The PBR1000 March 2021 Analytics Summary

April 23, 2021 by admin

The PBR1000 March 2021 Analytics Summary

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The 12 month timeframe from February, 2020, through January, 2021, covers the period from when the COVID-19 Pandemic took hold of the world, affecting everyone in a variety of ways. In this The PBR1000 Analytics Summary we look at the financial results and try to place it in perspective. The following table provides some of the data that highlights the effect of the pandemic.


12 Month Period	02/2019-01/2020	02/2020-01/2021
The PBR1000 Total Revenues	$15.304 Trillion	$14.919 Trillion
Percent Change		-2.52%
Average Profits to Revenues	+8.62%	+5.43%

Average Earnings Per Share	$4.24	$1.80

Number of Companies Paying Dividends	716	697
Total Dividends/Shares Paid	$ 1,233.85	$ 1,176.78
Average Annual Dividend /Share	$ 1.7233	$ 1.6883

	3/31/2019	3/31/2020
The PBR1000 Total of Stock Prices	$ 73,510.80	$ 124,713.97
12 Months Percent Change	-17.03%	69.65%
DJIA	-15.47%	50.48%
NASDAQ	-0.38%	72.04%
SP500	-8.81%	53.71%

Analyst Estimates	3/31/2019	3/31/2020
Total Number of Analyst Estimates	14,724	15,183
Number of Buy Stocks (>4.50 to 5.00 Weighted Average)	133	155
Overweight (>3.50 to 4.50)	549	550
Hold (>2.50 to 3.50)	277	264
Underweight (>1.50 to 2.50)	27	25
Sell (1.00 to 1.50)	8	5
No Estimate	6	1
Average Weighted Estimate	3.88	3.93

Total Market Capitalization	$ 24.390 Trillion	$ 38.589 Trillion

Some observations:

Revenues: Retailers, hospitality, and travel related industries were significantly adversely affected. On the other hand e-commerce, communications technologies, and healthcare industries were beneficiaries. The bottom line is that revenues fell only 2.52% from the 12 months ending January 31, 2020. Previous years had been gains of around 8%. The point is that while revenues took a hit, it was not as dramatic overall. What was affected was profits, earnings per share, and to some extent dividends. While there were negative and positive shifts in revenues, the bottom line is that it was almost a wash. Of course, these numbers reflect The PBR1000, the largest publicly held corporations in the US. Smaller businesses certainly were much more affected.

Stock Market: The stock market, which was in a long term bull market, took some big hits at the beginning of the pandemic. But as the table shows, the recovery was also very dramatic, one of the best years for equities investors. The Average Weighted Estimate, however, did not increase all that much, though there was a nice growth in number of Buy stocks.

Some Conclusions:

There was a shift and rebalancing of revenues in The PBR1000, with the total affect much less dramatic than for most smaller and midsize businesses.

The initial panic over the pandemic had a big effect on the stock market, but it recovered quite nicely. As industries that were the most negatively affected recover there should continue to be significant growth opportunities as the “new normal” sets in, the economy should have robust growth, and The Stock Market Bull should continue to dominate.

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PBRMarketTools.com provides The PBR1000, a compilation of 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with primary operations in the US. These companies generate $15 trillion in annual revenues, more than all other US companies combined. The PBR1000 Monthly Snapshots provides these 1,000 companies in Excel format, includes 15 worksheets with 28 rankings, over 200 data/information points, hotlinks to key data, and important news items per company.

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Disclaimers: The PBR1000 is compiled from a variety of publicly available resources. As such, PBRMarketTools.com is not responsible for the data itself. Any liability for the representations or decisions based on the data is solely the responsibility of the authorized user, not PBRMarketTools.com, its employees or affiliates. PBRMarketTools.com is an independent business intelligence service providing news, data, and analysis. We provide information only and it should not be regarded as advice. PBRMarketTools.com is not a financial advisory or stock brokerage firm and has no affiliation with such organizations.

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Filed Under: Research Tagged With: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Coronavirus, COVID19, Economy, Institutional Investor, Investing, Market Research, PBRMarketTools, Research, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, The PBR25, WallStreet, Wealth Management

The PBR1000 March 2021 Top 5 Stocks Snapshots

April 5, 2021 by admin

The PBR1000 for March 2021: Two In A Row For The Bull

The Stock Market Bull prevails in March, makes it two months in a row. The PBR1000 hopes this is a good omen for the rest of 2021.

By Larry C. Paxton

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for March 2021 ending 03/31/21:

DJIA ends March 2021 at 32,981.55, -0.28% from last Friday, +6.62% MTD, +7.76% QTD/YTD, -0.57% from record 33,171.37 set 03/29/21.

NASDAQ ends March 2021 at 13,246.87, +0.82% from last Friday, +0.41% MTD, +2.78% QTD/YTD, -6.02% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends March 2021 at 3,972.89, -0.04% from last Friday, +4.24% MTD, +5.77% QTD/YTD, -0.04% from record 3,974.54 set 03/26/21.

US Stock Exchanges March 2021 News Summary:

The Stock Market Bull and The Stock Market Bear traded strong punches in the first week of March. But then The Stock Market Bull dominated with a lot of nice jabs during the second week. During weeks three and four the combatants traded punches. During the whole month The Stock Market Bear focused on the technology oriented NASDAQ, had some good rounds, but The Stock Market Bull managed to sneak ahead in the last week. The Stock Market Bull also established several new record highs for the DJIA and S&P500 during the month. The bottom line is that The Stock Market Bull takes a 3-0 victory for March and remains unbeaten in the first 3 months of 2021.

The March 2021 tally YTD(3 Months) is:

The Stock Market Bull: 2 months
The Stock Market Bear: 0 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

The March 2021 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 23

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 13+/10-; NASDAQ 12+/11-; SPX 12+/11-.

Record Days: DJIA 7, NASDAQ 0, SPX 5, Total 12

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 7 days(03/05-15/21), NASDAQ 3 days(03/15-17/21), and SPX 5 days(03/09-15/21)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3 days(03/02-04/21), NASDAQ 3 days(03/02-04/21), and SPX 3 days(03/02-04/21)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 9 days, 03/01/21( D +1.95%, N +3.01%, S +2.38%), 03/05/21/21(D +1.85%, N +1.55%, S +1.95%), 03/09/21(N +3.69%, S +1.42%), 03/10/21(D +1.46%), 03/11/21(N +2.52%, S +1.04%), 03/15/21(N +1.05%), 03/22/21(N +1.23%), 03/26/21(D +1.39%, N +1.24%, S +1.16%), 03/31/21(N +1.54%)

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 7 days, 03/02/21(N -1.69%), 03/03/21(N -2.70%, S -1.31%), 03/04/21(D -1.11%, N -2.11%, S -1.34%), 03/08/21(N -2.41%), 03/18/21(N -3.02%, S -1.48%), 03/23/21(N -1.12%), 03/24/21(N -2.01%)

The PBR1000 March 2021 Top 5 Stocks Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 February 2021 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on March 31, 2021, 1 Month % Chg is compared to February 26, 2021, 12 Months % Chg is compared to March 31, 2020, the 24 Months % Chg is compared to March 31, 2019, and 60 Months % Chg is compared to March 31, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 12 month subscription and automatically download the March 2021 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 28 rankings with the bonuses The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots and The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +87% to -63%. 812 out of 997 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 4.81%, the median was a gain of 5.73%. The DJIA was +6.62%, NASDAQ +0.41%, SPX +4.24%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 03/31/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
GameStop	422	GME	$ 189.62	+87	+5,323	+1,768	+498
Hovnanian	831	HOV	$ 105.74	+84	+1,183	+864	+171
Veritiv	425	VRTV	$ 42.54	+79	+441	+62	+14
Community Health Sys	250	CYH	$ 13.52	+58	+305	+262	-27
US Steel	302	X	$ 26.17	+58	+315	+34	+63

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 12 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +5,323% to -72%. 964 out of 987 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 69.80%, the median was a gain of 77.30%. The DJIA was +50.48%, NASDAQ +72.04%, SPX +53.71%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 03/31/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
GameStop	422	GME	$ 189.92	+87	+5,323	+1,768	+498
Tupperware	921	TUP	$ 26.41	-14	+1,530	+3	-54
Antero Resources	634	AR	$ 10.20	+13	+1,331	+16	-59
Michael’s	507	MIK	$ 21.94	+46	+1,254	+92	-22
SM Energy	946	SM	$ 16.37	+18	+1,242	-6	-13

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 24 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +1,768% to -90%. 734 out of 977 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 40.62%. The median was a gain of 27.64%. The DJIA was +27.20%, NASDAQ +71.38%, SPX +40.17%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 03/31/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
GameStop	422	GME	$ 189.82	+87	+5,323	+1,768	+498
Tesla	94	TSLA	$ 667.93	-1	+537	+1,093	+1,353
Hovnanian	831	HOV	$ 105.74	+84	+1,183	+863	+171
Owens & Minor	342	OMI	$ 37.59	+11	+311	+817	-7
RH	782	RH	$ 596.60	+22	+494	+480	+1,324

Table 4(R21): The PBR1000 Top 5 60 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 4 Summary: The range was +2,654% to -88%. 697 out of 923 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 97.95%. The median was a gain of 59.58%. The DJIA was +86.49%, NASDAQ +172.02%, SPX +92.88%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 03/31/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
AMD	301	AMD	$ 78.50	-7	+73	+208	+2,654
NVIDIA	277	NVDA	$ 533.93	-3	+103	+197	+1,399
Square	312	SQ	$ 227.05	-1	+333	+203	+1,386
Tesla	94	TSLA	$ 667.93	-1	+537	+1,093	+1,353
RH	782	RH	$ 596.60	+22	+494	+480	+1,324

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $2,306 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $36.703 billion, median is $9.60 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 03/31/21	1 Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
Apple	3	AAPL	$ 2,013	-1	+81	+125
Microsoft	15	MSFT	$ 1,749	+1	+43	+93
Amazon	2	AMZN	$ 1,539	-0	+57	+76
Alphabet	9	GOOG	$ 1,383	+1	+75	+70
Facebook	30	FB	$ 820	+13	+73	+72
The PBR1000			$ 38,510	+3	+58	+44

Table 6: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company	Price 03/31/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	123,526.11	+4.8	+69.8	+40.6	+98.0
DJIA	32,981.55	+6.6	+50.5	+27.2	+86.5
NASDAQ	13,246.87	+0.4	+72.0	+71.4	+172.0
S&P500	3,972.89	+4.2	+53.7	+40.2	+92.9
GOLD	1,715.60	-0.8	+7.8	+32.3	+38.9
SILVER	24.53	-7.2	+78.3	+62.5	+58.7
OIL	59.16	-3.8	+194.3	-1.7	+54.3

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The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks for Investing on 04/01/21

April 5, 2021 by admin

The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks Candidates for Investing!

Each month PBRMarketTools provides a list of 25 top buy stocks candidates, called The PBR25, in which to consider investing.

The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks on 04/01/21 Summary:

– Average Recommendation: 4.69/5.00
– Average Recommendations Range: 4.55-5.00/5.00
– Average Number of Recommendations: 23
– Average Number of Buy Recommendations: 19
– Range of Number of Buy Recommendations: 6 to 45
– Average Estimated 12 Month Return: +27.2%
– Estimated 12 Month Return Range: +20.6% to +54.1%
– NYSE: 13 companies, NASDAQ: 12 companies
– Average Return since 03/31/20(12 mos): +60.5%
– DJIA Return since 03/31/20: +51.3%
– NASDAQ Return since 03/31/20: +75.1%
– S&P500 Return since 03/31/20: +55.5%
– Stock Price Range: $10.48 to $3,161.00
– Total The PBR25 Market Capitalization: $2,719.23 billion
– Market Capitalization Range: $1.68 billion to $1,538.54 billion

The PBR25 is a great timesaver for evaluating investing in highly rated stocks for your portfolio and available for a very affordable investment.

The PBR25 is a subset of our popular and more comprehensive The PBR1000, which is made up of

publicly held companies
that trade on a major US stock exchange,
have annual revenues of at least $1 billion,
file annual 10-K reports with the US Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC),
and have headquarters or primary operations in the US.

The PBR1000 companies combined generate over 50% of all goods and services revenues in the US.

The PBR25 contains on a single page in PDF format key information on 25 stocks which highly regarded analysts have given a “Buy” recommendation. The PBR25 is based on around 15,000 analyst recommendations. You will also get the MS-Excel records for all 25 Buy recommendations plus the over 200 data points and hotlinks to critical information from The PBR1000 master data set. It is an invaluable tool for researching high probability of success investing opportunities.

