economies continue to send mixed signals, still showing more anxious fragility than comforting stability. The second quarter starts. The question is, can the Bull continue its run?

If you are not a current Subscriber to highly acclaimed The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 13 month subscription and automatically download the March 2016 edition.

The following partial tables are excerpts from The PBR1000 March Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on March 31st, Month % Chg is compared to February 29th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 15 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

Table 1(S11): The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 1 Summary: The range was +209.57% to -72.72%. 915 out of 1,023 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 89.44% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 7.91%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
03/31/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 15 Mos
% Chg
Republic Airways
 1015 RJETQ 1.95 +209.57 -50.38 -86.63
SM Energy
 769 SM 18.74 +107.30 -4.68 -51.43
Whiting Petroleum
 667 WLL 7.98 +99.00 -15.47 -75.82
US Steel 167 X 16.05 +75.99 +101.13 -39.98
Denbury Resources
 796 DNR 2.22 +73.44 +9.90 -72.69

 

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +101.13% to -89.39%. 623 out of 1,023 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 60.90% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 3.82%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
03/31/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 15 Mos
% Chg
US Steel
 167 X 16.05 +75.99 +101.13 -39.98
Cliffs Natural Resources
 518 CLF 3.00 +38.89 +89.87 -57.98
SunCoke Energy
 991 SXC 6.50 +37.42 +87.32 -66.39
AK Steel
 386 AKS 4.13 +44.41 +84.38 -30.47
Alpha Natural Resources
 548 ANRZQ 0.02 +23.03 +70.00 -98.88

 

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 13 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: Range was +109.49% to -98.88%. 435 out of 1,019 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 42.69% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of -5.51%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
03/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 15 Mos
% Chg
Netflix
 438 NFLX 102.23 +9.44 -10.62 +109.49
A-Mark Precious Metals
 419 AMRK 19.90 -8.42 +5.57 +99.60
Amazon.com
 29 AMZN 593.64 +7.44 -12.17 +91.28
Hawaiian Holdings
 820 HA 47.19 +9.69 +33.57 +81.15
Heartland Payment Systems
 821 HPY 96.57 +3.26 +1.85 +79.00

 

Table 4(S15): The PBR1000 Top 5 Market Capitalization

Table 4 Summary: Range was $604.30 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $19.84 billion, median is $6.21 billion, out of 1,023 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Market Cap($B)
03/31/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 15 Mos
% Chg
Apple
 3 AAPL 604.30 +12.72 +2.97 -6.66
Alphabet
 44 GOOGL 512.76 +6.76 -1.75 +43.59
Microsoft
 27 MSFT 436.83 +8.55 -1.43 +14.08
Berkshire Hathaway
 5 BRK.A 351.43 +5.99 +7.97 -2.81
ExxonMobil
 2 XOM 347.13 +4.21 +6.97 -11.33
The PBR1000
   20,299.43 +6.41 +0.29 -1.82

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
03/31/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 15 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 68,835.23 +6.59 +1.80 -3.43
DJIA 17,685.09 +7.08 +1.49 -0.77%
NASDAQ 4,869.86 +6.84 -2.75 +2.83
S&P500 2,059.74 +6.60 +0.77 +0.04
Gold 1,235.60 -0.74 +16.54 +4.28
Silver 15.46 +3.48 +12.03 -0.90
Oil 38.34 +13.57 +3.51 -28.03

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @ThePBR1000.

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo made available by ddpavumba, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 February 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

March 12, 2016 by

February 2016: Which Direction Are The Markets Heading?

Increase Decrease Chart-hywards ID-100395866

Stock Market and Commodities Prices…
Which Direction Will They Go
Short Term and Long Term?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

Throughout February 2016 the stock markets bounced up and down almost in synch with the price of oil. Annual corporate earnings reports continued to be mixed, also affected by oil industry companies. The markets also seemed to fluctuate on conjecture and mixed messages from Federal Reserve governors on how many and when interest rates will climb again.

In terms of volatility, out of the 20 trading days in February 2016, 11 of them were positive, 2 were less than -2%, compared to 5 in January, for the NASDAQ. 

Both bulls and bears continue to make their case for the future, but the feeling is that there is really no overwhelming and convincing evidence one way or the other. However, I am sure there will be in hindsight down the road.

If you are not a current Subscriber to The PBR1000  just click here to get your 13 month subscription and automatically download the current 2016 edition of The PBR1000 Snapshots.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on February 29th, Month % Chg is compared to December 31st, YTD % Chg is compared to January 30, 2015, and the 14 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

Table 1(S11): The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 1 Summary: The range was +75.74% to -70.43%. 619 out of 1,030 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 60.10% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 1.65%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
02/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 14 Mos
% Chg
Groupon
 640 GRPN 4.78 +75.74 +55.70 -42.13
Titan International
 887 TWI 5.07 +69.00 +28.68 -52.30
Freeport McMoRan
 126 FCX 7.63 +65.87 +12.70 -67.34
Modine Manufacturing 962 MOD 9.48 +47.66 +4.75 -30.29
NII Holdings
 588 NIHD 5.31 +45.48 +5.15 n/a

 

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +212.50% to -83.97%. 383 out of 1,030 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 37.18% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 3.92%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
02/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 14 Mos
% Chg
Walter Energy
 984 WLTGQ 0.04 +12.90 +212.50 -97.46
Groupon
 640 GRPN 4.78 +75.74 +55.70 -42.13
J.C. Penney
 232 JCP 10.20 +40.50 +53.15 +57.41
Newmont Mining
 354 NEM 25.83 +29.41 +43.58 +36.67
Alpha Natural Resources
 536 ANRZQ 0.02 -3.18 +38.18 -99.09

 

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 13 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: Range was +117.95% to -99.09%. 340 out of 1,026 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 33.14% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of -12.66%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
02/29/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 14 Mos
% Chg
A-Mark Precious Metals
 410 AMRK 21.73 +28.35 +15.28 +117.95
Netflix
 438 NFLX 93.41 +1.71 -18.33 +91.41
Skechers
 527 SKX 32.92 +16.58 +8.97 +78.72
Amazon.com
 31 AMZN 552.52 -5.87 -18.25 +78.03
Heartland Payment Systems
 401 HPY 93.52 +1.56 -1.37 +73.35

 

Table 4(S15): The PBR1000 Top 5 Market Capitalization

Table 4 Summary: Range was $536.11 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $18.56 billion, median is $5.71 billion, out of 1,030 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Market Cap($B)
02/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 14 Mos
% Chg
Apple
 3 AAPL 536.11 -1.21 -8.65 -17.19
Alphabet
 44 GOOGL 480.29 -6.00 -7.97 +34.50
Microsoft
 27 MSFT 402.43 -8.55 -9.19 +5.10
ExxonMobil
 2 XOM 333.10 +2.78 +2.65 -14.92
Berkshire Hathaway
 5 BRK.A 331.57 +6.95 +1.87 -8.30
The PBR1000
   19,119.29 -0.54 -5.74 -7.73

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
02/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 14 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 64,933.39 -0.28 -6.05 -7.47
DJIA 16,516.50 +0.30 -5.21 -7.33
NASDAQ 4,557.95 -1.21 -8.98 -3.76
S&P500 1,932.23 -0.41 -5.47 -6.15
Gold 1,244.80 +11.30 +17.41 +5.06
Silver 14.94 +4.77 +8.26 -4.23
Oil 33.76 +0.06 -8.86 -36.62

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @ThePBR1000.

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

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Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 February 2016 Breaking News Recap

March 5, 2016 by

February 2016: Have You Checked Your Oil Levels Recently?

Check Oil-rukawajung ID-100355920

Hopefully Your Car Oil Levels
Are More Predictable
Than The Price Of Oil!

 

By Larry C. Paxton

In the office we try to summarize what were the big influences on news for that day. In February just about every day the top news event related to what was happening with oil. Were oil prices up or down? How were the major players adapting? Were they selling off or acquiring assets? Were they laying off people? What changes were they making for capital expenditures? On the world stage people were following OPEC decisions intently. Oil was the dominant theme by far in February, as it has been for some time now.

The other big influences were the earnings reports for 2015 which continued to flood in during February. Bottomline, the results were very mixed, not much to get excited about.

Jobs and wages had their few days of interest as well, once again not a big encouragement.

Perhaps the biggest entertainment value was watching the presidential debates, which continue to be mostly a lot of talk and not much substance, with a lot of focus on one candidate, Donald Trump, a capitalist icon for many, a member of the “One Percent Club” who seems to be having great appeal to a wide range of people who feel disenfranchised by the political system.

There were certainly other influences, like global growth concerns, shareholder activism, and mixed economic data. We will address these further in future blog posts.

Following are The PBR1000 and economic related news items of note for February 2016, starting with the last active day.

Monday, February 29:

The PBR1000 February US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends February at 16,516.50, -0.74% from last Friday, +0.30% MTD, -5.21% QTD/YTD, -9.81% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends February at 4,557.95, -0.71% from last Friday, -1.21% MTD, -8.98% QTD/YTD, -12.66% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends February at 1,932.23, -0.81% from last Friday, -0.41% MTD, -5.47% QTD/YTD, -9.32% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Berkshire Hathaway(PBR4)‘s Warren Buffett’s 2015 letter reflects his optimism about US business. $BRKA PR link.

Proctor & Gamble(PBR33) completes transfer of Duracell batteries unit to Berkshire Hathaway(PBR4 $BRKA), buys 52 million P&G shares from BH for $1.8 billion. $PG PR link.

MetLife(PBR39) 4,000 advisors Retail Advisor Force unit being acquired by MassMutual, to close by mid 2016, terms not disclosed. $MET PR link.

Sysco(PBR61) to reduce workforce by 2%, 1,200 people, within the next 15 months, part of 3 year plan. $SYY PR link.

American Express(PBR83) to sell its Costco(PBR18 $COST) US cobranded card portfolio to CitiGroup(PBR28 $C) for $1 billion. $AXP PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) to do joint venture with Europe’s Dixons Carphone wireless retailer, to open 500 Sprint stores in the U.S. $S PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147 $IEP) owns 82% of Federal-Mogul common shares, proposes $7.00/share buyout of remaining shares. $FDML PR link.

Computer Sciences(PBR237) completes acquisition of Australia based 3,000 employee IT services company UXC(ASX: UXC) for $308 million. $CSC PR link.

CONSOL Energy(PBR598) to sell SW Virginia Buchanan Mine and other assets to Coronado IV for $420 million. $CNX PR link.

DENTSPLY(PBR694) completes $14.5 billion acquisition of Sirona Dental(NASDAQ: SIRO), now DENTSPLY Sirona, now world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products. $XRAY PR link.

GoPro(PBR1010) acquires mobile editing apps Splice & Replay, terms not disclosed. $GPRO PR link.

Target(PBR40) hires Arthur Valdez as EVP-Chief Supply Chain & Logistics Officer, reports to EVP/COO John Mulligan. $TGT PR link.

Lockheed Martin(PBR64) promotes John Rood to SVP-International, succeeds retiring Pat Dewar. $LMT PR link.

Lockheed Martin(PBR64) promotes John Mollard to VP & Treasurer, effective 04/04/16, succeeds Ken Possenriede who will be VP Finance/Business Operations at Aeronautics unit. $LMT PR link.

Carlisle Cos(PBR650) appoints Amelia Murillo as VP-Human Resources. $CSL PR link.

Cinemark(PBR739) president/COO Robert Copple has resigned. $CNK PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1061) hires Dennis Knowles as COO. $LL PR link.

Housing: FreddieMac(PBR42) releases February Insight & Outlook. $FMCC PR link.

Friday, February 26:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 16,639.77, +1.51% from last week, +1.05% MTD, -4.51% QTD/YTD, -9.13% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,590.47, +1.91% from last week, -0.51 MTD, -8.33% QTD/YTD, -12.04% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 1,948.05, +1.58% from last week, +0.40% MTD, -4.69% QTD/YTD, -8.58% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) fires back in court that FBI seeks ‘dangerous power.’ MarketWatch article link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) to end production of on-highway vocational trucks, to impact about 70 positions. $CAT PR link.

Honeywell(PBR74) reveals offer for United Technologies(PBR45 $UTX), $108/share, $39 billion cash/stock. $HON PR link.

United Technologies(PBR45) says Honeywell(PBR74 $HON) $108/share, $39 billion cash/stock offer has regulatory challenges, customer concerns, and is grossly undervalued. $UTX PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) increases share repurchase program by $1.5 billion, new balance around $2 billion. $M PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234 $JCP) goes private (label) in fight to continue turnaround. MarketWatch article link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) settles litigation with Vivendi for $775 million, has $1.3 billion balance for share repurchase program. $LMCA PR link.

Groupon(PBR652) sells one billionth Groupon, first Groupon was sold in October 2008. $GRPN PR link.

Olin Corp(PBR838) president/COO John Fischer to become CEO on 05/01/16, succeeds retiring Joe Rupp. $OLN PR link.

Revlon(PBR900) president/CEO Lorenzo Delpani to step down effective 03/01/16, will remain on board; Gianni Pieraccioni appointed as new COO. $REV PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says January Personal Income Annual Rate at $15.691 trillion, +0.5% from December, Personal Savings Rate at 5.2%. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce restates 4th Quarter GDP Annual Rate from 0.7% to 1.0%, $18.148 trillion, 2015 GDP was 2.4%. USDOC PR link.

Energy: Energy companies’ latest move as oil prices slump? Sell, sell, sell. MarketWatch article link.

Consumer Credit: This is how many Americans have ‘great’ credit. MarketWatch article link.

Thursday, February 25:

McKesson(PBR6) making 2 acquisitions, Vantage Oncology & Biologics, for a total of $1.2 billion. $MCK PR link.

Best Buy(PBR73) authorizes new $1 billion share buyback program over 2 years. $BBY PR link.

Halliburton(PBR90 $HAL) to cut 5,000 jobs, 8% of workforce, had announced 22,000 job cuts previously. MarketWatch article link.

Kohl’s(PBR149) plans $600 million share buyback program with $50/share average. $KSS PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR179) authorizes $1 billion share buyback program, supersedes previous program. $GPS PR link.

Estee Lauder(PBR255) has acquired Paris-based global luxury fragrances provider By Kilian, terms not disclosed. $EL PR link.

Packaging Corp(PBR425) authorizes additional $200 million for share repurchase program. $PKG PR link.

Dynegy(PBR777) & Energy Capital Partners form joint venture to acquire ENGIE’s US fossil portfolio for $3.3 billion. $DYN PR link.

Equifax(PBR795) completes $1.9 billion acquisition of Australia based credit information company Veda Group. $EFX PR link.

Restoration Hardware(PBR915)’s new membership program gives analysts pause. $RH PR link.

Republic Airways(PBR1015) files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, appoints Lars Arnell as SVP/Chief Restructuring Officer. $RJET PR link.

Core-Mark(PBR271) SVP/CFO Stacy Lorentz-Congdon retiring at end of 2016, VP/Chief Accounting Officer Christopher Miller to be CFO on 05/01/16. $CORE PR link.

Ralph Lauren(PBR349) President-Global Brands Chris Peterson to leave on 05/31/16, position to be eliminated. $RL PR link.

