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The PBR1000 September 2017 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

October 8, 2017 by admin

September 2017: 3Q17 Ends and So Far So Good!

The Stock Market Geese laid a lot of very nice Golden Eggs during the first 3 quarters. How big will the 4th quarter basket have to be?

By Larry C. Paxton

At the beginning of the year there was a lot of anticipation about a new US President taking office, a business-friendly guy wanting to make America Great Again, who made a lot of promises, and who was determined to make them happen.

The feeling of optimism was strong and it was not difficult for prognosticators to predict a good year for investing. But no one came close to the results achieved through the first three quarters of the year.

In the meantime, US and geopolitics being what they are, there have been some detours on the promises, and not many of them have become a reality though the potential and hope is still there. The optimism continues as the Stock Market Bull continues to amaze everyone with a much longer run than anyone could have predicted. As always, there are the doomsday naysayers who say this has to end and the overly eagers who proclaim the Bull has a lot more room to roam.

Let the 4th quarter begin, and with the excitement of the holidays nearly upon us, nearly full employment, and big changes in how we shop, it will be an interesting last quarter of the year for The PBR1000 stocks.

Here are the September summaries on the major US stock market exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 20

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 14+/6-; NASDAQ 14+/6-; SPX 14+/6-.

Record Days: DJIA 7, NASDAQ 5, SPX 9

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 9(09/08-20/07/17), NASDAQ 4(09/26-29/17), SPX 4(09/15-20/17 & 09/26-29/17)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4(09/21-26/17), NASDAQ 2(09/20-21/17), SPX 2(09/07-08/17)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 2, 09/11/17(DJIA +1.19% NASDAQ +1.13%, S&P500 +1.08%): N Korea and Hurricane Irma fears abate; 09/27/17(NASDAQ +1.15%): Tech sector recovers.

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 1, 09/05/17(DJIA -1.07%): N Korea missile test, President Trump rescinds DACA, debt ceiling concerns, Hurricane Irma anticipation.

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 September Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on September 29, Month % Chg is compared to August 31, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 21 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 12 month subscription and automatically download the September 2017 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +62% to -35%. 733 out of 1,001 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 3.0%, the median was a gain of 4.4%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 09/29/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	21 Mos % Chg
Conn’s	912	CONN	28.15	+62	+122	+20
Restoration Hardware	811	RH	70.32	+50	+129	-11
Babcock & Wilcox	914	BW	3.33	+47	-80	-84
Sears Hometown	822	SHOS	2.55	+46	-46	-68
Revlon	779	REV	24.55	+45	-16	-12

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +280% to -80%. 648 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 12.7%, the median was a gain of 9.1%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 09/29/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	21 Mos % Chg
Weight Watchers	986	WTW	43.55	-7	+280	+91
Scientific Games	689	SGMS	45.85	+30	+228	+411
Systemax	899	SYX	26.43	+8	+201	+207
Restoration Hardware	811	RH	70.32	+50	+129	-11
Conn’s	912	CONN	28.15	+62	+123	+20

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 20 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +442% to -96%. 860 out of 997 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 26.1%. The median was a gain of 23.8%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 09/29/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	21 Mos % Chg
NVIDIA	363	NVDA	178.77	+6	+67	+442
Tronox	819	TROX	21.10	+2	+105	+440
Scientific Games	689	SGMS	45.85	+30	+228	+411
Navistar	317	NAV	44.07	+29	+40	+399
Cleveland Cliffs	816	CLF	7.15	-14	-15	+353

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $796.07 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $24.3 billion, median is $7.4 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 09/29/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	21 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	796.07	-6	+29	+36
Alphabet	27	GOOG	664.55	+2	+25	+27
Microsoft	28	MSFT	573.74	-0	+19	+29
Facebook	95	FB	496.24	-1	+50	+68
Amazon	12	AMZN	461.81	-2	+30	+46
The PBR1000			24,318.98	+2	+11	+21

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

Company	Price 09/29/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	21 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	83,434.02	+3.1	+12.8	+26.1
DJIA	22,405.09	+2.1	+13.4	+28.6
NASDAQ	6,495.96	+1.1	+20.7	+29.7
S&P500	2,519.36	+1.9	+12.5	+23.3
GOLD	1,282.50	-3.3	+11.4	+21.0
SILVER	16.69	-5.4	+4.4	+20.9
OIL	51.64	+9.7	-3.9	+39.4

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Economic Indices Monthly Snapshots? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us in the 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 $13 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 monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Sira Anamwong.)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: Business Intelligence, Commodities, DJIA, Economy, Investing, Market Research, Marketing, Money, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, Trading

The PBR1000 August 2017 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

September 8, 2017 by admin

August 2017: The Stock Market Bull Continues to Prevail

The Stock Market Bull stands tall after another triumphant month.

By Larry C. Paxton

Despite concerns over N Korea’s missile tests, a terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, a controversial rally in Charlottesville, VA, Hurricane Harvey attacking southeast Texas, continued lack of meaningful legislation from Congress, and the world still getting adjusted to a very different style US President, The PBR1000 and other stocks continued to climb in August.

Maybe it’s just one of those “It’s the economy, stupid!” that justifies the rise. Modest/moderate economic growth continues and cautious optimism about the future keeps pushing it along.

As a result investing opinions are still scattered all over the place. This inconsistency should be good news for everyone, because now you can be the expert! If you are wrong, it’s no big deal, you are in a large group. But if you are right, you will be a hero and hopefully have a much higher value portfolio to confirm that. Remember to give The PBR1000 credit!

Good luck, and we look forward to you sharing your success strategies and stories.

Here are the August summaries on the major US stock market exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 23

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 15+/8-; NASDAQ 11+/12-; SPX 14+/9-.

Record Days: DJIA 5, NASDAQ 1, SPX 1

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 10(07/25-08/07/17), NASDAQ 4(08/28-31/17), SPX 5(08/25-31/17)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3(08/08-10/17), NASDAQ 3(08/08-10/17), SPX 3(08/08-10/17)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 3, 08/14/17(NASDAQ +1.34%, S&P500 +1.00%): Geopolitical issues ebb(N Korea); 08/22/17(NASDAQ +1.36%): Day after President Trump speech on Afghanistan; 08/30/17(NASDAQ +1.05%): GDP revised up to 3%, ADP Jobs Report

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 2, 08/10/17(NASDAQ -2.13%, S&P500 -1.45%): N Korea missile test; 08/17/17(DJIA -1.24%, NASDAQ -1.94%, S&P500 -1.54%): Barcelona terrorist attack; Charlottesville, NC, rally and death followed by controversial response by President Trump.

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 August Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on August 31, Month % Chg is compared to July 31, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 20 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 12 month subscription and automatically download the August 2017 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +60% to -78%. 431 out of 1,002 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of 0.65%, the median was a loss of 0.97%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 08/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	20 Mos % Chg
Triple-S Mgmt	676	GTS	24.71	+60	+19	+3
Hertz Global	297	HTZ	21.74	+59	+1	n/a
Calumet Specialty	584	CLMT	8.00	+54	+100	-60
Manitowoc	905	MTW	8.23	+44	+38	-46
Systemax	899	SYX	24.44	+35	+179	+184

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +309% to -86%. 583 out of 1,002 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 9.4%, the median was a gain of 4.6%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 08/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	20 Mos % Chg
Weight Watchers	986	WTW	46.81	+31	+309	+105
Systemax	899	SYX	24.44	+35	+179	+184
Scientific Games	689	SGMS	35.20	-5	+151	+292
Vertex Pharma	893	VRTX	160.54	+6	+118	+28
NRG Energy	220	NRG	24.91	+1	+103	+112

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 20 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +429% to -96%. 707 out of 998 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 22.4%. The median was a gain of 20.1%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 08/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	20 Mos % Chg
Tronox	819	TROX	20.69	+7	+101	+429
Cleveland-Cliffs	816	CLF	8.36	+8	-1	+429
NVIDIA	363	NVDA	169.44	+4	+59	+414
AMD	523	AMD	13.00	-4	+15	+353
Scientific Games	689	SGMS	35.20	-5	+151	+292

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $847.10 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $23.9 billion, median is $7.2 billion, out of 1,002 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 08/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	20 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	847.10	+3	+26	+32
Alphabet	27	GOOG	650.89	+3	+21	+24
Microsoft	28	MSFT	575.90	+5	+16	+26
Facebook	95	FB	499.43	+12	+48	+66
Amazon	12	AMZN	471.06	+3	+33	+50
The PBR1000			23,907.85	-0	+9	+19

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

Company	Price 08/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	20 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	80,896.35	-0.7	+9.4	+22.4
DJIA	21,948.10	+0.3	+11.1	+26.0
NASDAQ	6,428.66	+1.3	+19.4	+28.4
S&P500	2,471.65	+0.1	+10.4	+20.9
GOLD	1,326.50	+4.2	+15.2	+25.1
SILVER	17.65	+5.1	+10.4	+27.9
OIL	47.09	-6.1	-12.3	+27.1

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

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

(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, hywards.)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: Business Intelligence, business news, Commodities, DJIA, Economy, Investing, Money, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, Research, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, Trading

The PBR1000 August 2017 Breaking News Recap

September 5, 2017 by admin

August 2017: Political and Weather Events

Sometimes you wonder if it’s the severe weather or stormy politics that make the palms sway so much.

By Larry C. Paxton

While the US and world economies continued to show steady modest/moderate growth we were reminded that Mother Nature has a voice in all this as well. Near the end of August Hurricane Harvey became the first of what could be a busy US major weather events season as it struck Southeast Texas with great devastation.

On the more peaceful, comforting, and awesomeness side was the US coast-to-coast complete solar eclipse, which provided a welcome distraction from what seems to be the constant turmoil, confusion, and frustrations that swirls around us daily and seem to have no end.

This is further aggravated by today’s reporting methods, compounded by social media, both fed by a combination of sensationalized real and fake news that is sometimes hard to differentiate, generated by people and groups with oftentimes extremist views, funded by a flood of advertising, seems to be polarizing the US as never before.

Maybe sports will be our salvation as we close in on professional baseball’s playoffs battles culminating in the always anticipated World Series. Football starts at all levels to become a major focus of our spare time and daily conversations. Let the hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, dips, and beer parties begin!

Here’s a quick August 2017 summary on key activities that relate to The PBR1000:

The PBR1000 Mergers & Acquisitions: 22 deals worth at least $1 billion initiated, closed, or updated. Total transaction value was $120 billion.

The PBR1000 Spinoffs: 1

The PBR1000 Share Repurchase Programs: 9 announcements, total $5.96 billion.

The PBR1000 Bankruptcies: 1 initiated or updated

The PBR1000 CEO Changes: 11 announced.

Jobs/Wages: 4.3% unemployment rate, modest wage growth.

US Economy: Modest/moderate growth continues, stable but fragile.

Federal Reserve Federal Funds Rate Changes: No change, remains 1.00-1.25%, more increases possible in 2017.

US Stock Market Exchanges: All three US major stock exchanges established new closing records during the month. The Stock Market Bull won August.

The PBR1000 Additions: None

The PBR1000 Removals: 2, Whole Foods(PBR203) acquired by Amazon(PBR29); Ruby Tuesday(PBR990), dropped below $1 billion in revenues in last fiscal year.

National: Month ends with devastating Hurricane Harvey slamming into SE Texas. Russia’s possible meddling in the past US presidential campaign continues to be investigated; rare coast to coast complete solar eclipse observed; N Korea continues to test intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the US; contoversial Charlottesville, VA, white supremacists rally; battle over Civil War monuments; NAFTA negotiations start; 2 governmental business advisory groups disbanded; additional troops being sent to Afghanistan; new tax plan guidelines proposed; leadership turnover in the White House staff; illegal immigration issues continues to play a role; healthcare plans remain a concern.

International: Brexit negotiations continue; Barcelona terror attack; continuations of Middle East conflicts, refugee crisis; oil/gold prices fluctuate; global central banks slow quantitative easing programs, and; US President Trump actions and tweets continue to be the headliners.

The PBR1000 August Breaking News Items

Here are The PBR1000 corporate and economic related breaking news items of interest with hotlinks to the sources for August 2017, starting with the last active business day.

***Thursday, August 31:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Month Ending 08/31/17:
DJIA ends August at 21,948.10, +0.62% from last Friday, +0.26% MTD, +2.80% QTD, +11.06% YTD, -0.77% from record 22,118.42 set 08/07/17.
NASDAQ ends August at record 6,428.66, +2.60% from last Friday, +1.27% MTD, +4.69% QTD, +19.42% YTD, +0.00% from record 6,428.66 set 08/31/17.
SPX ends August at 2,471.65, +1.17% from last Friday, +0.05% MTD, +1.99% QTD, +10.40% YTD, -0.37% from record 2,480.91 set 08/07/17.

Wells Fargo(PBR30) reports completion of expanded 3rd party review of retail banking accounts, identifies a new total of approximately 3.5 million potentially unauthorized consumer and small business accounts, up from original 2.1 million, provides update on remediation efforts. $WFC PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) expands same-day delivery service to 33 markets, includes macys.com and bloomingdales.com. $M PR link.

Dollar General(PBR151) net sales grew +8.1% in 2Q17, on track to open 1,285 new stores in 2017. $DG PR link.

C.H. Robinson(PBR215) acquires Montreal, Quebec, CAN based $124 million/FY2017 freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and surface transportation logistics provider Milgram & Company for $50 million cash. $CHRW PR link.

Hertz(PBR259) completes sale of its Brazil car rental and leasing operations to Localiza, S America’s largest rental car company, enters into long-term strategic partner referral and brand cooperation agreements. $HTZ PR link.

LAM Research(PBR520) completes acquisition of Coventor, a global provider of simulation and modeling solutions for semiconductor process technology, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and the Internet of Things (IoT). $LRCX PR link.

Hologic(PBR767) announces US commercial availability of its Brevera® real time breast biopsy system with CorLumina® imaging technology. $HOLX PR link.

Middleby(PBR865) has acquired Ft Smith, AR, based $100 million annual revenues global commercial kitchen design, manufacturing, engineering, project management and equipment solutions provider QualServ, terms not disclosed. $MIDD PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) Chairman/CEO Trevor Fetter to step down on or before 03/15/18, independent lead director Ronald Rittenmeyer becomes Executive Chairman effective immediately, CEO search firm retained. $THC PR link.

Woodward(PBR888) promotes Dan Bowman to Corporate VP/Strategy & Business Development. $WWD PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA US Preliminary July Total Personal Income Annual Rate is at $16.450 trillion, +0.4% from June, +2.4% from July 2016. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor US 4 Week Moving Average Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims for 08/26/17 is 236,750, -3.0% from 07/27/17, -10.3% from 08/20/16. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US National Debt on 08/29/17 is $19.845 trillion, -0.7% from 12/30/16, +1.72% from 08/31/16. Treasury PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says US Preliminary July 7th District Midwest Economic Index is at +0.29, June was +0.43, December 2016 +0.07, July 2016 -0.07. ChiFed PR link.

The MNI August Chicago Business Barometer(>50=Gaining) is at 58.9, same as July, June was 65.7, August 2016 51.5. MNI/ISM PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) reports US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate on 08/31/17 is 3.82% with 0.5 points/fees, was 3.92% on 07/27/17, 4.32% on 12/29/16, 3.43% on 08/25/16. $FMCC PR link.

The American Automobile Assn says US National Average Price for a Gallon of Regular Gas on 08/31/17 is at $2.449, +5.7% from 07/31/17, +10.2% from 08/31/16. AAA PR link.

***Wednesday, August 30:

Ball Corp(PBR312) to cease production at its Birmingham, AL, Chatsworth, CA, and Longview, TX, beverage packaging plants in 2018, begin construction on new state-of-the-art beverage packaging facility in Goodyear, AZ, to begin production 2Q18. $BLL PR link.

Smart & Final(PBR517) launches delivery e-Commerce site Shop.smartandfinal.com powered By Instacart in extended partnership. $SFS PR link.

Blackhawk Network(PBR998) acquires gift card commerce solutions provider CashStar for $175 million. $HAWK PR link.

Lockheed(PBR64) promotes Stephanie Hill to SVP/Corporate Strategy & Business Development, effective 09/11/17. $LMT PR link.

Expedia(PBR433) President/CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has stepped down to become CEO at Uber, remains on the board; CFO & EVP/Operations Mark Okerstrom named successor. $EXPE PR link.

HCP(PBR834) promotes Tom Klaritch to COO, hires Doug Pasquale as Senior Advisor to the executive team, Senior Managing Director – Life Science Jon Bergschneider has resigned. $HCP PR link.

Allison Transmission(PBR865) President/CFO David Graziosi to become CEO on 06/01/18, to succeed retiring Lawrence Dewey. $ALSN PR link.

Tailored Brands(PBR643) appoints retail executive Sue Gove to the Board. $TLRD PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce US 2Q17 2nd Estimate Gross Domestic Product Annual Rate is revised to +3.0%, 1Q17 was +1.2%, Total 2Q17 Annual GDP is $19.247 trillion, +1.0% from 1Q17, +3.8% from 2Q16. USDOC PR link.

The US Energy Information Administrationsays US Crude Oil Stocks on 08/25/17 were at 457.8 millions of barrels, -5.3% from 07/21/17, -7.6% from 08/26/16. EIA PR link.

ADP(PBR235) US August Change In National Employment was +237,000, +17.9% from July, +68.1% from August 2016. Goods Producing Sector was +33,000, Services Sector+204,000. $ADP PR link.