The PBR25 is created each month by sorting The PBR1000 by Analyst Recommendation and then by total number of recommendations. The top 25 with a Buy recommendation are selected and sorted by the Estimated 12 Month Return. On a 1-5 basis, a Buy recommendation has a weighted average greater than 4.50.

Data on the PDF report includes: Rank By Estimated 12 Month Return; Company Name; Last Fiscal Year Earnings Per Share; Last Fiscal Year Dividend; End of Previous Month Stock Price; Trading Symbol; Stock Exchange; Average 12 Month Analyst Target Stock Price; Estimated 12 Month % Return; Analysts Overall Recommendation; Number of Analyst Recommendations for Buy, Outperform, Hold, Underperform, and Sell; Recommedation Weighted Average; Stock Price % Change from the previous month, last 24 months, past 60 months, and; Market Capitalization. It also includes the DJIA, NASDAQ, and S&P500 indexes for comparison purposes.

When you sign up you will be directed to a download for the current issue printable PDF version of The PBR25, which will also be emailed to you, along with the MS-Excel version, which you can then customize for your own personal evaluations. Subsequent issues will be emailed to you a few days after the last day of each month for 12 months, both in PDF and MS-Excel formats.

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The PBR1000 March 2021 Breaking News Recap

March 31, 2021 by admin

The PBR1000 for March: Continuing to Rebuild

The economy continues to rebuild as hopefully the COVID-19 pandemic starts to wind down. What will the new economy look like?

The March 2021 breaking news items of interest for The PBR1000 follow with the most current date first.

***Wednesday, March 31

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for March 2021 ending 03/31/21:

DJIA ends March 2021 at 32,981.55, -0.28% from last Friday, +6.62% MTD, +7.76% QTD/YTD, -0.57% from record 33,171.37 set 03/29/21.

NASDAQ ends March 2021 at 13,246.87, +0.82% from last Friday, +0.41% MTD, +2.78% QTD/YTD, -6.02% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends March 2021 at 3,972.89, -0.04% from last Friday, +4.24% MTD, +5.77% QTD/YTD, -0.04% from record 3,974.54 set 03/26/21.

US Stock Exchanges March 2021 News Summary:

The March 2021 tally YTD(3 Months) is:

The Stock Market Bull: 2 months
The Stock Market Bear: 0 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

Daily Corporate News:

Microsoft(PBR15 $MSFT) wins a nearly $22 billion 5 year plus 5 year extension contract to supply US Army combat troops with its augmented reality headsets, technology is based on Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets, which were originally intended for the video game and entertainment industries. VOA News PR link.

American Airlines(PBR169 $AAL) has repaid in full $2.8 billion of revolving loans, in the aggregate, under three separate revolving credit facilities in a liquidity-neutral transaction, had borrowed the $2.8 billion in April 2020 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on the demand for air travel. PR link.

Camping World(PBR344 $CWH) to acquire multi-location Hilltop RV Superstore, with dealerships in Escanaba and Ishpeming, Michigan, to close in 05/21. PR link.

KKR(PBR576 $KKR) has acquired The Exchange on 16th, a 750,000-square-foot Class A office complex in San Francisco, CA, from Kilroy Realty, for approximately $1 billion. PR link.

Cubic Corp(PBR961 $CUB) has accepted a proposal from Veritas Capital and Evergreen Coast Capital, an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, to increase the price per share of their pending acquisition of Cubic to $75.00 per share in cash, around $3 billion which includes debt, has ceased engagement with ST Engineering who had bid $78/share, has set 04/27/21 for a special shareholders meetings to vote on being acquired. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of the Treasury says on 03/29/21 the US National Debt-Public is at $21.839 trillion, Intragovernmental $6.151 trillion, making 03/29/21 US Total National Debt at $27.990, 02/28/21 was at $28.005 trillion, 01/31/21 $27.829 trillion, 03/30/20 $23.687 trillion. PR link.

The US Dept of the Treasury says the 03/31/21 US 10 Year Treasury Note Yield was at 1.74%, 02/26/21 was at 1.44%, 01/29/21 1.11%, 03/31/20 0.70%. PR link.

ADP says the Preliminary March 2021 US Change in Private Sector Employment-Small Businesses(1-49 employees) is at +174,000, Mid-Sized(50-499) +188,000, Large-Sized(500 or more) +155,000; Goods Producing Sector is at +80,000, Services Sector 437,000; making March 2021 Total US Employment Change at +517,000, February 2021 was at +176,000, January 2021 +196,000, March 2020 -204,000. “We saw marked improvement in March’s labor market data, reporting the strongest gain since September 2020… “Job growth in the service sector significantly outpaced its recent monthly average, led with notable increase by the leisure and hospitality industry. This sector has the most opportunity to improve as the economy continues to gradually reopen and the vaccine is made more widely available. We are continuing to keep a close watch on the hardest hit sectors but the groundwork is being laid for a further boost in the monthly pace of hiring in the months ahead.” PR link.

The US Energy Information Administration says that on 03/26/21 the US Crude Oil Stocks is at 501.8(Millions of Barrels), 02/19/21 was at 463.0, 01/22/21 476.7, 03/20/21 455.4. PR link.

The American Automobile Assn says on 03/31/21 the US Average Price of a Gallon of Regular Gas is at $2.874, 02/26/21 was at $2.699, 01/29/21 $2.422, 03/31/20 $1.997. PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the February 2021 US 7th District Midwest Economy Index is at +0.35, January 2021 was at +0.65, December 2020 +1.26, February 2020 -0.16. “Index suggests slower Midwest growth through February.” PR link.

MNI Indicators says the Preliminary March 2021 Chicago Business Barometer Index(>50 Economy gaining) is at 66.3, February 2021 was at 59.5, January 2021 63.8, March 2020 47.8. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says the Preliminary 4Q20 US Net International Investment Position-Assets is at $32.156 trillion, Liabilities $46.248 trillion, making a 4Q20 Deficit at $14.092 trillion, 3Q20 Deficit was at $13.865, 2Q20 Deficit $13.085 trillion, 4Q19 Deficit $11.051 trillion. PR link.

***Tuesday, March 30

Daily Corporate News:

Walgreens(PBR16 $WBA) announces agreement with InComm Payments, a global payments technology company, to provide convenient and accessible financial services options for its customers, will launch a new bank account offering for its customers to be established at MetaBank* with a Mastercard debit card that will serve Walgreens shoppers both in-store and online and allow them to earn myWalgreens Cash rewards on all purchases. PR link.

Merck(PBR65 $MRK) spin-off of its women’s health, biosimilars and established brands businesses into a standalone, publicly-traded company, Organon, will follow with Organon acquiring Alydia Health, a commercial-stage medical device company focused on preventing maternal morbidity and mortality caused by postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) or abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding, for $240 million, to close in late 2Q21. PR link.

PayPal(PBR131 $PYPL) launches Checkout with Crypto, customers with cryptocurrency holdings in the US will be able to choose to check out with crypto within PayPal at checkout. PR link.

Becton Dickinson(PBR172 $BD) gets US FDA Emergency Use Authorization for the BD Veritor™ System for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2 & Flu A+B assay, takes about 15 minutes and distinguishes between SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and influenza B, by providing definitive positive or negative individual digital display readouts for all three. PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR184 $GPS) to sell Janie and Jack, a premium children’s fashion brand acquired by Gap in 2019, to Go Global Retail, includes the e-commerce platform, all store leases, and assets, has 115 locations, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Illumina(PBR657 $ILMN)‘s $8 billion acquisition of multi-cancer early detection healthcare company GRAIL is challenged by the US Federal Trade Commission, Illumina disagrees and will oppose challenge, states its reasons why. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Preliminary January 2021 US National Home Price Index(01/2000=100) is at 236.31, December 2020 was at 234.45, November 2020 232.46, January 2020 212.48. “January’s data remain consistent with the view that COVID has encouraged potential buyers to move from urban apartments to suburban homes. This demand may represent buyers who accelerated purchases that would have happened anyway over the next several years. Alternatively, there may have been a secular change in preferences, leading to a shift in the demand curve for housing. Future data will be required to analyze this question.” PR link.

The Conference Board says the Preliminary March 2021 US Consumer Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 109.7, February 2021 was at 90.4, January 2021 88.9, March 2020 118.8. “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions and their short-term outlook improved significantly, an indication that economic growth is likely to strengthen further in the coming months. Consumers’ renewed optimism boosted their purchasing intentions for homes, autos and several big-ticket items. However, concerns of inflation in the short-term rose, most likely due to rising prices at the pump, and may temper spending intentions in the months ahead…” PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the March 2021 5th District Manufacturing Index(Annualized) is at +17%, February 2021 was at +14%, January 2021 +14%, March 2020 +2%. “Survey respondents were optimistic that conditions would continue to improve in the coming months.” PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the March 2021 5th District Service Sector Revenue Index(Annualized) is at +16%, February 2021 was at -6%, January 2021 -3%, March 2020 +1%. “Firms reported improved business conditions and increased capital spending. Survey respondents were optimistic that conditions would continue to improve in the next six months.” PR link.

***Monday, March 29

Daily Corporate News:

Boeing(PBR55 $BA) gets order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets, plus 155 options across 2 models from Southwest Airlines(PBR325 $LUV), raises Southwest’s 737 MAX commitment to more than 600 jets between the 737-7 and larger 737-8. PR link.

Allstate(PBR67 $ALL) to exit the Life and Annuity business by selling its Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York to Wilton Re for $220 million, to close in 2H21. PR link.

VISA(PBR130 $V) becomes first major payments network to settle transactions in digital currency USD Coin (USDC). PR link.

American Airlines(PBR169 $AAL) says on 03/26/21 the 7 day moving average of its net bookings is approximately 90% of the 2019 level, with a domestic load factor of approximately 80%, expects this strength in bookings to continue through the end of the 1Q21 and into the 2Q21. PR link.

Applied Materials(PBR171 $AMAT) $2.2 billion acquisition of Tokyo, Japan based provider of high-productivity batch processing systems and services for memory, foundry and logic Kokusai Electric from global investment firm KKR(PBR834 $KKR) is terminated as of 03/19/21 as Applied did not receive confirmation of timely approval from the regulator in China, Applied to pay KKR a termination fee of $154 million in cash. PR link.

News Corp(PBR326 $NWSA) to acquire the $191.7 million in 2020 revenues Books & Media segment of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH Books & Media) for $349 million in cash, will be operated by News Corp’s HarperCollins Publishers subsidiary, to close by 06/30/21. PR link.

Camping World(PBR344 $CWH) to acquire Trailer City RV dealership in Fairmont, WV, will be CWH’s first location in W Virginia, to close in 05/21. PR link.

Broadridge Financial(PBR550 $BR) to acquire global Stockholm, Sweden based Itiviti Holding AB, a leading provider of trading and connectivity technology to the capital markets industry, from Nordic Capital for approximately $2.5 billion cash, to close by 06/30/21. PR link.

Carlyle Group(PBR650 $CG)’s Carlyle Aviation Partners unit to acquire Fly Leasing Ltd(NYSE: FLY), a global leader in aircraft leasing for $17.05 per share in cash, for a total valuation of approximately $520 million, total enterprise value of approximately $2.36 billion. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

No economic news items today.

***Friday, March 26

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 12 of 2021 ending 03/26/21:

DJIA ends Week 12 at record 33,072.88, +1.36% from last Friday, +6.92% MTD, +8.06% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 33,072.88 set 03/26/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 12 at 13,138.72,-0.58% from last Friday, -0.41% MTD, +1.94% QTD/YTD, -6.79% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends Week 12 at record 3,974.54, +1.57% from last Friday, +4.29% MTD, +5.82% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 3,974.54 set 03/26/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 12 of 2021 News Summary:

After losing Week 11 The Stock Market Bull entered the ring on Monday and had a good round. But The Stock Market Bear charged into Tuesday and Wednesday delivering some punishing body blows, especially to tech stocks. On Thursday The Stock Market Bull managed to hold is own and take the day. Friday started out slowly, but The Stock Market Bull finally took charge later in the day, surprisingly closing out the round with new records on the DJIA and S&P500. The Stock Market Bear was pretty bloodied up, but his earlier efforts gave him the NASDAQ for the week. The Stock Market Bull gets a split 2-1 decision in Week 12.