Avery Dennison(PBR396) president/COO Mitchell Butier to be president/CEO on 05/01/16. CEO Dean Scarborough to become executive chairman. $AVY PR link.

Urban Outfitters(PBR638) promotes David McCreight to president. $URBN PR link.

Sprouts Farmers Market(PBR688) hires Brad Lukow as CFO, effective 03/04/16. $SFM PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US 02/20/16 Initial Unemployment Claims at 272,000, +10,000 from previous week, total at 2,253,000. USDOL PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR42) says US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate at 3.62% with 0.6 points/fees. $FMCC PR link.

Wednesday, February 24:

Caterpillar(PBR54) VP Electric Power Division Steve Niehaus is retiring, division to be consolidated with Marine & Petroleum Power divisions. $CAT PR link.

TJX Cos(PBR96) adds $1.5-2.0 billion to share buyback pgm, current balance is $1.5 billion, expires 01/28/17. $TJX PR link.

Southern Co(PBR155) to acquire electric utilities technologies provider PowerSecure Intl(NYSE: POWR) for $18.75/share, $431 million cash, to close 2Q2016. $SO PR link.

BB&T(PBR277) to acquire $200 million revenues/year commercial wholesale insurance provider Swett & Crawford, terms not disclosed. $BBT PR link.

Marathon Petroleum(PBR23) chairman Thomas Usher to retire 04/27/16, president/CEO Gary Heminger to then add chairman title. $MPC PR link.

Boeing(PBR27) promotes Leanne Caret to president/CEO-Defense, Space, & Security, succeeds retiring Chris Chadwick. $BA PR link.

Level 3 Communications(PBR375) CEO Jeff Storey to take 2 month temporary medical leave for heart surgery, CFO Sunit Patel to also be Interim CEO. $LVLT PR link.

The US Dept of Housing & Urban Development says January New Single-Family Sales Annual Rate was at 494,000 units, -9.2% from December, -5.2% from January 2015. HUD PR link.

Taxes: 45% of Americans pay no federal income tax. MarketWatch article link.

Robotics: IDC Forecasts Worldwide Spending on Robotics to Reach $135 Billion in 2019. IDC PR link.

Opinion-US Economy: Markit’s PMI shows significant risk of US economy falling into contraction. Full analysis: Markit article link.

Tuesday, February 23:

Viacom(PBR212) to explore strategic investment partnership for Paramount Pictures. $VIA PR link.

Airgas(PBR461) stockholders approve acquisition by France based Air Liquide(Euronext Paris: AI) for $143/share, $13.4 billion cash, expected to close 2Q or 3Q2016. $ARG PR link.

Activision Blizzard(540) completes acquisition of London based gaming developer King Digital Entertainment(NYSE: KING) for $18.00/share, $5.9 billion, creating largest game network in the world with over 500 million users. $ATVI PR link.

Lexmark(PBR601) to eliminate 550 of 14,000 positions worldwide over next 12 months. $LXK PR link.

Cooper Tire & Rubber(PBR618) authorizes new $200 million share repurchase program through 12/31/17. $CTB PR link.

Monster Beverage(PBR785) to acquire American Fruits & Flavors for $690 million, to close 1Q2016. $MNST PR link.

Eastman Chemical(PBR288) retirements for COO Ron Lindsey, SVP Integrated Supply Chain Godefroy Motte; 5 promotions announced. $EMN PR link.

Discovery Communications(PBR399) CFO Andrew Warren to leave company at end of 2016. $DISCA PR link.

Toll Brothers(PBR577) Vice Chairman/Co-Founder Bruce Toll to retire on 03/08/16. $TOL PR link.

Cooper Tire & Rubber(PBR618) Chairman/CEO Roy Armes to retire on 08/31/16, COO Bradley Hughes to then become President/CEO. $CTB PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors says January Existing Home Sales was at a 5.47 million annual rate, median price $213,800. NAR PR link.

S&P/Case-Shiller December US National Home Prices Index was +0.1% from November, +5.4% from December 2014. C-S PR link.

Housing: What the shrinking amount of mortgage debt tells us about the housing market. MarketWatch article link.

Fashion: Wearable device sales soar, led by Fitbit MarketWatch article link.

Monday, February 22:

Verizon(PBR15) to acquire fiber-optic network business of XO Communications for about $1.8 billion, expected to close 1H2017. $VZ PR link.

United Technologies(PBR45) confirms it has been in talks with Honeywell(PBR74 $HON), has concerns about regulatory obstacles, customer concerns, & valuations issues. $UTX PR link.

Sysco(PBR61) to acquire European food services distributor Brakes Group for $3.1 billion, includes $2.3 billion of debt. $SYY PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) completes sale of its HIV R&D portfolio to ViiV Healthcare for $350 million up front with $2.5 billion in future incentives. $BMY PR link.

Fortune Brands(PBR469) authorizes $400 million share repurchase program over next 2 years. $FBHS PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1061 $LL) wood flooring cancer risk greater than previously reported because of inaccurate calculation by CDC. MarketWatch PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) Smith’s division president Jay Cummins to retire on 04/29/16 after 44 years with company. $KR PR link.

Blackhawk Network(PBR998) president Talbott Roche now also CEO, succeeds William Tauscher who remains chairman. $HAWK PR link.

Markit February Flash U.S. Manufacturing PMI of 51.0 flashes warning sign. MarketWatch PR link.

Friday, February 19:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 16,391.99, +2.62% from last week, -0.45% MTD, -5.93% QTD/YTD, -10.49% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,504.43, +3.85% from last week, -2.37 MTD, -10.04% QTD/YTD, -13.69% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 1,917.78, +2.84% from last week, -1.16% MTD, -6.17% QTD/YTD, -10.00% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) vs. the FBI: A complete guide regarding the phone encryption controversy. MarketWatch PR link.

Citigroup(PBR28) to sell consumer businesses in Brazil, Argentina, and Columbia. $C PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR63) signs letter of intent to grant additional bottling territory to Swire Coca-Cola USA. $KO PR link.

AutoNation(PBR148) has $250 million available for share repurchase program. $AN PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) forms independent committee to explore strategic alternatives. $YHOO PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) to relocate global investor relations, global treasury functions from US to Ireland headquarters. $PRGO PR link.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances(PBR666) promotes Dionisio Ferenc as VP, Global Fine Fragrances. $IFF PR link.

Mueller Industries(PBR812) to acquire 60% interest in S Korea based global copper-based pipe joining manufacturer Jungwoo Metal, terms not disclosed. $MLI PR link.

Booz Allen Hamilton(PBR466) CFO Kevin Cook to retire, EVP Lloyd Howell, Jr to be CFO on 07/01/16. $BAH PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR1013) promotes John Reilly to Chief Parks Operations Officer & Dr. Chris Dold to Chief Zoological Officer, effective 04/01/16; forms Resort Development Group. $SEAS PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the January Current Average Earnings/Hour was $25.39, +0.47% from December, +2.5% from January 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the January Consumer Price Index was unchanged from December, +1.4% over the past 12 months, seasonally unadjusted. USDOL PR link.

Thursday, February 18:

IBM(PBR25) Watson Health unit to acquire Truven Health Analytics for $2.6 billion. strong>$IBM PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR106) & Lenova sign 3G/4G China patent license agreement. $QCOM PR link.

DISH Network(PBR196) ends 2015 with 13.897 million Pay-TV subscribers, ended 2014 with 13.978 million. $DISH PR link.

Alliance Data(PBR462) adds $500 million for new $1 billion balance available for 2016 share buyback program. $ADS PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Santa Monica, CA, based retail insurance broker White & Co Insurance, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Cabela’s(PBR606) EVP/COO Michael Copeland to transition to strategic advisory role over next month. $CAB PR link.

Wednesday, February 17:

Ingram Micro(PBR62) to be acquired by & become subsidiary of China based Tianjin Tianhai for $38.90/share, $6.0 billion cash, to close 2H2016. $IM PR link.

T-Mobile US(PBR95) reports 2.1 million net new adds to its wireless network in 4Q15, 8.3 million total in 2015. $TMUS PR link.

Capital One(PBR116) authorizes additional $300 billion for $3.125 billion share buyback program authorized in 2015. $COF PR link.

Devon Energy(PBR143) to offer 69,000,000 common shares at $18.75/share, proceeds to be used for a variety of financial purposes. $DVN PR link.

Targa Resources(PBR308) completes all equity acquisition of Targa Resources Partners. $TRGP PR link.

DSW(PBR778) to acquire e-commerce off-price footwear & accessories retailer eBuys for $62.5 million plus future performance payments. $DSW PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) SVP Retail Operations & Strategic Initiatives Marnette Perry retiring after 44 years with company, effective 04/29/16. $KR PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) announces new responsibilities for VPs Doug Hoerr, Greg Folley, & Tana Utley, effective 03/01/16. $CAT PR link.

Level 3 Communications(PBR375) makes EVP/Chief Admin Officer Laurinda Pang Regional President of N. America & Asia Pacific. $LVLT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the January Producer Price Index for Final Demand was +0.1%, was -0.2% in Dec, -0.2% from January 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the January Private Housing Units Building Permits Issued annual rate was at 1,202,000, -0.2% from December, +13.5% from January 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says January Total Industrial Production Capacity at 77.1%, December was 76.4%, January 2015 was 79.1% FRB PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases January FOMC Statement, reviews economic situation, maintains 0.25-0.50% funds rate. FRB PR link.

Tuesday, February 16:

United Continental(PBR77) & PAFCA reach tentative agreement for its 420 dispatchers. $UAL PR link.

Upon merger completion Staples(PBR122) & Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) to sell $550+ million revs/yr from Fortune 500 clients to Essendant(PBR458 $ESND) for $22.5 million. $SPLS PR link.

Stryker Corp(PBR283) to acquire defibrillators provider Physio-Control Intl from Bain Capital for $1.28 billion cash. $SYK PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR553) completes acquisition of 2 location folding carton manufacturer Walter G Anderson, terms not disclosed. $GPK PR link.

ADT(PBR627) to be acquired by affiliate of Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906 $APO) for $42.00/share, a 56% premium on 02/12/16 closing price. $ADT PR link.

Devon Energy(PBR143) restructures senior leadership, EVP E&P Tony Vaughn promoted to COO; EVP-HR, EVP-Marketing to retire. $DVN PR link.

Steel Dynamics(PBR306) co-founder/EVP Steelmaking & president/COO Steel Operations Richard Teets, Jr. retiring, 3 SVP promotions announced. $STLD PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314) hires Les Ottolenghi as EVP-Chief Information Officer, reports to president/CEO. $CZR PR link.

Fiserv(PBR474) hires Robert Hau as CFO, effective 03/14/16. $FISV PR link.

hhgregg(PBR864) CFO Robert Riesbeck now also interim president/CEO, Dennis May has left. $HGG PR link.

Monday, February 15:

***U.S. Presidents’ Day***
***U.S. Stock Markets Closed.***

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) sells 13% interest in Morenci Mine to Sumitoma Metal Mining for $1.0 billion cash. $FCX PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) Chief Merchant John Tighe to oversee product development and design within merchandising organization; Supply Chain SVP Mike Robbins assumes added responsibility for global sourcing. $JCP PR link.

Crown Holdings(PBR298) promotes Robert Bourque, Jr to President-Asia Pacific Division, effective 05/01/16, succeeds retiring Jozef Salaerts, reports to president/CEO. $CCK PR link.

Celanese(PBR369) promotes SVP-HR Lori Johnston to EVP-Chief Administrative Officer. $CE PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) promotes Ryan Marshall to president, Harmon Smith to COO. $PHM PR link.

Friday, February 12:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 15,973.84, -1.43% from last week, -2.99% MTD, -8.33% QTD/YTD, -12.77% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,337.51, -0.59% from last week, -5.99 MTD, -13.38% QTD/YTD, -16.89% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 1,864.78, -0.81% from last week, -3.89% MTD, -8.77% QTD/YTD, -12.49% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Lear Corp(PBR165) increases share buyback program to $1 billion, expires 12/31/17. $LEA PR link.

L Brands(PBR247 $LB) Victoria’s Secret CEO Sharen Turney resigns. MarketWatch article link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) to acquire 8,500 clients global news distributor & analytics provider MarketWired, terms not disclosed. $NDAQ PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says January Year to Year Import Price Index was -6.2%, lead by fuel at -34.5%, Exports at -5.7%, USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says December Manufacturing/Trade Sales were $1.3 trillion, -0.6% from November, -2.7% from December 2014. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says January Retail/Food Services Sales were $449.9 billion, +0.2% from December, +3.4% from January 2014. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, February 11:

AIG(PBR46) adds $5.0 billion to share repurchase program, balance is $5.8 billion. $AIG PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584) increases share repurchase program by $300 billion, balance is $360 billion. $BC PR link.

JetBlue(PBR429) promotes John Culp to VP-Inflight Experience & Rachel McCarthy to VP-Talent. $JBLU PR link.

Hyatt Hotels(PBR537) hires Patrick Grismer as CFO, effective 03/14/16. $H PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584) president/COO Mark Schwabero elected as chairman/CEO, succeeds retiring Dustan McCoy. Brenna Preisser promoted to VP-Chief Human Resources Officer, succeeds retiring Russell Lockridge. $BC PR link.

W.R. Grace(PBR625) hires Thomas Blaser to be SVP-Finance/CFO. $GRA PR link.

Wednesday, February 10:

Amazon(PBR29) replaces current $2 billion share repurchase program with a $5 billion one, no termination date. $AMZN PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) names Rimco, its dealer for Puerto Rico & Eastern Caribbean, as its Cuba dealer. $CAT PR link.

Cisco(PBR60) adds $15 billion to share repurchase program, balance is $16.9 billion, no termination date set. $CSCO PR link.

Pilgrim’s Pride(PBR310) increases share buyback program from $150 million to $300 million over next 12 months. $PPC PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) to acquire Sweden based 4,500 employee global pharmaceuticals provider Meda for $9.9 billion, includes debt. $MYL PR link.

Carlyle Group(PBR581) announces $200 million share repurchase program. $CG PR link.

IGT(PBR878) North American subsidiary gets multi-year licensing deal for Life is Good lottery products. $IGT PR link.

UPS(PBR47) CEO David Abney elected to also be chairman. $UPS PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says January Federal Government Receipts were $313.6 billion, Outlays $258.4 billion, Surplus $55.2 billion, Fiscal YTD Deficit is $160.4 billion. Treasury PR link.

The Natl Retail Federation forecasts 2016 Retail Sales to grow by 3.1%, non-store sales to grow 6-9%. NRF PR link.

Tuesday, February 9:

Amazon(PBR29) Web Services announces Amazon Lumberyard, a free cross-platform, 3D game engine integrated with AWS & Twitch. $AMZN PR link.

Cummins(PBR146) to do $500 million, 4 million shares, accelerated share repurchase deal with Goldman Sachs(PBR76 $GS). $CMI PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) and Snapchat enter into global content production and ad sales deal. $VIA PR link.