Taxes: President Trump targets 15% corporate tax rate during visit in Missouri, simplified lower tax structure for citizens.

***Tuesday, August 29:

Bank of America(PBR24) announces Berkshire Hathaway(PBR4 $BRKA) exercised its warrants to purchase 700 million shares of Bank of America common stock, is now largest stockholder. $BAC PR link.

Andeavor(PBR71) opens first ARCO station in Mexico, in Tijuana, Baja California, expects to add 200-400 stations in Baja California and Sonora over next few years. $ANDV PR link.

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) announces framework for Agreement with Indonesian government regarding long-term operating rights For PT Freeport Indonesia. $FCX PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) completes $600 million sale of the former Fontainebleau Las Vegas property, paid $148 million in 02/10. $IEP PR link.

AutoNation(PBR148) adds up to $250 million to share repurchase program, balance is $270 million. $AN PR link.

Thermo-Fisher Scientific(PBR175) completes $7.2 billion acquisition of 9,000 employee $1.9 billion revenues/2016 global drug developer/delivery solutions provider Patheon NV(NYSE: PTHN). $TMO PR link.

Michaels Cos(PBR503) to hire 15,000 for seasonal jobs for 2017 holiday season. $MIK PR link.

Domino’s(PBR889) and Ford(PBR10 $F) begin consumer research of pizza delivery using self-driving vehicles. $DPZ PR link.

The Conference Board US Preliminary August Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 122.9, Revised July was 120.0. TCB PR link.

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US June National Home Price Index(01/2000=100) is at 192.60, May was 190.79, April 188.78, June 2016 182.10. Case-Shiller PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR287) 2Q17 First-Time Homebuyer Market Report: First-Time Homebuyer Demand Continues to Outpace Housing and Mortgage Market, Driving Home Pricing Appreciation. $GNW PR link.

***Monday, August 28:

ExxonMobil(PBR2) completes acquisition of Jurong Aromatics Corporation plant in Singapore, one of the largest in the world with 1.4 million tons annual production capacity. $XOM PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to open 2nd fulfillment center in Salem, OR, 1 million sf facility, will create 1,000+ fulltime jobs. $AMZN PR link.

Humana(PBR58) completes $1.5 billion accelerated share repurchase program announced 02/14/17. $HUM PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR107) to acquire engineered cell therapies developer Kite Pharma(NASDAQ: KITE) for $180/share, $11.9 billion cash, to close 4Q17. $GILD PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) gets US FDA approvalfor Full MagLev™ HeartMate 3™ Left Ventricular Assist System, provides a new option for physicians managing advanced heart failure patients. $ABT PR link.

Western Digital(PBR194) to acquire cloud services storage company UpThere, terms not disclosed. $WDC PR link.

CBS(PBR210) to acquire Network Ten, one of three major commercial broadcast networks in Australia, also paves way for digital subscription video on-demand service CBS All Access in Australia. $CBS PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR270) to acquire independent family owned Columbia, SC, based $115 million/2016 animal health products supplier Merritt Veterinary Supplies in 3Q17, terms not disclosed. $HSIC PR link.

Core-Mark(PBR271) authorizes new up to $40 million share repurchase program. $CORE PR link.

Cognizant(PBR272) completes acquisition of national provider of business process services to the Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Managed Medicaid markets in the United States, supporting 32 health plans and more than 4.4 million members in all 50 states TMG Health. $CTSH PR link.

Herbalife(PBR487) announces waiver and amendment of stock price condition for its up to $600 million of its common stock. $HLF PR link.

W.R. Grace(PBR625) to acquire Evonik Dental Silica and Huber Defoamer product lines, terms not disclosed. $GRA PR link.

CR Bard(PBR637) gets US FDA premarket approval for LUTONIX® 035 Drug Coated Balloon PTA Catheter (DCB) for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients with stenotic lesions in dialysis arteriovenous (AV) fistulae. $BCR PR link.

Vulcan Materials(PBR685) to acquire Vancouver, British Columbia, based Polaris Materials Corporation (TSX:PLS), an aggregates and logistics company primarily serving California markets, terms not disclosed. $VMC PR link.

Fitbit(PBR870) announces its first smartwatch, Fitbit Ionic, builds on health & fitness platform, pre-sales orders online, in stores starting 10/17, $299.95. Also announces Fitbit Flyer(Wireless headphones), Fitbit Aria 2(WiFi smart scale), and a new premium guidance and coaching offering. $FIT PR link.

Finish Line(PBR927) adopts a Shareholder Rights Plan, expires 08/28/20. $FINL PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR348) hires John Williams as SVP/CFO, effective 09/05/17, succeeds retiring Don Chappel. $WMB PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) hires Katsuyuki Kuki as Chairman and Representative Director of Japan. $BX PR link.

Hurricane Harvey slams SE Texas with winds and rain, flooding and damage, forcing evacuations for tens of thousands, expects to continue for several days.

***Friday, August 25:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/25/17:
DJIA ends week at 21,813.67, +0.64% from last Friday, -0.35% MTD, +2.17% QTD, +10.38% YTD, -1.38% from record 22,118.42 set 08/07/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 6,265.64, +0.79% from last Friday, -1.30% MTD, +2.04% QTD, +16.39% YTD, -2.45% from record 6,422.75 set 07/26/17.
SPX ends week at 2,443.05, +0.72% from last Friday, –1.10% MTD, +0.81% QTD, +9.12% YTD, -1.53% from record 2,480.91 set 08/07/17.

Amazon(PBR29) to open a new 855,000 sf fulfillment center in North Randall, OH, to create 2,000+ full-time jobs. $AMZN PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314) & Caesars Entertainment Operating Co(CEOC) get Nevada Gaming Commission approval for merger of Caesars Acquisition Co into Caesars Entertainment and for the reorganization of CEOC, both actions scheduled for 1st week of 10/17. $CZR PR link.

Archer-Daniels-Midland(PBR34) promotes Rachel Hudson to corporate secretary, also continues as CFO for Corn division. $ADM PR link.

Bon-Ton Stores(PBR707) COO Bill Tracy is now president/CEO and member of the Board. $BONT PR link.

***Thursday, August 24:

Amazon(PBR29) $42/share, $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods(PBR203) to be completed Monday, 08/28/17, Whole Foods to lower prices on some best-selling grocery staples, begin to integrate Amazon Prime into its point-of-sale system. $AMZN PR link.

Comcast(PBR42) signs 40 month agreement for Sunrun(NASDAQ: RUN) to be exclusive residential solar energy provider for Comcast Cable. $CMCSA PR link.

Sears(PBR93) in 2Q17 report says it will close 28 KMart stores by year end, to annuitize an additional $512 million of its pension liability through agreement with Metropolitan Life. $SHLD PR link.

Hormel Foods(PBR293) acquires Brazil based branded, value-added 70 meats in 15 categories company Cidade do Sol, featuring the Cerratibrand. Hormel’s first entry into S America. $HRL PR link.

LabCorp(PBR413) $1.2 billion cash acquisition of global 4,500 employees specialty contract research organization drug developer Chiltrenclears FTC antitrust review, transaction to close around 09/01/17. $LH PR link.

WABCO(PBR704) to acquire private, Hanover, PA, based $130 million/2016 commercial vehicle technologies supplier RH Sheppard for $145 million. $WBC PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) to acquire East Rutherford, NJ, based 208 locations in 31 states exterior and interior building products distributor Allied Building Products Corp from Ireland based CRH plc(NYSE: CRH) for $2.625 billion cash. $BECN PR link.

Verisk Analytics(PBR943) to acquire Burlingame, CA, based risk insight, prediction, and management solutions for banks and creditors provider LCI for $151 million cash. $VRSK PR link.

Anthem(PBR38) hires Jacquelyn H. Wolf as EVP/Chief Human Resources Officer, effective 08/28/17. $ANTM PR link.

Fifth Third Bancorp(PBR387) hires Shellie Creson as Chief Auditor, effective 08/28/17, succeeds Bob Shaffer who became Chief Human Resources Officer in 02/17. $FITB PR link.

LabCorp(PBR413) hires Dr. Brian Caveney to newly created role of Enterprise-Wide Chief Medical Officer, effective 09/25/17. $LH PR link.

KBR(PBR395) appoints Lieutenant General Wendy M. Masiello, USAF (Ret.) to the Board. $KBR PR link.

Ciena Corp(PBR829) appoints Bill Fathers, currently Senior Operating Partner responsible for investments in Communications Infrastructure at Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners, to the Board. $CIEN PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says US July Existing Home Sales Annual Rate is at 5,440,000, -1.3% from June, +2.1% from July 2016, Median Price is $258,300, -2.1% from June, +6.2% from July 2016. NAR PR link.

Investing Strategies: E*Trade(PBR930) Study Reveals That Amid High Valuations and Market Peaks, Many Investors Seek Individual Stocks over ETFs. $EFTC PR link.

***Wednesday, August 23:

Walmart(PBR1) to offer voice shopping for hundreds of thousands of items via Alphabet(PBR44 $GOOG)’s Google Assistantstarting late 09/17, to also integrate Easy Reorder service with Google Express, plans to expand voice shopping in 2018. $WMT PR link.

Amazon(PBR29 $AMZN) gets US Federal Trade Commission approval for $42/share, $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods(PBR203 $WFM). FTC PR link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR175) gets final regulatory approvals for $7.2 billion acquisition of Patheon NV, expects to complete tender offer on 08/28/17. $TMO PR link.

Hershey(PBR354) to do share buyback from Hershey Trust, 1.5 million shares at $106/share, $159 million. $HSY PR link.

MEDNAX(PBR794) acquires Miami, FL, based 70+ physicians 1+ million studies/year practice Radiology Associates of S Florida, terms not disclosed. $MD PR link.

Target(PBR40) hires Minsok Pak as EVP/Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, effective 09/11/17. $TGT PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD US Preliminary July New Family Homes Sold Annual Rate is at 571,000, -9.4% from June, -8.9% from July 2016. USDOC PR link.

***Tuesday, August 22:

Energy Transfer Equity(PBR52) files federal lawsuit against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, Inc., BankTrack And Earth First! for violation of federal and state racketeering statutes related to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. $ETE PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) to open 44 new retail locations across Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and West Texas by the end of 2017, to add 300+ jobs. $S PR link.

Avnet(PBR100) acquires cloud-based global manufacturing processes developer and provider Dragoon Innovator, terms not disclosed. $AVT PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR149) to open 4 small format 35,000 sf stores across the US, open its 5th e-commerce fulfillment center, a 937,000 sf facility located in Plainfield, IN. $KSS PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) launches Frank + Lulu, a whimsical new brand of bedding and decor for kids in 200 stores starting 09/01/17, with additional stores to follow. $JCP PR link.

United Rentals(PBR438) has acquired power equipment assets, primarily mobile rental generator sets, from Cummins(PBR146 $CMI), terms not disclosed. $URI PR link.

First Solar(PBR630) sells 280 megawatt California Flats Solar Project in Monterey County, CA, to global private asset manager Capital Dynamics, terms not disclosed. $FSLR PR link.

Intel(PBR51) Group President of Manufacturing, Operations and Sales Stacy Smith to retire at end of 01/18 after 30 years at Intel. $INTC PR link.

Asbury Automotive(PBR424) EVP/COO David Hult to succeed Craig Monaghan as president/CEO on 01/01/18. $ABG PR link.

Intuit(PBR529) CFO Neil Williams to step down in 01/18, Michelle Clatterbuck to be promoted to CFO, effective 02/01/18. $INTU PR link.

T Rowe Price(PBR570) hires Céline Dufétel as VP/CFO & Treasurer, starting in 12/17, to succeed retiring Kenneth Moreland. $TROW PR link.

H&R Block(PBR669) hires Jeff Jones as president/CEO, effective 10/09/17, succeeds interim president/CEO Tom Gerke, who will remain general counsel and chief adminstration officer. $HRB PR link.

Brinker Intl(PBR697) promotes Joe Taylor to SVP/CFO. $EAT PR link.

GoDaddy(PBR905) CEO Blake Irving to retire 12/31/17, president/COO Scott Wagner to be successor. $GDDY PR link.

XCEL Energy(PBR241) elects David Owens, recently retired EVP of the Edison Electric Institute association, to the Board. $XEL PR link.

L Brands(PBR247) elects Patricia Bellinger, Adjunct Lecturer/Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, and Robert Schottenstein, Chairman/CEO of M/I Homes(NYSE: MHO), to the Board. $LB PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond 5th District August Service Sector Revenue Index(Annualized) is at 22%, July was 12%, June 19%, August 2016 3%. RichmondFed PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond 5th District August Manufacturing Index(Annualized) is at 14%, July was 14%, June 11%, August 2016 -4%. RichmondFed PR link.

***Monday, August 21:

***Solar Eclipse Day: The US experiences a rare coast to coast total solar eclipse. NASA website link.***

Cisco(PBR60) intends to acquire Sunnyvale, CA, based hyperconvergence software developer Springpath for $320 million cash, expects to close 1Q18. $CSCO PR link.

Dollar General(PBR151) has a grand opening on 08/19/17 to celebrate its 14,000th store, located in Dauphin, PA. $DG PR link.

Sempra Energy(PBR254) to acquire Energy Future Holdings, the indirect owner of 80% of Oncor Electric Delivery Co, operator of the largest electric transmission and distribution system in Texas, for $9.45 billion cash. $SRE PR link.

Packaging Corp(PBR425) to acquire Sacramento Container, Northern Sheets, and Central California Sheets for $265 million cash. $PKG PR link.

Fiserv(PBR474) acquires bank payments and liquidity management solutions provider Dovetail Group, terms not disclosed. $FISV PR link.

Herbalife(PBR487) to purchase up to $600 million of its common stock for $60-68/share after termination of negotiation to go private with a financial investor, Icahn Enterprises(PBR147 $IEP) and its affiliates agree not to acquire over 50% ownership unless they acquire 100%. $HLF PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) gets US FDA approval and patent litigation settlement with AstraZeneca for the store brand over-the-counter equivalent of $300 million/year frequent heartburn therapy Nexium® 24HR (esomeprazole magnesium)capsules, to launch late 09/17. $PRGO PR link.

Nationstar Mortgage(PBR857) unveils new brand name, Mr. Cooper, for its mortgage servicing and originations operations, serves 3 million customers. $NSM PR link.

Johnson Controls(PBR68) accelerates CEO succession plan by 6 months, president/COO George Oliver to succeed Alex Molinaroli as Chairman/CEO on 09/01/17; Jürgen Tinggren appointed lead independent director and Jeffrey Joerres has stepped down from the Board. $JCI PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) hires Hal Lawton as president, effective 09/08/17. $M PR link.

Willis Towers Watson(PBR621) hires Michael “Mike” J. Burwell as its new CFO, succeeds Roger Millay who is retiring on 10/02/17. $WLTW PR link.

Tailored Brands(PBR643) hires Andrew Iwaskow as EVP/Human Resources. $TLRD PR link.

Humana(PBR58) elects Frank Bisignano, Chairman/CEO of First Data, to the Board. $HUM PR link.

ADP(PBR235) Board rejects all 3 Pershing Square nominees for 2017 Annual Meeting, to nominate its 10 existing directors for re-election. $ADP PR link.

Polaris Industries(PBR531) appoints George Bilicic, vice chairman of investment banking at Lazard, to the Board. $PII PR link.

Invacare(PBR984) elects Barbara Bodem, SVP of finance for global specialty pharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE: MNK), to the Board. $IVC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago US Preliminary July National Activity Index is at -0.01, June was +0.16, May -0.30, July 2016+0.07. ChiFed PR link.

***Friday, August 18:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/18/17:
DJIA ends week at 21,674.51, -0.84% from last Friday, -0.99% MTD, +1.52% QTD, +9.67% YTD, -2.01% from record 22,118.42 set 08/07/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 6,216.53, -0.64% from last Friday, -2.07% MTD, +1.24% QTD, +15.48% YTD, -3.21% from record 6,422.75 set 07/26/17.
SPX ends week at 2,425.55,-0.65% from last Friday, –1.81% MTD, +0.09% QTD, +8.34% YTD, -2.23% from record 2,480.91 set 08/07/17.

Calpine Corp(PBR330), America’s largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources, is to be acquired by investor consortium led by Energy Capital Partners for $15.25/share(51% premium from 05/09/17 price before press speculation reports), $5.6 billion cash, expects to close 1Q18. $CPN PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) directors and employees of Glenview Capital ManagementRandy Simpson and Matt Ripperger have resigned from the Board. $THC PR link.

The U of Michigan US Preliminary August Consumer Sentiment Index is at 97.6, Julywas 93.4, June 95.1, August 2016 89.8. UMich PR link.

***Thursday, August 17:

Walmart(PBR1) 2Q18 report shows total revenue increased 2.1% over 2Q17, eCommerce GMV grows 67%, 67 million SKUs available. $WMT PR link.

Pfizer(PBR56) gets US FDA approval for BESPONSA® (inotuzumab ozogamicin), first and only CD22-directed antibody-drug conjugate indicated for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. $PFE PR link.

Merck(PBR70) and AstraZeneca get US FDAadditional and broad approval for LYNPARZA for treatment of ovarian cancer. $MRK PR link.

PPG(PBR190) opens automotive refinish training center in Argentina, to train 300+ professionals annually. $PPG PR link.