The Week 12 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 5 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 4 weeks
Mixed Results: 3 weeks

Week 12 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 03/26/21, at 1:27PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 125,873,865 confirmed cases globally with 2,761,499 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 65,554, which is +4,588 from last Friday. For the US it is 30,137,807 confirmed cases and 547,812 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 7,079, which is -1,742 from last Friday, the 7th week in a row of declining death rates. US President Biden revised his goal of 100 million vaccinations by his first 100 days in office to 200 million vaccinations. States continue to open up more, and there are broad based pushes to especially open up schools. There are continuing concerns about variants, which have affected other countries, but so far have not had a major impact in the US. Vaccination programs continue to expand.

US Federal Government: The America Rescue Plan is still in the process of being understood and implementation is starting. Stimulus checks continue to be processed. The immigration surge at the Southern US border continues, temporary facilities are being built, but processing times are still lagging and no real solution is apparent at this time.

US Economy: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testified in both US House and US Senate committee hearings and tried to address inflationary fears and monetary policies. Weekly initial jobless claims took an encouraging dip. The new and existing home sales forecast was disappointingly lower than expected as the demand for housing continues an upward trend. At the same time mortgage rates increased. Bond yields retreated a little.

Corporate Business: Retailers continue to retool how they sell trying to find the delicate balance of physical stores and using e-commerce to drive sales. Manufacturing continues to trend up. However, automobile and other manufactured items requiring electronics are having a struggle as there is a shortage of microchips. The travel and hospitality sectors are gearing up for more reopenings in the coming months with the pandemic hopefully coming to a close. Corporations continue to try to address employee diversity, wage inequalities, and climate change issues.

International News: . Europe continues to struggle with surges in COVID-19 infections. A cargo barge is stuck sideways in the Suez Canal, blocking traffic from both directions, costing the global economy an estimated $10 billion/day. Myanmar continues to have protests resulting in many civilian casualties inflicted by the military which is controlling the government. N Korea lobbed some missiles into nearby seas causing some concern. US President Biden has invited Russian and Chinese leaders to participate in a climate change meeting.

Daily Corporate News:

Corning(PBR269) to increase production of glass vials for COVID-19 vaccines by 50% from prior targets, after receiving more federal funding, now expecting to produce 150 million vials in 2021, will hold about 1.2 billion vaccine doses. MarketWatch PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says the Preliminary February 2021 US Personal Income Annual Rate is at $19.946 trillion, January 2021 was at $21.462 trillion, December 2020 $19,491 trillion, February 2020 $19.116 trillion. “The decrease in personal income in February was more than accounted for by a decrease in government social benefits to persons. Within government social benefits, ‘other’ social benefits, specifically the economic impact payments to households, decreased.” More data at the PR link.

The U of MIchigan Final March 2021 Consumer Survey Index is at 84.9, February 2021 was at 76.8, January 2021 79.0, March 2020 89.1. “Consumer sentiment continued to rise in late March, reaching its highest level in a year due to the third disbursement of relief checks and better than anticipated vaccination progress…” PR link.

TrueCar says the Forecasted March 2021 US New Car Sales-Retail Units is at 1,260,416, Fleet Units is at 200,404, making March 2021 US Total New Car Sales Units at 1,460,820, February 2021 was at 1,196,008, January 2021 1,109,578, March 2020 990,332; March 2021 Average Transaction Price is at $37,549, March 2020 was at $36,364. PR link.

***Thursday, March 25

Daily Corporate News:

Kohl’s(PBR145 $KISS) announces Cole Haan, one of America’s most iconic footwear brands, is now available at 200 Kohl’s stores and online at Kohls.com. PR link.

United Airlines(PBR196 $UAL) adding 26 new US routes in late 05/21, will fly 46% of its international schedule compared to its May 2019 schedule. PR link.

News Corp(PBR326 $NWSA) to acquire Los Angeles, CA-based 130 employees and with nearly 100,000 digital subscribers across its platforms Investor’s Business Daily, from O’Neil Capital Management, for $275 million, will operate as a stand-alone brand as part of the Dow Jones unit, to close by 06/30/21. PR link.

Darden Restaurants(PBR365 $DRI) authorizes new up to $500 million share repurchase program, says its hourly restaurant team members earn more than $17 per hour today on average, announces increases in minimum hourly wages. PR link.

Lumentum(PBR939 $LITE) receives notice of termination for acquisition of Coherent(NASDAQ: COHR), Coherent is required to pay a $217.6 million termination fee, Lumentum notes that using 03/24/21 closing price Lumentum’s offer had a value of $283.12 while the value of II–VI(NASDAQ: IIVI)‘s offer was $281.21. PR link.

SunPower(PBR907 $SPWR) Chariman/CEO Tom Werner to retire, will remain Chairman for 6 months, Peter Faricy hired to become CEO on 04/19/21, add Chairman role upon Werner retirement. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says the 3rd Estimate 4Q20 US Gross Domestic Product is revised from +4.1% to +4.3%, $21.495 trillion, 3Q20 was at $21.170 trillion, 2Q20 $19.520 trillion, 4Q19 $21.747 trillion. More data at the PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says that for the week ending 03/20/21 the US Weekly Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims is at 684,000, 02/20/21 was at 730,000, 01/23/21 847,000, 03/21/20 3,283,000. More data at the PR link.

FreddieMac says the week ending 03/25/21 US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate is at 3.17% with 0.7 points/fees, 02/25/21 was at 2.97%, 01/28/21 2.73%, 03/26/20 3.50%. “Since January, mortgage rates have increased half a percentage point from historic lows and home prices have risen, leaving potential homebuyers with less purchasing power. Unfortunately, this has disproportionately affected the low end of the market, where supply is the slimmest.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve announces temporary and additional restrictions on bank holding company dividends and share repurchases currently in place will end for most firms after 06/30/21, based on results from upcoming stress test. PR link.

***Wednesday, March 24

Daily Corporate News:

American Airlines(PBR169 $AAL) prepays its CARES Act $550 million loan to the US Dept of Treasury, has terminated its loan commitments under the agreement. PR link.

YUM!(PBR466 $YUM) has acquired privately held Tel Aviv, Israel based Tictuk Technologies, an omnichannel ordering and marketing platform company, will give YUM! the ability to offer more ways for consumers globally to access and order its KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill brands through some of the world’s most popular social media and conversational platforms, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

No items published today.

***Tuesday, March 23

Daily Corporate News:

Wells Fargo(PBR34 $WFC) to sell its Corporate Trust Services business to Computershare for $750 million, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Intel(PBR37 $INTC) introduces “IDM 2.0,” its new integrated device manufacturing (IDM) model, includes significant manufacturing expansion plans, starting with an estimated $20 billion investment to build two new factories in Arizona, also announces plans to become a major provider of foundry capacity in the US and Europe to serve customers globally. PR link.

Hartford Financial(PBR136 $HIG) board unanimously rejects the Chubb(PBR84 $CB) 03/11/21 unsolicited proposal to acquire The Hartford for $65/share in cash and stock, also determines that entering into discussions regarding a strategic transaction would not be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. PR link.

General Mills(PBR165 $GIS) to sell its 51% controlling interest in Europe based Yoplait S.A.S. to Sodiaal, a leading French dairy cooperative, in exchange for full ownership of the Canadian Yoplait business and a reduced royalty rate for use of the Yoplait and Liberté brands in the US and Canada, to close by the end of 2021. PR link.

Chipotle(PBR453 $CMG) to add 8 restaurants in Canada in 2021, has 23 restaurants currently. PR link.

Altria(PBR105 $MO) Chairman Thomas F. Farrell II to retire at completion of his current term, new Chairman to be appointed after 05/20/21 annual meeting. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says the Preliminary 4Q20 US Exports of Goods, Services & Income Receipts are at $840.0 billion, Imports of Goods, Services & Income Payments are at $1,028.5 billion, making the US 4Q20 International Trade Deficit at $188.5 billion, 3Q20 was at $180.9 billion, 2Q20 $163.2 billion, 4Q19 $104.3 billion; Preliminary 2020 US Trade Balance Deficit is at $647.2 billion, 2019 was at $480.2 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says the Preliminary February 2021 US New Family Home Sales Annual Rate is at 775,000, January 2021 was at 948,000, December 2020 919,000, February 2020 716,000; the February 2021 US New Family Home Median Price is at $349,500, January 2021 $353,200, December 2020 $356,600, February 2020 $331,800. More data at the PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says the March 2021 US 3rd District Non-Manufacturing Current General Activity Index is at +38.6, February 2021 was at +3.9, January 2021 -17.5, March 2020 -35.1. “The indexes for general activity at the firm level, sales/revenues, and new orders all posted gains. Additionally, the index for full-time employment increased. The firms continued to report overall increases in the prices of both their own goods and their inputs. The respondents continued to anticipate growth over the next six months.” PR link.

***Monday, March 22

Daily Corporate News:

SYNNEX(PBR112 $SNX) to be acquired by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR734)’s Tech Data for around $7.2 billion, including net debt, combined will have approximately $57 billion in estimated pro forma annual revenues and a team of over 22,000 associates and colleagues. PR link.

Applied Materials(PBR171 $AMAT) approves a new $7.5 billion stock buyback authorization, supplementing the previous authorization which has approximately $1.3 billion remaining. PR link.

Blackstone(PBR442 $BX) makes an unsolicited, non-binding and indicative proposal to acquire all of the shares in casinos operator Crown Resorts Australia(ASX: CWN) for around $6 billion, Blackstone currently holds 9.99% of Crown’s common shares. PR link.

Chemours(PBR512 $CC) initiates a strategic review to assess the potential sale of its Mining Solutions business, intended to drive shareholder value and portfolio focus. PR link.

Ametek(PBR549 $AME) to acquire Huntsville, AL-based Abaco System, a leading provider of mission critical embedded computing systems with annual sales of around $325 million, from Veritas Capital in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.35 billion, to close in mid-2021. PR link.

Kansas City Southern(PBR747 $KSU) to be acquired by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSX: CP, NYSE: CP) for $275/share cash & stock, represents and enterprise value of $29 billion, includes $3.8 billion of debt, will create the first rail network connecting the US, Mexico, and Canada, to be completed around mid-2022 following regulatory approvals. PR link.

Cubic Corp(PBR961 $CUB) receives an unsolicited proposal from Singapore Technologies Engineering (SGX: S63; Bloomberg-STE: SP) to acquire all of Cubic’s outstanding stock for $76 per share in cash, Board said offer might be superior to $70/share offer by Veritas Capital and an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, Board will be reviewing proposal. PR link.

Roper Technologies(PBR479 $ROP) appoints director Amy Woods Brinkley as Chair of the Company’s Board, effective 06/01/21, will succeed Wilbur J. Prezzano, who is retiring from the Board, consistent with the Company’s mandatory retirement guidelines. PR link.

TreeHouse Foods(PBR567 $THS) elects Ann M. Sardini as Chair, effective as of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 04/21, has served as an independent Director since 05/08, succeeds Gary D. Smith, who will remain on the Board. PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR734 $APO) names Jay Clayton as Non-Executive Chairman, co-founder Marc Rowan officially assumes the CEO role, per succession plan announced in 01/21, Rowan and Clayton succeed Apollo Founder Leon Black. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The Natl Assn of Realtors says the Preliminary February 2021 US Existing Home Sales Annual Rate is at 6,220,000, January 2021 was at 6,660,000, December 2020 6,650,000, February 2020 5,700,000; the February 2021 US Median Existing Home Price is at $313,000, January 2021 was at $303,900, December 2020 $309,800, February 2020 $270,400. More data at the NAR PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the Preliminary February 2021 US National Activity Index is at -1.09, January 2021 was at +0.75, December 2020 +0.28, February 2020 +0.02. “Two of the four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index made negative contributions in February, but all four categories decreased from January.” PR link.

***Friday, March 19

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for \Week 11 of 2021 ending 03/19/21:

DJIA ends Week 11 at 32,627.97, -0.46% from last Friday, +5.48% MTD, +6.60% QTD/YTD, -1.17% from record 33,015.37 set 03/17/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 11 at 13,215.24,-0.79% from last Friday, +0.17% MTD, +2.54% QTD/YTD, -6.24% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends Week 11 3,913.10, -0.77% from last Friday, +2.68% MTD, +4.18% QTD/YTD, -1.54% from record 3,974.12 set 03/17/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 11 of 2021 News Summary:

The Stock Market Bull started out Week 11 strongly, establishing new record highs for both the DJIA and S&P500 on Monday and Wednesday, while also recovering a lot of lost ground on the NASDAQ. However, The Stock Market Bull celebrated with a little too much green beer on St. Patrick’s Day evening. Thursday morning arrived with a groaning Bull lying flat on the ground, covering his head with his hoofs, completely helpless and unable to come into the pasture. The Stock Market Bear immediately seized the opportunity and on Thursday and Friday overwhelmed the unprotected herd, closing out Week 11 with a somewhat narrow 3-0 victory.