Cabela’s(PBR606) promotes EVP/Chief Commercial Officer Scott Williams to president. $CAB PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says December Job Openings at 5.6 million, Hires at 5.4 million, Separations at 5.1 millions. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says December US Wholesale Sales were $440.0 billion, -0.3% from November, -4.5% from December 2014. USDOC PR link.

Monday, February 8:

Pfizer(PBR56) names executive leadership team for combined organization upon close of proposed Allergan(PBR219 $AGN) transaction, expected in 2nd half of 2016. $PFE PR link.

Apollo Education(PBR681) to be taken private in $9.50/share, $1.1 billion cash transaction. $APOL PR link.

Sunday, February 7:

Super Bowl 50: The Denver Broncos win 24-10 against the Carolina Panthers in a defense dominated championship game.

Friday, February 5:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 16,204.97, -1.59% from last week/MTD, -7.00% QTD/YTD. Record: 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,363.14, -5.44% from last week/MTD, -12.87% QTD/YTD. Record: 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 1,880.05, -3.10% from last week/MTD, -8.02% QTD/YTD. Record: 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Calpine Corp(PBR330) completes $500 million acquisition of 745 megawatt power plan New Hampshire based Granite Ridge Energy Center. $CPN PR link.

Mattress Firm(PBR932) completes $780 million acquisition of 1,050 stores Sleepy’s, now has nearly 3,500 locations. $MFRM PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Number of Employed at 150.5 million, unemployed at 7.8 million, unemployment rate at 4.9%. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says December US Total Consumer Credit at $3.547 trillion, +0.60% from November, +6.92% from December 2014. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says 2015 US Total Exports were $2.230 trillion, Imports $2.762 trillion, Deficit $0.532 trillion. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, February 4:

Duke Energy(PBR114) considering sale of all or a portion of its International Energy business. $DUK PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) completes $18.50/share, $1.03 billion acquisition of Pep Boys(PBR872). $IEP PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) names Sumner Redstone as chairman emeritus, president/CEO Phillipe Dauman elected executive chairman. $VIA PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR287) to restructure, to separate longterm care business, suspend sales of traditional life & fixed annuity products. $GNW PR link.

Symantec(PBR384) gets $500 million from Silver Lake Partners, total capital return program increased to $5.5 billion. $SYMC PR link.

Group 1 Automotive(PBR276) acquires UK 12 dealerships Spire Automotive Group with $575 million annual revenues; divests 3 US dealerships with $160 million revenues/year; promotes Frank Grese, Jr, to SVP-Human Resources, Daryl Kenningham to Regional VP-West, David Fesmire Regional VP-East. $GPI PR link.

Bemis(PBR545) increases repurchase program by 20 million shares, balance is now 22.8 million shares. $BMS PR link.

TD Ameritrade(PBR662) acquires big data firm FA Insights, terms not disclosed. $AMTD PR link.

W.R. Grace(PBR625) promotes SVP/CFO Hudson La Force to president/COO. $GRA PR link.

Kennametal(PBR706) hires Ronald DeFeo as president/CEO, effective immediately, Donald Nolan has left. $KMT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the 2015 Average Annual Labor Productivity was +0.6% from 2014. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the December US Shipments at $467.0 billion, -1.4% from November, 8th down month in last 9 months. USDOC PR link.

Wednesday, February 3:

Wells Fargo(PBR30 $WFC) reaches $1.2 billion settlement with the US Dept of Justice regarding 2001-2010 FHA loan issues. SEC filing link.

Home Depot(PBR32) hiring more than 80,000 for Spring. $HD PR link.

Comcast(PBR42) authorizes $10 billion share repurchase program, $5 billion to be spent in 2016. $CMCSA PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR50) to acquire Canadian home improvement retailer/distributor RONA for $2.3 billion cash. $LOW PR link.

Cisco(PBR60) to acquire private IoT services platform provider Jasper Technologies for $1.4 billion cash. $CSCO PR link.

W.R. Grace(PBR625) completes separation of GCP Applied Technologies(NYSE: GCP) into a separate public company. $GRA PR link.

Autodesk(PBR773) to restructure, reduce staff by 10%(925 positions), transition to cloud, focus on subscription business. $ADSK PR link.

GoPro(PBR1010) ships 6.6 million cameras in 2015, +27% from 2014, promotes Brian McGee to CFO, succeeds retirng Jack Lazar, effective 03/11/16. $GPRO PR link.

Delta Air Lines(PBR72) CEO Richard Anderson to become executive chairman on 05/02/16, president Ed Bastian to be CEO, Gil West is now SEVP/COO. $DAL PR link.

Manpower(PBR132) hires Jack McGinnis as CFO, Michael Van Handel to be Sr EVP, effective 02/15/16. $MAN PR link.

SuperValu(PBR164) hires Mark Gross as president/CEO, succeeds retiring Sam Duncan. $SVU PR link.

CBS(PBR210) president/CEO Leslie Moonves adds chairman title with resignation of Sumner Redstone who is now chairman emeritus. $CBS PR link.

Greenbrier Cos(PBR846) promotes CFO Mark Rittenbaum to EVP-Commercial, Leasing & Finance, Lorie Tekorius promoted to SVP-CFO & Treasurer. $GBX PR link.

ADP says the January Change in Non-Farm Private Sector Employment was +205,000 jobs, 192,000 were from services sector. $ADP PR link.

Institute for Supply Management says the January Non-Manufacturing Index was at 53.5%, down from 55.8% in December. $ISM PR link.

Tuesday, February 2:

Alphabet(PBR44 $GOOG) officially surpasses Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) as world’s most valuable company. MarketWatch PR link.

3M(PBR92) authorizes $10 billion share repurchase program with no completion date. $MMM PR link.

Staples(PBR122) and Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) extend completion of merger from 02/04/16 to 05/16/16 for completion of FTC litigation. $SPLS PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR451) acquires $65 million/year Toyota/Scion of Milford, MA. $LAD PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) announces 4 point strategic plan, includes 15% reduction in workforce. $YHOO PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) opened 229 restaurants in 2015, has 2,010 stores, plans to add 220-235 in 2016. $CMG PR link.

Salesforce(PBR453) vice chairman/president Keith Block adds COO to responsibilities. $CRM PR link.

Hub Group(PBR611) hires Geoff DeMartino as VP Corporate Development. $HUBG PR link.

KB Home(PBR802) hires Jill Peters as SVP-Investor Relations. $KBH PR link.

Viavi Solutions(PBR944) hires Oleg Khaykin as president/CEO. $VIAV PR link.

Allscripts Healthcare(PBR1014) hires Melinda Whittington to be CFO. $MDRX PR link.

Mergers/Acquisitions: US retail, consumer M&A rose in value, declined in volume in 2015. MarketWatch article link.

Auto Industry: January US New Auto Sales at 1.148 million vehicles, -0.4% from January 2015, annual rate 17.55 million. Auto News article link.

Auto Industry: January US New Auto Sales Revenues at $38.052B, +1.4% from January 2015, avg trans price $33,155. TrueCar article link.

Monday, February 1:
Click here for The PBR1000 January 2016 Monthly Breaking News Recap.

Amazon(PBR29) inks production deal with Mattel(PBR412 $MAT) to greenlight American Girl specials for prime video. $AMZN PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) to acquire global point of care diagnostics provider Alere(PBR752 $ALR) for $56/share, $5.8 billion. $ABT PR link.

Dominion Resources(PBR229) to combine with natural gas supplier Questar(NYSE: STR) for $25/share, $4.4 billion, includes debt assumption. $D PR link.

Stryker Corp(PBR283) to acquire medical disposable products provider Sage Products from Madison Dearborn Partners for $2.775 billion cash. $SYK PR link.

Ashland(PBR407) completes acquisition of 89 Oil Can Henry’s quick lube stores. $ASH PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561 $CMG) gets final report from Center for Disease Control regarding e. coli outbreaks, appears over. CDC PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) completes acquisition of alternate trading platform Chi-X Canada, terms not disclosed. $NDAQ PR link.

TreeHouse Foods(PBR690) completes $2.7 billion acquisition of ConAgra(PBR166 $CAG) Private Brands. $THS PR link.

Walter Energy(PBR1006) to sell remaining US assets to Seminole Coal Resources to satisfy bankruptcy restructuring program. $WLTGQ PR link.

TJX Cos(PBR96) president Ernie Herman now also CEO, chairman/CEO Carol Meyrowitz now executive chairman. $TJX PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) names Peter Sachse as Chief Growth Officer, hires Justin MacFarlane as Chief Strategy, Analytics & Innovations Officer, both report to president Jeff Gennette. $M PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) acquires private Italy based hemodialysis treatment solutions provider Bellco, terms not disclosed. $MDT PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR107) promotes Katie Watson to EVP-Human Resources. $GILD PR link.

CarMax(PBR202) EVP-HR Bill Nash promoted to president, to become CEO upon retirement of Tom Follard by end of 2016, Cliff Wood promoted to COO. $KMX PR link.

Herbalife(PBR487) hires Dr. John Agwunobi as Chief Health and Nutrition Officer. $HLF PR link.

Patterson Cos(PBR542) hires Kelly Baker as Chief Human Resources Officer. $PDCO PR link.

Cabot Corp(PBR607) president/CEO Patrick Prevost continues to be on medical leave, working part-time from home, expects to return full-time soon. $CBT PR link.

Cooper-Standard(PBR644) promotes Sharon Wenzl to SVP-Corporate Communications/Community Affairs. $CPS PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says December Disposable Personal Income Annual Rate at $13.654 trillion, +0.3% from November, Personal Savings at 5.5%. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says December US Construction Spending at $1.117 trillion annual rate, +0.1% from November, +8.2% from December 2014. USDOC PR link.

The Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® January PMI at 48.2, up 0.2 from December. ISM PR link.

Check out the BLOG page for the previous RECAPS and SNAPSHOTS posts.

Click here to follow The PBR1000 on Twitter!

(The PBR1000 is the premiere business intelligence service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisors, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Subscribe page.)

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, rukawajung.)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 January 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

February 22, 2016 by

January 2016: Did Climate Change Bring The Bears Out Of Hibernation Early?

Bear with Money ID-100188038 ddpavumba

Who Invited The Bear?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The continued downward spiral of oil prices, the mixed corporate financial results from initial reports, and economic indices showing moderate growth at best made January 2016 one for the bears, and they came out hungry and growling, especially for technical stocks on the NASDAQ.

For example, out of the 19 trading days in January 2016, 12 of them were negative, with 5 being over -2% for the NASDAQ. 

The questions now are if the bears really have come out of hibernation, and how long will the bulls stay away?

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook. If you are not a current Subscriber just click here to get your 13 month subscription and automatically download the January 2016 edition of The PBR1000 Snapshots.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on January 29th, Month % Chg is compared to December 31st, YTD % Chg is compared to January 30, 2015, and the 13 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

Table 1(S11): The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 1 Summary: The range was +176.79% to -85.00%. 241 out of 1,034 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 23.31% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 6.09%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
01/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 13 Mos
% Chg
Walter Energy
 984 WLTGQ 0.03 +176.79 +176.79 -97.95
Alpha Natural Resources
 536 ANRZQ 0.02 +42.73 +42.73 -99.06
Southwestern Energy
 556 SWN 30.01 +25.04 +25.04 -67.42
Terex Corp 353 TEX 57.12 +21.21 +21.21 -19.66
Range Resources
 714 RRC 18.85 +20.11 +20.11 -44.70

 

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +176.79% to -85.00%. 241 out of 1,034 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 23.31% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 6.09%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
01/29/16		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 13 Mos
% Chg
Walter Energy
 984 WLTGQ 0.03 +176.79 +176.79 -97.95
Alpha Natural Resources
 536 ANRZQ 0.02 +42.73 +42.73 -99.06
Southwestern Energy
 556 SWN 30.01 +25.04 +25.04 -67.42
Terex Corp
 353 TEX 57.12 +21.21 +21.21 -19.66
Range Resources
 714 RRC 18.85 +20.11 +20.11 -44.70

 

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 13 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: Range was +89.14% to -99.54%. 304 out of 1,030 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 29.51% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of -13.71%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
01/29/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 13 Mos
% Chg
Amazon.com
 31 AMZN 587.00 -13.15 -13.15 +89.14
Netflix
 438 NFLX 91.84 -19.71 -19.71 +88.20
Activision Blizzard
 527 ATVI 34.82 -10.05 -10.05 +72.80
Heartland Payment Sys
 802 HPY 92.08 -2.89 -2.89 +70.68
A-Mark Precious Metals
 401 AMRK 16.93 -10.19 -10.91 +69.81

 

Table 4(S15): The PBR1000 Top 5 Market Capitalization

Table 4 Summary: Range was $542.70 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $18.63 billion, median is $5.46 billion, out of 1,034 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Market Cap($B)
12/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 13 Mos
% Chg
Apple
 3 AAPL 542.70 -7.52 -7.52 -16.17
Alphabet
 44 GOOGL 510.95 -2.10 -2.10 +43.08
Microsoft
 27 MSFT 440.05 -0.70 -0.70 +14.93
ExxonMobil
 2 XOM 324.08 -0.13 -0.13 -17.22
Facebook
 226 FB 317.33 +7.21 +7.21 +45.90
The PBR1000
   19,267.33 -5.23 -5.23 -7.18

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
12/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 13 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 64,355.38 -5.62 -5.62 -10.38
DJIA 16,466.30 -5.50 -5.50 -7.61
NASDAQ 4,613.95 -7.86 -7.86 -2.58
S&P500 1,940.24 -5.07 -5.07 -5.76
Gold 1,118.40 +5.49 +5.49 -5.61
Silver 14.26 +3.33 +3.33 -8.59
Oil 33.74 -8.91 -8.91 -36.66

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @ThePBR1000.

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo made available through ddpavumba, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 January 2016 Breaking News Recap

February 1, 2016 by
ID-10035635 Statue of Liberty Storm-Damian Brandon

Lady Liberty Experienced
A Stormy Start To 2016.
When Will The Skies Start To Clear?

 

January 2016: A Stormy Start

By Larry C. Paxton

Many people were happy to see 2015 come to an end. Most experts were painting a cautious rosy picture for 2016.

But January 2016 turned out to be even more volatile than December.

Oil prices plummeted again, but did recover a little by month end. There are concerns about the collateral damage of lower and negative profits from major oil industry companies. Towards the end of the month 4th quarter earnings came in with mixed results across all business sectors.

Internationally the Bank of Japan surprised most by introducing a negative funds rate. China is experiencing much slower growth as it transitions into a more internal consumer based economy, and there is continuing concern about the numbers China provides. Europe growth is mostly flat.

While US economic indices indicate consumer confidence, other indices show moderate growth at best, and there still seems to be no sense of stability yet. As the year progresses the US Presidential Race might have an impact, especially if the attack ads are especially negative regarding the economy and how big business affects it.

So, what will happen in February? It’s anybody’s guess. A few of our feeble predictions are that the volatility will continue; mergers, acquisitions, and spinoffs will increase; there will be some layoffs; oil will recover a bit more, and; the initial caucuses and primary elections in the US Presidential Race will only confuse and anger voters.

Following are The PBR1000 and economic related news items of note for January 2016, starting with the last active day.