ADP(PBR235) comments on Pershing Square‘s nomination of 3 directors, says current Board has the right balance of leadership continuity and fresh perspectives. $ADP PR link.

Hormel Foods(PBR293) to acquire Chicago, IL, based Fontanini Italian Meats and Sausagesfor $425 million. $HRL PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) agrees to $485 million settlement agreement on Medicaid Rebate Classification for EpiPen® Auto-Injector. $MYL PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) to acquire Philadelphia, PA, area based independent investment management firm with over $10 billion in assets under management Harvest Fund Advisors, terms not disclosed. $BX PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) to repurchase $40 million in shares from stockholder affiliates of Discovery Capital Management. $BTU PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Howell, MI, based employee benefit and healthcare finance brokerage and consulting services provider Ballard Benefit Works, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

McCormick(PBR552) completes $4.2 billion acquisition of Reckitt Benckiser’s Food Division, including Frank’s RedHot Hot Sauce, French’s Mustard, French’s Crispy Vegetables and Cattlemen’s BBQ Sauce and other brands. $MKC PR link.

First Solar(PBR630) sells 40 Megawatt (MW)ac(enough to power 16,000 typical homes for a year) Cuyama Solar Project in Santa Barbara County, CA, to D. E. Shaw Renewable Investments, terms not disclosed. $FSLR PR link.

Freddie Mac(PBR41) hires Stacey Goodman as EVP/Chief Information Officer, effective 09/25/17. $FMCC PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) elects Wonya Lucas, president/CEO Public Broadcasting Atlanta, to the Board. $JCP PR link.

Old Republic Intl(PBR445) elects Glenn Reed, recently retired as a Managing Director of the Strategy Division of The Vanguard Group, to the Board. $ORI PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board Preliminary July Industrial Production Total Index(2012=100) is 105.5, +0.2% from June, +2.2% from July 2016; Total Industrial Capacity at 76.7%, +1.1% from July 2016. USFed PR link.

The Federal Bank of Philadelphia August Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey General Activity Indicator is at 18.9, July was 19.5, June 27.6, August 2016 4.3. PhillyFed PR link.

The Conference Board US Preliminary August Leading Economic Index(2010=100) is at 128.3, July was 127.9, June 127.1, August 2016 124.1. TCB PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) releases August Outlook, topic: How Cash Sales Affect Mortgage Originations. $FMCC PR link.

***Wednesday, August 16:

Verizon(PBR15) building private 4G LTE network for national public safety/first responders use. $VZ PR link.

Alphabet(PBR44 $GOOG)’s Google unit acquires AIMatter, maker of the Fabbycomputer vision app. TechCrunch PR link.

Intel(PBR51)’s Mobileye unit gets Fiat Chryslerto join BMW Group for development of autonomous driving platform that retains brand identity, but also available to all car manufacturers. $INTC PR link.

Tyson Foods(PBR80) investing $84 million to expand Union City, TN, poultry plant, to be completed by mid 2019, will create 300+ jobs. $TSN PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR270) to do 2:1 common stock split on 09/15/17 for shareholders of record 09/01/17, will have 158 million shares outstanding. $HSIC PR link.

United Rentals(PBR438) to acquire Miami, FL, based 1,200 employees in 69 branches serving 15,500 construction/industrial customers $419 million anticipated 2017 revenues equipment rentals company Neff Corporation for $25/share, $1.3 billion. $URI PR link.

LPL Financial(PBR543) acquires 3,200 US advisors independent broker-dealer network and $120 billion in client assets of National Planning Holdings for $325 million plus up to $123 million for level of business that onboards. $LPLA PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) gets US FDA approval for AB rated generic Mycolog® II Cream for treatment of cutaneous candidiasis. $PRGO PR link.

UnitedHealth(PBR14) CEO Stephen Helmsley to become executive chairman on 09/01/17, succeeds Richard Burke who will become lead independent director, president David Wichmann to be new CEO. $UNH PR link.

AmTrust Financial(PBR564) promotes Ariel Gorelik to SVP/Chief Information Officer, succeeds Christopher Longo who continues as EVP/COO. $AFSI PR link.

Analog Devices(PBR701) hires Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah as SVP/Finance & CFO, effective 09/28/17. $ADI PR link.

Xylem(PBR575) elects Jeanne Beliveau-Dunn, Cisco(PBR60) VP/GM of Technical Services, to the Board. $XYL PR link.

The Federal Open Market Committee 07/25-26/17 Meeting Minutes released, judges the vulnerabilities of the US financial system as moderate on balance. FOMC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says US Preliminary July Total Private Housing Permits Issued Annual Rate at 1,223,000, -4.1% from June, +4.1% from July 2016. USDOC PR link.

***Tuesday, August 15:

Amazon(PBR29) to issue up to $16 billion in debt to fund Whole Foods(PBR203 $WFM)acquisition, repay 1.2% notes due in 2017, & for general corporate purposes. $AMZN PR link.

Group 1 Automotive(PBR276) acquires the exclusive Audi dealership in Fort Worth, TX, does $55 million/year, now has 13 Audi dealerships in the US & UK. $GPI PR link.

Advance Auto Parts(PBR279) to open 60-65 new stores in 2017, to reduce inventories to increase cash flow. $AAP PR link.

Live Nation(PBR366)’s TicketMaster unit launching in Switzerland, now in 30 countries. $LYV PR link.

SCANA(PBR489)’s S Carolina Electric & Gas Co to voluntarily withdraw its new nuclear abandonment petition to accommodate the legislative process. $SCG PR link.

Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR518) celebrates 170 year in business by re-naming itself to its historical name, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc, stock symbol remains NYSE: CLF. $CLF PR link.

Whiting Petroleum(PBR667) to sell its Fort Berthold area assets in N Dakota to RimRock Oil & Gas Williston for $500 million, to close 09/01/17. $WLL PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR728) not optimistic about MoviePass $9.95/month subscription for 365 movies/year plan. $AMC PR link.

Equinix(PBR793) opens its fifth International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center in Hong Kong, with 1,200 cabinets, called HK5, located in financial district. $EQIX PR link.

Brown & Brown(PBR972) to enter accelerated share repurchase program of $50 million with JPMorgan Chase(PBR21 $JPM). $BRO PR link.

Assurant(PBR268) hires Carey Roberts as EVP/Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, effective 10/30/17, to succeed Bart Schwartz who is retiring at year end. $AIZ PR link.

M&T Bank(PBR504) elects Rick Ledgett, Jr, recently retired as Deputy Director of the US National Security Agency, to the Board. $MTB PR link.

Cabot Corp(PBR607) elects Amanda Brock, CEO of water treatment company Water Standard, and Marcus Watts, President of principally automotive related umbrella company The Friedkin Group, to the Board. $COG PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census US Preliminary June Total Manufacturers/Retailers/Wholesalers Salesare $1.375 trillion, +0.3% from May, +4.3% from June 2016; June Total Inventories were at $1.869 trillion, +0.5% from May, +2.8% from June 2016. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census US Advanced July Total Retail Sales are at $478.9 billion, +0.6% from June, +4.2% from July 2016. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor US Preliminary July Import Prices Index is +0.1%, June was -0.2%, May -0.1%, July 2016 +0.1%, Last 12 Months+1.5%; July Export Prices were +0.4%, June-0.2%, May -0.5%, July 2016 +0.2%, Last 12 Months +0.8%. USDOL PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of NY August Empire State Manufacturing General Business Conditions Index is at 25.2, July was 9.8, June 19.8, August 2016 -3.2. NYFed PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders US Preliminary August Housing Market Composite Index is at 68, July was 64, June66, August 2016 59. NAHB PR link.

***Monday, August 14:

Target(PBR40) to acquire San Francisco, CA, based transportation technology company with 700 carriers network provider Grand Junction, terms not disclosed. $TGT PR link.

Andeavor(PBR71) to own 59% of Andeavor Logistics(NYSE: ANDX), which is buying Western Refining Logisting(NYSE: WNRL) for $1.8 billion(includes debt), after incentive distribution rights buy-in. $ANDV PR link.

VF Corp(PBR232) to acquire Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co., a family-owned, private global workwear company, $875 million in revenues over the last 12 months, for $820 million cash. $VFC PR link.

Calumet Specialty(PBR431) to sell its Superior, WI, refinery and assets to a Husky Energy unit for $435 million cash plus around $60 million for other items. $CLMT PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584) completes headquarters move from Lake Forest, IL, to Woodland Falls Corporate Center in Mettawa, IL. $BC PR link.

Crocs(PBR1008 $CROX) to appeal the US Patent Office rejection of cornerstone design patent in its case against USA Dawgs. Footwear News PR link.

DISH(PBR196)’s Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch leaving to become CEO of Pandora Media($P), responsibilities to be added to President/COO Erik Carlson, effective 08/31/17. $DISH PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) hires Laurie Schalow to newly created position of Chief Communications Officer. $CMG PR link.

McDermott Intl(PBR825) hires John Freeman as SVP/General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, succeeds retiring at the end of the year Liane Hinrichs. $MDR PR link.

Adtalem Education(PBR905) hires Mehul Patel as Group President/Professional Education, effective 09/05/17. $ATGE PR link.

Proctor & Gamble(PBR33) highlights significant value creation progress in Letter to Shareholders, encourages vote for its board nominees, not activist investor Nelson Peltz. $PG PR link.

3M(PBR92) elects Amy Hood, EVP/CFO of Microsoft(PBR31 $MSFT), to the Board. $MMM PR link.

Raytheon(PBR118) elects Robert Work, former US Deputy Secretary of Defense under President Obama, to the Board. $RTN PR link.

Terex(PBR357) elects Andra Rush, president/CEO in the $2 billion/year Rush Group of companies, to the Board. $TEX PR link.

Newfield Exploration(PBR830) elects Edgar R. “Bud” Giesinger, a former managing and audit engagement partner at KPMG, to the Board. $NFX PR link.

***Friday, August 11:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/11/17:
DJIA ends week at 21,858.32, -1.06% from last Friday, -0.15% MTD, +2.38% QTD, +10.60% YTD, -1.18% from record 22,118.42 set 08/07/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 6,256.56, -1.50% from last Friday, -1.44% MTD, +1.89% QTD, +16.23% YTD, -2.59% from record 6,422.75 set 07/26/17.
SPX ends week at 2,441.32,-1.43% from last Friday, -1.17% MTD, +0.74% QTD, +9.04% YTD, -1.60% from record 2,480.91 set 08/07/17.

First Solar(PBR630) awarded 241 megawatt module supply contract for Edify Energy solar projects in Australia, to serve needs of 73,000 homes in Queensland. $FSLR PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) ups amount of senior notes offer from $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, due 2025, 5.30% interest rate, expects to close 08/18/17. $TSLA PR link.

Intuitive Surgical(PBR863) to do 3:1 stock split on 10/06/17, subject to stockholder approval. $ISRG PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) appoints Suzette Long as General Counsel/Corporate Secretary, had been serving as interim since 02/17. $CAT PR link.

Minerals Tech(PBR949) elects Carolyn Pittman, VP/Finance and Controller for Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding, to its Board. $MTX PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US July Consumer Price Index is at +0.1%, Last 12 Months +1.7%, June was +1.6%, July 2016 +0.8%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary July Current Average Earnings/Week are at $909.42, +0.3% from June, +2.8% from July 2016. USDOL PR link.

***Thursday, August 10:

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR249) opens $2 billion/year 9,000 employees STANLEY Security North America unit headquarters in Fishers, IN, 80,000 sf facility to house 350 employees. $SWK PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR377) acquires S Florida‘s largest craft beer brewery, 45,000 barrels capacity Funky Buddha Brewery, terms not disclosed. $STZ PR link.

Moody’s(PBR636) completes $3.27 billion acquisition of Amsterdam, NL, based global business intelligence/company info provider Bureau van Dijk. $MCO PR link.

New York Times(PBR971) launches Chinese Travel Magazine 新视线, to be published 6x/year, distributed throughout mainland China. $NYT PR link.

TEGNA(PBR622) hires Adam Ostrow as Chief Digital Officer. $TGNA PR link.

Costco(PBR18) elects longtime director and Blackstone(PBR352) executive Hamilton E. (Tony) James as Chairman. $COST PR link.

Boeing(PBR27) elects former US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy to the Board. $BA PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) elects former New Hampshire US Senator Kelly Ayotte to the Board. $CAT PR link.

PNC Financial(PBR189) elects Ventas(PBR671) chairman/CEO Debra Cafaro to the Board. $PNC PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US July Federal Government Receipts were $232.0 billion, Outlays $275.0 billion, Deficit $43 billion, YTD Deficit(10 Months) $566.0 billion, YTD Deficit 2016 was $585.6 billion. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US July Total Producer Price Index was at -0.1%, June was +0.1%, May +0.0%, July 2016 -0.1%, Last 12 Months +1.9%. USDOL PR link.

***Wednesday, August 9:

Intel(PBR51)‘s newly acquired Mobileye unit to build fleet of 100 Level 4 SAE fully autonomous vehicles for testing in the US, Israel and Europe. $INTC PR link.

CBRE(PBR301) acquires majority interest in Toronto based private infrastructure and private equity investments $7 billion in assets business Caledon Capital Management, terms not disclosed. $CBG PR link.

Vantiv(PBR754) agrees to acquire UK basedglobal card payments processor WorldPay for $65.06/share, $10 billion. Worldpay PR link.

EnerSys(PBR776) authorizes new $100 million stock repurchase program, no deadline set. $ENS PR link.

Radian(PBR978) authorizes up to $50 million shares repurchase program, expires 07/31/18. $RDN PR link.

Sanmina(PBR401) to promote David Anderson to EVP/CFO, effective 10/02/17, to succeed Bob Eulau who becomes CEO. $SANM PR link.

The Children’s Place(PBR939) hires Steven Rado as Chief Digital Officer. $PLCE PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary June Wholesale Sales are at $465.8 billion, +0.7% from May, +5.5% from June 2016. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary 2Q17 Labor Productivity Output/Hr-All Persons was +0.6%, revised 1Q17 was -0.8%, revised 2Q16 was +0.6%. USDOL PR link.

***Tuesday, August 8:

Intel(PBR51) completes $63.54/share, $15.3 billion cash tender offer of autonomous vehicle computer vision products developer Mobileye NV(NYSE: MBLY) which will de-list 08/21/17. $INTC PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR57) to have 75% stake after acquiring an additional 42% stake for $1.58 billion in ESPN-branded multi-sport service BAMTech from Major League Baseball unit; Disney to also end distribution agreement with Netflix(PBR447 $NFLX) at beginning of 2019. $DIS PR link.

Huntsman Corp(PBR244) subsidiary Venator Materials now an independent public company with IPO launch, listing as NYSE: VNTR. $HUN PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) acquires 51% ownership in $35 billion real estate asset portfolio valued at $11.8 billion of Spain based Banco Popular SA. $BX PR link.

Lithia(PBR451) has acquired Downtown Los Angeles Auto Group, comprised of Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen stores located in downtown Los Angeles and a Nissan store in nearby Carson, will add $1 billion in annual revenues. $LAD PR link.

Envision Healthcare(PBR581) to sell its medical transportation subsidiary, American Medical Response, to KKR(PBR332)’s Air Medical Group Holdings unit for $2.4 billion cash. $EVHC PR link.

CR Bard(PBR637) shareholders approve $317/share, $24 billion cash/stock acquisition by Becton Dickinson(PBR318), expects to close 4Q17. $BD PR link.

Church & Dwight(PBR639) completes $1 billion cash acquisition of water-jet technology in both oral water flossers and replacement showerheads $265 million 12 month sales through 06/30/17 Ft Collins, CO, based Waterpik. $CHD PR link.

Vantiv(PBR754) offer deadline to acquire UK based global card payments processor WorldPay for $10 billion extended from 08/08/17 to 08/11/17. WorldPay PR link.

Wabash Natl(PBR917) to acquire Goshen, IN-based 2nd largest US manufacturer of truck bodies with 2016 sales of $299 million Supreme Industries(NYSE MKT:STS) for $21/share, $364 million. $WNC PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) promotes Shane Tackett to SVP/Revenue Management & e-commerce, names Andy Schneider new VP/People. $ALK PR link.

Fossil Group(PBR617) EVP/CFO & Treasurer Dennis Secor effective 10/16/17, to be succeeded by board member Jeffrey Boyer. $FOSL PR link.

Pier 1 Imports(PBR916) EVP/CFO Jeffrey Boyer leaving, effective 10/03/17, successor search starts; Bhargav Shah hired as SVP/Chief Information Officer. $PIR PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates the US June Total Job Openings at a record 6,163,000, +8.1% from May, +11.4% from June 2016. USDOL PR link.

CoreLogic says US May Housing Mortgages 30 Days or More Delinquent at 4.5%, April was 4.8%, March 4.4%, May 2016 5.3%. CoreLogic PR link.

***Monday, August 7:

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR175) commences public offering of $1.5 billion of its common stock, to be used in $7.2 billion acquisition of Patheon NV, which is expected to close in 3Q17. $TMO PR link.

Office Depot(PBR182) partnering with Deliv to offer same day office products delivery service in Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles, CA, and Ft Lauderdale, FL, rollout to other markets by end of 2017. $ODP PR link.

DISH(PBR196) petitions FCC to deny Sinclair Broadcast Grp(PBR894) $43.50/share, $3.9 billion cash/stock, plus assumption of $2.7 billion of debt acquisition of Tribune Media(NYSE: TRCO). $DISH PR link.