The Week 11 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 5 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 4 weeks
Mixed Results: 2 weeks

Week 11 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 03/19/21, at 1:26PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 122,086,638 confirmed cases globally with 2,695,945 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 60,966, which is +2,066 from last Friday. For the US it is 29,714,219 confirmed cases and 540,733 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 8,821, which is -870 from last Friday, the 6th week in a row of declining death rates. US President Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccinations by his first 100 days in office will be easily achieved. Some states are opening up more, Disney parks in California are scheduled to open in late April, for example. Variants are still a concern, but optimism is increasing that the end is in sight as vaccinations become more available and accepted as safe. In Europe the AstraZeneca vaccine was temporarily put on hold by most countries because of some recipients experiencing blood clots, but was cleared again by the end of the week.

US Federal Government: The America Rescue Plan is in action, with over 90 million people having received stimulus payments. Other parts of the plan becoming known and so far viewed as mostly positive. President Biden’s cabinet and other high level staff are in place after Senate approvals on a generally bipartisan basis. Immigration issues have surfaced again as undocumented children are crossing the border in much larger numbers with holding facilities being overwhelmed. FEMA is now involved and future actions and remedies are unclear.

US Economy: Despite much downplaying by the Federal Reserve after its mid-week meeting, concerns about inflation were being voiced by many and affected the stock market. The Fed kept short term interest rates at a 0.00-0.25% rate and indicated rates will probably stay low into 2023, based on their forecasts for low inflation and recovering employment. Initial jobless claims climbed higher than expected, some of that a reaction to some severe weather conditions in the Rockies and also in the Southeast. Manufacturing indices were mostly up, but retail dropped a little. Building permits issued took a drop as well. Bond yields rose again, and the Federal Reserve said it is allowing bank capital regulation exemptions to expire, which was a disappointing decision for financial institutions who view themselves as being a little more vulnerable now.

Corporate Business: Based on projections for the end of the Coronavirus Pandemic businesses are planning to open up more, as many companies adjust to new ways of doing business using e-commerce and logistics services. Travel and hospitality businesses have been especially hard hit by the pandemic, but are starting to make a recovery. Sports and entertainment arenas are starting to make plans to open up, but there are also a lot of streaming services getting in on the action. Small businesses still have a difficult road ahead, but the public also is showing that there is a pent up demand to be out and about and eager to help local establishments. Larger companies are also being more pro-active about their being regarded as climate conscious, talking about plans to minimize their carbon footprint. There are concerns about availability of labor and increases of raw materials.

International News: . The US and China held some initial meetings in Alaska, but initial indications are that there is a lot of work that will have to be done for smoother relations as President Biden and the Chinese leadership are taking some hard positions on trade and human rights. President Biden has also made some statements about Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin that have been unsettling for the Russians. The effects of trade from the UK and Europe Brexit decisions is starting to cause some economic problems on both sides. Myanmar continues to struggle as the military continues to rule the country with an increasingly hostile citizenry. The UK and other countries are opening doors to people who are considering leaving Hong Kong as China continues to increase its hold there.

Daily Corporate News:

VISA(PBR130) says it has been informed by the US Dept of Justice that an investigation is being opened into VISA’s US debit practices, VISA says it believes its US debit practices are in compliance, is cooperating with the DOJ. PR link.

Royal Caribbean(PBR867) completes $201 million cash sale of its Azamara brand to private equity firm Sycamore Partners. PR link.

Roku(PBR992) has acquired the “This Old House” business, inclusive of its global distribution rights and all of its subsidiary brands, including the “This Old House” and “Ask This Old House” TV programs, the show libraries(1,500+ episodes), all digital assets, and the television production studio, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Corteva(PBR209) adds 3 members to the Board, effective immediately, per agreement with key investor Starboard Value, will stand for re-election at annual meeting to be held 05/09/21. PR link.

Texas Roadhouse(PBR782) President Jerry Morgan promoted to also be CEO, effective immediately, succeeds founder/Chairman/CEO Kent Taylor who passed away on 03/18/21. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Federal Reserve announces that the temporary change to its supplementary leverage ratio for bank holding companies will expire as scheduled on 03/31/21. PR link.

***Thursday, March 18

Daily Corporate News:

Walt Disney(PBR51 $DIS) plans to reopen its Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure park on 04/30/21, requires reservations, open to California residents only. PR link.

Chubb(PBR84 $CB) confirms it submitted a preliminary proposal on 03/11/21 for a strategic business combination with insurance company Hartford Financial(PBR136 $HIG), aka The Hartford, values The Hartford at $65.00/share, a premium of 26% based on its unaffected 20-day volume weighted average share price of $51.70 as of 03/10/21, cash and stock proposal, has not yet heard back from The Hartford. PR link.

ViacomCBS(PBR107 $VIAC) gets new 11-year multiplatform rights agreement that extends CBS’ long-standing relationship with the NFL, starts in 2023 and goes through the 2033 season, will be home of the American Football Conference, includes the Paramount+ streaming service, includes 3 Super Bowls. PR link.

Hartford Financial(PBR136 $HIG) confirms receipt of unsolicited non-binding proposal from Chubb(PBR84 $CB) to be acquired for $65.00/share cash and stock proposal, being reviewed. PR link.

XPO Logistics(PBR186 $XPO) says it has filed a Form 10 with the US SEC for the spin-off of 100% of its logistics segment as a separate publicly traded company, shareholders to own stock in both companies, will be called GXO Logistics, to be completed in 2H21. PR link.

PPL Corp(PBR366 $PPL) to sell its UK utility business, Western Power Distribution, to National Grid plc for around $10.2 billion net proceeds, to close within 4 months, and in a separate transaction acquire National Grid’s Rhode Island utility, The Narragansett Electric Company, for $3.8 billion, to close within a year. PR link.

Lumentum(PBR944 $LITE) has received notice from Coherent(NASDAQ: COHR) that an unsolicited acquisition proposal from II–VI(NASDAQ: IIVI) to acquire Coherent in a cash and stock transaction constitutes a “Company Superior Proposal,” Lumentum has until 03/22/21 to amend its transaction agreement. PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR563 $BTU) President/CEO Glenn Kellow to be leaving by 08/31/21 per agreement with the Board, which has started a search for a new CEO. PR link.

Illumina(PBR657 $ILMN) Chairman Jay Flatley to step down from Board at annual meeting scheduled for 05/26/21, successor to be John W. Thompson. PR link.

Texas Roadhouse(PBR782 $TXRH) Chairman/CEO/Founder Kent Taylor passes away. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Labor says the 4Q20 US Hourly Wages & Salaries for All Workers(Average) is at $26.53, Benefits $12.07, for 4Q20 Total Hourly Compensation at $38.60, 3Q20 was at $38.26, 2Q20 $38.21, 4Q19 $37.10. PR link.

The Conference Board says the Preliminary February 2021 US Leading Economic Index(2016=100) is at 110.5, January 2021 was at 110.3, December 2020 109.8, February 2020 110.6. “… the acceleration of the vaccination campaign and a new round of large fiscal supports are not yet fully reflected in the LEI. With those developments, The Conference Board now expects the pace of growth to improve even further this year, with the U.S. economy expanding by 5.5 percent in 2021.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says the March 2021 US 3rd District Manufacturing General Activity Indicator is at +51.8, February 2021 was at +23.1, January 2021 +26.5, March 2020 -6.0. “All of the survey’s indexes for future conditions increased, as the firms indicated more widespread optimism about growth over the next six months.” PR link.

***Wednesday, March 17

Daily Corporate News:

Amazon(PBR2 $AMZN) expanding its Amazon Care service across the US this summer, for employees of both Amazon and participating companies in all 50 states, enables employees to connect with medical professionals via chat or video conference typically in less than 60 seconds. PR link.

Merck(PBR65 $MRK) files Form 10 with the US SEC for spinoff of its women’s health, biosimilars and established brands businesses into a standalone, publicly-traded company, Organon, to be completed in 2Q21. PR link.

Starbucks(PBR122 $SBUX) at virtual annual meeting celebrates starting with one store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971 to nearly 33,000 locations worldwide 50 years later. PR link.

Diamondback Energy(PBR626 $FANG) completes $2.29/share, around $2.2 billion all stock acquisition of QEP Resources(PBR988 $QEP). PR link.

Lumentum(PBR944 $LITE) revises proposal to acquire Coherent(Nasdaq: COHR) for $220.00 per share in cash and 0.6100 shares of Lumentum common stock, equates to $275.00/share, values transaction at $6.9 billion, with Silver Lake making a $1 billion investment in the combined company, requires stockholders approvals from both companies, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Federal Open Market Committee meeting of 03/16-17/21 concludes, keeps short term federal interest rates at 0.00-0.25% and “…will continue to increase its holdings of Treasury securities by at least $80 billion per month and of agency mortgage‑backed securities by at least $40 billion per month until substantial further progress has been made toward the Committee’s maximum employment and price stability goals.” PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says the Preliminary February 2021 US Residential Building Permits Issued Annual Rate is at 1,682,000, January 2021 was at 1,886,000, December 2020 1,704,000, February 2020 1,438,000. PR link.

***Tuesday, March 16

Daily Corporate News:

Group 1 Automotive(PBR246 $GPI) has acquired two Toyota dealerships, located in Hyannis and Orleans on Cape Cod, MA, expected to generate approximately $120 million in annualized revenues. PR link.

Ross Stores(PBR189 $ROST) expects to name George Orban as Chairman and CEO Barbara Rentler Vice Chair at annual meeting to be held 05/19/21, current Chairman Michael Balmuth and Chairman Emeritus Norman Ferber will not be standing for re-election, but will be retained as advisers. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary February 2021 US Change In Import Prices is at +1.3%, January 2021 was at +1.4%, December 2020 +1.0%, February 2020 -0.7%, Last 12 Months +3.0%; the February 2021 US Change in Export Prices is at +1.6%, January 2021 was at +2.5%, December 2020 +1.2%, Last 12 Months +5.2%. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says the Preliminary February 2021 US Industrial Production % of Capacity is at 73.8%, January 2021 was at 75.5%, December 2020 74.6%, February 2020 76.9%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary January 2021 US Sales-Manufacturers is at $513.3 billion, Retailers $523.5 billion, Wholesalers $531.7, for Preliminary January 2021 US Total Sales at $1,568.5 billion, December 2020 was at $1,498.0 billion, November 2020 $1,482.8 billion, January 2020 $1,465.1 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Advance February 2021 US Retail Sales-Retailers is at $507.5 billion, Food Services & Drinking Places $54.2 billion, for Total Advance February 2021 US Retail Sales at $561.7 billion, January 2021 was at $579.1 billion, December 2020 $538.3 billion, February 2020 $528.5 billion. PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders/Wells Fargo says its Preliminary March 2021 US Housing Market Composite Index(>50 indicates more builders view conditions as good than poor) is at 82, February 2021 was at 84, January 2021 83, March 2020 72. “While single-family home building should grow this year, the elevated price of lumber is adding approximately $24,000 to the price of a new home. And mortgage interest rates, while historically low, have increased about 30 basis points over the last month. Nonetheless, the lack of resale inventory means new construction is the only option for some prospective home buyers.” PR link.

***Monday, March 15

Daily Corporate News:

News Corp(PBR338 $NWSA) gets 3 year agreement with Facebook(PBR30) to provide access to trusted news and information to millions of Facebook users in Australia through its Facebook News product. PR link.

Extended Stay America(NASDAQ: STAY) to be acquired by a 50/50 joint venture of Blackstone(PBR398 $FB)’s Real Estate Partners and Starwood Capital Group for $19.50/share cash, transaction valued at around $6 billion, to close in 2Q21. http://bit.ly/2Q8VvH7PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the March 2021 Empire State Manufacturing General Business Conditions Index is at +17.4, February 2021 was at +12.1, January 2021 +3.5, March 2020 -21.5. “Looking ahead, firms remained optimistic that conditions would improve over the next six months, anticipating significant increases in employment.” PR link.