Friday, January 29:
The PBR1000 End of January US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes month at 16,466.30, +2.32% from last week, -5.50% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ closes month at 4,613.95, +0.50% from last week, -7.86% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX closes week at 1,940.24, +1.75% from last week, -5.07% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) aims for virtual reality with Flyby acquisition, reported hiring. MarketWatch article link.

Xerox(PBR144) to split into 2 public companies, $11 billion Document Technology and a $7 billion Business Process Outsourcing, to be completed by end of 2016. $XRX PR link.

Axiall(PBR521) rejects as undervalued unsolicited $20.00/share offer from Westlake Chemical(NYSE: WLK). $AXLL PR link.

Men’s Wearhouse(PBR643) forming a holding company, Tailored Brands, Inc., to start trading on 02/01/16 as NYSE: TLRD. $MW PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR107) president/COO John Milligan, PhD, to become CEO on 03/10/16, John Martin to become executive chairman. $GILD PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US 4th Quarter Employment Cost Index at 125.2, +0.6% from 3rd Quarter, compensation +2.0% from 4th Quarter 2014. USDOL article link.

The US Dept of Commerce says US 4th Quarter Gross Domestic Product Advance Estimate at 0.7% annual rate, $18.128 billion, 2015 rate at 2.4%. USDOC article link.

The US Energy Information Administration says the Weekly Average Price/Gallon for gas at $1.856, diesel $2.071, heating oil $2.064, propane $2.024. USEIA article link.

The US Dept of Treasury says the US Total National Debt on 01/28/16 was $18.990 trillion. Treasury article link.

The FreddieMac releases its January Insight & Outlook, emphasis on housing buy-to-rent trends, economic headwinds $FMCC PR link.

ISM-Chicago says the January Chicago Business Barometer at 55.6, up 12.7 points from December. ISM-Chicago PR link.

U of Michigan says the January Survey of Consumers Confidence at 92.0, -0.6% from December, -6.2% from January 2015. UM PR link.

Opinion: US manufacturing teeters on the edge of recession. MarketWatch article link.

Thursday, January 28:
General Motors(PBR8 $GM) creates product team for autonomous vehicles. MarketWatch article link.

Hershey(PBR354) authorizes $500 million shares repurchase program. $HSY PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR451) acquires $45 million/year Riverside Subaru in Riverside, CA. $LAD PR link.

Brown-Forman(PBR563) approves new 1 year $1 billion share repurchase program starting 04/01/16. $BF.B PR link.

NII Holdings(PBR604) completes $178 million sale of Nextel Argentina, to focus on Brazil operations. $NIHD PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) EVP-Corporate Strategy/CFO Lee Shavel to retire 03/31/16. $NDAQ PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates averaging 3.79%, -.02% from last wk, 0.6 points/fees unchanged. $FMCC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims for the week ending 01/23/16 were at 278,000, -16,000 from the previous week. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the US 4th Quarter Homeownership Rate at 63.8%, -0.2% from 4th Quarter 2014, +0.1% from 3rd Quarter. USDOC PR link.

The National Retail Federation says Super Bowl 50 Average Spending per Viewer/Partygoer at $82.19, up from $77.88 last year. NRF PR link.

Commentary: Earnings take a dark turn as profit warnings, sales misses mount. MarketWatch article link.

Opinion: Behind the puzzle of why companies aren’t firing. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, January 27:
Norfolk Southern(PBR242) to achieve $650 million in annual savings by 2020, includes reduction of workforce by 2,000. $NSC PR link.

Cognizant Technology(PBR272) acquires private global cloud consulting/technology services firm KBACE Technologies, terms not disclosed. $CTSH PR link.

Enbridge Energy(PBR333) acquires NE British Columbia Tupper Main & West gas plants from Murphy Oil(PBR448) Canadian subsidiary for $538 million. $EEP PR link.

DeVry(PBR905) to contest complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission challenging employment and earnings outcomes of its graduates. $DV PR link.

Meredith Corp(PBR994) $2.4 billion acquisition by Media General(NYSE: MEG) has been terminated. $MDP PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) SVP-Human Resources Arthur DePompei to retire, being succeeded by Val Blanchett, effective 02/15/16. $ANDE PR link.

The US Federal Reserve issues a statement from its 01/26-27/16 meeting, no change in funds rate because of mixed economic signals. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of HUD says December New Single Family House Sales Annual Rate at 544,000, +10.8% from November, +9.9% from December 2014. HUD PR link.

Tuesday, January 26:
Apple(PBR5) reports slowing growth in iPhone sales. MarketWatch article link.

AIG(46) to sell of some units, restructure into 9 business units, return at least $25 billion to shareholders over 2 years. $AIG PR link.

AIG(PBR46) to sell AIG Advisor Group to Lightyear Capital & PSP Investments, terms not disclosed. $AIG PR link.

Lockheed Martin(PBR64) to separate and combine IT and Technical Services with Leidos(PBR475 $LDOS) for $1.8 billion and 50.5% equity. $LMT PR link.

Praxair(PBR233) signs 15 year contract with energy producer Total, further expands pipeline network in the Port of Antwerp. $PX PR link.

Terex(PBR357) confirms receipt of unsolicited $30.00/share offer from Zoomlion. $TEX PR link.

Total System(PBR790) to acquire 1,000 employee, 235,000 merchant clients TransFirst for $2.35 billion cash. $TSS PR link.

Arrow Electronics(PBR120) COO Global Components/Enterprise Computing retiring effective 04/30/16. $ARW PR link.

The Conference Board says that the January Consumer Confidence Index was at 98.1, up from December’s 96.3. CB article link.

Monday, January 25:
Berkshire Hathaway(PBR4 $BRK.A) to complete $235/share, $37.2 billion acquisition of Precision Castparts(PBR274) on 01/29/16. $PCP PR link.

JPMorgan Chase(PBR21) to settle most of Lehman suit for $1.42 billion. MarketWatch article link.

Johnson Controls(PBR68) & Tyco plc(NYSE: $TYC) to merge, to be Johnson Controls plc with global headquarters in Cork, Ireland, stock symbol to be JCI. $JCI PR link.

Sprint(86 $S) Nextel Corp to cut up to 2,500 jobs, cut labor costs by $350 million/year. MarketWatch article link.

Under Armour(PBR668) announces global partnership with actor/producer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. $UA PR link.

Huntington Bancshares(PBR895) to acquire FirstMerit(NASDAQ: $FMER) for $3.4 billion, creates largest Ohio bank by deposit share, expands operations into Chicago & Wisconsin. $HBAN PR link.

Staples(PBR122) appoints Shira Goodman as president, N American Operations, John Wilson as president, International Operations & Transformation. $SPLS PR link.

Friday, January 22:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 16,093.51, +0.66% from last week, -7.64% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,591.18, +2.29% from last week, -8.31% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX closes week at 1,906.90, +1.41% from last week, -6.70% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

United Continental(PBR77) 12,000+ pilots approve contract extension through 01/31/19. $UAL PR link.

Cigna(PBR85) says Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) intends to impose sanctions to suspend enrollment in its Medicare Advantage program because of Parts C & D discrepancies. $CI PR link.

Legg Mason(PBR709) acquires 83% majority interest in real estate investment & $40 billion portfolio management firm Clarion Partners for $585 million. $LM PR link.

Piedmont Natural Gas(PBR993) stockholders approve $4.9 billion acquisition by Duke Energy(PBR114 $DUK), to close by end of 2016. $PNY PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors says December Existing Home Sales at 5.46 million annual rate, +14.7% from November, median price $224,100. NAR PR link.

Thursday, January 21:
IBM(PBR25) acquires cloud based video streaming 80 million users/month service Ustream, terms not disclosed. $IBM PR link.

CBS(PBR210) and SKY announce long-term Pan-European agreement for Showtime portfolio of programming. $CBS PR link.

BB&T(PBR277) to complete $1.8 billion acquisition of National Penn Bancshares on or about 04/01/16. $BBT PR link.

Tiffany & Co(PBR551) authorizes new $500 million stock repurchase program, expires 01/31/19. $TIF PR link.

TD Ameritrade(PBR662) launches new investment services for AARP‘s 38 million members. $AMTD PR link.

IAC(PBR665) restructures into 5 segments, changes stock symbol from IACI to IAC. $IAC PR link.

H&R Block(PBR669) opens over 280 offices for its new brand Block Advisors providing tax services all year. $HRB PR link.

Wednesday, January 20:
Staples(PBR122) & Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) extend merger termination date to 05/16/16 to satisfy FTC litigation & obtain financing. $SPLS PR link.

Fiserv(PBR474) to acquire for $200 million the assets of Community Financial Services unit of ACI Worldwide(NASDAQ $ACIW). $FISV PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584) has acquired commercial fitness equipment maker Cybex International for $195 million. $BC PR link.

Cenveo(PBR899) completes $105 million sale of Packaging Business to WestRock. $CVO PR link.

Citrix(PBR658) hires Kirill Tatarinov as president/CEO, effective 01/25/16. $CTXS PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says December Current Average Earnings at $25.24/hr, -0.04% from November, +2.5% from December 2014. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says December Consumer Price Index was -0.1% from December, +0.7% over last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of HUD says the December Family Housing New Construction Permits Annual Rate at 1,232,000, -3.9% from November, +14.4% from December 2014. USHUD PR link.

Investing: BlackRock(PBR252) sponsored report says US institutional investors to increase & broaden use of ETFs in 2016. $BLK PR link.

Tuesday, January 19:
Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) to restructure Medical Devices to save around $1 billion, includes 4-6% reduction in global workforce over 2 years. $JNJ PR link.

AIG(PBR46) raises available global commercial property limits to $2.5 billion per occurrence. $AIG PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) introducing major appliances in 22 pilot stores starting 02/01/16. $JCP PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) new food safety procedures iin place, to close all locations 11AM-3PM on 02/08/16 for all team meeting. $CMG PR link.

Genesco(PBR702) has sold its school/youth sports apparel& equipment Lids Team Sports unit to Varsity Sports subsidiary BSN Sports, terms not disclosed. $GCO PR link.

Chico’s FAS(PBR730) completes sale of its Boston Proper direct-to-consumer business. $CHS PR link.

Tetra Tech(PBR781) completes acquisition of Australian based $407 million revenues/2015 geoservices/project management co Coffey Intl. $TTEK PR link.

ABM Industries(PBR478) hires David Goodes as SVP-Chief Human Resources Officer. $ABM PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) president Grain/Ethanol groups Neill McKinstray retiring, Corey Jorgenson to be president-Grain. $ANDE PR link.

Monday, January 18:
***Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
***US Stock Markets Closed.

Qualcomm(PBR106) & Guizhou Province form joint venture to design & sell server chipsets in China. $QCOM PR link.

CSX(PBR226) restructuring from 10 to 9 division, closing Huntington, WV, admin office. $CSX PR link.

Alcoa(PBR115) hires Karl Tragl as president, Transportation/Construction Solutions, effective 02/15/16, succeeds leaving Jose Drummond. $AA PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) hires Joe McFarland as EVP-Stores, succeeds Tony Bartlett. $JCP PR link.

Friday, January 15:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 15,988.08, -2.19% from last week, -8.25% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,488.42, -3.34% from last week, -10.36% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX closes week at 1,880.33, -2.17% from last week, -8.00% MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Walmart(PBR1) to close 269 stores worldwide, affects 16,000 associates, to offer jobs assistance. $WMT PR link.

General Electric(PBR9) to sell Appliances business to Qingdao Haier Co for $5.4 billion. $GE PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR287) closes sale of certain blocks of term life insurance policies to Protective Life Insurance Company. $GNW PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) completes $450 million acquisition of 7,400 controlled lots, 280 homes in backlog, from John Wieland Homes. $PHM PR link.

Intuit(PBR529) to sell its online marketing/communications software service Demandforce unit to Internet Brands. $INTU PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR553) to acquire 2 location folding carton manufacturer Walter G Anderson, terms not disclosed. $GPK PR link.

Pinnacle Foods(PBR751) completes $11.00/share, $975 million acquisition of health & wellness foods brands manufacturer Boulder Brands. $PF PR link.

Equinix(PBR793) completes $3.8 billion acquisition of UK based 40+ data centers services provider Telecity. $EQIX PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) promotes VP Denise Johnson to group president of Resources Industries unit, effective 04/01/16, succeeds retiring Ed Rapp. $CAT PR link.

Polaris Industries(PBR531) VP Corporate Development Todd Balan has left, Guido Neizert appointed interim. $PII PR link.

Cinemark(PBR739) hires Angelia Pelham as EVP-Chief Human Relations Officer. $CNK PR link.

US Federal Reserve says December Total US Industrial Production was at 106.0% of 2012 average, -1.8% from December 2014. FRB PR link.

US Dept of Labor says the December Producer Price Index was -0.2%, goods at -0.7%, services +0.1%, 2015 at -1.0%. USDOL PR link.

US Dept of Commerce says November Trade Sales/Manufacturers’ Shipments Value at $1.314 trillion, -0.2% from October, -2.8% from November 2014. USDOC PR link.

US Dept of Commerce says December US Retail/Food Services Sales were $448.1 billion, -0.1% from November, +2.2% from December 2014. USDOC PR link.

Energy: Obama halts most new coal-mining leases on public lands. MarketWatch article link.

Personal Finance: America’s growing student-loan-debt crisis, $1.2 trillion for 40 million students. MarketWatch article link.

Thursday, January 14:
Goldman Sachs(PBR76) agrees to $2.285 billion settlement regarding pre-recession mortgage securities. $GS PR link.

Brown-Forman(PBR563) to sell its Southern Comfort & Tuaca trademarks to Sazerac for $544 million. $BF PR link.

Orbital ATK(PBR655) gets new NASA contract to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. $OA PR link.

United Technologies(PBR45) appoints Robert Leduc as president, Pratt & Whitney unit, Paul Adams retiring. $UTX PR link.

Lowe’s Cos(PBR50) hires Jennifer Weber as Chief Human Resources Officer, effective 03/01/16, succeeds retiring Maureen Ausura. $LOW PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR273) hires James Steward as CEO & Andy Chien as CFO for future REIT spinoff MGP. $MGM PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) promotes Kurt Kinder to VP, Maintenance and Engineering. $ALK PR link.

Fortune Brands(PBR569) hires Brett Finley as President of Therma-Tru Doors. $FBHS PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says December Import Prices were -1.2% from November, -8.2% from December 2014, driven mostly by fuel prices. USDOL PR link.

Apple(PBR5)‘s slowing iPhone sales weigh on suppliers. MarketWatch PR link.

Entertainment: 21st Century Fox(PBR91 $FOX) films prove dominant, racking up 26 Oscar nominations. MarketWatch article link.

The PBR1000 Fact: The PBR1000 Total Market Capitalization(1,036 companies) on 12/31/15 was $20.364 trillion, -2.08% from Nov, -2.06% for the year.

Wednesday, January 13:
General Motors(PBR8) adds $4 billion to shares repurchase program, $9 billion now available. $GM PR link.

General Electric(PBR9 $GE) to cut 6,500 jobs in Europe at ex-Alstom units. MarketWatch article link.

General Electric(PBR9) to move headquarters from Fairfield, CT, to Boston, MA, to be completed by end of 2018. $GE PR link.