CBS(PBR210) gets agreement with AT&T(PBR12) to join “DIRECTV NOW” Live TV service, to offer Entertainment, Sports and CBS News Programming as well as SHOWTIME, The CW, CBS Sports Network and Pop, terms not disclosed. $CBS PR link.

CBS(PBR210) All Access subscription service to expand internationally, first to Canada in 1H18, expects 4 million US subscribers at $5.99-$9.99/mo by end of 2017. $CBS PR link.

Ball Corp(PBR312) to repurchase around $100 million of its outstanding common stock in a private accelerated stock repurchase transaction with Goldman Sachs(PBR76). $BLL PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) gets tentative US FDA approval under PEPFAR program for first 3 drug combination used for treating HIV/AIDS in developing countries. $MYL PR link.

Netflix(PBR447) makes its first acquisition, Millarworld, the comic book publishing powerhouse founded by Mark Millar, creator of such iconic characters and stories as Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Old Man Logan, terms not disclosed. $NFLX PR link.

Snap-On(PBR641) authorizes new up to $500 million share repurchase program. $SNA PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) to offer $1.5 billion in senior notes due 2025, to use net proceeds to further strengthen its balance sheet during period of rapid scaling of Model 3, and for general corporate purposes. $TSLA PR link.

Endo Intl(PBR700) reaches agreements to resolve virtually all known 22,000 US mesh product liability claims, making installment payments starting in 4Q17, adding $775 million to liability fund. $ENDP PR link.

Diplomat Pharmacy(PBR515) hires Joel Saban as president, succeeds leaving Paul Urick. $DPLO PR link.

Manitowoc(PBR579) EVP/Tower Cranes Larry Weyers resigning, effective 08/31/17, EVP/Mobile Cranes Aaron Ravenscroft appointed as successor. $MTW PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR948) appoints Interim CFO Marc Swanson to CFO, effective immediately. $SEAS PR link.

Assurant(PBR268) appoints Emigrant Bank vice chairman Harriet Edelman and former senior managing director of global ratings and research at Moody’s Investors Service Debra Perry to the Board. $AIZ PR link.

TimeInc(PBR631) appoints Katie Stanton, Chief Marketing Officer of health technology service Color, to the Board. $TIME PR link.

The Federal Reserve Board says US Preliminary June Total Consumer Debt at $3.856 trillion, +0.3% from May, +2.4% YTD, +5.7% from June 2016. FED PR link.

FannieMae(PBR17) says the US July Home Purchase Sentiment Index is at 86.8, June was 88.3, May 86.2, July 2016 86.5. $FNMA PR link.

***Friday, August 4:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/04/17:
DJIA ends week at record 22,092.81, +1.20% from last Friday, +0.92% MTD, +3.48% QTD, +11.79% YTD, +0.00% from record 22,092.81 set 08/04/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 6,351.56, -0.36% from last Friday, +0.05% MTD, +3.44% QTD, +17.99% YTD, -1.11% from record 6,422.75 set 07/26/17.
SPX ends weel at 2,476.83,+0.19% from last Friday, +0.26% MTD, +2.20% QTD, +10.63% YTD, -0.04% from record 2,477.83 set 07/26/17.

Wells Fargo(PBR30) settles 2006 lawsuit for $108 million to US government, related to VA loans, denies any wrongdoing. $WFC PR link.

Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW) and DuPont(PBR82) merger regulatory issues resolved, merger of equals to occur after NYSEcloses on 08/31/17, DowDuPont to begin trading on 09/01/17 with stock symbol DWDP. $DD PR link.

Travelers Cos(PBR104) completes $490 million acquisition of UK based 430,000+ accounts small business insurance policies distributor Simply Business. $DD PR link.

ADP(PBR235) activist investor Pershing Square seeking control of ADP, wants 5 of 10 board seats and CEO change, denied request to extend director nominations deadline, ADP says it already has a strong and independent Board. $ADP PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352 $BX) and CVC Capital Partners to acquire UK based online payments provider PaySafe for $3.9 billion. PaySafe PR link.

AT&T(PBR12) hires Brian Lesser as CEO/Advertising & Analytics. $T PR link.

Progressive(PBR145) elects former JPMorgan Chase(PBR21) senior executive Philip Bleser to the Board. $PGR PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US July Employment at 153,513,000, +345,000 from June, +1,967,000 from July 2016, Unemployment Rate at 4.3%, July 2016 Unemployment Rate was 4.9%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce US Preliminary June Exports were at $194.4 billion, Imports$238.1 billion, Deficit $43.7 billion, Deficit YTD$276.4 billion, June 2016 Deficit YTD was $249.8 billion. USDOC PR link.

***Thursday, August 3:

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37)’s Janssen unit gets US FDA approval for IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) as first and only approved treatment in certain situations for adult patients with Chronic Graft-Versus-Host-Disease (cGVHD). $JNJ PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37)’s Janssen unit gets notice that US FDA Advisory Committeedoes not recommend approval of Sirukumab for treatment of moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis. $JNJ PR link.

AbbVie(PBR136) gets US FDA approval of Mavyret(glecaprevir and pibrentasvir) for certain Hepatitis C conditions. $ABBV PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) to acquire developer of innate immune response for treating cancer therapies IFM Therapeutics for $300 million cash upfront and up to $1.01 billion upon milestone achievements. $BMY PR link.

CDW(PBR239) authorizes additional $750 million for share repurchase program, balance is now $1.033 billion. $CDW PR link.

Bed Bath & Beyond(PBR240) realigns store management in about half its stores, to reduce Department and Assistant Store Manager positions by 880. $BBBY PR link.

Mastercard(PBR291) and PayPal(PBR252)expand partnership in Asia Pacific to spur mobile and digital commerce. $MA PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR728) authorizes up to $100 million share repurchase program over next 2 years. $AMC PR link.

Global Payments(PBR762) to acquire the communities and sports divisions cloud-based payment technology solutions for event planners provider ACTIVE Network from Vista Equity Partners for $1.2 billion cash/stock. $GPN PR link.

Allscripts(PBR944) to acquire McKesson(PBR6)‘s hospital/health system IT business, Enterprise Information Solutions for $185 million cash. $MDRX PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR988) end of 2Q17 subscribers up by 20.1% year-over-year to 3.5 million. $WTW PR link.

Avon Products(PBR303) CEO Sheri McCoy to step down on 03/31/18, new CEO search starts. $AVN PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) elects James Beer, EVP/CFO of McKesson(PBR6), to the Board. $ALK PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census estimates US June Manufacturers’ New Orders were $481.1 billion, +3.0% from May, +7.8% from June 2016. USDOC PR link.

The ISM US July Non-Manufacturing Index(>50%=Growing) is at 53.9%, June was 57.4%, May 56.9%, July 2016 55.5%. ISM PR link.

The IHS Markit US July Composite PMI Output Index is at 54.6, June was 53.9, May53.6, July 2016 51.8. IHS Markit PR link.

***Wednesday, August 2:

Medtronic(PBR133) gets US FDA approval and European CE Mark of the Avalus(TM) Surgical Aortic Valve. $MDT PR link.

Jacobs Engineering(PBR225) to acquire $4.4 billion/last 12 months, 20,000+ employees Englewood, CO, based global design, engineering and program management firm CH2M for $3.27 billion cash/stock, includes $416 million debt. $JEC PR link.

Symantec(PBR385) to sell its Website Securityand related PKI solutions to Lehi, UT, based DigiCert for $950 million and about a 30% equity stake in DigiCert common stock, part of Symantec plan to be focused on cloud generation Integrated Cyber Defense Platform. $SYMC PR link.

Macquarie Infrastructure(PBR901) invests $135 million in joint venture with Intersect Power to develop and own renewable power generation and storage, supports continued development of projects involving 700MW in California and Texas. $MIC PR link.

Macquarie Infrastructure(PBR901) to fund itsInternational-Matex Tank Terminals unit acquisition of Savannah, GA, based 7 terminals, 3.1 million barrels of liquid storage capacity Epic Midstream for $171.5 million. $MIC PR link.

PharMerica(PBR911) to be acquired by KKR(PBR332) for $29.25/share, $1.4 billion cash, includes debt, Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36) to be a minority investor, to close in early 2018. $PMC PR link.

Tronox(PBR946) to sell its Green River, WY, based Alkali Chemicals business, the world’s largest producer of natural soda ash, to Genesis Energy(PBR583 $GEL) for $1.325 billion cash, expects to close 2H17. $TROX PR link.

Ferro Corp(PBR992) has acquired Israelibased private global digital printing solutions on glass substrates provider Dip Tech for $60 million. $FOE PR link.

Mondelez(PBR87) chairman/CEO Irene Rosenfeld to step down as CEO in 11/17, remain chairman until retirement 03/31/18. Dirk Van de Put hired to be CEO, then add chairman role. $MDLZ PR link.

Travelers Cos(PBR104) CEO Alan Schnitzer elected Board Chairman, succeeds John Dasburg who becomes independent lead director again, elects Clarence Otis, former chairman/CEO of Darden Restaurants(PBR398), to the Board. $TRV PR link.

Stryker Corp(PBR283) elects Mary Brainerd, former president/CEO of HealthPartners, to the Board. $SYK PR link.

DSW(PBR778) elects Peter Cobb, eBags co-founder and e-commerce executive, to the Board. $DSW PR link.

OGE Energy(PBR789) elects Mike Sanner, retired as an audit partner from Ernst & Young, to the Board. $OGE PR link.

The ADP(PBR235) Preliminary US July National Change in Private Sector Employment was +178,000, -6.8% from revised June, -22.3% from July 2016. $ADP PR link.

OpenSignal releases State of Mobile Networks: USA (August 2017), compares AT&T(PBR12), Sprint(PBR86), T-Mobile(PBR95), & Verizon(PBR15) in 3G/4Gbenchmark tests. OpenSignal PR link.

***Tuesday, August 1:

Apple(PBR5) 3Q17 report shows iPhone sales at 41,026,000 units, 2Q17 was 50,763,000, 3Q16 40,399,000. $AAPL PR link.

General Motors(PBR8) closes $1.4 billion sale of Opel/Vauxhall to Groupe PSA, $1 billion sale of GM Financial’s European operations to Groupe PSA and BNP Paribas expected to close later this year. $GM PR link.

Verizon(PBR15) to purchase fiber-optic network assets serving the Chicago market from Englewood, CO, based WideOpenWest(NYSE: WOW) for $225 million, expects to close 1Q18. $VZ PR link.

Cisco(PBR60) completes $610 million acquisition of SD-WAN solutions provider Viptela. $CSCO PR link.

Tesoro(PBR71) & Tesoro Logistics LP(NYSE: TLLP) officially change names to Andeavor(NYSE: ANDV) and Andeavor Logistics LP(NYSE: ANDX). $ANDV PR link.

Allstate(PBR84) authorizes new $2 billion share repurchase program. $ALL PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) 1Q17 is profitable, first time in 3 years, had 61,000 net additions, 53.7 million total wireless connections. $S PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) completes $750 million sale of 4 Houston acute care hospitals to HCA(PBR75). $THC PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) gets US FDA approval for Opdivo (nivolumab) in some metastatic colorectal cancer situations. $BMY PR link.

Celgene(PBR347) & Agios Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ:AGIO) get US FDA approval for IDHIFA® (enasidenib) to treat certain acute myeloid leukemia situations. $CELG PR link.

CommScope(PBR482) completes acquisition of Santa Ana, CA, based Cable Exchange, a privately held quick-turn supplier of fiber optic and copper assemblies for data, voice and video communications with 2nd manufacuring location in Pineville, NC, terms not disclosed. $COMM PR link.

Costco(PBR18) announces that chairman/co-founder Jeff Brotman has died. $COST PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) Group President & CFO Brad Halverson to retire in early 2018, CFO external search starts. $CAT PR link.

Dr Pepper Snapple(PBR406) promotes SVP/Marketing Jaxie Alt to EVP/Human Relations, Andrew Springate to SVP/Marketing. $DPS PR link.

Ascena Retail(PBR499) consolidates executive leadership, appoints Gary Muto to newly created position of President and CEO of ascena Brands unit, Brian Lynch elevated to president/COO of Ascena Retail. $ASNA PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR948) appoints Marc Swanson as interim CFO, succeeds leaving Peter Crage. $SEAS PR link.

Post Holdings(PBR486) elects Ellen Harshman, dean emeritus of the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University, to the Board. $POST PR link.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances(PBR666) elects Stephen Williamson, SVP/CFO of Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR175), to the Board. $IFF PR link.

Cracker Barrel(PBR729) elects Meg Crofton, former president of Walt Disney(PBR57) Parks and Resorts, US and France, to the Board. $CBRL PR link.

Donaldson(PBR783) president/CEO Tod Carpenter to add chairman role, succeeds Jeffrey Noddle who is not running for re-election. $DCI PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA Preliminary US June Personal Income Annual Rate at $16.378 trillion, Taxes $2.013 trillion, Disposable Personal Income $14.365 trillion, Outlays $13.818 trillion, Savings $0.546 trillion, Savings Rate 3.80%, Effective Tax Rate12.29%. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census Preliminary US June Construction Spending Annual Rate at $1.206 trillion, -1.3% from May, +4.5% from June 2016. USDOC PR link.

The ISM July US Manufacturing PMI Index is at 56.3%, June was 57.8%, May 54.9%, July 2016 52.6%. ISM PR link.

The IHS Markit US July Manufacturing PMI Index is at 53.3, June was 52.0, May 52.7, July 2016 53.8. IHS Markit PR link.

Automotive News reports that US Estimated July New Light Vehicles Units Sold is at 1,416,743, -3.6% from June, -6.9% from July 2016. Automotive News PR link.

The PurdueU/CME US July Ag Barometer Composite Index is at 139, June was 131, May130, July 2016 112. PurdueU/CME PR link.

(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 $13 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 worldwide include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisors, business professors/students, human resources/career counselors/job seekers, federal/state/local government agencies, social causes organizations, to name just a few. To order your monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Subscribe page.)

(Photo courtesy of Vlado, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: acquisitions, Business, Business Intelligence, business news, DJIA, Economy, Leadership, Market Research, Marketing, mergers, Money, NASDAQ, Rankings, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000

The PBR1000 July 2017 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

August 6, 2017 by admin

July 2017: Overvalued? The Answer is: Yes…No…Maybe!

Value Price Balance-Sira Amanwong ID-100532643

Finding the right balance in times of uncertainty is a challenge, but the opportunities are always there.

By Larry C. Paxton

The 2nd half of 2017 got off to a roaring start with all stocks/commodities indices up significantly. At the same time all segments of the economy continued to show only modest to moderate growth, and nothing could be classified as anywhere near robust. The stock market recovery has lasted several years now without any major adjustment, which itself is a rarity.

So, what gives?

More and more investment professionals say a downward correction is imminent, that investors need to retreat to bonds, look at international equity investment opportunities, preserve cash in low interest yield funds, or maybe buy into gold or real estate. Then others say that the stock exchanges are still significantly undervalued because innovations, especially in technology, are driving forces that are increasing value. Certainly Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and others demonstrate that.

As shown in the summary tables below, it might be true that large cap companies are overvalued and the opportunities are in mid to small cap companies.

There are the unknown factors such as an apparent volatile, chaotic, and leaky White House, directionless House and Senate legislative bodies who can’t seem to get anything going, a press that enjoys reporting on and feeding controversy, and external forces such as the threats of North Korea, continued unrest in the Middle East, tension with Russia, and issues such as Brexit in Europe.

However, as The PBR1000 has demonstrated for several years now, there are always short term and long term investment opportunities, it takes some work to discern the next round of winners, and maybe even a little luck, but they are there and just have to be mined for you to come up with the golden nuggets, using excellent proven tools like The PBR1000!

Here are the July summaries on the major US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 20

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 12+/8-; NASDAQ 14+/6-; SPX 11+/9-.

Record Days: DJIA 8, NASDAQ 6, SPX 5

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 5, NASDAQ 10, SPX 3

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3, NASDAQ 3, SPX 3(2x)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 2, 07/07/17: NASDAQ, +1.04%, Tech shares rebound, Jobs report; 07/12/17: NASDAQ, +1.10%, Tech rebound, Beige Book released.

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 1, 07/06/17: NASDAQ, -1.00%, Day after N Korea ICBM test.