***Friday, March 12

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for \Week 10 of 2021 ending 03/12/21:

DJIA ends Week 10 at record 32,778.64, +4.07% from last Friday, +5.97% MTD, +7.10% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 32,778.64 set 03/12/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 10 at 13,319.86,+3.09% from last Friday, +0.97% MTD, +3.35% QTD/YTD, -5.50% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends Week 10 at record 3,943.34, +2.64% from last Friday, +3.47% MTD, +4.99% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 3,943.34 set 03/12/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 10 of 2021 News Summary:

The Stock Market Bull easily took the DJIA and S&P500 during Week 10, with both achieving records to end the week. The primary battle was over the NASDAQ as The Stock Market Bear continued to take out his anger on the tech stocks on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But The Stock Market Bull severely gouged the Bear enough on Tuesday and Thursday resulting in a convincing and very satisfying Week 10 3-0 victory. With the $1.9 trillion stimulus money flowing into the economy and COVID-19 vaccinations accelerating it would be easy to predict that The Stock Market Bull has a few more good weeks ahead of him. What devious surprises might The Stock Market Bear have to spoil that?

The Week 10 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 5 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 3 weeks
Mixed Results: 2 weeks

Week 10 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 03/12/21, at 2:23PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 118,860,770 confirmed cases globally with 2,634,979 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 58,900, which is -3,799 from last Friday. For the US it is 29,326,182 confirmed cases and 531,912 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 9,691, which is -2,820 from last Friday, the 5th week in a row of declining death rates. US President Biden announced during the week that 10% of adult Americans have been vaccinated, there are well over 1 million vaccinations occurring each day, and that by May 1 there should be enough COVID-19 vaccine doses from the 3 approved COVID-19 vaccines available for every adult in the US, that by the 4th of July, Independence Day, we may be able to enjoy traditional gatherings. However, COVID-19 variants keep popping up, and there is always the question of if current vaccines are effective against them as well.

US Federal Government: The US Senate approved the $1.9 trillion America Rescue Plan on a party-line vote. It was then sent back to the US House for its approval, which again passed on a party-line vote. President Biden signed the bill into law on Thursday, gave a brief presentation that evening to the public about the positive implications, and will be crossing the US to further extol its positive effects in the coming days. More of President Biden’s nominees for high level positions were approved by the US Senate in bipartisan votes. Some US troops remain in the Washington DC area as a precaution over a possible 2nd insurrection attempt.

US Economy: The weekly initial jobless insurance claims went down a notch, and job openings increased. Mortgage rates went up a little bit. The 12 month Consumer Price Index was +1.7%, which caused a sigh of relief from many economists concerned about inflation. US Treasury bond yields were up again causing some excitement and concern. Federal government outlays continue to be far more than receipts, causing some anxiety about possible longer term effects of increasing government debt. Business and consumer surveys are starting to indicate a more assured optimism about the future. The Federal Open Market Committee meets next week and most think it is unlikely they will change the 0.00-0.25% short-term interest rates. The European Central Bank made no changes to its short-term interest rates.

Corporate Business: More press is coming from corporations announcing resumption of dividend payouts and share buyback programs. Companies are starting to more aggressively advertise open positions, including more hospitality and amusement parks announcing seasonal and part-time hiring. Retailers are becoming more aggressive in offering new lines and upgrading their e-commerce platforms. Manufacturing surveys indicate increasing optimism about the future, especially for electronic vehicles and related businesses, also believing that parts shortages and logistic challenges will somehow be met by American ingenuity. All in all, the future is starting to become more positively viewed by all business sectors.

International News: . There have been some disturbing reports as the Myanmar military continues to kill protestors wanting to reinstate their democratically elected leaders. There were some reported cybersecurity attacks by foreign hackers, including some governments, most notably there has been some fingerpointing at Russia. There were some more kidnapping of students in Africa. There has been a recent significant increase in asylum seekers and unaccompanied children crossing into the US along its southern borders.

Daily Corporate News:

AT&T(PBR11 $T) updates strategy and financial outlook, includes expecting 120-150 million worldwide HBO Max and HBO subscribers by end of 2025, up from the 75-90 million projected in 10/19, to begin deploying the first 40 MHz of the 80 MHz C-band spectrum awarded in a recent US FCC auction by the end of 2021. PR link.

Cardinal Health(PBR14 $CAH) to sell its $750 million in annual revenues cardiovascular device manufacturer Cordis business to Hellman & Friedman for approximately $1 billion, to close by 12/31/21. PR link.

Boeing(PBR55 $BA) gets orders for 24 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes with option to purchase an additional 60 airplanes by private investment firm 777 Partners. PR link.

L Brands(PBR238 $LB) to repay $1.035 billion of debt with $1.1 billion from its cash, authorizes new $500 million share repurchase program, replaces previous authorization which had $79 million remaining. PR link.

Charles Schwab(PBR288 $SCHW) says new brokerage accounts were 1.2 million in February, up over 200% from February 2020 and up 11% compared to January 2021. Article includes hotlink to CFO commentary. PR link.

Blackstone(PBR401 $BX) Real Estate unit completes $3.4 billion acquisition of best‐in‐class, 2.3 million square foot portfolio of lab office buildings, with 90% of the portfolio concentrated in Cambridge, MA, from Brookfield Asset Management. PR link.

Lumentum(PBR944 $LITE) is notified by Coherent(NASDAQ: COHR) that an unsolicited acquisition proposal from II–VI(NASDAQ: IIVI) to acquire Coherent in a cash & stock transaction constitutes a “Company Superior Proposal,” Lumentum has until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, 03/17/21 to amend its transaction agreement or waive matching rights, Coherent would be required to pay a $217.6 million termination fee to Lumentum if Coherent terminates the definitive agreement. PR link.

Cedar Fair(PBR966 $FUN) hiring approximately 45,000 seasonal associates across its 12 US properties during 2021, having a virtual national hiring day on 03/13/21, outlines plans for reopening of parks. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary February 2021 US Producer Price Index Total Monthly Final Demand is at +0.5%, January 2021 was at +1.3%, December 2020 +0.3%, February 2020 -0.5%; the February 2021 US Total Last 12 Months Final Demand(Unadjusted) is at +2.8%, January 2021 was at +1.7%, December 2020 +0.8%, February 2020 +1.1%. PR link.

The U of Michigan Preliminary March 2021 US Consumer Sentiment Index is at 83.0, February 2021 was at 76.8, January 2021 79.0, March 2020 89.1. “Overall, the data indicate strong growth in consumer spending during the year ahead, with the largest percentage gains for services, including travel and restaurants, and the smallest increases for vehicles and homes.” PR link.

***Thursday, March 11

Daily Corporate News:

CVS Health(PBR4 $CVS) now offering COVID-19 vaccines in nearly 1,200 stores in 29 states and Puerto Rico, expanding to additional states as fast as supply allows, with the capacity to administer 20 25 million shots per month. PR link.

Verizon(PBR17 $VZ) sees big demand for its $25 billion debt deal. MarketWatch PR link.

Kroger(PBR20 $KR) Health unit increases COVID-19 vaccination capacity to 1 million doses per week, will use the first hour of pharmacy operations as a focus hour assigned to administering the three FDA-authorized vaccines, to launch in Ohio this week, expand in following weeks, is planning 100 mass vaccination off-site events nationwide. PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR46 $TMUS) outlines its 5G plans, says it is ahead of plan on merger synergy goals and expects total net present value of merger synergies to be more than $70 billion – up more than 60% from the original merger guidance of $43 billion, raises mid- and long-term guidance, setting up potential for up to $60 billion in shareholder returns from 2023 through 2025. PR link.

Goldman Sachs(PBR83 $GS) to invest $10 billion and $100 million in philanthropic support in new initiative One Million Black Women, investment areas to include healthcare, education, housing, and small business. PR link.

Johnson Controls(PBR136 $JCI) authorizes $4 billion share repurchase program increase, adds to the $2.0 billion available, plans to repurchase around $1 billion in fiscal 2021. PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR155 $KSS) announces its first private label, specialty athleisure brand, FLX, in more than 300 Kohl’s stores and online at Kohls.com, for women and men. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM)’s BetMGM gets exclusive sports betting experience with sports bar chain Buffalo Wild Wings in Colorado, New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee and West Virginia, to be available through an app in the sports bars. PR link.

Molson Coors(PBR292 $TAP) says it experienced a systems outage caused by a cybersecurity incident, working around the clock to get its systems back up as quickly as possible, has caused and may continue to cause a delay or disruption to parts of its brewery operations, production, and shipments. PR link.

Quest Diagnostics(PBR388 $DGX) to do $900 million shares repurchase in 1H21. PR link.

S&P Global(PBR434 $SPGI) acquisition of IHS Market(NYSE: INFO) gets shareholders approval by both companies, all stock transaction values IHS Market at $44 billion, includes $4.8 billion in debt, to close in 2H2021. PR link.

Hillenbrand(PBR812 $HI) completes $103.5 million cash sale of its Abel Pumps unit to IDEX(PBR817). PR link.

Ulta Beauty(PBR399 $ULTA) CEO Mary Dillon to become Executive Chair in 06/21, President Dave Kimbell to become CEO, current Chair Robert DiRomualdo to retire after 3 years and 17 years on the Board. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Federal Reserve says the Preliminary 4Q20 US Networth of Households & Non-Profits is at $130.2 trillion, 3Q20 was at $123.2 trillion, 2Q20 $119.6 trillion, 4Q19 $118.2 trillion. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary January 2021 US Job Openings-Public is at 6,236,000, Government 681,000, to make January 2021 US Total Job Openings at 6,917,000, December 2020 was at 6,753,000, November 2020 6,572,000, January 2020 7,155,000. PR link.

The US Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announces that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend temporary loan origination flexibilities from 03/31/21 to until 04/30/21. PR link.

FreddieMac releases its “Refinance Trends in 2020,” says, “While the economy was in recession, record low mortgage interest rates contributed to refinance activity reaching near record highs.” PR link.

***Wednesday, March 10

Daily Corporate News:

Apple(PBR3 $AAPL) to make Munich, Germany, its European Silicon Design Center, to focus on 5G and future wireless technologies, adding hundreds of new employees and a new state-of-the-art facility, to invest over $1 billion Euros($1.2 billion). PR link.

Verizon(PBR17 $VZ) says it succeeded in more than doubling its existing mid-band spectrum holdings by adding an average of 161 MHz of C-Band nationwide for $52.9 billion in the recent US FCC C-Band auction, outlines plans for continuing rollout of 5G and beyond. PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR33 $JNJ) to receive an order for 100 million COVID-19 vaccines from the US government per statement by US President Biden, giving the US more than enough supply to vaccinate the entire US population. NBCNews PR link.

GE(PBR35 $GE) to combine its GE Capital Aviation Services leasing business (“GECAS”) with AerCap Holdings NV, will receive $30+ billion, including $24 billion in cash plus 46% ownership in new company and $1 billion paid in AerCap notes and/or cash upon closing, GE to reduce its debt by $30 billion after close of transaction, to close in 9-12 months. PR link.

GE(PBR35 $GE) at annual meeting in 05/21 to vote on 8:1 reverse stock split. PR link.

Target(PBR36 $TGT) partnering with 600+ CVS(PBR4 $CVS) locations within Target stores to offer COVID-19 vaccines to eligible guests and team members. PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR46 $TMUS) comments about its $9.3+ billion investment in the FCC’s C-Band auction, selectively acquiring additional mid-band spectrum it will use to take America’s largest and fastest 5G network to the next level. PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR51 $DIS)’s ESPN sports unit gets 7 year deal with the NHL, returning hockey to ESPN for the first time since 2004. PR link.

Oracle(PBR74 $ORCL) authorized the repurchase of up to an additional $20.0 billion of common stock under its existing share repurchase program in future quarters. PR link.

ConocoPhillips(PBR82 $COP) resumes its share repurchase program at an annualized level of $1.5 billion, a 50% increase compared to the level of repurchases underway in 4Q20 when the program was suspended due to the Concho acquisition. PR link.

American Airlines(PBR177 $AAL) upsizes AAdvantage Financing To $10.0 Billion and pricing of senior secured notes, proceeds to be used to pay off federal government loan and for general corporate purposes. PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR503 $AMC) in 4Q20 report says it had around 8 million patrons in 4Q20, as if 03/05/21, was operating approximately 527 of its 589 domestic locations, and approximately 78 of its 356 international locations. PR link.

Express(PBR890 $EXPR) is finalizing a strategy that will grow its digital channel to $1.0 billion in 2024. PR link.