World’s #1 golfer Jordan Spieth signs multi-year partnership deal with Coca-Cola(PBR63). $KO PR link.

Reynolds American(PBR317) completes $5.0 billion sale of Natural American Spirit international businesses. $RAI PR link.

TreeHouse Foods(PBR690) to hire additional Omaha-based ConAgra(PBR166 $CAG) Private Brands employees. $THS PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) hires Stacey Sher to be co-president with Nick van Dyk of television/films Studios unit. $ATVI PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) promotes Josh Hirsberg to EVP/CFO & treasurer, Steve Thompson to EVP-Operations, Nevada, & corporate procurement, admin, & slot operations, & Ted Bogich to EVP-Operations Midwest/South/Peninsula, & corporate marketing, design, & construction. $BYD PR link.

HCP(PBR831) promotes Troy McHenry to EVP-General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, succeeds retiring Jim Mercer. $HCP PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US FY(3 mos) YTD Receipts through December were $765.645 billion, Outlays $981.190 billion, Deficit $215.546 billion. Treasury PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases Beige Book. 12 Districts report overall flat to moderate growth since last release . FRB PR link.

Economy: So many jobs, so little growth. What gives? MarketWatch article link.

Auto Industry: Auto execs shrug off fears for global car sales. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, January 12:
Ford(PBR10) sells 1.3 million vehicles in Europe in 2015, +11% from 2014. $F PR link.

MetLife(PBR39) to pursue spinoff of US Retail Business into separate public company. $MET PR link.

Visteon(PBR351) to acquire India based 140 employee automotive multimedia systems supplier AllGo Systems. $VC PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR553) to acquire Australian based 3 locations folding carton manufacturer Colorpak(ASX: CKL) in 2Q2016. $GPK PR link.

W.R. Grace(PBR625) approves separation of GCP Applied Technologies, to be completed 02/03/16, to trade as NYSE: GCP. $GRA PR link.

Aeropostale(PBR924) has new cost reduction program, to eliminate 100 corporate positions. $ARO PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) Fred Meyer president Lynn Gust retiring, Jeff Burt promoted, takes over 01/31/16. $KR PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) 40 year employee EVP/Chief Business Development Officer Bob Boughner retiring this summer, will remain on board. $BYD PR link.

FTI Consulting(PBR941) CFO David Johnson leaving 02/29/16, joining an NGO. $FCN PR link.

The Dept of Labor says November Job Openings at 5.432 million, was 5.349 million in October, was 4.886 million in November 2014. USDOL PR link.

2016 Outlook: KKR(PBR332) releases its global Outlook 2016: Adult Swim Only. $KKR article link.

Computer Industry: 4Q2015 worldwide PC shipments were 75.7 million units, -8.3% from 4Q2014. Gartner article link.

CoreLogic says November Houses in Foreclosure at 448,000, 1.2% of all mortgages, -21.8% from November 2014. Corelogic article link.

Monday, January 11:
Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36) turning over ownership of the 56 Chicago-land area health care retail clinics to operator Advocate Health Care. $WBA article link.

Alcoa(PBR115) gets longterm $1.5 billion contract to supply jet engine components to General Electric(PBR9) Aviation unit. $AA article link.

Apollo Education(PBR681) to explore strategic alternatives, including change of ownership. $APOL article link.

Arch Coal(PBR691) files for Chapter 11 reorganization, to restructure $1.9 billion of debt, will stay open. $ACI article link.

DENTSPLY(PBR694) and Sirona Dental(NASDAQ: SIRO) shareholders approve $13 billion merger, to close 1Q2016. $XRAY article link.

Celgene(PBR347) Bob Hugin to be Executive Chairman, Pres/COO Mark Alles to be CEO, CFO Jacqualyn Fouse to be Pres/COO. $CELG article link.

Acxiom(PBR1062) promotes Dennis Self to president/general manager of Marketing Services. $ACXM article link.

Sports: Alabama wins the national college football championship 45-40 over Clemson. USA Today article link.

Friday, January 8:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 16,346.45, -6.19% from last week & MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,643.63, -7.26% from last week & MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX closes week at 1,922.03, -5.96% from last week & MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Ford(PBR10) sets annual sales record in China, more than 1.1 million vehicles sold in 2015. $F PR link.

FedEx(PBR65) gets unconditional European Union approval for its $4.8 billion acquisition of Netherlands based TNT Express, to close in 1st half 2016. $FDX PR link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR175) to acquire cellular/genetic analysis products provider Affymetrix(NASDAQ: $AFFX) for $14.00/share, $1.3 billion cash. $TMO PR link.

Charter Communications(PBR297) gets NY approval for $78.7 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable(PBR119). $CHTR PR link.

Dollar Tree(PBR309) announces departure of Howard R. Levine, CEO of acquired Family Dollar. $DLTR PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says December Civilian Workforce at 157.8 million available, 149.9 million employed, 7.9 million unemployed for 5.0% unemployment rate. USDOL PR link.

The Federal Reserve says December Total Consumer Credit is at $3.526 trillion, +0.40% from November, +6.29% from December 2014. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says November US Wholesale Sales at $442.8 billion, -1.0% from October, -4.6% from November 2014. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, January 7:
Ford(PBR10) Adopts Mark-to-Market for Pension and OPEB Plans; Improves Transparency of Automotive Operating Performance. $F PR link.

Boeing(PBR27) delivers record 762 airplanes in 2015, 768 net orders booked. $BA PR link.

Alcoa(PBR115) to close Indiana based Warrick Smelter and curtail remaining capacity at Pt. Comfort refinery in Texas. $AA PR link.

SuperValu(PBR164) files Form 10 for possible spin-off of its Save-A-Lot unit into a separate, publicly traded company. $SVU PR link.

Penske Automotive(PBR170) acquires 49% interest in interest in Japan based BMW/MINI/Rolls-Royce/Ferrari luxury dealerships Nicole Group. $PAG PR link.

Omnicon(PBR192) division BBDO Worldwide acquires majority stake in fashion/luxury brands creative agency 100+ employees Wednesday Agency Group. $OMC PR link.

Dover(PBR343) completes $465 million acquisition of dispenser & system businesses from France based Tokheim Group. $DOV PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR377) To Build New 10 Million Hectoliter Brewery In Mexicali, Mexico And Further Expand Its Nava Brewery. $STZ PR link.

NCR(PBR383) to sell Interactive Printer Solutions Division to Atlas Holdings LLC, terms not disclosed. $NCR PR link.

Meredith Corp(PBR994) proposes amended $20+/share “merger of equals” with Media General(NYSE: MEG). $MDP PR link.

Charles River Labs(PBR1025) to acquire biopharma/ag/industrial chemicals CDMO company WIL Research for $585 million cash. $CRL PR link.

United Continental(PBR77) CEO Oscar Munoz recovering from heart transplant, expects to return late 1st/early 2nd quarter. $UAL PR link.

Time Warner(PBR103) extends chairman/CEO Jeff Bewkes contract through 2020. $TWX PR link.

Northrop Grumman(PBR113) promotes Lisa R. Davis to Corporate VP, Communications, effective 02/29/16; Darryl M. Fraser to retire. $NOC PR link.

Lincoln National(PBR213) promotes Ken Solon to SVP, Chief Information Officer, reports to president/CEO. $LNC PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) CFO John Sheehan to retire on 04/01/16. $MYL PR link.

EMCOR(PBR392) promotes Maxine Lum Mauricio general counsel, succeeds Sheldon Cammaker who is now vice chairman. $EME PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) COO & a corporate VP to retire, positions to be eliminated. $ANDE PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) promotes Eric Anderson to EVP-International Operations, reports to International unit president in the Netherlands. $DPZ PR link.

Verisk Analytics(PBR943) promotes Bill Churney to president of its catastropic modeling unit AIR Worldwide. $VRSK PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says 2015 US Jobless Claims finish at lowest level since 1973. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, January 6:
T-Mobile US(PBR95) has 63.3 million subscribers with net 8.3 million added in 2015. $TMUS PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) to reduce expenses by $400 million, eliminate 3,000 jobs, close 40 of 770 stores. $M PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) to launch 4 new ships in 2016. $CCL PR link.

Monsanto(PBR187 $MON) to eliminate 1,000 more jobs on top of 2,600 annunced earlier. MarketWatch article link.

Facebook(PBR228) Oculus unit blogs that Oculus Rift pre-orders now open, $599 price, first shipments 03/28/16. $FB article link.

Netflix(PBR447) claims global presence after launching in 130 new countries. MarketWatch article link.

Alliance Data(PBR462) authorizes $500 million stock repurchase program for 2016. $ADS PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) receives letter from major stockholder Starboard Value suggesting management changes, new strategic directions. Starboard letter link.

Chipotle(PBR561) files SEC 8-K form regarding effects of recent health incidents on 4th quarter earnings & receipt of Federal Grand Jury Subpoena. $CMG PR link.

Amkor Technology(PBR659) now has 100% ownership in auto market OSAT $832 million/year J-Devices. $AMKR PR link.

Blackhawk Network(PBR998) acquires GiftCards.com & OmniCard.com for $120 million. $HAWK PR link.

Oshkosh(PBR368) Defense segment president John Urias retiring for health reasons, effective 02/06/16. $OSK PR link.

NetApp(PBR405) restructures, promotes Jeffrey Bergmann to interim CFO, succeeds leaving Nick Noviello. $NTAP PR link.

Clean Harbors(PBR629) promotes Michael Battles to EVP/CFO. $CLH PR link.

Fresh Market(PBR942) hires Pamela Kohn as EVP/Chief Merchandising Officer. $TFM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says Total US Exports YTD(11 months) were at $2.049 trillion, Imports $2.537 trillion, Balance -$0.488 trillion. USDOC article link.

The US Dept of Commerce says November New Orders of Manufactured Goods was $472.2 billion, -0.2% from October, -3.2% from November 2014. USDOC article link.

The Federal Reserve releases the December Meeting Open Market Committee Minutes. FOMC article link.

Healthcare: Here’s how much government healthcare spending has ballooned over two decades. MarketWatch article link.

World Bank forecasts modest 2.9% global growth in 2016, up from 2.4% in 2015, advanced economies to gain speed. WB article link.

Tuesday, January 5:
Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) scaling back iPhone production. MarketWatch article link.

Ford(PBR10) tripling its fleet of Fusion Hybrid autonomous research vehicles, largest such fleet among all automakers. $F PR link.

Netflix(PBR447) and DreamWorks($DWA) are making the leap to global markets. $NFLX PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) says revised unsolicited $21.70 from China Resources is superior offer. $FCS PR link.

NVR(PBR533) promotes Jeffrey Martchek to president, Homebuilding Operations. $NVR PR link.

Magellan Health(PBR592) hires Srini Koushik as Chief Technology Officer. $MGLN PR link.

2015 US Auto Sales set record with 17.5 million sold, +5.7% from 2014. Auto News article link.

December US Auto Sales at $57.9 billion, average unit price was $34,081. TrueCar article link.

RealEstate: Median price for Manhattan apartment is at a record $1.15 million, +17.3% from 2014. MarketWatch article link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) Flurry Analytics unit in State of Mobile study says mobile use grew by 58% in 2015. $YHOO article link.

Monday, January 4:
General Motors(PBR8) to invest $500 million in ridesharing service Lyft. $GM article link.

Baylor Scott & White Health and Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) Complete Joint Venture to Own Five North Texas Hospitals. $THC article link.

CBRE Group(PBR301) acquires 100+ employee Memphis, TN, affiliate. $CBG article link.

LifePoint Hospitals(PBR463) completes acquisition of 376 bed, 2,800 employees, 300 physicians St. Francis Hospital. $LPNT PR link.

LifePoint Hospital(PBR463) Duke unit joined by former Tenet Healthcare(PBR161 $THC) NC based 137 bed Central Carolina Hospital & 355 bed Frye Regional, includes 19 regional physician practices. $LPNT PR link.

NVIDIA(PBR510) Boosts IQ of Self-Driving Cars With World’s First In-Car Artificial Intelligence Supercomputer. $NVDA PR link.

Polaris Industries(PBR531) acquires private aftermarket snowmobile helmets & goggles provider 509, terms not disclosed. $PII PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) acquires esports live streaming gaming & competitive leagues developer Major League Gaming. $ATVI PR link.

Brink’s(PBR613) to add 3 directors per agreement with 12.3% stakeholder Starboard Value; Chairman/President/CEO to retire by 2016 annual meeting. $BCO PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) leads exchanges with 275 new listings in 2015. $NDAQ PR link.

General Motors(PBR8) CEO Mary Barra adds Chairman title. $GM PR link.

Target(PBR40) promotes Janna Potts to EVP, Chief Stores Officer, oversees 1,805 US stores, reports to COO. $TGT PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR180) president Mark Adams resigns for personal health reasons effective 02/01/16. $MU PR link.

Pitney Bowes(PBR588) hires Bob Guidotti as EVP & president, Software Solutions. Mark Wright now EVP, Strategic Growth Initiatives. $PBI PR link.

Analog Devices(PBR701) hires Jean Philibert as SVP-Human Resources. $ADI PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) hires Judy Werthauser as EVP-Chief People Officer. $DPZ PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says November Construction Spending is estimated at a $1.123 trillion annual rate, -0.4% from October, +10.5% from November 2014. USDOC PR link.

Economy: Here’s how the government miscalculated a decade’s worth of construction data. MarketWatch article link.

Opinion: Blackstone(PBR352)‘s Byron Wien Announces Predictions for Ten Surprises for 2016. $BX PR link.

Friday, January 1:
***Happy, Blessed, Peaceful, and Prosperous New Year!***
(Stock Markets Closed.)

Click here for The PBR1000 December 2015 Monthly Breaking News Recap.

 

Check out the BLOG page for the previous RECAPS and SNAPSHOTS posts.

Click here to follow The PBR1000 on Twitter!

(The PBR1000 is the premiere business intelligence service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisors, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Subscribe page.)

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Damian Brandon.)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 December 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

January 23, 2016 by
ID-10094980 Order Chaos Buttons-Stuart Miles

When Did the ‘Chaos’ Button
Start Appearing,
and Who Pushed It?

 

December 2015: What’s Up, or Perhaps More Appropriate, What’s Not Down?

By Larry C. Paxton

December 2015 ended the year on a disappointing note with the  major stock market indices dropping dramatically. These results did not offer much confidence as 2016 started. For the primary reasons we encourage you to read The PBR1000 December 2015 Breaking News Recap.

It is interesting to review how the indices behaved in December 2015. For example, for the 22 trading days the Dow Jones Industrial Average(DJIA) was up 10 days, down 12 days, and 9 of those days were up or down by at least 1%.

As we already know, January is showing similar characteristics, and there is a sense of chaos by many traders.

Sooner or later the markets will calm down, hopefully sooner. Then perhaps there will be a sense of order, or at least the stocks and commodities markets version of that.