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 July Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on July 31, Month % Chg is compared to June 30, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 19 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 13 month subscription and automatically download the July 2017 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +43% to -28%. 529 out of 1,004 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 1.7%, the median was a gain of 1.1%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 07/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	19 Mos % Chg
NRG Energy	220	NRG	24.62	+43	+101	+109
Scientific Games	690	SGMS	37.05	+42	+165	+313
ArcBest	708	ARCB	27.80	+35	+1	+30
Bon-Ton Stores	715	BONT	0.56	+28	-62	-73
Tronox	821	TROX	19.38	+28	+88	+396

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +213% to -73%. 631 out of 1,002 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 10.2%, the median was a gain of 6.3%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 07/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	19 Mos % Chg
Weight Watchers	987	WTW	35.82	+7	+213	+57
Scientific Games	690	SGMS	37.05	+42	+165	+313
Restoration Hardware	812	RH	65.13	+1	+112	-18
Systemax	899	SYX	18.12	-4	+107	+111
Vertex Pharmaceutical	894	VRTX	151.82	+18	+106	+21

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 18 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +396% to -90%. 735 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 23.3%. The median was a gain of 20.9%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 07/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	19 Mos % Chg
Tronox	821	TROX	19.38	+28	+88	+396
NVIDIA	363	NVDA	162.51	+12	+52	+393
Cliffs Natural Resources	817	CLF	7.72	+12	-8	+389
AMD	523	AMD	13.61	+9	+20	+374
Scientific Games	690	SGMS	37.05	+42	+165	+313

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $775.45 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $23.8 billion, median is $7.2 billion, out of 1,004 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 07/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	19 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	775.45	+3	+26	+32
Alphabet	27	GOOG	644.72	+3	+21	+24
Microsoft	29	MSFT	560.37	+5	+16	+26
Facebook	94	FB	491.54	+12	+48	+66
Amazon	12	AMZN	474.51	+3	+33	+50
The PBR1000			23,938.54	+2	+9	+19

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

Company	Price 07/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	19 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	81,450.53	+1.7	+10.2	+23.3
DJIA	21,891.12	+2.5	+10.8	+25.6
NASDAQ	6,348.12	+3.4	+17.9	+26.8
S&P500	2,470.30	+1.9	+10.3	+20.9
GOLD	1,273.40	+2.6	+10.6	+20.1
SILVER	16.80	+1.0	+5.0	+21.7
OIL	50.17	+8.3	-6.6	+35.5

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

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

(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, sira anamwong.)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: Business Intelligence, business news, Commodities, DJIA, Economy, Investing, Money, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, Trading

The PBR1000 June 2017 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

July 17, 2017 by admin

June 2017: What Happened to Tech Stocks?

The first half of 2017 was a bit of a roller coaster ride. What will the second half bring? Don’t forget to raise your arms high, take a deep breath, and be prepared to scream!

By Larry C. Paxton

In June the NASDAQ exchange took a bit of a hit because technology stocks stumbled, while the DJIA and S&P500 did just fine. This is also reflected in the Top 5 lists below where the monthly, year-to-date, and 18 months results have few tech stocks in the mix. The market capitalization Top 5 is even more dramatic, loaded with all tech related stocks, each one dropped in value during the month.

Half way through 2017 the stock exchanges are doing much better than any one was predicting at the end of 2016.

For many analysts this remains a sign of the Trump Effect and the hopes that the new administration’s efforts will produce federal government laws and programs for infrastructure, healthcare, manufacturing and other sectors. But Congress has yet to pass any meaningful legislation. Without any actions it is hard to imagine that the economy can continue to build to sustain the long running bull market.

The second half of the year should be a roller coaster of unpredictability, review your stocks portfolio, place your bets, and let’s see what happens!

Here are the June summaries on the major US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 22

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 12+/10-; NASDAQ 10+/12-; SPX 11+/11-.

Record Days: DJIA 7, NASDAQ 3, SPX 4

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3, NASDAQ 3, SPX 2

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4, NASDAQ 3, SPX 3

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 2, 06/19/17: NASDAQ, +1,42, Tech shares rebound; 06/28/17: NASDAQ, +1.43%, Tech and other industries rebound

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 3, 06/09/17: NASDAQ, -1.80%, Tech selloff, UK elections; 06/27/17: NASDAQ, -1.61%, Tech selloff, Senate delays healthcare vote; 06/29/17: NASDAQ, -1.44%, Tech selloff

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 June Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on June 30, Month % Chg is compared to May 31, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 18 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +37% to -39%. 621 out of 1,008 stocks were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 1.0%, the median was a gain of 1.4%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 06/30/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
Alliance One Intl	892	AOI	14.40	+37	-25	+26
Schnitzer Steel	960	SCHN	25.20	+31	-2	+75
Groupon	648	GRPN	3.84	+28	+16	+25
G-III Apparel	768	GIII	24.95	+27	-16	-44
Revlon	783	REV	23.70	+27	-19	-15

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +192% to -70%. 623 out of 1,006 stocks were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 8.5%, the median was a gain of 5.2%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 06/30/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
Weight Watchers	991	WTW	33.42	+27	+192	+47
Systemax	900	SYX	18.80	+18	+114	+119
Restoration Hardware	815	RH	64.52	+15	+110	-19
Scientific Games	691	SGMS	26.10	+13	+86	+191
Community Health Sys	126	CYH	9.96	+13	+78	-62

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 18 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +339% to -91%. 746 out of 1,004 stocks were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 21.4%. The median was a gain of 20.9%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 06/30/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
NVIDIA	365	NVDA	144.56	+0	+35	+339
Cliffs Natural Resources	820	CLF	6.92	+17	-18	+338
AMD	525	AMD	12.48	+12	+10	+335
Tronox	824	TROX	15.12	-1	+47	+287
SunCoke Energy	984	SXC	10.90	+25	-4	+214

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $750.90 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $23.5 billion, median is $7.2 billion, out of 1,008 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 06/30/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	750.90	-6	+22	+28
Alphabet	27	GOOG	628.61	-6	+18	+20
Microsoft	29	MSFT	532.18	-1	+10	+20
Amazon	12	AMZN	462.68	-3	+30	+46
Facebook	94	FB	437.57	-0	+32	+48
The PBR1000			23,689.53	+1	+8	+17

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

Company	Price 06/30/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	80,530.09	+1.0	+8.5	+21.4
DJIA	21,349.63	+1.6	+8.0	+22.5
NASDAQ	6,140.42	-0.9	+14.1	+22.6
S&P500	2,423.41	+0.5	+8.2	+18.6
GOLD	1,241.40	-2.7	+7.8	+17.1
SILVER	16.63	-4.5	+4.0	+20.5
OIL	46.33	-4.1	-13.8	+25.1

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

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

(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, wiangya.)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: Business Intelligence, Commodities, DJIA, Economy, Investing, Market Research, Money, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, Trading

The PBR1000 May 2017 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

June 9, 2017 by admin

May 2017: Calm Overcomes a Mid Month Panic

May: 12 days of Calm, 1 day of Panic, 9 more days of relative Calm. Not bad in times of unpredictability.

By Larry C. Paxton

The first half of May saw the NASDAQ and S&P 500 stocks reaching new record highs and the DJIA slightly ahead for the month. But the market reacted very negatively on Wednesday, May 17th, with the political news that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn may have misrepresented his involvement with Russian business and leaders. When the day was finished the implications and concerns were somewhat diminished and all 3 major US stock exchanges followed with 6-7 day positive runs that overtook the drastic 1 day drop and the NASDAQ and S&P500 establishing more record highs.

Here’s a repeat from April: The US economy continues to grow at a modest/moderate rate, with job growth, wage growth and the unemployment rate being reasonable. Business and consumer sentiment indexes show growing confidence.

Because of the current volatility and unpredictability of the US political environment investment in stocks opinions continue to range widely. There are clearly opportunities for the economy to grow and strengthen, but will political turmoil force us to start over? As the drama continues to unfold and evolve don’t wear out the edge of your seat!

Here are some May summaries on the US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 22

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 11+/11-; NASDAQ 17+/5-; SPX 14+/8-.

Record Days: DJIA 0, NASDAQ 10, SPX 7

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 6, NASDAQ 7, SPX 7

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4, NASDAQ 2, SPX 2

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 0

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 1, 05/17/17(Russia influence in US elections, Mike Flynn issues)

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 May Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on May 31, Month % Chg is compared to April 28, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 17 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 13 month subscription and automatically download the May 2017 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +38% to -55%. 474 out of 1,012 stocks were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 0.4%, the median was a loss of 0.6%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 05/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
NVIDIA	365	NVDA	144.35	+38	+35	+338
Cenveo	906	CVO	6.05	+36	-13	-13
First Solar	682	FSLR	38.51	+30	+20	-42
Molina Healthcare	148	MOH	64.57	+30	+19	+7
Dynegy	522	DYN	8.25	+29	-2	-38

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +130% to -71%. 579 out of 1,010 stocks were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 7.5%, the median was a gain of 3.1%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 05/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
Weight Watchers	995	WTW	26.30	+26	+130	+15
Restoration Hardware	818	RH	56.27	+17	+83	-29
Systemax	903	SYX	15.93	+20	+82	+85
iHeartMedia	400	IHRT	1.89	-12	+70	+110
Vertex Pharmaceuticals	898	VRTX	123.60	+4	+68	-2

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

Table 3 Summary: The range was +338% to -89%. 729 out of 1,007 stocks were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 20.3%. The median was a gain of 17.9%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 05/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
NVIDIA	365	NVDA	144.35	+38	+35	+338
AMD	526	AMD	11.19	-16	-1	+290
Tronox	827	TROX	15.20	-8	+47	+289
Cliffs Natural Resources	823	CLF	5.89	-12	-30	+273
Navistar Intl	321	NAV	25.87	-4	-18	+193

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $796.47 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $23.3 billion, median is $7.1 billion, out of 1,012 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 05/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	796.47	+6	+29	+36
Alphabet	27	GOOG	667.44	+7	+25	+28
Microsoft	29	MSFT	539.20	+2	+12	+22
Amazon	12	AMZN	475.40	+8	+33	+50
Facebook	94	FB	438.96	+1	+32	+48
The PBR1000			23,622.33	+1	+7	+16

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

Company	Price 05/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	80,090.17	+0.4	+7.5	+20.3
DJIA	21,008.65	+0.3	+6.3	+20.6
NASDAQ	6,198.52	+2.5	+15.2	+23.4
S&P500	2,411.80	+1.2	+7.7	+18.0
GOLD	1,275.40	+0.5	+10.7	+20.3
SILVER	17.41	+1.1	+8.9	+26.1
OIL	48.32	-1.8	-10.0	+30.5

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

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

(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Stuart Miles.)

The PBR1000 April 2017 Stocks/Comodities Snapshots

May 19, 2017 by admin

April 2017: The Bull Keeps Running

Yes, the Stock Market Bull says the charts show he has a long time to keep going, but can he really read?

By Larry C. Paxton

April continued the upward trend for stocks with all 3 major US stock exchanges finishing up without much volatility during the month. Technology stocks were particularly kind to NASDAQ, which finished up significantly. The only big swing was what was perceived as a positive sign when centrist Emmanuel Marcon was elected President of France.

The US economy continues to grow at a modest/moderate rate, with job growth, wage growth and the unemployment rate being reasonable. Business and consumer sentiment indexes show growing confidence.

Investment professionals continue to be all over the place with opinions ranging from the Bull Market has a long more way to run to a severe Bear Market is right around the corner.

Here are some April summaries on the US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 19

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 8+/11-; NASDAQ 10+/9-; SPX 8+/11-.

Record Days: DJIA 0, NASDAQ 4, SPX 0

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 2, NASDAQ 2, SPX 2

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3, NASDAQ 3, SPX 3

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 1, 04/24/17: Day after centrist Emmanuel Macron wins French Presidential election

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 0

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 April Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on April 28, Month % Chg is compared to March 31, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 16 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 13 month subscription and automatically download the April 2017 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +101% to -85%. 583 out of 1,010 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 1.4%, the median was a gain of 0.7%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 04/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	16 Mos % Chg
Conn’s	918	CONN	17.60	+101	+39	-25
Weight Watchers	993	WTW	20.88	+34	+82	-8
Alere	749	ALR	49.17	+24	+26	+26
CR Bard	575	BCR	307.48	+24	+37	+62
Invacare	1005	IVC	14.70	+24	+13	-15

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +94% to -61%. 623 out of 1,007 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 7.0%, the median was a gain of 3.9%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 04/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	16 Mos % Chg
iHeartMedia	400	IHRT	2.15	-41	+94	+139
Weight Watchers	993	WTW	20.88	+34	+82	-8
Scientific Games	689	SGMS	23.75	+0	+70	+165
Tronox	824	TROX	16.51	-11	+60	+322
Restoration Hardware	814	RH	47.97	+4	+56	-40

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

Table 3 Summary: The range was +363% to -89%. 768 out of 1,005 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 19.8%. The median was a gain of 18.4%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 04/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	16 Mos % Chg
AMD	524	AMD	13.30	-9	+17	+363
Cliffs Natural Resources	821	CLF	6.72	-18	-20	+325
Tronox	824	TROX	16.51	-11	+60	+322
NVIDIA	365	NVDA	104.30	-4	-2	+216
Navistar Intl	319	NAV	26.91	+9	-14	+204

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $753.67 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $23.2 billion, median is $7.1 billion, out of 1,008 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 04/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	16 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	753.67	-0	+22	+28
Alphabet	27	GOOG	626.40	+9	+18	+20
Microsoft	29	MSFT	529.03	+4	+9	+19
Amazon	12	AMZN	441.38	+4	+24	+39
Facebook	94	FB	434.22	+6	+31	+47
The PBR1000			23,340.34	+1	+6	+15

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

Company	Price 04/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	16 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	79,606.60	+1.4	+7.0	+19.8
DJIA	20,940.51	+1.3	+6.0	+20.2
NASDAQ	6,047.61	+2.3	+12.3	+20.8
S&P500	2,384.20	+0.9	+6.5	+16.7
GOLD	1,269.50	+1.4	+10.2	+19.7
SILVER	17.22	-5.8	+7.7	+24.8
OIL	49.19	-3.3	-8.4	+32.8

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Economic Indices Monthly Snapshots? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us in the 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 $13 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 monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, ddpavumba.)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: Business Intelligence, Commodities, DJIA, Investing, Money, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, Research, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, Trading

The PBR1000 March 2017 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

April 24, 2017 by admin

March 2017: Mixed Results

Investing has been strong for quite some time. What will keep investors interested? How will the economy and politics affect investment decisions?

By Larry C. Paxton

March 1st started with a strong uptick after President Trump’s speech the previous evening to the US Congress and citizens. During the rest of the month there were really no wild swings, and a slight trend down. Businesses and people are still trying to figure out the current and future impact of the Trump presidency, how the many personal controversies and issues will be resolved. Overall perhaps March could really be labeled as the “Wait & See Month.”

The US economy does continue to appear to be growing at a modest to moderate pace, but still shows some fragility. Business and consumer surveys indicate optimism.

Investors continue to pretty much tread along, keeping alert for some sure up and down signals.

Here are some March summaries on the US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 23

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 7+/16-; NASDAQ 16+/ 7-; SPX 10+/13-.

Record Days: DJIA 1, NASDAQ 2, SPX 1

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 2, NASDAQ 5, SPX 3

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 8, NASDAQ 2, SPX 4

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 1, 03/01/17: Day after President Trump speech to Congress/Nation

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 1, 03/21/17: Banking sector, options expirations

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 March Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on March 31, Month % Chg is compared to February 28, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 15 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +198% to -69%. 480 out of 1,017 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 0.9%, the median was a loss of 0.4%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 03/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	15 Mos % Chg
iHeartMedia	383	IHRT	3.64	+198	+228	+304
Restoration Hardward	806	RH	46.26	+52	+51	-42
Ruby Tuesday	990	RT	2.81	+48	-13	-49
Sears Holding	109	SHLD	11.49	+47	+24	-44
Systemax	857	SYX	11.09	+40	+26	+29

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +258% to -91%. 630 out of 1,016 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 5.5%, the median was a gain of 2.9%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 03/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	15 Mos % Chg
Republic Airways	951	RJETQ	0.22	-2	+258	-95
iHeartMedia	383	IHRT	3.64	+198	+228	+304
Tronox	805	TROX	18.45	+6	+79	+372
Scientific Games	688	SGMS	23.65	+15	+69	+164
Aeropostale	920	AROPQ	0.03	-18	+60	-88

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

Table 3 Summary: The range was +420% to -96%. 780 out of 1,014 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 17.1%. The median was a gain of 18.3%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 03/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	15 Mos % Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources	828	CLF	8.21	-23	-2	+420
AMD	509	AMD	14.55	+1	+28	+407
Tronox	805	TROX	18.45	+6	+79	+372
US Steel	230	X	33.81	-13	+2	+324
iHeartMedia	383	IHRT	3.64	+198	+228	+304

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $753.72 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $22.8 billion, median is $7.0 billion, out of 1,016 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 03/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	15 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	753.72	+5	+22	+28
Alphabet	26	GOOG	573.57	+1	+8	+10
Microsoft	30	MSFT	508.94	+3	+5	+15
Amazon	12	AMZN	423.03	+5	+19	+34
Berkshire Hathaway	3	BRK	413.43	-2	+3	+27
The PBR1000			23,134.32	-0	+5	+14

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

Company	Price 03/31/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	15 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	78,715.41	+0.9	+5.5	+18.2
DJIA	20,663.22	-0.7	+4.6	+18.6
NASDAQ	5,911.74	+1.5	+9.8	+18.1
S&P500	2,362.72	-0.0	+5.5	+15.6
GOLD	1,251.60	+0.7	+8.7	+18.1
SILVER	18.28	-0.2	+14.3	+32.5
OIL	50.85	-6.0	-5.3	+37.3

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Economic Indices Monthly Snapshots? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us in the 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 $13 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 monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Image courtesy of GraphicStock.com.)

The PBR1000 March 2017 Breaking News Recap

April 13, 2017 by admin

March 2017: Keeping Promises

Capital Building-Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee ID-100286160

President Trump needs Congress to help keep his promises. The Capital building is beautiful, but what happens inside can sometimes be very ugly.