Lumentum(PBR944 $LITE) to acquire global provider of lasers and laser-based technology for scientific, commercial and industrial customers Coherent(NASDAQ: COHR) for $261.62/share in cash and stock, around $6.6 billion, at closing Coherent stockholders to own approximately 24% percent of the combined company, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of the Treasury says the February 2021 US Federal Government Receipts is at $248.3 billion, Outlays $559.2 billion, to make February 2021 Deficit at $310.9 billion, January 2021 Deficit was at $162.8 billion, December 2020 Deficit $143.6 billion, February 2020 $235.3 billion; February 2021 YTD Deficit(5 Months) is at $1,046.7 billion, February 2020 YTD Deficit was at $624.5 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the February 2021 US Change in Monthly Consumer Price Index-Urban is +0.4%, the February 2021 Last 12 Months(Unadjusted) is at +1.7%, January 2021 was at +1.4%, December 2020 +1.4%, February 2020 +2.3%. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary February 2021 US Current Averaging Earnings Per Hour is at $30.01, Average Number of Hours Worked Per Week is at 34.6, for February 2021 US Average Earnings Per Week at $1,038.35, January 2021 was at $1,044.91, December 2020 $1,037.88, February 2020 $980.74. PR link.

***Tuesday, March 9

Daily Corporate News:

Walgreens(PBR16 $WBA) has provided approximately 5 million COVID-19 vaccinations across long-term care facilities, in stores and through dedicated clinics, is receiving approximately 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer this week as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. PR link.

Chevron(PBR27 $CVX) says it has exceeded its 2023 upstream carbon intensity reduction targets 3 years ahead of schedule and announces lower 2028 targets and zero routine flaring by 2030. PR link.

Target(PBR36 $TGT) launches new brand, Favorite Day, will feature more than 700 items across bakery, snacks, candy, premium ice cream, cake decorating supplies, beverage mixers, mocktails and more, to begin rolling out on 04/05/21. PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR49 $DIS) says it now has 100+ million global subscribers to its Disney+ streaming service, launched in the US on 11/12/19. PR link.

Albertsons(PBR54 $ACI) says 1+ million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Americans nationwide through its pharmacy teams. PR link.

Penske Automotive(PBR130 $PAG) has adopted CarShop as its global brand for its used vehicle SuperCenters, by end of 2023 its goal is to expand CarShop from 17 international locations to 40, grow annual unit sales to 150,000, and increase revenue to $2.5 to $3.0 billion. PR link.

Assurant(PBR306 $AIZ) to sell its prearranged funeral insurance and final expense business, Global Preneed, and related legal entities and assets to CUNA Mutual Group, a broad financial services provider, for approximately $1.3 billion in cash, 75% of net proceeds to be used for share repurchases. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

CoreLogic says the December 2020 US Housing Mortgages 30 or More Days Delinquent is at 5.8%, November 2020 was at 5.9%, October 2020 6.1%, December 2019 3.7%. “Places with large job losses during the last year also experienced big jumps in mortgage delinquencies. By state, Hawaii and Nevada had the largest 12-month spike in delinquency rates, both up 4.1 percentage points. They also had large increases in unemployment rates, up 6.6 percentage points in Hawaii and 5.5 percentage points in Nevada compared with 3.1 percentage points for the U.S.” PR link.

***Monday, March 8

Daily Corporate News:

Eli Lilly(PBR138 $LLY) and Biolojic Design, a biotechnology company that computationally designs functional antibodies, to do a research collaboration and license agreement, will leverage Biolojic’s AI-based multibody platform to discover and develop a potential novel antibody-based therapy for treating diabetes, LLY will pay research fees associated with the collaboration, Biolojic to receive up to a total of $121 million for milestone achievements. PR link.

DuPont(PBR144 $DD) to acquire Laird Performance Materials, provider of high-performance electromagnetic shielding and thermal management with performance components and solutions that manage heat and protect devices from electromagnetic interference, with 4,300 employees and 2020 revenues of $465 million, from private equity firm Advent International, for $2.3 billion cash, to close in 3Q21. PR link.

DuPont(PBR144 $DD) authorizes new $1.5 billion share buyback program, expires 06/30/22, around $1 billion remaining on previous authorization, expects to complete by 06/01/21. PR link.

PayPal(PBR173 $PYPL) to acquire Tel Aviv, Israel based Curv to accelerate and expand its initiatives to support cryptocurrencies and digital assets, to close in 1H21, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Ross Stores(PBR198 $ROST) to add approximately 60 new stores – 40 Ross and 20 dd’s DISCOUNTS locations in fiscal 2021, over the long-term think Ross can grow to 2,400 locations and dd’s DISCOUNTS a chain of 600 stores. PR link.

DISH(PBR245 $DISH) to acquire Republic Wireless, an MVNO service operating on the T-Mobile network with 200,000 customers, to close in 2Q21, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Baxter(PBR273 $BAX) BioPharma Solutions unit to provide fill/finish sterile manufacturing services and supply packaging at its Bloomington, IN, campus for approximately 60-90 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in 2021. PR link.

Camping World(PBR541 $CWH) continues march towards a national recreational dealer platform with acquisition of sites in Georgetown, DE; Lincoln, NE; and Billings, MT markets, will be first locations in those states, part of plan to acquire dealers or build its own facilities. PR link.

Laureate Education(PBR702 $LAUR) completes transfer control of Fundaempresa, which manages Laureate’s operations in Honduras – Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana (UNITEC), including the operation of Centro Universitario Tecnológico (CEUTEC), with total student enrollment of around 23,000, to not-for-profit Fundación Nasser. PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR755 $APO) to acquire Athene (NYSE: ATH), a retirement services company with total assets of $202.8 billion as of 12/31/20, in an all-stock transaction that implies a total equity value of approximately $11 billion for Athene, Apollo to also proceed with conversion to simplified structure, with single class of voting stock and equal voting rights for each share, to close in 01/22. PR link.

McAfee(PBR804 $MCFE) to sell its cybersecurity Enterprise business to a consortium led by Symphony Technology Group (STG) for $4.0 billion cash, to close by 12/31/21, McAfee to retain its name, focus on its consumer cybersecurity business. PR link.

FirstEnergy(PBR282 $FE) President/Acting CEO Steven E. Strah has been named President/CEO and a member of the Board, effective immediately. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary January 2021 US Wholesale Sales-Durables is at $258.4 billion, Non-Durables $269.7 billion, for January 2021 US Total Wholesale Sales at $661.7 billion, December 2020 was at $653.2 billion, November 2020 $649.5 billion, January 2020 $658.1 billion. PR link.

FannieMae says the February 2021 US Home Purchase Sentiment Index is at 76.5, January 2021 was at 77.7, December 2020 74.0, February 2020 92.5. “As we expected, the HPSI remained relatively flat in February, but underlying data indicate growing job-related optimism among consumers, especially among lower-income and renter groups… With the growing likelihood that lockdown restrictions will continue easing as vaccination efforts ramp up, and with warmer weather on the horizon and another round of fiscal stimulus pending, these two segments of consumers may have good reason to feel more positive about the labor market.” PR link.

***Friday, March 5

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 9 of 2021 ending 03/05/21:

DJIA ends Week 9 at 31,496.30, +1.82% from last Friday/MTD, +2.91% QTD/YTD, -1.46% from record 31,961.86 set 02/24/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 9 at 12,920.15, -2.06% from last Friday/MTD, +0.25% QTD/YTD, -8.34% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends Week 9 at 3,841.94, +0.81% from last Friday/MTD, +2.29% QTD/YTD, -2.36% from record 3,934.83 set 02/12/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 9 of 2021 News Summary:

On Monday The Stock Market Bull charged onto the pasture with great determination and achieved great success. The Stock Market Bear, in an intentional distraction move, told the Bull that he needed to schedule his COVID-19 vaccine shots. The strategy worked to perfection, giving The Stock Market Bear his opportunity to viciously attack, especially the NASDAQ, which he did over the next 3 days, resulting in a big tech sell-off. But The Stock Market Bull did finally get his 1st shot scheduled and when he returned to the pasture was enraged at the deception and savagery of The Stock Market Bear, trampled him without mercy, and took Friday overwhelmingly. It was not enough, however, to recapture the NASDAQ, so Week 9 ends with The Stock Market Bull having a 2-1 mixed result. With all the volatility of the past 2 weeks it will be interesting to see what strategies work out for Week 10.

The Week 9 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 4 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 3 weeks
Mixed Results: 2 weeks

Week 9 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 03/05/21, at 2:25PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 115,913,859 confirmed cases globally with 2,576,079 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 62,699, which is -182 from last Friday. For the US it is 28,873,800 confirmed cases and 522,221 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 112,511, which is -1,693 from last Friday, the 4th week in a row of declining death rates. With the addition of the US FDA Emergency Use Authorization of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 single shot vaccine last weekend the US now has 3 approved vaccines, production continues to ramp up, logistical systems running more smoothly and vaccinations are well over 1 million per day. President Biden announced that there will be enough vaccine doses for every US adult by the end of May. Controversially, the governor of Texas announced there are no longer any restrictions now, but strongly recommended people follow suggested guidelines by health professionals. A few other states are doing the same, while the vast majority are keeping restrictions in place for now.

US Federal Government: The US House passed its $1.9 trillion stimulus package and is now being worked on in the US Senate where it appears the Democrats slim edge in power can be used to leverage the some of the rules to pass the legislation without any Republican votes. President Biden has said he would sign it. The US House also passed a Voting Rights measure, which is also now headed to the US Senate. Presidential nominee’s for high level positions continue to advance, with only one person withdrawing from the process so far. A possible 2nd attempt at an insurrection with an attack on the Capital Building on March 4th was apparently thwarted.

US Economy: The ADP monthly employment report for February indicated much lower employment growth by the private sector than expected, but the US Dept of Labor Employment report for January released on Friday greatly exceeded expectations. The Federal Reserve Beige Book was released and indicated modest economic growth. The Congressional Budget Office released a report indicating that the US national debt continues to rise and will continue to do so for years to come, also increasing as a percent of gross domestic product. US trade also showed an increasing deficit. Treasury yields were up significantly for the week, signaling some concerns about inflation. However, Fed Reserve Chairman Powell indicated that it should not be a concern at this time. Manufacturing surveys and reports continue to show growth in that sector. Consumer debt did not increase as much as had been expected, with the reason given that many have used the stimulus checks to reduce credit card debt. Mortgage rates for a 30 year fixed rose to just above 3%.

Corporate Business: More corporations are resuming dividend payouts and share buyback programs. Some of the larger retailers are starting to more aggressively add products and services and use e-commerce to drive sales. Manufacturing continues to grow. There are a lot of opinions that say once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed there will be significant growth in all business sectors.

International News: . There continue to be some growing tensions with Iran and their activities in Syria. Also, Iran has stated that it will not negotiate directly with the US on its nuclear capabilities. The US has placed sanctions on some Russia officials over the way it is dealing with Putin adversary Navalny. Myanmar continues to experience unrest over the military’s overturn of the democratically elected government and military forces killed some people at a protest. Pope Francis is in Iraq trying to encourage Muslims and Christians to get along. The UK and Europe are experiencing some of the results of the Brexit deal with food shortages occurring in Northern Ireland. President Biden needs to address the arrangement the US made with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and decide whether or not to withdraw all US troops by May 1 per the agreement.

Daily Corporate News:

Chevron(PBR26 $CVX) to acquire all (33.925 million) of the publicly held common units representing the limited partner interests in Noble Midstream Partners, LP (NASDAQ: NBLX) not already owned by Chevron, each outstanding unitholder of Noble Midstream would receive 0.1393 of a share of common stock of Chevron in exchange for each Common Unit owned, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR133 $GILD) gets US FDA accelerated approval for Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. PR link.

Nielsen(PBR444 $NLSN) completes $2.7 billion sale of its consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers data and insights provider Nielsen Global Connect business to private equity firm Advent International in partnership with James “Jim” Peck, former TransUnion CEO. PR link.

Norwegian Cruise Lines(PBR447 $NCLH) prices its underwritten public offering of 47,577,947 ordinary shares to the public for $30.00 per share, expects offering to close on 03/09/21. PR link.

Sprouts(PBR482 $SFM) to open 20 new stores in 2021, to be located in California, Florida and Texas, includes four with a new, smaller format. PR link.