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook. If you are not a current Subscriber just click here to get your 13 month subscription and automatically download the December 2015 edition of The PBR1000 Snapshots. You will notice that we are offering a Happy New Year Special that extends the subscription to 19 months.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on December 31st, Month % Chg is compared to November 30th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 24 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

Table 1(S11): The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 1 Summary: The range was +71.72% to -62.54%. 284 out of 1,036 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 27.41% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 4.03%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
12/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 24 Mos
% Chg
Keurig Green Mountain
 515 GMCR 89.98 +71.72 -32.04 +19.12
SunEdison 769 SUNE 5.09 +59.56 -73.91 -61.00
SunPower
 680 SPWR 30.01 +25.25 +16.18 +0.67
Jarden 324 JAH 57.12 +22.37 +19.30 +39.66
A-Mark Precious Metals
 419 AMRK 18.85 +21.61 +89.07 n/a

 

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +134.39% to -99.44%. 384 out of 1,032 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 37.21% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 7.38%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
12/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 24 Mos
% Chg
Netflix
 439 NFLX 114.38 -7.26 +134.39 +117.45
Amazon.com
 31 AMZN 675.89 +1.67 +117.78 +69.49
Activision Blizzard
 527 ATVI 38.71 +2.79 +92.11 +117.11
A-Mark Precious Metals
 402 AMRK 18.85 +21.61 +89.07 n/a
Pep Boys
 853 PBY 18.41 +18.54 +87.47 +51.65

 

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 24 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: Range was +266.87% to -99.93%. 511 out of 1,026 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 49.81% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of -0.13%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
12/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 24 Mos
% Chg
Hawaiian Holdings
 802 HA 35.33 -2.40 +35.62 +266.87
Electronic Arts
 516 EA 68.72 +1.37 +46.17 +199.56
Skechers USA
 791 SKX 30.21 +0.03 +64.01 +173.64
JetBlue
 422 JBLU 22.65 -8.45 +42.81 +165.22
Edwards Lifesciences
 801 EW 78.98 -3.09 +24.01 +140.21

 

Table 4(S15): The PBR1000 Top 5 Market Capitalization

Table 4 Summary: Range was $586.86 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $19.66 billion, median is $5.86 billion, out of 1,036 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Market Cap($B)
12/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 24 Mos
% Chg
Apple
 3 AAPL 586.86 -11.02 -9.35 +16.26
Alphabet
 44 GOOGL 521.90 +2.19 +46.15 +39.40
Microsoft
 27 MSFT 443.17 +2.08 +15.74 +41.91
Berkshire Hathaway
 5 BRK.B 325.49 -1.53 -9.99 +11.09
ExxonMobil
 2 XOM 324.50 -4.54 -17.11 -26.60
The PBR1000
   20,364.13 -2.08 -2.06 +6.86

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
12/31/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 24 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 68,441.34 -3.72 -5.01 +4.75
DJIA 17,425.03 -1.66 -2.23 +5.12
NASDAQ 5,007.41 -1.98 +5.73 +19.89
S&P500 2,043.94 -1.75 -0.73 +10.58
Gold 1,060.20 -0.48 -10.52 -11.82
Silver 13.80 -2.06 -11.54 -28.76
Oil 37.04 -11.07 -30.47 -59.39

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @ThePBR1000.

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

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Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 December 2015 Breaking News Recap

January 3, 2016 by

December 2015: The End of a Volatile Year,
the Start of a _________ Year???

ID-100212664 Oil Refinery Night-Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee

The Oil industry had a big impact on us in 2015.
How will it affect 2016?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The end  of December 2015 finally came to an end and for many it was with a big sigh of relief. For everyone it left with big question marks about what lies ahead in 2016.

Economic indices showed moderate growth at best. But the Federal Reserve finally took the big step in December 2015 of doing its first minimal interest rate hike in several years. Now the big questions are what metrics will the Fed use in 2016, how many interest rate hikes are anticipated? Oil prices plummeted, but the OPEC nations plan to maintain production. After 40 years the U.S. ban on oil exports ended, and the first shipment left on the last day of the year. Predictions on oil in 2016 are all over the place. Which logic will prevail?  U.S. car drivers have benefited from lower prices at the pump, but the expected increase in spending in other areas does not appear to have materialized. Will it in 2016? Because growth was moderate many companies found it necessary to either acquire or be acquired. Mergers and acquisitions were at a record level. Will this continue in 2016? A lot of leadership changes are scheduled for the beginning of 2016. What directions will we see from this new blood in 2016? Internationally results were mixed as well. China is experiencing less robust growth. The European economy was stagnant. The recent climate change treaty has implications for all countries involved, but what will be the level of follow up and what will be the real results?  Most experts predict a rather flat year for 2016 internationally, with continued volatility. Are the assumptions used realistic or are they just being extra cautious?    With 2015 behind us, there are an endless number of variables to consider when trying to make predictions for 2016. It is in our human nature, especially the competitive part of us, to publicly make projections, and get some recognition, especially if we have been right a few times in the past. It makes good press, but sometimes it does seem like a futile exercise in wishful thinking. As for me, I will keep my predictions private, hope for the best, but if you are more brave, let us know how you fill in the blank for yourself.

Happy New Year, let 2016 begin, let’s do our best, be optimistic, and let’s see how the year unfolds!

Following are The PBR1000 and economic related news items of note for December 2015, starting with the last active day.

Thursday, December 31:
The PBR1000 End of 2015 US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes 2015 at 17,425.03, -0.72% from last Friday, -1.66% MTD, +7.00% QTD, -2.23% YTD.
NASDAQ closes 2015 at 5,007.41, -0.81% from last Friday, -1.98% MTD, +8.38% QTD, +5.73% YTD.
SPX closes 2015 at 2,043.94, -0.83% from last Friday, -1.75% MTD, +6.45% QTD, -0.73% YTD.

EMC Corp(PBR111 $EMC) $850 million/year cost reduction plan includes job cuts, most by end of 1Q2016 at $250 million cost. SEC filing link.

The US Dept of Labor says 12/26/15 Initial Unemployment Claims was 287,000, +20,000 from previous week, insured unemployment rate at 1.6% USDOL PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates on 12/31/15 averaged 4.01%, +0.05% from previous week, 0.6 points/fees. $FMCC PR link.

NuStar(PBR673) & ConocoPhillips(PBR53 $COP) exporting US oil shipment from Corpus Christi, TX, first since 40 year ban lifted on 12/18/15. $NS PR link.

Housing: Why first-time home buyers are staying on the sidelines. MarketWatch article link.

Economy: December Chicago PMI falls to 42.9, -5.8 from November. MNI/ISM Chicago article link.

Entertainment: ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Jurassic World’ push box office to record-breaking year. MarketWatch article link.

Investing: 2015 year in review: The S&P 500’s winners and losers. MarketWatch article link.

Energy: 2015 Gas Prices Second-Cheapest in a Decade, ends year at $2.00/gal. AAA Year-End Gas Price Report. AAA article link.

Wednesday, December 30:
Icahn Enterprises(PBR147 $IEP) files SEC Form 8 regarding its planned acquisition of Pep Boys(PBR872 $PBY) for $18.50/share. SEC filing link.

Facebook(PBR228) Oculus unit blogs that every Oculus Rift will ship with VR adventure game Lucky’s Tale. $FB filing link.

Range Resources(PBR726) completes $865 million sale of its southwest Virginia 3,500 wells, 460,000 acres, Nora assets. $RRC PR link.

Opinion: And the award for the worst forecast of 2015 goes to… MarketWatch article link.

2016 predictions: The six tech trends that will rule. MarketWatch article link.

IMF head Lagarde warns of disappointing growth in 2016. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, December 29:
DuPont(PBR82) to cut 1,700 jobs in Delaware ahead of spinoffs. $DD PR link.

QUALCOMM(PBR106) signs 3G/4G Chinese patent agreements with Tianyu & Haier. $QCOM PR link. $QCOM PR link.

Community Health System(PBR125) to acquire 80% interest in Indiana University Health 227 bed & 50 bed hospitals. $CYH PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540 $ATVI) named big winner this holiday, as ‘Call of Duty’ sales soar. MarketWatch PR link.

Tesla(PBR651 $TSLA) plans to hire thousands more as competition heats up. MarketWatch article link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) to acquire Denver based residential/commercial roofing supplies company Statewide Wholesale, terms not disclosed. $BECN PR link.

Japanese based Bridgestone says it will not counter Icahn Engerprises(PBR147) $18.50/share bid for Pep Boys(PBR872). Bridgestone PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) receives unsolicited $21.70/share offer from unnamed source, counters On Semiconductor $20.00/share bid. $FCS PR link.

Sysco(PBR61) promotes Tom Bené to president/COO effective 01/01/16. $SYY PR link.

Triumph Group(PBR578) hires Daniel Crowley as president/CEO, effective 01/04/16. Succeeds founder Richard Ill. $TGI PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the 3Q2015 US Net International Investment Position was $23.312 trillion in assets, $30.582 trillion in liabilities, for a -$7.270 trillion balance. USDOC PR link.

Sentier Research says November Median Household Income at $56,746, 1st time exceeds pre-recession level of December 2007. Sentier article link.

Consumer Confidence Improves Nearly Four Points to 96.5 in December. Conference Board article link.

S&P/Case-Shiller says the October US National Home Price Index was at 175.65, was 175.47 in September. S&P/C-S article link.

Opinion: 10 dividend stocks for safe income as interest rates rise in 2016. MarketWatch article link.

Monday, December 28:
Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) on track to to deliver about 75 million iPhones in 1Q2016. MarketWatch article link.

General Electric(PBR9 $GE) to acquire private precision cooling hole manufacturing NJ based company Metem, terms not disclosed, to close 1Q2016. MarketWatch article link.

Amazon(PBR29) says 3 million new Prime subscribers in 3rd week of December, other holiday records set. $AMZN PR link.

Intel(PBR51) completes $54/share, $16.7 billion acquisition of field-programmable gate array technology company Altera(PBR903 $ALTR). $INTC PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR57 $DIS)‘s ‘Star Wars’ the fastest to earn $1 billion at box office. MarketWatch PR link.

Willis Tower Watson to replace Fossil Group(PBR617 $FOSL) on S&P 500 on 01/04/16. MarketWatch PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) gets new $18.50/share bid from Icahn Enterprises(PBR147). $PBY PR link.

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) Chairman/Co-Founder James Moffett stepping down, named Chairman Emeritus, director Gerald J Ford elected Non-Executive Chairman. $FCX PR link.

Manitowoc(PBR579) hires Barry Pennypacker as president/CEO of soon to be public spinoff Manitowoc Cranes. $MTW PR link.

MasterCard(PBR291) says US holiday retail sales rose 7.9%, eCommerce up 20% over 2014. $MA PR link.

Dealogic data shows 2015 M&A volume surpasses $5 trillion. PRNewswire PR link.

Friday, December 25:
***Christmas Day***
Let there be Peace on Earth.
Stock Markets Closed.

Thursday, December 24:
***Christmas Eve***
US Stock Markets close early for the week at 1PM Eastern.

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,552.17, +2.47% from last Friday, -0.95% MTD, +7.78% QTD, -1.52% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,048.49, +2.55% from last Friday, -1.18% MTD, +9.27% QTD, +6.60% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,060.99, +2.77% from last Friday, -0.93% MTD, +7.34% QTD, +0.10% YTD.

Nike(PBR98) 2:1 stock split in effect.

Pep Boys(PBR872) gets new $17/share offer from Japan’s Bridgestone, regarded as superior to Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) bid. MarketWatch article link.

Apparel retailers saw online sales spike on >strong>’Manic Monday.’ MarketWatch article link.

3 reasons U.S. oil is trading at premium to global benchmark MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, December 23:
Norfolk Southern(PBR242) board unanimously rejects revised merger proposal from Canadian Pacific. $NSC PR link

BB&T(PBR277) receives federal regulatory approvals for $1.8 billion acquisition of National Penn Bancshares. To close in next few months. $BBT PR link

Salesforce(PBR453) to acquire quote-to-cash platform software developer SteelBrick for $360 million. http://1.usa.gov/1Ogjs5B$CRM SEC filing link

Hubbell(PBR632) shareholders approve consolidation of Class A & B stocks into one common stock, symbol now HUBB. $HUBB PR link

The US Housing and Urban Development estimates that November Sales of New Single-Family Houses were at a 490,000 annual rate, +4.3% from October, +9.1% from November, 2014. HUD PR link

The US Dept of Commerce says November Total Personal Income was at a $15.618 trillion annual rate, +0.3% from October, Personal Savings Rate was at 5.5%, -0.1% from October. USDOC PR link

Jobs/Housing: 15 cities with the best job and housing prospects. MarketWatch article link

The U of Michigan says the Final December Index of Consumer Sentiment was at 92.6, the highest level since July. UMich PR link.

Tuesday, December 22:
Cisco(PBR60) completes $452.5 million acquisition of private network security company Lancope. $CSCO PR link.

Celgene(PBR347) settles cancer treatment drug REVLIMID® patent litigation. $CELG PR link.

Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR518) completes sale of remaining N American coal business for $268 million. $CLF PR link.

Vornado Realty Trust(PBR738) sells leasehold interest in 473,000 sf Manhattan office building 20 Broad St for $200 million aggregate consideration. $VNO PR link.

Vornado Realty Trust(PBR738) completes $450 million financing of St. Regis Fifth Avenue Retail. $VNO PR link.

Penn Natl Gaming(PBR750) gets agreement with Scientific Games(PBR937 $SMGS) subsidiary Bally Gaming to provide Prairie State Gaming customers next-generation video gaming terminals and exclusive new game content. $PENN PR link.

Hillenbrand(PBR962) to acquire highly-engineered valves for water, power, & mining developer/manufacturer Red Valve for $131.9 million cash. $HI PR link.

Meredith Corp(PBR994) gets new 10 year licensing agreement for Martha Stewart Media Brands. $MDP PR link.

CF Industries(PBR502) promotes Terry Huch to VP-Supply Chain, succeeds Christopher Bonn who is now SVP-Manufacturing. $CF PR link.

Abercrombie & Fitch(PBR595) promotes Fran Horowitz to new position of President/Chief Merchandising Officer. $ANF PR link.

Under Armour(PBR668) hires Chip Molloy as CFO, effective 01/19/16. $UA PR link.

Bright Horizons(PBR1018) promotes chief development officer Stephen Kramer to president, effective 01/01/16. Other executive promotions announced. $BFAM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the 3rd Quarter Gross Domestic Product 3rd Estimate was at a 2.0% annual rate, $18.060 trillion. USDOC PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors says November Existing Home Sales were at a 4.760 million annual rate, -10.5% from October, median price $220,300. NAR PR link.

Freddie Mac(PBR41) in its December Insight & Outlook forecasts 2016 2.5% GDP, drop in value of family mortgage originations. $FMCC PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) will account for more than half of 2015 e-commerce growth, says Macquarie. MarketWatch PR link.

Monday, December 21:
Apple(PBR5) CEO Tim Cook is interviewed on CBS’ 60 Minutes by Charlie Rose. CBS article/video link.

Walt Disney(PBR57) crosses $5 billion in global box office for 2015 as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” posts record $529 million global, $248 million domestic debut. $DIS PR link.

Ingram Micro(PBR62) completes $175 million acquisition of the e-commerce fulfillment business of public Netherlands based DOCdata. $IM PR link.