By Larry C. Paxton

Once again most corporate, economic, government, and investing news in the month seemed to revolve around the early days and actions of a new US President and the US Congress. On the very first day of March the major US stock exchanges skyrocketed to new highs based on President Trump’s speech to Congress and the nation the night before. Throughout March the pace continued by President Trump carrying out, or trying to carry out, his campaign promises. There was controversy over his new executive order regarding immigrants, a new healthcare bill was introduced but failed to gain passage, a budget was introduced, A Supreme Court nominee was named and the path to confirmation has some possible potholes, N Korea continued to take worrisome actions, and the list goes on, some more are in the paragraphs below. A lot happened in March, but the ramifications will probably not be known or clear for some time and April looks like it will provide more of the same.

Here’s a quick March 2017 summary on key activities that relate to The PBR1000:

Mergers & Acquisitions: 26 deals worth at least $1 billion initiated, closed, or updated. Total transaction value was $306 billion.

Spinoffs: None

Share Repurchase Programs: 13 announced, total $13.6 billion.

Bankruptcies: 4 initiated or updated

CEO Changes: 9 announced.

Jobs: Modest growth.

US Economy: Modest/moderate growth continues, stable but fragile.

Federal Reserve Federal Funds Rate Changes: 1, +0.25% to 0.75-1.00%, more increases anticipated in 2017.

National: US House unable to pass new healthcare plan, Obamacare continues, proposed budget released, Trump/Germany’s Merkel meet, Neil Gorsuch nominated to Supreme Court, Russia vote meddling hearings.

International: Brexit formal notice given to the European Union, UK Parliament attack, oil price fluctuations, Middle East conflicts, refugee crisis, N Korea missile tests, European elections, climate change, US President Trump actions continue to be the headliners.

For more details here are The PBR1000 corporate and economic related breaking news items of interest with hotlinks to the sources for March 2017, starting with the last active business day.

***Friday, March 31:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 03/31/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends March at 20,663.22, +0.32% from last Friday, -0.72% MTD, +4.56% QTD/YTD, -2.14% from record 21,115.55 set 03/01/17.
NASDAQ ends March at 5,911.74, +1.42% from last Friday, +1.48% MTD, +9.82% QTD/YTD, -0.04% from record 5,914.34 set 03/30/17.
SPX ends March at 2,362.72, +0.80% from last Friday, -0.04% MTD, +5.53% QTD/YTD, -1.39% from record 2,395.96 set 03/01/17.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) declares $280/share, $30 billion cash tender offer for Swiss based pharmaceutical company Actelion(SIX:ATLN) successful, expects to close transaction in 2Q17. $JNJ PR link.

Pfizer(PBR56) gets FDA approval for its IBRANCE® (palbociclib) metastic breast cancer therapy. $PFE PR link.

DuPont(PBR82) merger with Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW) transaction close date amended to be by 08/31/17, first of three spinoffs to be Material Science. $DD PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) provides update on expanded worldwide voluntary recall of certain lots of EpiPen® Auto-Injector. $MYL PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) completes sale of Florida farm center locations to Wedgworth’s, terms not disclosed. $ANDE PR link.

FMC Corp(PBR566) to acquire portion of DuPont(PBR82 $DD)’s Crop Protection business to satisfy European Union requirements for DuPont’s merger with Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW), DuPont to acquire FMC Health and Nutritiion, FMC to make a $1.2 billion cash payment to DuPont. $FMC PR link.

WhiteWave Foods(PBR624) $56.25/share, $12.5 billion cash acquisition by France based global food company Danone gets US Dept of Justice approval, transaction to close soon. $WWAV PR link.

Verizon(PBR15) announces new operating structure with focused in 3 areas, hires Hans Vestberg as EVP/Network & Technology, Marni Walden is EVP/Media & Telematics, John Stratton EVP/Customer & Product Operations. $VZ PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US National Debt on 03/30/17 was $19.847 trillion, -0.4% from 02/27/17, +3.0% from 03/31/16. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US 1 Year Treasury Bill Yield on 03/31/17 was 1.03%, 02/28/17 was 0.88%, 03/31/16 0.59%. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US February Total Personal Income Annual Rate at $16.439 trillion, +0.4% from January, +4.6% from February 2016. USDOC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago estimates the 7th District February Midwest Economy Index at +0.27, January was +0.01, December +0.06. ChicagoFed PR link.

The University of Michigan US March Final Consumer Sentiment Index was 96.9, February was 96.3, March 2016 91.0. UMich PR link.

The MNI March Chicago Business Barometer at 57.7, February was 57.4, March 2016 53.6(>50 gaining). MNI/ISM PR link.

The AAA Regular Gas Average Gallon Price for 03/31/17 is $2.314, +1.1% from 02/28/17, +12.4% from 03/31/16. AAA PR link.

***Thursday, March 30:

ExxonMobil(PBR2) announces new oil discovery on the Snoek well offshore Guyana, part of Stabroek Block. $XOM PR link.

AT&T(PBR12) selected by FirstNet for 25 year $6.5 billion agreement to build & manage America’s first nationwide public safety broadband network dedicated to first responders. $T PR link.

VF Corp(PBR232) introduces 2021 strategic growth plan, authorizes $5 billion share repurchase program. $VFC PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) to celebrate 100 years in Texas on 03/31/17 at a store in Wichita Falls, where the first store opened. $JCP PR link.

Celanese(PBR369) sues 3 Chinese high-potency sweetner competitors in Europe for patent infringement, seeks additional US patent rights. $CE PR link.

Rent A Center(PBR657) not renewing Acceptance Now agreement with Conn Appliances because of under performance, expires 06/06/17, involves 115 kiosks. $RCII PR link.

Analog Devices(PBR701) acquires private San Jose, CA, based broadband GaAs and GaN amplifier expert OneTree Microdevices, terms not disclosed. $ADI PR link.

Kaman Corp(PBR934) increases stake from 26% to 49% in India based advanced composite structures manufacturing joint venture with Kineco Ltd. $KAMN PR link.

Six Flags(PBR962) to repurchase $500 million of its common stock, does not anticipate pursuing an real estate investment trust structure. $SIX PR link.

Facebook(PBR228 $FB) Oculus unit co-founder Palmer Luckey leaves. TechCrunch PR link.

Vail Resorts(PBR908) hires Lynanne Kunkel as Chief Human Relations Officer, effective 05/15/17. $MTN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says US 4Q16 GDP 3rd Estimate is +2.1%, $18.869 trillion annual rate, +1.0% from 3Q16, +3.6% from 4Q15. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor US Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims 4 Week Moving Average for 03/25/17 is 254,250, +5.5% from February, -5.1% from March 2016. USDOL PR link.

The US Energy Information Administration says US Crude Oil Stocks on 03/24/17 were 534.0 million barrels, +3.0% from 02/17/17, +6.0% from 03/25/16. EIA PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says US 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Average for 03/30/17 is 4.14%, 02/23/17 was 4.16%, 03/31/16 was 3.71%. $FMCC PR link.

The US Congressional Budget Office says Federal Budget Deficit at 77% of GDP, could rise to 150% by 2047 if no changes made. CBO PR link.

***Wednesday, March 29:

Amazon(PBR29) to open 2nd Houston area fulfillment center, 10th in Texas, to be 1 million sf, employ 1,000 fulltime employees. $AMZN PR link.

Intel(PBR51) promotes Aicha Evans to Chief Strategy Officer. $INTC PR link.

ConocoPhillips(PBR53) to sell its 50% interest in Foster Creek Christina Lake partnership interest and Western Canada Deep Basin gas assets to Cenovus for $13.3 billion cash/stock. $COP PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) completes acquisition of Cold-EEZE(R) brand with several OTC cold remedies. $MYL PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) reviewing Complete Response Letter from FDA not approving its generic of GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus® asthma medication. $MYL PR link.

HCP(PBR834) completes $1.125 billion sale of 64 properties leased to Brookdale Senior Living(PBR587 $BKD) to Blackstone(PBR352 $BX) affiliates. $HCP PR link.

LabCorp(PBR413) promotes Gary Huff to CEO/LabCorp Diagnostics, one of LabCorp’s two primary business segments. $LH PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US 4Q16 Assets at $23.917 trillion, Liabilities $32.026 trillion, Deficit $8.109 trillion, USDOC PR link.

International News: The UK officially notifies the European Union that it is leaving the organization, expects the Brexit process to take two years.

***Tuesday, March 28:

General Motors(PBR8) board rejects investor Greenlight Capital’s proposal for dual class stock structure and four board nominees for upcoming annual shareholder meeting. $GM PR link.

Ford(PBR10) to invest $1.2 billion in 3 Michigan facilities. $F PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to open 1 million sf fulfillment center in Clear Brook, VA, to employ 1,000 fulltime. $AMZN PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to acquire Middle East e-commerce leader SOUQ.com, terms not disclosed. $AMZN PR link.

Wells Fargo(PBR30) agrees to settle class action lawsuit regarding retail sales practices for $110 million. $WFC PR link.

American Airlines(PBR69), largest airline in the world, makes $200 million equity investment in China’s largest airline, China Southern Airlines. $AAL PR link.

Delta Air(PBR72) and Korean Air to implement a joint venture arrangement to grow trans-Pacific network serving 290+ destinations in the Americas and 80+ in Asia. $DAL PR link.

BlackRock(PBR252) investing in data science technologies as part of investment teams, segmenting into 4 active equity products. $BLK PR link.

Salesforce(PBR453) launches Financial Services Cloud Einstein for financial advisors. $CRM PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) gets $1.8 billion investment for 5% ownership by China’s Tencent internet company. $TSLA PR link.

Rent A Center(PBR657) adopts stockholder rights plan. $RCII PR link.

Regeneron(PBR708) & Sanofi get FDA approval of DUPIXENT® (dupilumab) Injection, the first and only biologic medicine approved for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. $REGN PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR728) completes $929 million cash acquisition of Sweden based largest Northern Europe 7 country region theatre exhibitor Nordic Cinema Group. $AMC PR link.

KB Home(PBR802) chairman/president/CEO Jeffrey Mezger rings NYSE opening bell in celebration of company’s 60th(Diamond) anniversary. $KBH PR link.

AIG(PBR46) announces Donna DeMaio rejoining company as EVP/Chief Auditor. succeeds Martha Gallo who is now CIO. $AIG PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314) promotes Christian Stewart to newly created role of EVP/Gaming & Interactive Entertainment. $CZR PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) hires former SEC commissioner Daniel M. Gallagher as Chief Legal Officer, effective 04/17/17. $MYL PR link.

Tailored Brands(PBR643) elects Dinesh Lathi as non-executive chairman of the board, succeeds William Sechrest who remains a member of the board. $TLRD PR link.

Treehouse Foods(PBR690) hires Moe Alkemade to be SVP/Chief Strategy Officer, succeeds Rachel Bishop who is now president/Snacks division. $THS PR link.

Itron(PBR896) EVP/CFO Mark Schmitz resigns, VP/Strategic Planning & Treasury Robert Farrow named interim CFO until successor found. $ITRI PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says 5th District March Manufacturing Index at 22%, February was 17%, January 12%. RichmondFed PR link.

The Conference Board US March Preliminary Consumer Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 125.6, February was 116.1, March 2016 96.1. TCB PR link.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US January National Home Price NSA Index is 185.51(01/2000=100), December was 185.21, January 2016 175.23. CoreLogic PR link.

Fitch Ratings research indicates US auto insurer underwriting results tumble; return to profit a long haul. Fitch PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) US March Outlook says house pricing increasing faster than income, mortgage rates going up, expects mortgage originations to drop, cap 2017 home sales. $FMCC PR link.

***Monday, March 27:

Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW) and DuPont(PBR82) merger gets EU approval conditioned on divesting some business units. $DD PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) to be exclusive US department store for G-III Apparel Group’s DKNY women’s apparel & accessories brand starting 02/18. $M PR link.

Computer Sciences(PBR237) shareholders approve acquisition of Enterprise Services business of Hewlett Packard Enterprise(PBR55 $HPE), to be called DXC Technology, will create $26 billion/yr global IT services company. $CSC PR link.

Ball Corp(PBR312) sells Hubbard, OH, 70 employee paint & general line plant to BWAY, was part of US Can acquisition in 2006. $BLL PR link.

Sealed Air(PBR344) to sell its Diversey Care division & food hygience and cleaning services units of its Food Care division to Bain Capital for $3.2 billion; increases share repurchase program by $1.5 billion, balance is $2.2 billion. $SEE PR link.

Darden Restaurants(PBR398) to acquire 165 casual dining locations averaging $4.4 million/year each Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen for $780 million cash. $DRI PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) completes up to $2.85 billion divesture of muscular sclerosis drug Tysabri® royalty stream to affiliate of Royalty Pharma. $PRGO PR link.

GEO Group(PBR953) to do 3:2 stock split payable on 04/24/17. $GEO PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) hires Jim Gianopulos as chairman/CEO of its Paramount Pictures division effective 04/03/17. $VIA PR link.

Alexion Pharmaceutical(PBR840) hires Ludwig Hantson, PhD, as CEO, succeeds David Brennan who is expected to be appointed chairman on 05/10/17. $ALXN PR link.

***Friday, March 24:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 03/24/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,596.72, -1.52% from last Friday, -1.04% MTD, +4.22% QTD/YTD, -2.46% from record 21,115.55 set 03/01/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,828.74, -1.22% from last Friday, +0.06% MTD, +8.28% QTD/YTD, -1.28% from record 5,904.03 set 03/01/17.
SPX ends week at 2,343.98, -1.44% from last Friday, -0.83% MTD, +4.70% QTD/YTD, -2.17% from record 2,395.96 set 03/01/17.

Tesoro(PBR71) $37.30/share all stock deal, $6.4 billion transaction, acquisition of Western Refining(PBR193 $WNR) approved by stockholders of each company, expects to close 1H2017. $TSO PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR948) gets long-term investment with Beijing, China, based tourism real estate firm Zhonghong Group acquiring the 21% equity stake held by Blackstone(PBR352 $BX) for $23.00/share. SeaWorld to also provide advisory services to Zhonghong. $SEAS PR link.

***Thursday, March 23:

Amazon(PBR29 $AMZN) wins $1.5 billion tax dispute with IRS. MarketWatch PR link.

GameStop(PBR294) 2017 plan includes opening 35 new Collectibles stores, 65 new Technology Brand stores, to close 2-3% of global store footprint. $GME PR link.

KKR(PBR332) completes $1.28 billion tender offer acquisition of Japan based power tool/life sciences equipment manufacturer Hitachi Koki. $KKR PR link.

KKR(PBR332) completes tender offer acquisition of 20,000 employees worldwide Japanese automotive components manufacturer Calsonic Kansei Corp. $KKR PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Novato, CA, based retail property/casual insurance broker Farallone Pacific Insurance Services, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584) to close Bayliner & Sea Ray Joinville boat manufacturing facility in Brazil due to South America weak economy. $BC PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR57) extends chairman/CEO Bob Iger’s contract to 07/02/19. $DIS PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR63) names Francisco Crespo to new position of Chief Growth Officer, Robert Long to Chief Innovation Officer, SVP/CIO Barry Simpson to report to CEO, Jennifer Mann to Chief People Officer, Bea Perez to Chief Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Officer. Retirements announced include EVP/Chief Marketing Officer Marcos de Quinto, SVP/Chief People Officer Ceree Eberly, SVP/Chief Public Affairs/Communications Officer Clyde Tuggle. $KO PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) board elects Jeff Gennette as president/CEO, succeeds Terry Lundgren who retains executive chairman role. $M PR link.

The US Dept of HUD says US February New Homes Sold Annual Rate at 592,000 units, Median Price $296,200, -3.9% from January, -4.9% from February 2016. HUD PR link.

***Wednesday, March 22:

Apple(PBR5) acquires iPad/iPhone automation tool Workflow. Techcrunch PR link.

Microsoft(PBR31) gets patent license agreement with Toyota primarily for connected car technologies. $MSFT PR link.

Philip Morris Intl(PBR35) to invest $322 million in Greek cigarette factory to convert to tobacco sticks producer for smoke-free IQOS, to make 20 billion tobacco sticks/year. $PM PR link.

Cisco(PBR60) completes $3.7 billion acquisition of private application performance monitoring developer AppDynamics. $CSCO PR link.

Merck(PBR70) Animal Health unit acquires controlling interest in privately held leading Brazil animal health products producer Vallee SA, terms not disclosed. $MRK PR link.

Sears(PBR93) CFO Jason Hollar reiterates company focus is on long-term profitability in response to some press regarding 2017 Annual Report comments. $SHLD PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) receives FDA approval for CoreValve(TM) Evolut(TM) Pro Transcatheter Valve with Advanced Sealing. $MDT PR link.

Starbucks(PBR178) plans to create 240,000+ jobs globally(68,000 in the US), open 12,000 new stores(3,400 in the US) by fiscal year 2021. $SBUX PR link.

PNC Financial(PBR189) meets 30% Carbon Reduction Goal ahead of plan, reports results of 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Plan. $PNC PR link.

PPG Industries(PBR190) makes revised proposal of $96.61/share, $26.3 billion cash/stock for European based specialty paints, coatings and chemicals provider AkzoNobel, gets rejected again. $PPG PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR326) authorizes new up to $1.5 billion share repurchase program to start 05/01/17 with no expiration date. $CPB PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) to incorporate many Virgin America brand elements, phase out VA name in 2019. $ALK PR link.

Hologic(PBR767) completes $66.00/share, $1.65 billion cash acquisition of medical aesthetics systems developer Cynosure(NASDAQ: CYNO). $HOLX PR link.

GoDaddy(PBR905) to acquire website security products and services provider Sucuri, terms not disclosed. $GDDY PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR348) hires US Magistrate Judge T Lane Wilson as its SVP/General Counsel, succeeds resigned Sarah Miller. $WMB PR link.