Navient(PBR496 $NAVI) violated the Consumer Protection Act by engaging in unfair and deceptive conduct related to Washingtonians’ student loans, according to a King County Superior Court Judge, says Navient’s statements promoting co-signer release misrepresented the way Navient actually implemented the program, other claims to be addressed on 04/18/22 court date. State of Washington AG Office PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Labor says the February 2021 US Employment is at 150,239,000, +208,000 from January 2021, -8,493,000 from February 2020; February 2021 US Unemployed is at 9,972,000, -158,000 from January 2021, +4,256,000 from February 2020; February 2021 US Unemployment Rate is at 6.2%, January 2021 was at 6.3%, February 2020 3.5%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the January 2021 US Exports-Goods is at $135.7 billion, Services $56.3 billion, January 2021 US Total Exports is $192.0 billion/; January 2021 US Imports-Goods is at $221.1 billion, Services $39.0 billion, January 2021 US Total Imports is at $260.1 billion; January 2021 US Total Deficit is $68.1 billion, December 2020 Deficit was at $67.0 billion, November 2020 Deficit $69.1 billion, January 2020 Deficit $44.4 billion. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says the Preliminary January 2021 US Consumer Credit Outstanding-Revolving is at $965.1 billion, Non-Revolving $3,211.7 billion, for January 2021 US Total Consumer Credit Outstanding at $4,176.8 billion, December 2020 was at $4,178.1 billion, November 2020 $4,169.3 billion, January 2020 $4,201.5 billion. PR link.

***Thursday, March 4

Daily Corporate News:

Amazon(PBR2 $AMZN) opens its first physical store outside the US in the UK, the London store uses weight sensors to detect what customers pick up and bills their card automatically. Yahoo PR link.

ViacomCBS(PBR103 $VIAC) launches its Paramount+ streaming service, offers 2 tiers, premium at $9.99/mo, an ad supported tier at $4.99/mo. PR link.

Amgen(PBR129 $AMGN) to acquire developer of immuno-oncology and targeted cancer therapies Five Prime Therapeutics(NASDAQ: FPRX) for $38.00/share cash, representing an equity value of approximately $1.9 billion, to close by end of 2Q21. PR link.

Penske Automotive(PBR130 $PAG) to acquire Kansas City Freightliner, a retailer of medium and heavy-duty commercial trucks, expected to generate $450 million in annualized revenue, to close in 2Q21, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR133 $GILD) completes around $1.29 billion cash, plus up to around $335 million for milestone achievements acquisition of MYR GmbH, a German biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for the treatment of chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV). PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR151 $MAR) to provide 4 hours equivalent pay for associates participating in its COVID-19 Vaccination Care Program. PR link.

Biogen(PBR219 $BIIB) to build a 175,000 sf gene therapy manufacturing facility at its Research Triangle Park manufacturing campuses in N Carolina, will create around 90 new jobs, around a $200 million investment. PR link.

Sprouts(PBR482 $SFM) authorizes a new share repurchase program for $300 million. PR link.

Square(PBR562 $SQ) to acquire a majority ownership stake in TIDAL, the global music and entertainment platform, for $297 million cash and stock, will operate independently within Square, Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter will be joining Square board at close of transaction, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

Old Dominion Freight Line(PBR616 $ODFL) anticipates hiring 800 Class A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) truck drivers over the next 3 months, more than 1,200 jobs are currently open, including drivers, dock workers, and clerical positions, in response to a strong economic recovery with robust freight demand, tighter capacity. PR link.

Adtalem Education(PBR999 $ATGE)’s Chamberlain University opening its Irwindale campus in order to expand access to nursing education and better address projected nationwide nursing shortage of nearly half a million nurses by 2030. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Congressional Budget Office publishes The 2021 Long-Term Budget Outlook, says at an estimated 10.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), the deficit in 2021 would be the second largest since 1945, exceeded only by the 14.9% shortfall recorded last year, forecasts national debt to almost double to 202% of GDP by 2051. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary January 2021 US Manufacturers New Orders-Durables is at $256.7 billion, Non-Durables $252.7 billion, for January 2021 Manufacturers Total New Orders $509.4 billion, December 2020 was at $496.3 billion, November 2020 $488.3 billion, January 2020 $497.5 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Revised 4Q20 US Business Sector Labor Productivity Output/Hour Annual Rate is at -4.9%, 3Q20 was at +5.5%, 2Q20 +10.1%, 1Q20 -0.4%, the 2020 Annual Rate is +2.5%. PR link.

The US Federal Housing Finance Agency announces that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will continue to offer COVID-19 forbearance to qualifying multifamily property owners through 06/30/21, subject to the continued tenant protections FHFA has imposed during the pandemic, programs were set to expire 03/31/21. PR link.

MasterCard SpendingPulse says US February 2021 retail sales excluding automotive and gasoline increased 4.6% year-over-year when adjusted for Leap Year, online sales grew 54.7% compared to 2020. PR link.

***Wednesday, March 3

Daily Corporate News:

Walmart(PBR1) over next ten years will spend an additional $350 billion on items made, grown or assembled in the US, estimates it will support more than 750,000 new American jobs, has identified six priority categories to focus on: plastics; textiles; small electrical appliances; food processing; pharmaceutical and medical supplies; and Goods Not For Resale (GNFR). PR link.

ExxonMobil(PBR10) outlines plans through 2025 to increase earnings and cash flow to sustain and grow its dividend, reduce debt and fund advantaged projects, while working to commercialize lower emission technologies in support of the goals of the Paris Agreement. PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR41) says all stores in the US and Canada will be closed on Easter Sunday, 04/04/21, to showits appreciation for more than 300,000 associates’ continued dedication. PR link.

FedEx(PBR47) to invest $2 billion in its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2040, includes entire pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet will be electric vehicles by 2040, half of its FedEx Express PUD purchases will be EVs by 2025, rising to 100% by 2030. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63) gets US FDA approval for supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for LORBRENA® (lorlatinib), expanding the indication to include first-line treatment of people with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PR link.

Dollar Tree(PBR125) in 4Q20 report says it has authorized an increase of $2.0 billion for the share repurchase program, plans to open 400 new Dollar Tree stores, 200 Family Dollar stores and to renovate 1,250 Family Dollar stores. PR link.

CarMax(PBR155) providing bonuses to over 80% of its associates, $500 for fulltime associates, $250 for part-time associates employed by 03/01/20, prorated for associated hired after, 22,000 associates are eligible. PR link.

Las Vegas Sands(PBR225) to sell its Las Vegas properties, The Venetian and the Sands Expo and Convention Center, to Apollo Global Mgmt(PB755) and VICI Properties for around $6.25 billion, will focus on its Asian properties. PR link.

Jacobs Engineering(PBR229) completes acquisition of a 65% majority stake in UK based PA Consulting for enterprise value of $2.5 billion, remaining 35% to be owned by PA employees, PA has over 3,200 specialists globally in defence and security, consumer and manufacturing, government, health and life sciences, transport, energy and utilities, and financial services. PR link.

DISH(PBR244) and DraftKings(NASDAQ: DKNG) announce strategic agreement across DISH’s portfolio of brands to bring DraftKings’ sportsbook and daily fantasy experiences directly to DISH customers nationwide, beginning with a first-of-its-kind DraftKings app integration on the DISH TV Hopper platform, also allows for future DraftKings sportsbook and daily fantasy experiences with DISH Network’s SLING TV and Boost Mobile. PR link.

Bed Bath & Beyond(PBR275) announces the biggest change in its product assortment in a generation, plans to launch at least eight new Owned Brands in fiscal 2021, with six of these being launched sequentially in the first six months of the fiscal year, part of its 3 year transformation plan. PR link.

Boston Scientific(PBR288) to acquire the $200 million in annual revenues global surgical business of Israel based Lumenis LTD, a privately-held company that develops and commercializes energy-based medical solutions, for an upfront cash payment of $1.07 billion, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Ralph Lauren(PBR459) introduces ‘The Lauren Look,’ its first subscription apparel rental initiative, with the Lauren Ralph Lauren brand. PR link.

Michael’s Cos(PBR518) to be acquired by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR755) for $22.00/share, transaction value of around $5.0 billion, today starts 25 calendar days go-shop period for alternative proposals, to close by 04/30/21. PR link.

Coty(PBR561) to partnerwith LanzaTech to introduce sustainable ethanol made from captured-carbon emissions into its fragrance products with goal of having the majority of its fragrance portfolio using ethanol sourced from carbon-capture by 2023. PR link.

Dycom(PBR686) authorizes a new $150 million share repurchase program, expires in 18 months. PR link.

Zynga(PBR980) has acquired Echtra Games, a cross-platform game studio composed of a development team whose core members have previously shaped the world of action role-playing games through their work on genre-defining titles including Diablo, Diablo II, the Torchlight franchise and more, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Alleghany Corp(PBR338) President/CEO Weston M. Hicks to retire at end of 2021, EVP Joseph P. Brandon to become President on 04/23/21, CEO and a director upon Hicks’ retirement. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Federal Reserve releases the Beige Book for data collected through 02/22/21, says, “Economic activity expanded modestly from January to mid-February for most Federal Reserve Districts. Most businesses remain optimistic regarding the next 6-12 months as COVID-19 vaccines become more widely distributed… ” PR link.

ADP says the Preliminary February 2021 US Private Sector Change in Employment-Small Businesses(1-49 Employees) is at +32,000, Mid-Sized(50-499) +57,000, Large(500 or more) +28,000; Goods Producing Sector is -14,000, Services Sector +131,000; Total February 2021 Change in Employment is +117,000, January 2021 was at +195,000, December 2020 -75,000, February 2020 +199,000. “The labor market continues to post a sluggish recovery across the board… We’re seeing large-sized companies increasingly feeling the effects of COVID-19, while job growth in the goods producing sector pauses. With the pandemic still in the driver’s seat, the service sector remains well below its pre-pandemic levels; however, this sector is one that will likely benefit the most over time with reopenings and increased consumer confidence.” PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says the February 2021 US Services PMI Index(>50 economy is growing) is at 55.3%, January 2021 was at 58.7%, December 2020 57.7%, February 2020 57.9%. “This reading indicates the ninth straight month of growth for the services sector, which has expanded for all but two of the last 133 months.” PR link.

IHS Markit says the February 2021 US Composite PMI Output Index is at 59.5, January 2021 was at 58.7, December 2020 55.3, February 2020 49.6. “Contributing to the overall rise in activity was a stronger rise in new business. Private sector new order growth was the fastest since April 2018. Despite a renewed contraction in service sector foreign client demand, an expansion in manufacturing export orders led to another modest upturn in overall new business from abroad… ” PR link.

***Tuesday, March 2

Daily Corporate News:

ExxonMobil(PBR10 $XOM) to reduce its 4,000 staff in Singapore by 300 in 2021, an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. PR link.

Target(PBR35 $TGT) plans to invest approximately $4 billion annually during the next several years to continue scaling capabilities across its retail platform, will accelerate new store openings and store remodels, enhance fulfillment services and strengthen its supply chain. PR link.

Merck(PBE68 $MRK) has multiple agreements to expand manufacturing capacity and supply of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 medicines and vaccines, to get up to $268.8 million fro US Dept of Health & Human Services to adapt and make available a number of existing manufacturing facilities for the production of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccines and medicines, has an agreement with Johnson & Johnson(PBR34 $JNJ) to manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine. PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR158 $KISS) in 4Q20 report says it is resuming share buybacks, anticipates $200-$300 million in 2021, says it has 65 million active customers, 30 million loyalty customers, 29 million Kohl’s charge card holders, expects mid-teens revenue increase in 2021. PR link.

American Electric Power(PBR199 $AEP), Dominion Energy(PBR193 $D), Duke Energy(PBR116 $DUK), Entergy Corp(PBR285 $ETR), Southern Co(PBR146 $SO) and the Tennessee Valley Authority, members of the Electric Highway Coalition, announce a plan to enable electronic vehicle(EV) drivers seamless travel across major regions of the US through a network of DC fast chargers for EVs for an estimated 18 million EVs by 2030. PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR245 $LAD) has acquired the Fink Auto Group with five locations in the greater Tampa, FL market, is expected to add $430 million in annualized revenue, includes Hyundai of New Port Richey, the largest-volume Hyundai location in the US eight years in a row. PR link.

eBay(PBR287 $EBAY) receives acceptable proposed remedies from the UK Competition and Markets Authority(CMA)‘s concerns about its $9.2 billion cash & stock sale of its Classifieds business to Norway based Adevinta(OSLO: ADE), now plans to complete transaction in 2Q21. PR link.

Hertz(PBR313 $HTZGQ) files Plan for Reorganization with US Bankruptcy Court, contemplates that Knighthead Capital Management and Certares Opportunities will serve as the Plan Sponsors and will commit to invest up to $4.2 billion to purchase up to 100% (but not less than a majority) of the common stock of the reorganized Hertz, plan is to emerge from Chapter 11 in early to mid summer, hearing scheduled for 04/16/21. PR link.