Staples(PBR122) offers $1.25 billion in divestitures for Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) acquisition, rejected by FTC, litigation being pursued to get deal. $SPLS PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147 $IEP) raises offer for Pep Boys(PBR872 $PBY) to $16.50/share after Bridgestone matches previous $15.50/share bid. MarketWatch article link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) announces closing of $500 million construction loan for 2 million sq ft, 1,500 room Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center, to create 12,000 construction and hotel jobs. $MAR PR link.

NetApp(PBR405) to acquire SolidFire for $870 million cash, accelerates adoption of all-flash data centers. $NTAP PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR451) acquires Spokane, WA, based $50 million/year Barton Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Alpha Fiat. $LAD PR link.

CF Industries(PBR502) & Netherlands’ based OCI change jurisdiction of new company of $8 billion merger from the UK to the Netherlands. Close planned for mid 2016. $CF PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Midwest retail insurance provider Peoria, IL, based The Hawk Agency. $AJG PR link.

International Economy: China reveals focus of its 2016 economic plan. MarketWatch article link.

Money: Here’s all the money in the world, in one chart. MarketWatch article link.

Corporate Deals 2015: 10 most remarkable corporate deals of 2015. MarketWatch article link.

Friday, December 18:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,128.45, -0.79% from last Friday, -3.34% MTD, +5.18% QTD, -3.90% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,923.08, -0.21% from last Friday, -3.63% MTD, +6.56% QTD, +3.95% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,005.52, -0.34% from last Friday, -3.60% MTD, +4.45% QTD, -2.59% YTD.

Wells Fargo(PBR30) to sell crop insurance businesses to US subsidiary of Zurich Insurance for up to $1.05 billion. $WFC PR link.

Southern Co(PBR155) to acquire controlling interest in Kern County, CA, 200 megawatt solar facility from Canadian Solar subsidiary. $SO PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) to provide healthcare services to Aetna(PBR49 $AET)‘s 8.5 million members in new 4 year agreement. $THC PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) to sell its HIV R&D portfolio to ViiV Healthcare for $350 million up front with $2.5 billion in future incentives. $BMY PR link.

Air Products(PBR267) files initial SEC Form 10 for spinoff of Materials Technologies business as Versum Materials, scheduled for 09/16. $APD PR link.

Darden Restaurants(PBR398) authorizes new $500 million share repurchase program, increases dividend 14%. $DRI PR link.

Windstream(PBR426) begins ultra-fast 1 Gbps service in Lexington, KY, to launch in 5 markets in 1H2016. $WIN PR link.

Windstream(PBR426) completes $575 million cash sale of its data center business to TierPoint. $WIN PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Atlanta, GA, based Managed Healthcare Solutions. $AJG PR link.

Arthur J Gallgher(PBR515) acquires midwest retail insurance broker Brown Hobbs & McMurray. $AJG PR link.

Diebold(PBR676) forms new joint venture with China IT firm Inspur to provide ATMs & kiosks in Chinese market. $DBD PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) acquires 20 branch residential/commercial distributor Dallas based Roofing & Insulation Supply. $BECN PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) hires Therace Risch as EVP-Chief Information Officer, effective immediately. $JCP PR link.

Allison Transmission(PBR865) global sales, marketing & services SVP Mike Headly retiring, effective 03/31/16. $ALSN PR link.

Red Robin(PBR1046) hires Jonathan Muhtar as SVP-Chief Marketing Officer, reports to EVP-Chief Concept Officer Denny Marie Post. $RRGB PR link.

Thursday, December 17:

Cameron Intl(PBR269) stockholders approve $14.8 billion acquisition by Schlumberger, expected to close 1Q2016. $CAM PR link.

Avon(PBR303) gets $605 million equity investment from Cerberus, Avon North America to become separate private entity, quarterly dividends suspended. $AVP PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Australia based Strathearn Insurance Brokers. $AJG PR link.

Boston Properties(PBR803) completes sale of 26 acre, San Jose, CA, 4 office buildings Innovation Place for $207 million. $BXP PR link.

Corrections Corp(965) gets 10 year, 2 5 year renewable options, $25 million/year award for Red Rock, AZ, corrections center. $CCA PR link.

Apple(PBR5) promotes Jeff Williams to COO, Johny Srouji SVP-Hardware Technologies; Tor Myhren to join as VP Marketing Communications in 1Q2016. $AAPL PR link.

DeVry(PBR905) hires Joe Mozden as VP-Workforce Solutions. $DV PR link.

Society: 5 key takeaways about parenting in changing times. Pew Research article link.

Wednesday, December 16:
AIG(PBR46) adds $3.0 billion to share buyback program, balance now $4.3 billion. $AIG PR link.

Coca-Cola Enterprises(PBR327) files SEC registration to combine CCE, CCIP, & CCEAG into Coca-Cola European Partners, to close by 2Q2016. $CCE PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) completes acquisition of leading global tier 1 engine component manufacturer MB Aerospace. $BX PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) to acquire 7,400 controlled lots, 280 homes in backlog, from from John Wieland Homes for up to $450 million. $PHM PR link.

Albemarle(PBR792) to sell its Mineral Flame Retardants and Specialty Chemicals businesses to Huber Engineered Materials. $ALB PR link.

AMSURG(PBR945) has acquired Atlanta area 60 physicians Northside Anesthesiology Consultants. $AMSG PR link.

Key Energy(PBR1001) to seek stockholder approval for reverse stock split with ratio exceeding 1:10 to regain NYSE listing requirement. $KEG PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) SVP Heidi Capozzi to succeed retiring Tony Parasida as head of human resources, effective 03/01/16. $CCL PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR287) promotes EVP Kevin Schneider to COO, effective 01/01/16. $GNW PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) promotes Adena Friedman to president/COO, effective immediately. $NDAQ PR link.

Avista Corp(PBR990) promotes Roger Woodworth to president, Avista Development division. $AVA PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board votes 10-0 to a 0.25% increase in discount rate, eff 12/17/15. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the November New Private Housing Building Permits Issued Annual Rate was at 1,289,000, +11.0% from October, +19.5% from November 2014. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says that November Industrial Capacity Utilization was -0.5% to 77.0%, -3.1% from long-run (1972–2014) average. FRB PR link.

Tuesday, December 15:
Halliburton(PBR90) & Baker Hughes(PBR108 $BHI) provide update on merger status, extending closing date to no later than 04/30/16 pending discussions with US Dept of Justice. $HAL PR link.

Expedia(PBR433) completes $3.9 billion acquisition of 1.2 million alternative accommodations space HomeAway. $EXPE PR link.

Ascena Retail(PBR499) authorizes $200 million share repurchase program. $ASNA PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) profits have helped fund 17,500 quality careers for veterans, goal is 25,000 by 2018. $ATVI PR link.

Global Payments(PBR762) to acquire Heartland Payment Systems(PBR821 $HPY) for $100/share, $4.3 billion. $GPN PR link.

Clearwater Paper(PBR898) announces $100 million stock repurchase program. $CLW PR link.

DeVry(PBR905) authorizes 9th share repurchase program, for $100 million through 12/31/17. $DV PR link.

DeVry(PBR905) Brasil has acquired 96.4% of Grupo Ibmec Educacional, has 15,000 students. $DV PR link.

PharMerica(PBR911) completes acquisition of 2 more healthcare companies, achieves 2015 goal of acquisitions with total of over $100 million in revenues. $PMC PR link.

Parker-Hannifin(PBR218) promotes Mark Hart to EVP, Human Resources & External Affairs, effective 01/01/16, succeeds retiring Dan Serbin. $PH PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR417) EVP/CFO Thomas Mangas to become CEO effective 12/31/15, Alan Schnaid being promoted to CFO. $HOT PR link.

JM Smucker(PBR437) names new president for Big Heart Pet Food and Snacks, for corporate strategy, expanded role for SVP/CFO. $SJM PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) promotes Michael Quartieri to EVP/CFO & Secretary. $SGMS PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says November Worker Current Earnings averaged $25.25/hr, 34.5 hrs/week, $871.13 weekly pay, -0.13% from October, +2.0% from November 2014. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says that the November All Urban Consumer Price Index was +0.0% from October, +0.5% over the last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

Monday, December 14:
The PBR1000 November Snapshots have been emailed to Subscribers. Not an Annual or Monthly Subscriber yet? Just click here!.

Boeing(PBR27) raises share repurchase authorization to $14 billion, ups dividend 20%. $BA PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR180) to acquire remaining 67% interest in Inotera Memories of Taiwan for $0.92/share, $3.2 billion. $MU PR link.

Newell Rubbermaid(PBR434) to acquire Jarden(PBR324 $JAH) for $60/share cash/stock, to be called Newell Brands, be a $16 billion/year consumer products company, to close 2Q16. $NWL PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Western US retail insurance broker Colorado based Centennial Insurance Agency. $AJG PR link.

IGT(PBR878) gets agreement with Oklahoma’s Kaw Nation to provide casino management systems & games to its two locations. $IGT PR link.

BlueLinx(PBR892) to seek approval at annual stockholders meeting for 1:10 reverse stock split. $BXC PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) declines unsolicited $21.70/share offer, will proceed with $20.00/share buy offer from ON Semiconductor(PBR656 $ON). $FCS PR link.

DuPont(PBR82) announces some executive leadership retirements and promotions/re-assignments. $DD PR link.

Hershey(PBR354) hires Rob Gehrig as Global Chief Sales Officer, effective 01/18/16. $HSY PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR408) hires Bill Wood as Chief Information Officer, reports to CEO Ron Boire. $BKS PR link.

Black Hills(PBR1009) promotes Linn Evans to president/COO, effective 01/01/16. $BKH PR link.

Friday, December 11:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,265.21, -3.26% from last Friday, -2.57% MTD, +6.02% QTD, -3.13% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,933.47, -4.06% from last Friday, -3.43% MTD, +6.78% QTD, +4.17% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,012.37, -3.79% from last Friday, -3.27% MTD, +4.81% QTD, -2.26% YTD.

Ford(PBR10) had November European Sales of 101,500 vehicles, +20.5% from October, total Europe market share is 7.9%. $F PR link.

Lockheed Martin(PBR64) delivers 2,500th C-130 Hercules, 1st delivery was 12/09/56. $LMT PR link.

DuPont(PBR82) & Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW) to merge in all stock deal, form DowDuPont, then separate into 3 independent public companies. $DD PR link.

Atmel(PBR1004) confirms receipt of unsolicited $9.00 cash/share offer, already has $4.6 billion cash/stock offer from UK based Dialog Semiconductor. $ATML PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) Resource Industries group president Ed Rapp to retire; will turn his focus to fighting Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). $CAT PR link.

DISH Network(PBR196) announces promotions to president/COO, EVP-Strategic Planning, Chief Accounting Officer, others. $DISH PR link.

Carlisle Cos(PBR650) to promote pres/COO D. Christian Koch to CEO effective 01/01/16; David A. Roberts continues as Chairman. $CSL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the November Producer Price Index Final Demand was +0.3% from October, with Goods at -0.1%, Services +0.5%, & 12 mos at -1.1%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Manufacturing & Trade Sales were $1.318 trillion, September was $1.320 trillion, Oct 2014 was $1.354 trillion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce in Advance report says November Retail/Food Services Sales were at $448.1 billion, October was $447.1 billion, November 2014 was $442.1 billion. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, December 10:
Ford(PBR10) investing additional $4.5 billion by 2020 in electrified vehicle solutions. $F PR link.

Bank of America(PBR24) resubmitted capital plan accepted without objection by the Federal Reserve Board. $BAC PR link.

ConocoPhillips(PBR53) sets $7.7 billion capital expenditure plan for 2016, 25% less than 2015. $COP PR link.

YUM!(PBR217) to return up to $6.2 billion to stockholders before China spinoff as an independent public company. $YUM PR link.

Visteon(PBR351) announces $3.75 billion special cash distribution to shareholders, authorizes $500 million share buyback program. $VC PR link.

Herbalife(PBR487) chairman/CEO Michael Johnson does net transaction exercise involving 280,000 stock appreciation rights. $HLF PR link.

Electronics Arts(PBR527) starts EA Competitive Gaming Division, to be lead by EVP-Chief Competitive Officer Peter Moore. $EA PR link.

T Rowe Price(PBR570) appoints William Stromberg as president/CEO, effective 01/01/16, increases share buyback program to 20.9 million shares. $TROW PR link.

Arch Coal(PBR691) receives non-compliance notice from NYSE, capitlization under $50 million. $ACI PR link.

AIG(PBR46) announces new executive leadership structure, including new CFO. $AIG PR link.

Occidental Petroleum(PBR123) promotes Vicki Hollub to president/COO, to become CEO at 2016 annual meeting. $OXY PR link.

Whole Foods(PBR203) hires Tien Ho for new position of global VP of culinary & hospitality. $WFM PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) CEO Marissa Mayer announces birth of identical twin girls. $YHOO PR link.

Rackspace(PBR935) hires Alex Pinchev as EVP/president of global sales & marketing, effective 01/01/16. $RAX PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says November US Imports Prices were -0.4% from October. November Exports Prices were -0.6% from October. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury reports November Government Receipts of $205.0 billion, Outlays $270.0 billion, Deficit $65.0 billion. Fiscal YTD Deficit(2 months) is $201.1 billion, was $178.5 in November 2014. Treas PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board says in 3rd Quarter Z1 Report that Household Debt was at $14.1 trillion, Business Debt $12.6 trillion, Government Debt $17.5 trillion, Total Nonfinancial Debt $44.2 trillion. FRB PR link.

Analysis: America’s middle class has lost nearly 30% of wealth. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, December 9:
Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) suspends dividend program, cutting oil & gas expenses. $FCX PR link.

CSX(PBR226) to move from NYSE to NASDAQ on 12/21/15, to keep CSX symbol. $CSX PR link.

Computer Sciences(PBR237) to acquire UK based commercial insurance industry software developer Xchanging for $720 million. $CSC PR link.

BlackRock(PBR252) Investment Institute releases 2016 Outlook. $BLK PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) suspends plan to spinoff Alibaba holdings, considering transfer of Yahoo! assets & liabilities to a new public company. $YHOO PR link.

Orbital ATK(PBR655) resupply mission Cygnus spacecraft berths with International Space Station. $OA PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782) acquisition of Vivint Solar amended, Blackstone(PBR352 $BX) to be key stakeholder, provide $250 million credit facility. $SUNE PR link.

Curtiss-Wright(PBR837) has new $200 million share repurchase program for 2016. $CW PR link.

Express(PBR860) authorizes up to $100 million for new share repurchase program. $EXPR PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Merchant Wholesalers Sales at $448.0 billion, -0.0% from September, -3.7% from October 2014. USDOC article link.

Tuesday, December 8:
Morgan Stanley(PBR79) to cut 1,200 jobs. MarketWatch article link.

QUALCOMM(PBR106) gets slapped with antitrust charges by the European Union. MarketWatch article link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) & related entities boost stake in Hertz(PBR259) to 14.3%. MarketWatch article link.

Bristol-Myers-Squibb(PBR185) completes up to $2.1 billion acquisition of private biotech company Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals. $BMY PR link.