HRG Group(PBR420) president/CEO Omar Asali to resign 04/14/17, chairman Joseph Steinberg to add CEO role. $HRG PR link.

Tailored Brands(PBR643) promotes EVP/COO Bruce Thorn to president/COO. $TLRD PR link.

Brinker Intl(PBR697) promotes Steve Provost to Chili’s Chief Marketing/Innovation Officer. $EAT PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says US February Existing Home Sales Annual Rate at 5.48 million, -3.7% from January, +7.7% from February 2016. Realtor PR link.

***Tuesday, March 21:

Apple(PBR5) introduces iPhone7 & iPhone7 Plus RED Special Edition; new 9.7 inch iPad with Retina display; Clips app for creating videos. $AAPL PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) introduces Alexa with Prime Now to order items by voice and get 2 hour free delivery. $AMZN PR link.

Progressive(PBR145)’s Direct Insurance Company subsidiary selling its Australian business to The Hollard Insurance Company, terms not disclosed. PRG PR link.

Cummins(PBR146) to cut its global water use by 50% by 2020. $CMI PR link.

Marathon Oil(PBR250) to acquire 21,000 net surface acres in Permian’s Northern Delaware basin in New Mexico for $700 million. $MRO PR link.

AutoZone(PBR290) increases share repurchase program by $750 million. $AZO PR link.

SunPower(PBR680) to supply 31% of solar panels in projects awarded and 130 MW in solar capacity in 1st round of French tender. $SPWR PR link.

Cooper Cos(PBR950) increases share repurchase program by $500 million, has $618.5 million available with no expiration date. $COO PR link.

YRC Worldwide(PBR472) promotes Jason Ringgenberg to Chief Information Officer. $YRCW PR link.

CNO Financial(PBR559) promotes Mike Heard to President of Washington National, Gerardo Monroy Chief Marketing Officer, and Joel Schwartz as President of Colonial Penn. $CNO PR link.

Denbury Resources(PBR963) CEO Phil Rykhoek to retire on 06/30/17, board to recommend COO Christian S. Kendall as successor. $DNR PR link.

***Monday, March 20:

eBay(PBR163) to roll out 3-day or less guaranteed delivery for 20 million items. $EBAY PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Springfield, IL, based Nicoud Insurance Services, serves central US as property/casualty broker & employee benefits consultant, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Comcast(PBR42) promotes Dave Watson to president/CEO Comcast Cable, succeeds Neil Smit who becomes Comcast vice chairman on 04/01/17. $CMCSA PR link.

Avery Dennison(PBR396) elects Greg Lovins to VP/Interim CFO, retains Treasurer role, succeeds leaving SVP/CFO Anne Bramman. $AVY PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago US February National Activity Index(CFNAI) is +0.34, January was +0.02, February 2016 -0.17. ChiFed PR link.

***Friday, March 17:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 03/17/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,914.62, +0.06% from last Friday, +0.49% MTD, +5.83% QTD/YTD, -0.95% from record 21,115.55 set 03/01/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,901.00, +0.67% from last Friday, +1.30% MTD, +9.62% QTD/YTD, -0.05% from record 5,904.03 set 03/01/17.
SPX ends week at 2,378.25, +0.24% from last Friday, +0.62% MTD, +6.23% QTD/YTD, -0.74% from record 2,395.96 set 03/01/17.

Walmart(PBR1) acquires women’s fashion and accessories online specialty retailer ModCloth, terms not disclosed. $WMT PR link.

Huntsman Corp(PBR244) to close remaining operations at its titanium dioxide facility in Calais, France, in 3Q17, affects 108 positions. $HUN PR link.

KKR(PBR332) and CDPQ to jointly acquire 4,400 US professionals in 140 offices USI Insurance Services from Onex, transaction values USI at $4.3 billion. $KKR PR link.

Bon-Ton Stores(PBR707) says NASDAQ to withdraw its deficiency notice, company meets minimum market value standard to continue to be listed. $BONT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US December Average Hourly Wages and Benefits was $34.90, +2.2% from September, +3.9% from December 2015, USDOL PR link.

The Federal Reserve estimates US February Industrial Production Capacity was at 75.4%, January was 75.5%, February 2016 75.6%. FRB PR link.

The Conference Board says the US February Leading Economic Index was 126.2(2010=100), 6th monthly gain, highest in over a decade. TCB PR link.

The U of Michigan US March Preliminary Consumer Sentiment Index is 97.3, February was 96.3, March 2016 91.7. UMich PR link.

***Thursday, March 16:

3M(PBR92) to acquire 1,500 employees worldwide safety devices provider Scott Safety from Johnson Controls(PBR68 $JCI) for $2.0 billion. $MMM PR link.

Dollar General(PBR151) to open 1,000 new stores, relocate/remodel 900 stores in fiscal 2017. $DG PR link.

CenturyLink(PBR160) and to be acquired Level 3 Communications(PBR375 $LVLT) shareholders approve $66.50/share, $34 billion merger, expects to close by 09/30/17. $CTL PR link.

ConAgra Foods(PBR166) to acquire Thanasi Foods, maker of Duke’s® Meat Snacks and BIGS® Seeds, terms not disclosed. $CAG PR link.

PVH(PBR328) to acquire direct-to-consumer intimate women’s apparel e-commerce retailer True&Co., terms not disclosed. $PVH PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) presiding Chapter 11 judge to confirm Plan of Reorganization, on track to emerge from Chapter 11 in early 04/17. $BTUUQ PR link.

Hyatt Hotels(PBR537) doing $300 million accelerated share repurchase agreement with Deutsche Bank affiliate. $H PR link.

AmTrust Financial(PBR564) delays 2016 10-K report, 2015 & 2014 reports being restated, should not be relied upon. $AFSI PR link.

hhgregg(PBR864) terminates Letter of Intent with anonymous party to buy its assets, has others to talk to during Chapter 11 reorganization. $HGGG PR link.

PharMerica(PBR911) acquires national CareMed Specialty Pharmacy, terms not disclosed. $PMC PR link.

Dollar General(PBR151) EVP/Chief Merchandising Officer Jim Thorpe to retire on 04/15/17. $DG PR link.

Ameren(PBR410) promotes Shawn Schukar to Chairman/President of Ameren Transmission subsidiary starting 05/01/17, succeeds retiring Maureen Borkowski. $AEE PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) hires Todd Sheldon as EVP/General Counsel, succeeds retired Steve Cook. $PHM PR link.

Knowles Corp(PBR990) hires Mike Polacek as president of it Intelligent Audio unit, succeeds retiring Paul Dickinson. $KN PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US January Job Openings at 5.625 million, +1.6% from December, -1.5% from January 2016. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD estimates US February Private Housing Building Permits Annual Rate at 1.213 million, -6.2% from January, +4.4% from February 2016. USDOC/HUD PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says March Philadelphia Manufacturing General Activity Indicator is at 32.8, February was 43.6, March 2016 10.6. PhillyFed PR link.

International Data Corporation forecasts that the Augmented and Virtual Reality Headsets Market will grow from 10.1 million units shipped worldwide in 2016 to 99.4 million units in 2021. IDC PR link.

***Wednesday, March 15:

AT&T(PBR12) gets European Commission approval for $85.4 billion cash/stock acquisition of Time Warner(PBR103 $TWX). $T PR link.

Enterprise Products(PBR59) wins bankruptcy bid for $189 million for E Texas/N Louisiana midstream business and assets of Azure Midstream Partners. $EPD PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR408) authorizes up to $50 million share repurchase program. $BN PR link.

Pioneer Natural Resources(PBR476) to sell NE Texas Martin County acreage with 1,500 barrels of oil/day equivalent for $266 million. $PXD PR link.

NVIDIA(PBR510) partners with Germany based Bosch, world’s largest automotive supplier, to develop artificial intelligence self-driving systems for mass market cars. $NVDA PR link.

Tempur Sealy(PBR687) amends Rights Plan to add Qualified Offer Exemption Provision, to be voted on at 2017 annual meeting. $TPX PR link.

GoPro(PBR902) to restructure, cut 270 positions, on track for new hardware, software and international growth in 2017. $GPRO PR link.

Marathon Petroleum(PBR23) EVP/Corporate Strategy Randy Nickerson to retire on 04/01/17. $MPC PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) promotes Charles Meintjes to new position of EVP/Corporate Services & Chief Commercial Officer; George Schuller to succeed Meintjes as president-Australia. $BTUUQ PR link.

Williams-Sonoma(PBR508)’s Pottery Barn Brands president Sandra Stangl resigning 03/31/17 after 23 years at company. Marta Benson promoted to president/Pottery Barn brand, Jennifor Kellor promoted to president/Pottery Barn Kids & PBteen brands. $WSM PR link.

The Federal Open Market Committee votes 9-1 to increase by 0.25% the US federal funds rate to 0.75-1.00%. Many financial institutions raise their Prime Lending Rate from 3.75% to 4.00%. FOMC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US February Consumer Price Index-Urban was +0.1% from January, January was +0.6% from December, last 12 months is +2.7%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US February Current Average Earnings/Hr at $26.09, +0.2% from January, +2.8% from February 2016. $USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US January Manufacturers/Retail/Wholesale Sales at $1.359 trillion, +0.2% from December, +6.4% from January 2016. $USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce US February Advance Retail Sales Estimate at $474.0 billion, +0.1% from January, +5.7% from February 2016. USDOC PR link.

,p>
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the March Empire State Manufacturing General Business Index is at 16.4, February was 18.7, March 2016 -1.5. NYFed PR link.

The Natl Assn of Homebuilders says US March Housing Market Composite Index at 71, February was 65, March 2016 was 58. NAHB PR link.

***Tuesday, March 14:

Merck(PBR70) gets FDA approval for KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) for treatment of adult and pediatric patients with refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), or who have relapsed after three or more prior lines of therapy. $MRK PR link.

Community Health Systems(PBR125) to sell 4 Pennsylvania hospitals to Pinnacle Health, terms not disclosed. $CYH PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) gets FDA approval for Melody(TM)Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve (TPV) for implantation in patients whose surgical bioprosthetic pulmonary heart valves have failed. $MDT PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) gets FDA clearance for Kyphon(TM) Xpede Bone Cement, a new bone cement indication for treating sacral fractures. $MDT PR link.

Parker Hannifin(PBR218) installs 30 MW 4 hour duration lithium ion battery-based energy storage facility, the largest in the world, in S California. $PH PR link.

Cognizant(PBR272) launches $1.5 billion accelerated share repurchase agreement with Barclays, Citibank, and UBS AG. $CTSH PR link.

Sonoco Products(PBR480) completes $230 million cash acquisition of thermoformed packaging for fruit/vegetables manufacturer Peninsula Packaging Co. $SON PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) announces NYIAX, world’s first advertising contract exchange, to transform ad inventory into standardized and durable securities in $72 billion US digital advertising marketplace. $NDAQ PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR179) hires Mark Breitbard as president/CEO of Banana Republic unit, starts in early May, succeeds Andi Owen who has left. $GPS PR link.

Universal Corp(PBR833) CFO David Moore returns from temporary medical leave of absence. $UVV PR link.

Revlon(PBR900) hires Serge Jureidini as president, Elizabeth Arden & Fragrances. $REV PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US February Producer Price Index was +0.3% from January, January was +0.6% from December, December +0.2% from November, last 12 months +1.8%. USDOL PR link.

Manpower(PBR132) Report: Global Job Outlook Improving as Employers in 39 of 43 Countries Report Positive Hiring Plans for Q2 2017. $MAN PR link.

Manpower(PBR132) Report: U.S. Employer Confidence Remains Positive as One in Five Plan to Increase Staff in Q2 2017. $MAN PR link.

***Monday, March 13:

Intel(PBR51) to acquire autonomous vehicle computer vision products developer Mobileye NV(NYSE: MBLY) for $63.54/share, $15.3 billion cash. $INTC PR link.

Travelers Cos(PBR104) to acquire UK based small business insurance policies distributor Simply Business for $490 million. $TRV PR link.

Staples(PBR122) to focus on N American business, selling its Australian and New Zealand business to Platinum Equity, terms not disclosed. $SPLS PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) gets FDA clearance for Reveal LINQ(TM) Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) with TruRhythm(TM) Detection. $MDT PR link.

Parker Hannifin(PBR218) celebrates 100th year of its founding and being an engineering innovator. $PH PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) accelerates expansion of Home Services by testing 6 replacement and remodeling programs in select markets. $JCP PR link.

AGCO(PBR280) to acquire European balers and loader wagons forage division of Lely Group, terms not disclosed. $AGCO PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) launches Exemestane Tablets, 25 mg, a generic version of the reference listed drug, Pfizer(PBR56)’s Aromasin® Tablets, a post menopausal breast cancer therapy. US market is $100 million/yr. $MYL PR link.

NCR(PBR383) to acquire 49% of Blackstone(PBR352) stake, 14.4 million shares, extends lockup of 51% remaining balance for 6 months; increases 2017 planned share repurchase from $300 million to $350 million. $NCR PR link.

Ruby Tuesday(PBR990) to explore strategic alternatives, including sale or merger. $RT PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) promotes Kern Schireson to newly created position of EVP/Chief Data Officer. $VIA PR link.

Lincoln Financial(PBR213) hires Raj Chakraborty to newly created position of Chief Digital Officer. $LNC PR link.

Owens & Minor(PBR292) hires Stuart Morris-Hipkins as EVP/Global Manufacturing Services. $OMI PR link.

Hershey(PBR354) hires Mary Beth West as SVP/Chief Growth Officer, effective 05/01/17. $HSY PR link.

Under Armour(PBR668) hires Clay Dean as Chief Innovation Officer. $UA PR link.

Personal Investing: Investing and retirement investing attitudes results from Capital One(PBR116)’s Financial Freedom Annual Survey. $COF PR link.

***Friday, March 10:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 03/10/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,902.98, -0.49% from last Friday, +0.44% MTD, +5.77% QTD/YTD, -1.01% from record 21,115.55 set 03/01/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,861.73, -0.15% from last Friday, +0.62% MTD, +8.89% QTD/YTD, -0.72% from record 5,904.03 set 03/01/17.
SPX ends week at 2,372.60, -0.44% from last Friday, +0.38% MTD, +5.97% QTD/YTD, -0.97% from record 2,395.96 set 03/01/17.

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR249) completes $1.95 billion cash acquisition of Tools business of Newell Brands(PBR434 $NWL). $SWK PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) launches generic of Pfizer(PBR56 $PFE)’s Pristiq tablets for major depressive disorder treatment, $853 million/yr US market. $MYL PR link.

HARMAN Intl(PBR456) $112.00/share, $8.0 billion cash acquisition by S Korea based Samsung Electronics(KRX: 005930) is completed. $HAR PR link.

Analog Devices(PBR701) completes $60/share, $14.8 billion stock/cash acquisition of high performance analog integrated circuits developer Linear Technology(PBR1011 $LLTC). $ADI PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR728) in compliance with the US Dept of Justice Final Order on AMC’s acquisition of Carmike Cinemas, reaches 20 year agreement for National CineMedia to provide cinema advertising at most legacy and future AMC theatres. $AMC PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) promotes Christa D’Alimonte to EVP/General Counsel & Secretary, effective 04/15/17, succeeds leaving Michael Fricklas. $VIA PR link.

Facebook(PBR228) to live stream at least 22 2017 regular season Major League Soccer matches in English on the Univision Deportes Facebook page. MLS PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US February FYTD(5 months) Federal Government Receipts are $1.257 trillion, Outlays $1.606 trillion, Deficit $349.0 billion, February 2016 FYTD Deficit was $353.0 billion. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US February Total Employed at 152.5 million, +0.3% from January, +1.0% from February 2016, Unemployment rate at 4.7%. USDOL PR link.

***Thursday, March 9:

Kroger(PBR20) approves incremental $500 million share repurchase program, balance is $620 million. $KR PR link.

Comcast(PBR42) completes acquisition of Icontrol Networks & its IoT Converge home security service, terms not disclosed. $CMCSA PR link.

Staples(PBR122) says it will close around 70 stores in N America, targets $500 million free cash flow in 2017. $SPLS PR link.

PPG Industries(PBR190 $PPG) unsolicited proposal of $87/share, $22 billion for European based specialty paints, coatings and chemicals provider AkzoNobel is turned down as undervalued. AkzoNobel PR link.

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR249) completes $775 million plus ongoing royalties acquisition of Craftsman Tools from Sears Holdings(PBR93 $SHLD). $SWK PR link.

Marathon Oil(PBR250) sells Canadian Oil Sands subsidiary to Shell/Canadian Natural Resources for $2.5 billion cash, to acquire 70,000 net acres in Permian Basin from BC Operating for $1.1 billion cash. $MRO PR link.

Avis Budget(PBR316) adds 11 US states to consumer used car sales program, now has nearly 40 states in program. $CAR PR link.

Ingredion(PBR415) completes acquisition of 120 employee rice starch/rice flour business of Thailand’s Sun Flour Industry Co, now has 870 employees, 4 facilities in Thailand. $INGR PR link.

Ulta Salon(PBR646) authorizes new $425 million share repurchase program, plans to open 100 net new stores in fiscal 2017, grow e-commerce sales by 40%. $ULTA PR link.

BE Aerospace(PBR748) stockholders approve $64.38/share $8.3 billion cash/stock acquisition by Rockwell Collins(PBR495 $COL), expects to close deal after regulatory approvals in spring, 2017. $BEAV PR link.