L-3 Communications(PBR238) selling its National Security Solutions business to CACI Intl(PBR612 $CACI) for $550 million cash. $LLL PR link.

Norfolk Southern(PBR242) says Canadian Pacific’s revised unsolicited $91.62/share offer is less than previous unacceptable offer. $NSC PR link.

MasterCard(PBR291) to start a $4 billion share repurchase program upon completion of $786 million remaining under current plan. $MA PR link.

Wynn Resorts(PBR427) chairman/CEO Stephen Wynn buys 1 million shares on the open market, now holds over 11 million shares. $WYNN PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Mississippi based McPherson Benefits Group, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Interactive Exchange(PBR556) to close $5.2 billion cash/stock deal for Interactive Data Corp on 12/14/15. $ICE PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) to acquire alternate trading platform Chi-X Canada, to close 1Q2016, terms not disclosed. $NDAQ PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) determines Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) $15.50/share bid is superior to Bridgestone’s $15.00/share. $PBY PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) receives unsolicited $21.70/share offer, has $20.00/share offer from ON Semiconductor(PBR656 $ON). $FCS PR link.

CIT Group(PBR608) appoints executive leaders for CIT Bank NA, Chief Risk Officer, Business Capital, & Treasurer. $CIT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says October Private Job Openings at 4,887,000, was 5,041,000 in September, 4,440,000 in October 2014. USDOL PR link.

CoreLogic says October Homes in Foreclosure at 463,000, was 589,000 in October 2014. CoreLogic report download.

Manpower(PBR132) in employment outlook forecasts continued optimism for hiring, stable at start of 2016. $MAN article link.

Monday, December 7:
General Electric(PBR9) terminates its $3.3 billion appliances unit sale to Sweden based Electrolux. $GE PR link.

Staples(PBR122) $6.3 billion acquisition of Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) being blocked by FTC, companies to contest decision. $SPLS PR link.

Omnicom(PBR192 $OMC) wins bulk of Proctor & Gamble(PBR33 $PG)’s North America business. MarketWatch article link.

CBRE Group(PBR301) acquires national services leader for Affordable Housing act, 50+ employee Tax Credit Group. $CBG article link.

Keurig Green Mountain(PBR507) to be acquired by JAB Holding for $92/share, $13.9 billion, expected to close 1Q2016. $GMCR PR link.

Keurig(PBR507)’s buyout turns Coca-Cola(PBR63)’s $1 billion loss into a profit. MarketWatch article link.

Carlyle Group(PBR581) acquires Toronto based displays & store fixtures for global prestige cosmetics industry provider Array, terms not disclosed. $CG article link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) gets $15.50/share offer from Icahn Enterprises(PBR147), already has $15.00/share bid from Japan’s Bridgestone. MarketWatch article link.

HollyFrontier(PBR140) promotes EVP/COO George Damiris to president/CEO effective 01/01/16. CEO Michael Jennings to be executive chairman. $HFC PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) EVP/CFO Carl Berquist to retire 12/31/15, subsidiary Ritz-Carlton CFO Lenny Oberg to become CFO 01/01/16. $MAR PR link.

YUM!(PBR217) CFO Patrick Grismer resigning, effective 02/19/16. $YUM article link.

Gannett(PBR414) hires Joanne Lipman to new position of Chief Content Officer & Daniel Bernard to Chief Product Officer, both report to pres/CEO. $GCI article link.

American Axle & Mfg(PBR602) hires Timothy Bowes SVP-Corporate Planning. $AXL article link.

HealthSouth(PBR800) hires Patrick Darby as EVP-General Counsel/Corporate Secretary, effective mid 02/16. $HLS article link.

Energy: Oil settles at lowest levels since early 2009. MarketWatch article link.

The US Federal Reserve says October Consumer Total Credit Outstanding at $3.512 trillion, +0.46% from September, +5.89% YTD. FRB PR link.

Friday, December 4:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,847.63, +0.28% from last Friday, +0.72% MTD, +9.60% QTD, +0.14% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,142.27, +0.29% from last Friday, +0.66% MTD, +11.30% QTD, +8.58% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,091.69, +0.08% from last Friday, +0.54% MTD, +8.94% QTD, +1.59% YTD.

Norfolk Southern(PBR242) rejects unsolicited, low-premium, highly conditional cash/stock offer from Canadian Pacific. $NSC PR link.

NCR(PBR383) closes $820 million equity investment from Blackstone(PBR352), adds 2 members to the board. $NCR PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) shares surge as Carl Icahn(PBR147 $IEP) takes 12.12% stake. MarketWatch article link.

Groupon(PBR652) promotes Jay Sullivan to Chief Product Officer, makes leadership changes in North American segment. $GRPN PR link.

Donaldson Co(PBR783) hires Scott Robinson as VP/CFO. $DCI PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says November Available Workforce at 157.3 million, 149.4 million employed, unemployment rate stays at 5.0%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Total Exports at $184.1 billion, Imports $228.9 billion, deficit $43.9 billion, was $42.4 billion in September. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, December 3:
GE(PBR9) releases statement: 5 Things You Should Know About The GE/Alstom Deal. $GE PR link.

Express Scripts(PBR22) has 265 million shares available for buyback program after additional 60 million authorized. $ESRX PR link.

Anthem(PBR38) shareholders approve $54.2 billion acquisition of Cigna(PBR85), close planned for 2nd half 2016. Cigna shareholders also approve. $ANTM PR link.

Avon(PBR303) is sent letter by Barington Capital Group regarding several concerns about performance. $AVP PR link.

NRG Energy(PBR186) CEO Dave Crane steps down, EVP/COO Mauricio Gutierrez becomes president/CEO. $NRG PR link.

TECO Energy(PBR758) shareholders approve $10.4 billion acquisition by Emera, expected to close mid 2016. $TE PR link.

Windstream(PBR426) promotes Sarah Day to president, Consumer/Small Business, effective 01/01/16, reports to CEO. $WIN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Manufacturing New Orders were at $473.9B, +1.5% from September, -7.1% YTD from 2014. USDOC PR link.

Wednesday, December 2:
General Dynamics(PBR94) authorizes 10 million shares for share buyback program. $GD PR link.

AutoNation(PBR148) reports retail new vehicle unit sales of 25,555 in November 2015, -6% from November 2014. $AN PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR287) completes adjusted $490 million sale of its lifestyle protection insurance business to France based AXA SA. $GNW PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) has $305 million for share buyback program after adding $300 million. $PHM PR link.

Cabela’s(PBR606) announces it is exploring strategic alternatives, including possible sale of company. $CAB PR link.

SuperValu(PBR164) hires Eric Claus as CEO of its Save-A-Lot hard-discount grocery segment. $SVU PR link.

American Financial(PBR435) promotes John Rogers to divisional VP & Chief Information Security Officer. $AFG PR link.

Cabot Corp(PBR607) president/CEO Patrick Prevost to take medical leave of absence for minor stroke, expects to return 01/16. $CBT PR link.

American Eagle Outfitters(PBR640) Exec Chairman Jay Schottenstein also CEO, no longer interim. $AEO PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says 3rd Quarter 2015 Nonfarm Business Labor Productivity grew at a +2.2% annual rate, output +1.8%, hours worked -0.3% USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board releases Beige Book, says economic activity generally increased at a modest rate. FRB PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board chairman Yellen moves Fed to brink of December rate hike. MarketWatch article link.

ADP(PBR235) says US Private Business Sector added 217,000 jobs in November. $ADP PR link.

Equifax(PBR795) says 3rd quarter US Consumer Debt grew to $10.5 trillion, +2.3% from 3rd quarter 2014. $EFX PR link.

Discover Financial(PBR286) says 2015 Holiday Consumer Spending to rise after 2014 dip. $DFS PR link.

Vanguard says bull market will keep sparkling in 2016 MarketWatch article link.

MasterCard(PBR291) says holiday season starting out strong, 4.6% US retail growth in November. $MA PR link.

News: 14 dead and many injured in San Bernardino shooting.

Tuesday, December 1:
Amazon(PBR29) says its Fire TV is #1 best seller streaming media player in US, sales up 6x year over year. $AMZN PR link.

Capital One(PBR116) completes acquisition of General Electric(PBR9) Capital’s Healthcare Financial Services business. $COF PR link.

Goodyear Tire(PBR157) combines N & S America units, names new leaders for American, EMEA regions. $GT PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) to sell Atlanta area 5 hospitals, 26 physician clinics to regional network WellStar Health. $THC PR link.

Zuckerberg, wife pledge 99% of Facebook(PBR228 $FB) shares to charity to mark daughter’s birth. MarketWatch article link.

Henry Schein(PBR270) has $425 million share repurchase program balance after $400 million added. $HSIC PR link.

Systemax(PBR623) completes $14 million sale of certain of its North American Technology Group assets, including TigerDirect, to PCM, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCMI). $SYX PR link.

TD Ameritrade(PBR662) to move from NYSE to NASDAQ, effective 12/14/15, keeps AMTD symbol. $AMTD PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) acquires 5 branch residential/commercial distributor RCI Roofing Supply, terms not disclosed. $BECN PR link.

IDEX(PBR861) authorizes additional $300 million for share repurchase program. $IEX PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) gets new contract with West Virginia Lottery to supply its Connexus system to monitor 14,000 gaming machines in 1,350 locations. $SGMS PR link.

Ford(PBR10) announces senior leadership changes for some business units. $F PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) promotes Greg Mays to VP of Labor Relations. $ALK PR link.

Sonoco Products(PBR480) announces senior leadership changes for primary business units. $SON PR link.

Institute for Supply Management says November Manufacturing PMI at 48.6, -1.5 from October, 12 month average is 51.9. ISM article link.

November US New Vehicle Sales: 1,284,735 units, +1.6% from Nov 2014; YTD: 15,485,092 units, +5.4% from 2014. Automotive News article link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the October Annual Construction Spending Rate was at $1,107.4 billion, +1.0% from September, +13.0% from October 2014. USDOC PR link.

Check out the BLOG page for the previous RECAPS and SNAPSHOTS posts.

Click here to follow The PBR1000 on Twitter!

(The PBR1000 is the premiere business intelligence service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisors, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Subscribe page.)

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee.)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The PBR1000 November 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

December 19, 2015 by
ID-100191813 Pie Chart-cooldesign

Wishing You The Best
During the Holiday Season,
and To Getting Your Piece of the Pie
in the New Year!

 

By Larry C. Paxton

November 2015 was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of month. To understand that it is a good idea to quickly review the end of October. Overall October ended with a very positive result for stocks and commodities. But the reality was that there was a bit of a downturn in the last week. In the first week of November Dr. Jekyll showed up and there was a nice gain. But the second week Mr. Hyde took over and there was a significant downturn. The third week Dr. Jekyll returned and there was a big jump back. In the final week and last day of the month Mr. Hyde reappeared for a dip, not a big one, but a noticeable one.

There seemed to be a lot of reasons for the swings. The economy appears to continue to grow at a modest rate, to the point where it is a foregone conclusion that the Federal Reserve will most likely finally make an almost minimal raise of the short term interest rate. But oil and minerals prices continue to fluctuate, there is uncertainty about global issues like immigration and refugees, much of it related to unrest in the Middle East. Climate change is becoming a bigger issue and getting more attention, and there are no easy answers, other than the fact there will be an unpredictable impact on economies worldwide.

What will happen in December? Once again, there are a lot of questions and very little consensus. For the holiday season what will be the growth of online sales, and what impact will that have on traditional retail storefronts? Will oil prices stabilize? What will it take to bring stability and peace to the Middle East?  What will really happen if the Fed raises interest rates? There are a myriad of additional questions and the resulting complexities make just about any prediction both plausible and unlikely.

During this holiday season the staff of PBRMarketTools.com wishes you the very best as you celebrate through the traditions you cherish. May it be a season of peace and hope as we enter what will be an interesting New Year.

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook. If you are not a current Subscriber just click here to get your 13 month subscription and automatically download the November 2015 edition of The PBR1000 Snapshots.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on November 30th, Month % Chg is compared to October 30th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 23 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

Table 1(S11): The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Price % Gainers

Table 1 Summary: The range was +259.28% to -62.16%. 543 out of 1,041 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 52.16% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 0.25%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
11/30/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 23 Mos
% Chg
Education Management
 816 EDMC 0.18 +259.28 +9.09 -98.22
Weight Watchers 972 WTW 26.38 +71.52 +6.20 -19.89
Roundy’s
 574 RNDY 3.58 +66.51 -26.03 -63.69
Willbros Group 867 WG 2.97 +48.50 -52.63 -68.47
Airgas
 455 ARG 138.20 +43.72 +19.99 +23.56

 

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 Year-To-Date Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +152.73% to -99.43%. 439 out of 1,037 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 42.33% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 4.15%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
11/30/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 23 Mos
% Chg
Netflix
 440 NFLX 123.33 +13.79 +152.73 +134.475
Amazon.com
 31 AMZN 664.80 +6.22 +114.21 +66.70
Activision Blizzard
 530 ATVI 37.66 +8.34 +86.90 +111.22
Global Payments
 706 GPN 70.85 +3.87 +75.50 +118.00
INTL FCStone
 88 INTL 35.58 +11.22 +72.97 +92.41

 

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 22 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: Range was +275.91% to -99.86%. 574 out of 1,031 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 55.67% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 3.96%.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Price
11/30/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 23 Mos
% Chg
Hawaiian Holdings
 802 HA 36.20 +4.32 +38.96 +275.91
Electronic Arts
 519 EA 67.79 -5.94 +44.19 +195.51
JetBlue
 423 EA 24.74 -0.40 +55.99 +189.70
Skechers USA
 791 SKX 30.20 -3.21 +63.95 +173.55
Edwards Lifesciences
 801 EW 163.00 +3.72 +27.96 +147.87

 

Table 4(S15): The PBR1000 Top 5 Market Capitalization

Table 4 Summary: Range was $659.56 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $20.02 billion, median is $6.17 billion, out of 1,041 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank		 Symbol Market Cap($B)
11/30/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 23 Mos
% Chg
Apple
 3 AAPL 659.56 -1.07 +1.88 +30.66
Alphabet
 44 GOOGL 510.70 +4.48 +43.01 +36.40
Microsoft
 27 MSFT 434.14 +3.25 +13.38 +39.01
ExxonMobil
 2 XOM 339.95 -1.46 -13.17 -23.11
Berkshire Hathaway
 5 BRK.B 330.54 -1.94 -8.59 +12.81
The PBR1000
   20,839.69 -0.48 +0.06 +9.19

 

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Selected Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
11/30/15		 Mo
% Chg		 YTD
% Chg		 23 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 71,450.80 -0.12 -1.24 +8.95
DJIA 17,719.92 +0.32 -0.58 +6.90
NASDAQ 5,108.67 +1.09 +7.87 +22.32
S&P500 2,080.41 +0.05 +1.04 +12.55
Gold 1,065.30 -6.67 -10.09 -11.39
Silver 14.09 -9.51 -9.68 -27.26
Oil 41.65 -10.60 -21.81 -54.33

 

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Indices Monthly Snapshot? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us at 520-282-4100.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @ThePBR1000.

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $14 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

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