Marathon Petroleum(PBR23) promotes Rod Nichols to EVP/Human Resources, Health and Administrative Services. $MPC PR link.

AIG(PBR46) President/CEO Peter Hancock to resign upon appointment of CEO successor. $AIG PR link.

LKQ(PBR376) president/CEO Robert Wagman steps down for health reasons, CFO Nick Zarcone selected as new president/CEO. $LKQ PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US February Imports Price Index was +0.2% from January, +4.6% from February 2016, Exports Price Index +0.3% from January, +3.1% from February 2016. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve estimates 4Q16 Networth of Households/Non-Profits is $92.804 trillion, +2.3% from 3Q16, +6.3% from 4Q15. FRB PR link.

***Wednesday, March 8:

GE(PBR9) to sell Water & Process Technologies business to France based Suez and Canadian Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec for $3.4 billion cash. Suez PR link.

Colfax(PBR517) to acquire Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment GmbH from Siemens AG for a cash consideration of approximately $205 million. $CFX PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) signs exclusive James Bond licensing deal with EON Productions and MGM. $SGMS PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) hires Dr. Tom Lynch, Jr, as EVP/Chief Scientific Officer, effective 03/16/17, succeeds retiring Dr. Francis Cuss. $BMY PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US 2016 Labor Productivity Output/Hr-All Persons was +0.3%, 2015 was +0.8%, 2014 +0.6%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US January Wholesale Sales were $463.7 billion, -0.1% from December, +8.4% from January 2016. USDOC PR link.

The ADP US February National Employment Report says 298,000 jobs created, 104,000 from small businesses, 122,000 from medium sized, 72,000 from large sized. $ADP PR link.

The Conference Board US February Total Online Advertised Job Vacancies were at 4,537,613, -7.4% from January, -17.3% from February 2016. TCB PR link.

***Tuesday, March 7:

The PBR1000 February Snapshot 11
Top 5 Month Stock Price Gainers Summary:

1. Community Health Systems(PBR115), $CYH, +52%
2. AMD(PBR536), $AMD, +39%
3. Tronox(PBR808), $TROX, +38%
4. Kindred Healthcare(PBR343), $KND, +35%
5. SunPower(PBR912), $SPWR, +32%

Range: +52% to -57%
Companies >+0%: 651/1,000
Average: +2.51%
Median: +2.4%

Get the full Snapshot 11 list with many more details and the 14 other analytical snapshots today with a 2 month or significantly discounted annual The PBR1000 subscription! Subscribe link.

Penske Automotive(PBR170) acquires Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships In Paramus, New Jersey, from the Prestige Family of Fine Cars, generate $215 million revenues/year. $PAG PR link.

AutoNation(PBR148) EVP/General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, & Human Resources Jon Ferrando to retire 03/31/17. $AN PR link.

JetBlue(PBR429) announces 8 executive leadership promotions. $JBLU PR link.

Juniper Networks(PBR516) announces new organizational structure, appoints Kevin Hutchins to new position of SVP/Strategy & Product Line Management, engineering organization now reports to chief development officer Andy Athreya, EVP/GM Development/Innovation Jonathan Davidson has resigned. $JNPR PR link.

Coty(PBR524) hires Laurent Kleitman as President/Consumer Beauty, succeeds leaving Esi Eggleston Bracey. $COTY PR link.

Nu Skin(PBR756) hires Mark Lawrence as CFO, effective 03/27/17, succeeds Ritch Wood who will become CEO. $NUS PR link.

The US Federal Reserve estimates US January Consumer Credit Outstanding at $3.774 trillion, +0.2% from December, +6.3% from January 2016. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US January Exports were $192.1 billion, Imports $240.5 billion, Deficit $48.4 billion, January 2016 was $43.3 billion. USDOC PR link.

The US Energy Information Administration says 2016 US Crude Oil Production Average was 8.9 million barrels/day, forecasts 9.2 million b/d in 2017, 9.7 million b/d in 2018. EIA PR link.

FannieMae(PBR13) says US February Home Purchase Sentiment Index at 88.3, January was 82.7, February 2016 was 82.7. $FNMA PR link.

The PurdueU/CME US February Ag Barometer Index is 134, January was 153, February 2016 was 96. PurdueU/CME PR link.

***Monday, March 6:

ExxonMobil(PBR2) plans $20 billion of investments over 10 years to expand manufacturing in US Gulf region. $XOM PR link.

General Motors(PBR8) selling Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary & GM Financial’s European operations to France based PSA Group(Paris: UG) for $2.3 billion. $GM PR link.

GE(PBR9 $GE) and Baker Hughes(PBR108) receive expected second round of requests from US Dept of Justice regarding pending $7.4 billion merger deal, transaction still expected to close mid 2017. $BHI PR link.

Ross Stores(PBR253) opens 23 Ross Dress for Less and 5 dd’s DISCOUNTS stores across 15 states in February/March, part of 90 stores planned for 2017. $ROST PR link.

PSEG(PBR257) outlines 5 year $15 billion investment in energy infrastructure upgrade plans. $PEG PR link.

Advance Auto Parts(PBR279) 2017 plans include opening a new distribution center, open 75-85 new stores, hire 15,000+ team members. $AAP PR link.

Casey’s General Stores(PBR342) authorizes up to $300 share repurchase program over 2 years, fiscal year 2017 goal is to build/acquire 77-116 stores, replace 35 existing locations, complete 100 major remodels. $CASY PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) names post chapter 11 emergence new board members. Reorganization plan hearing scheduled for 03/16/17. $BTUUQ PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) has US reclamation bonding assurances in place upon emergence from Chapter 11. $BTUUQ PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) to sell Florida farm center locations to Wedgworth’s, terms not disclosed. $ANDE PR link.

CA Technologies(PBR550) to acquire private SaaS-based secure DevOps platform provider Veracode for $614 million cash. $CA PR link.

Analog Devices(PBR701) gets final regulatory approval from China for $60.00/share, $14.8 billion stock/cash acquisition of high performance analog integrated circuits developer Linear Technology(PBR1011 $LLTC), plans to complete transaction on 03/10/17. $ADI PR link.

Universal Forest Products(PBR733) acquires certain assets of first operation devoted to hardwood products, Indiana based $30 million/2016 Quality Hardwood Sales, completes acquisition of Florida based $86 million/2016 treated wood products manufacturer Robbins Manufacturing. $UFPI PR link.

Applied Industrial Technologies(PBR787) acquires hydraulic and lubrication components, systems & solutions distributor Sentinel Fluid Controls, terms not disclosed. $AIT PR link.

hhgregg(PBR864) files for Chapter 11 Reorganization, expects smooth process to emerge in around 60 days. $HGGG PR link.

Barnes Group(PBR977) to acquire private Virginia based hot runner temperature and sequential valve gate control systems for the plastics industry supplier Gammaflux, terms not disclosed. $B PR link.

Wells Fargo(PBR30) hires Allen Parker as SrEVP/General Counsel, effective 03/27/17, succeeds retiring James Strother. $WFC PR link.

AIG(PBR46) promotes Martha Gallo to Chief Information Officer, succeeds Philip Fasano who has left the company. $AIG PR link.

Halliburton(PBR90) CFO Mark McCollum has left for a CEO position, EVP/General Counsel Robb Voyles adds interim CFO role, promotes Lyn Beaty to SVP/Finance. $HAL PR link.

CSX(PBR226) hires E. Hunter Harrison as CEO, succeeds chairman/CEO Michael Ward who has retired, shareholders to provide input on CEO compensation package, board reconstituted per agreement with investor Mantle Ridge. $CSX PR link.

Fitbit(PBR870) in reorganization hires Jeff Devine as EVP/Operations, Chief Business Officer Woody Scal & EVP/Interactive Tim Roberts leaving by end of March; to focus on two business areas, Consumer Health/Fitness and Enterprise Health. $FIT PR link.

Lands’ End(PBR976) new CEO Jerome Griffith starts today. $LE PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US January Manufacturers’ Total New Orders at $470.2 billion, +1.2% from December, +3.8% from January 2016. USDOC PR link.

***Friday, March 3:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 03/03/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 21,005.71, +0.88% from last Friday, +0.93% MTD, +6.29% QTD/YTD, -0.52% from record 21,115.55 set 03/01/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,870.75, +0.44% from last Friday, +0.78% MTD, +9.06 QTD/YTD, -0.56% from record 5,904.03 set 03/01/17.
SPX ends week at 2,383.12, +0.67% from last Friday, +0.82% MTD, +6.44% QTD/YTD, -0.54% from record 2,395.96 set 03/01/17.

The February Non-Manufacturing ISM NMI Index is 57.6%, January was 56.5%, February 2016 was 53.4%(>50%=Growing). ISM PR link.

***Thursday, March 2:

McKesson(PBR6) has 70% stake upon completion of combining its Technology Solutions unit with IT services provider Change Healthcare. $MCK PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to install solar systems on 50 fulfillment facility rooftops worldwide by 2020, 15 of those by end of 2017. $AMZN PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) issues statement saying it is cooperating with law enforcement authorities who entered 3 Peoria, IL, facilities, including headquarters, with search and seizure warrants. $CAT PR link.

Alcoa(PBR115) consolidates to 3 business units, Bauxite, Alumina, & Aluminum. Aluminum a consolidation of smelting, cast products, rolled products, and most energy segments. $AA PR link.

Office Depot(PBR182) retains Zimmerman Advertising as its advertising and media agency of record in 2 year agreement. $ODP PR link.

hhgregg(PBR864) to close 3 distribution centers and 88 stores to refocus on core markets and goals. $HGG PR link.

E*Trade(PBR930) lowers trade commissions rate from $9.99 to $6.95/trade, active traders(30+/qtr) have $4.95 rate plus $0.50/option. $ETFC PR link.

Alexion Pharmaceutical(PBR840) founder/chairman Leonard Bell, MD, to retire 05/10/17, Interim CEO David Brennan expected to be appointed chairman at that time. $ALXN PR link.

Cincinnati Bell(PBR981) CEO Ted Torbeck to retire on 05/31/17, Leigh Fox to be successor as president/CEO. $CBB PR link.

***Wednesday, March 1:

Marathon Petroleum(PBR23) drops down terminal, pipeline and storage assets to MPLX(NYSE: MPLX) for $2 billion cash/stock. $MPC PR link.

General Dynamics(PBR94) authorizes additional 10 million shares for repurchase program. $GD PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR101) unveils new global growth plan, to refranchise 4,000 restaurants in 2017, a year ahead of schedule, focus on digital, expand delivery services, to have 2,500 Experience of the Future restaurants by end of 2017. $MCD PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR142) completes $46.50/share, $960 million acquisition of pain management for migraine developer CoLucid(NASD: CLCD). $LLY PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) to keep Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlanta City, selling the former Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort to investor group lead by Hard Rock International. $IEP PR link.

LKQ(PBR376) completes $310 million sale of its OEM glass manufacturing business to Mexico based Vitro SAB. $LKQ PR link.

AmTrust Financial(PBR564) completes $92.8 million cash acquisition of Pennsylvania/New Jersey workers’ compensation specialist $116 million/2015 gross written premiums firm AmeriHealth Casualty Insurance from Independence Health Group. $AFSI PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) gets FDA final approval for generic version of Eli Lilly(PBR142)’s Axiron®(Testosterone) Topical Solution, 30 mg/1.5 mL. $PRGO PR link.

Fortune Brands(PBR569) authorizes new up to $300 million share repurchase program, expires in 2 years. Current authorization has $196 million available, expires early 2018. $FBHS PR link.

Monster Beverage(PBR785) authorizes new up to $500 million share repurchase program. $MNST PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) has 10 locations in Michigan with acquisition of 3 branches Eastern Michigan based ACME Building Materials. $BECN PR link.

CenterPoint Energy(PBR295) promotes Scott Doyle to SVP/Natural Gas Distribution, Joe Vortherms SVP/Energy Services. $CNP PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases the Beige Book, modest to moderate economic growth, some tightening of the labor market. BeigeBook PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US January Total Personal Income Annual Rate at $16.371 trillion, +0.4% from December, +4.0% from January 2016. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US January Total Construction Spending Annual Rate at $1.180 trillion, -1.0% from December, +3.1% from January 2016. USDOC PR link.

The US February Manufacturing ISM Report on Business PMI Index at 57.7%, January was 56.0%, February 2016 was 49.5%. ISM PR link.

Automotive News says US February Total New Auto Sales were at 1,333,128 vehicles, +16.7% from January, -1.1% from February 2016. Auto News PR link.

(Photo courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: acquisitions, Business Intelligence, business news, DJIA, Economy, Investing, Leadership, mergers, Money, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000

The PBR1000 February 2017 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

March 20, 2017 by admin

February 2017: Investors Continue To Ride The Bull

The Stock Market Bull Ride has lasted several years now. How much longer can it go?

By Larry C. Paxton

With a new US President in the White House initiating some controversial major changes and legislation, and issuing executive orders that rip apart previous administration policies, it would make sense that the stock market, which prefers not rocking the boat, would show some volatility. Surprisingly, the Stock Market Bulls continued to run ahead of the pack each day with all 3 major US stock exchanges staying pretty much between the + & – 0.50% during the month, and finishing ahead quite comfortably year-to-date.

Maybe that’s because at the same time the US economy continues to plod along at a modest to moderate pace and shows some encouraging signs of strengthening.

It could also be that investors are cautiously optimistic, but keeping their eyes and ears open. Let’s hope for the best!

Here are some February summaries on the US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 19

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 15+, 4-; NASDAQ 13+, 6-; SPX 15+, 4-.

Record Days: DJIA 12, NASDAQ 10, SPX 9

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 12, NASDAQ 7, SPX 7

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 1, NASDAQ 2, SPX 1

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): None

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): None

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 February Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on February 28, Month % Chg is compared to January 31, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 14 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 13 month subscription and automatically download the February 2016 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +52% to -57%. 651 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 2.5%, the median was a gain of 2.4%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 02/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	14 Mos % Chg
Community Health Systems	119	CYH	9.75	+52	+74	-63
AMD	509	AMD	14.46	+39	+28	+404
Tronox	805	TROX	17.33	+38	+68	+343
Kindred Healthcard	346	KND	9.00	+35	+15	-24
SunPower	911	SPWR	8.76	+33	+33	-71

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +267% to -84%. 661 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 4.5%, the median was a gain of 3.6%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 02/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	14 Mos % Chg
Republic Airways	951	RJETQ	0.22	-15	+267	-94
Aeropostale	920	AROPQ	0.04	-46	+95	-86
Community Health Systems	119	CYH	9.75	+52	+74	-63
Tronox	805	TROX	17.33	+38	+68	+343
Scientific Games	688	SGMS	20.65	+21	+48	+130

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

Table 3 Summary: The range was +575% to -85%. 786 out of 994 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 17.2%. The median was a gain of 18.3%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 02/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	14 Mos % Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources	828	CLF	10.66	+22	+27	+575
AMD	509	AMS	14.46	+39	+28	+404
US Steel	230	X	38.72	+18	+17	+385
Tronox	805	TROX	17.33	+38	+68	+383
AK Steel	401	AKS	8.33	+3	-18	+271

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $712.72 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $23,031 billion, median is $7.14 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 02/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	14 Mos % Chg
Apple	4	AAPL	712.72	+11.1	+16.4	+22.5
Alphabet	26	GOOG	569.18	+3.3	+7.0	+9.1
Microsoft	30	MSFT	494.41	-1.0	+2.3	+11.6
Berkshire Hathaway	3	BRK	420.84	+3.7	+4.7	+29.3
Amazon	12	AMZN	403.23	+3.0	+13.2	+27.3
The PBR1000			23,030.52	+3.4	+5.0	+14.3

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

Company	Price 02/28/17	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	14 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	77,348.15	+2.5	+4.5	+17.2
DJIA	20,812.24	+4.8	+5.3	+16.2
NASDAQ	5,825.44	+3.8	+8.2	+19.4
S&P500	2,363.64	+3.7	+5.6	+16.3
GOLD	1,243.40	+2.9	+8.0	+17.3
SILVER	18.31	+4.8	+14.5	+32.7
OIL	54.07	+2.5	+0.7	+46.0

Have questions on The PBR1000 or The PBR US Economic Indices Monthly Snapshots? Please contact us at Sales@PBRMarketTools.com or call us in the 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 $13 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 monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, hywards.)

Filed Under: Snapshots Tagged With: Business Intelligence, Commodities, DJIA, Investing, Market Research, Money, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, Research, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, Trading

September 2017: 3Q17 Ends and So Far So Good!

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

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

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 20 Months Stock Price % Gainers

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

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

August 2017: The Stock Market Bull Continues to Prevail

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

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

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 20 Months Stock Price % Gainers

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

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

August 2017: Political and Weather Events

The PBR1000 August Breaking News Items

July 2017: Overvalued? The Answer is: Yes…No…Maybe!

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

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

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 18 Months Stock Price % Gainers

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

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

June 2017: What Happened to Tech Stocks?

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

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

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 18 Months Stock Price % Gainers

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

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

May 2017: Calm Overcomes a Mid Month Panic

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

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

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

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

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

April 2017: The Bull Keeps Running

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

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

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

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

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

March 2017: Mixed Results

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

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

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

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

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

March 2017: Keeping Promises

February 2017: Investors Continue To Ride The Bull

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

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

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

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

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

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