Navistar(PBR395 $NAV) stockholders approve TRATON‘s proposal to acquire Navistar for $44.50 cash, to close in mid 2021. PR link.

Polaris Industries(PBR428 $PII) announces its 2022 snowmobile lineup, 22 new models on its rider-first, Matryx platform. PR link.

Agilent Technologies(PBR512 $A) to acquire Kirkland, WA, developer of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based precision oncology solutions Resolution Bioscience for $550 million cash plus up to $145 million for milestone achievements, expects $50-55 million in revenues in 2021, to close in 04/21. PR link.

Camping World(PBR539 $CWH) to acquire EZ Living RV in Braidwood, IL, will be CWH 6th location in Illinois, to close in 03/21. PR link.

TreeHouse Foods(PBR602 $THS) announces agreement with JANA Partners, which owns approximately 7.4% of common stock, temporarily expands Board to 14 members, appoints two new independent directors: John P. Gainor Jr. and Kenneth I. Tuchman, expects to have 11 Board members after 2021 annual meeting. PR link.

Abercrombie & Fitch(PBR656 $ANF) in 4Q20 report says it has replaced existing share repurchase program that had a balance remaining of 3.2 million shares with a new authorization for 10 million shares available. PR link.

Palo Alto Networks(PBR679 $PANW) completes $156 million acquisition of Bridgecrew, a developer-first cloud security company. PR link.

Chico’s FAS(PBR889 $CHS) in 4Q20 report says it plans to push digital channel, anticipates closing approximately 13% to 16% of its remaining store fleet over the next three fiscal years, with approximately 40 to 45 of these closures occurring in fiscal 2021, the vast majority are expected to be mall-based Chico’s and White House Black Market stores. PR link.

WestRock(PBR175 $WRK) President/CEO/Board member Steven C. Voorhees to step down from on roles for health reasons on 03/15/21, hires David B. Sewell to be successor at that time. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The PurdueU/CME Group February 2021 US Ag Economy Barometer Composite Index is at 165, January 2021 was at 167, December 2020 174, February 2020 168. “Relative to last fall, producers appear to be less confident about future growth in agricultural trade and are concerned about possible shifts in environmental and tax policy that could negatively impact the farm sector, leading them to be less confident about future conditions in the farm sector.” PR link.

***Monday, March 1

Daily Corporate News:

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) drops its $35 minimum order requirement for Express Delivery, Express Delivery charge remains $10. PR link.

Berkshire Hathaway(PBR6 $BRK.B) shareholders get annual letter from Chairman Warren Buffett, mentions his $11 billion mistake, comments on BH’s version of being a conglomerate, repurchasing around 5% of BH’s stock for $24.7 billion in 2020, and much more. PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR35 $JNJ)’s Janssen unit gets US FDA Emergency Use Authorization for its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older, expects to deliver enough single-shot vaccines by the end of March to enable the full vaccination of more than 20 million people in the US, plans to deliver 100 million single-shot vaccines to the US during 1H21. PR link.

Cisco(PBR66 $CSCO) completes $115/share, around $4.3 billion cash acquisition of designer and manufacturer of high-speed, optical interconnect technologies Acacia Communications. PR link.

Nordstrom(PBR200 $JWN) in partnership with smart home gym and personal trainer provider Tonal to provide a 50 sf concept where visitors can experience a full Tonal demo and try a workout firsthand, to be in 40 stores in 20 states starting in March. PR link.

Royal Caribbean(PBR283 $RCL) offering $1,500,000,000 of its common stock to the public. PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR371 $GNW) sells its interest Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia for $247 million. PR link.

L3Harris Technologies(PBR426 $LHX) to sell its $500 million in annual revenues Military Training business to CAE for $1.05 billion and its $230 million in annual revenues Combat Propulsion Systems and related businesses to RENK AG for $400 million, both to close in 2H21. PR link.

Apache Corp(PBR448 $APA) completes its restructuring as a holding company, now APA Corporation, retains ticker NASDAQ: APA, Apache Corporation now a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary. PR link.

Perrigo(PBR547 $PRGO) to sell its Generic Rx Pharmaceuticals business to Altaris Capital Partners for total consideration of $1.55 billion, includes up to $50 million for milestone achievements, to close in 3Q21. PR link.

KKR(PBR608 $KKR) completes acquisition of 65% stake in Seiyu, a nationwide supermarket chain in Japan with more than 300 retail units, Japan based technology company Rakuten acquires 20%, and Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) retains 15% ownership, values Seiyu at around $1.6 billion. PR link.

Maximus(PBR674 $MMS) completes acquisition of the Federal division of privately held Attain for $430 million, provides artificial intelligence and machine learning to support the mission-critical objectives of numerous federal agencies. PR link.

Roku(PBR992 $ROKU) to acquire Nielsen(PBR444 $NLSN)’s Advanced Video Advertising (AVA) business, which includes Nielsen’s video automatic content recognition (ACR) and dynamic ad insertion (DAI) technologies, Nielsen and Roku will also enter into a strategic partnership to integrate complementary Nielsen ad and content measurement products into the Roku platform and further advance Nielsen ONE, the company’s cross-media measurement solution. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary January 2021 US Total Construction Spending-Residential is at $722.4 billion, Non-Residential $799.1 billion, January 2021 US Total Construction Spending is at $1,521.5 billion, December 2020 was t $1,496.5 billion, November 2020 $1,479.6 billion, January 2020 $1,437.7 billion. PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says the February 2021 US Manufacturing PMI Index(>50 economy expanding) is at 60.8%, January 2021 was at 58.7%, December 2020 60.5%, February 2020 50.1%. “Manufacturing performed well for the ninth straight month, with demand, consumption and inputs registering strong growth compared to January. Labor-market difficulties at panelists’ companies and their suppliers continued to restrict manufacturing-economy expansion and will remain the primary headwind to production growth until employment levels and factory operations can return to normal across the entire supply chain…” PR link.

IHS Markit says the February 2021 US Manufacturing PMI Index is at 58.6, January 2021 was at 59.2, December 2020 57.1, February 2020 50.7. “Another month of strong production growth suggests that the US manufacturing sector is close to fully recovering the output lost to the pandemic last year, and a renewed surge in optimism suggests the recovery has much further to run…” PR link.

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

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PBRMarketTools.com provides news, data, and analysis on 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with primary operations in the US. The data and analysis is included in The PBR1000 Monthly Snapshots, an MS-Excel workbook with 15 snapshot worksheets, 28 rankings, and over 200 fields of data and information on each company. Click here to find out more!

PBRMarketTools.com is an independent business intelligence service. We provide news, data and analytics, not advice. PBRMarketTools.com is not, nor is it affiliated with, any financial advisory or stock brokerage or related firms.

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The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks February 2020 12 Month Report Card

March 22, 2021 by admin

The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks February 2020 Report Card

How did the stock analysts do in their 12 month forecast of February 2020? Here’s the research!

By Larry C. Paxton

Welcome to the 12 Month Report Card for The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks for February 2020.

As investors we count on professional stock analysts to provide comprehensive and diligent research to come up with their best take on how stocks will perform over the next 12 months. We then use that information to help us make stock buy, hold and sell decisions.

The PBR25 Premise

The premise of The PBR25 is there is a high probability of success for stock investing when a large enough number professional stock analysts through their extensive research determine that a stock is a “Buy” and also forecast a significant return over the next 12 months.

Last 12 Months Influences

Since February 2020 a lot has happened that was not predicted and not part of their analysis at that time:

The world and the US was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to take lives in large numbers, has affected economies worldwide, resulted in millions of lost jobs, and stressed healthcare, education, and businesses beyond imagination, with major uncertainties that remain today for individuals and organizations of all types.
There was a lot of civil unrest in the US from the unfortunate and graphic death of a black man, George Floyd. Other incidents followed that has made the US take more seriously racial injustice issues and accentuated concerns about income and opportunity inequalities.
There was a very contentious US Presidential campaign that exacerbated how fractured the US is politically.

There is a lot more that can be said, but this is not meant to be an opinions post. It is a piece focused on the review of the recommendations stock analysts came up with around late February 2020 and the actual results 12 months later around the end of February 2021.

Creating The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks List for February 2020

The starting point is the prestigious The PBR1000, produced monthly by PBRMarketTools. To be included in The PBR1000 the 1,000 companies must meet the following criteria:

The companies must be publicly traded on the NYSE, NYSE American or NASDAQ stock exchanges, with a very few temporarily trading on the Over-The-Counter market because they are transitioning from bankruptcy.
They must be headquartered in the US, or have primary operations in the US.
They must have generated at least $1 billion in revenues in their most recent full fiscal year.
They must file an annual 10-K form with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in US dollars
Each of the 1,000 companies is given a primary ranking based on revenues, with the company having the highest revenue amount ranked 1(currently Walmart). There are 27 secondary rankings in The PBR1000 based on other criteria as well.

Each month the 12 month estimates and recommendations by stock analysts are updated on The PBR1000. The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks list for February 2020 was then created using the following process:

At any point in time The PBR1000 has around 15,000 stock analyst recommendations.
The PBR1000 was sorted by stock analyst recommendations.
Those stocks rated a “Buy” were then further sorted by the number of “Buy” recommendations.
For February 2020 a cut off of at least 14 “Buy” recommendations was then sorted by each stock’s weighted average, with a Buy being worth 5 points, Overweight 4 points, Hold 3 points, Underweight 2 points and Sell 1 point. The maximum weighted average is 5.00. For a stock to achieve a “Buy” recommendation its weighted average must be greater than 4.50.
The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks list was finalized by doing a descending sort by the weighted averages.

Characteristics of The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks for February 2020

The PBR25 data for February 2020 is actually from February 28, 2020
Revenue rankings were from 2(Amazon) to 897(Parsley Energy, which was acquired during the following 12 months. Prologis was next lowest, ranked at 688.)
Market capitalization(company stock value) ranged from $5.16 billion(OneMain Holdings) to $1,203.13 billion(Amazon). Total market capitalization for all The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks was $4,874.72 billion
Weighted averages ranged from 4.96 to 4.65, the average was 4.74, on the 5.00 scale.
15 companies traded on the NYSE, 8 companies on NASDAQ, 1 company on the NYSE American
7 companies were energy related companies, 6 companies were technology related companies, 4 were financial services companies, 2 were retailers, 2 were healthcare related services, 1 was a construction services company, 1 was a live sciences company, 1 was a real estate investment trust
Per share stock prices on 02/28/20 ranged from $11.08 to $1,883.75. The total for all 24 of the 25 stocks used was $6,121.07
12 month targeted stock prices ranged from $19.05 to $2,412.00. The total for all 24 stocks used was $7,815.97
The total average forecasted 12 month change was +$1,694.90, for a percent change of +27.69%

Actual Results for The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks for February 2021

The data is from Friday, February 26, 2021
One energy related company was acquired during the 12 month period. This analysis is based on the 24 remaining companies.
Per share stock prices on 02/26/21 ranged from $7.64 to $3,092.93. The total for all 24 stocks used was $8,732.02
The 12 month actual difference was +$2,610.95, for a +42.66% change
Actual 12 month change ranged from -38.26%(an energy company) to +140.62%(a financial services company), the median was +20.05%
8 companies exceeded the forecasted 12 month average change, 16 companies did not
20 companies had a positive gain, only 4 companies had a loss
6 of the 16 companies that did not meet the forecast were energy related
The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks achieved a +42.66% gain over the 12 months while the 3 major US stock indices had the following results: DJIA +21.74%, NASDAQ +53.98%, S&P500 +29.01%

Conclusions, Observations, Validations and Realities

If you had bought 1 share each of The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks at the closing price on February 28, 2020, you would have achieved a +42.66% gain at the close on February 26, 2021, an excellent return
The stock analysts +20.05% median result was below the forecasted +27.69% 12 month target, but there was a very wide fluctuation on both sides of the median
It is difficult to forecast out 12 months with any great accuracy, there are just too many variables and uncertainties, but it can be useful and helpful in providing some guidance
It does demonstrate that The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks is a valid methodology and process for that particular month.
Our demonstration account, called The Charlie Fund, uses the popular “Buy & Hold with Consistent Monthly Investment Strategy” with the monthly The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks as the primary research tool. It achieved a +46.62% return in 2020, a further validation of the methodology.
There are no guarantees! The reality is that there will always be ups and downs in the stock market and people make stocks buy, hold and sell decisions based on a wide range logical and emotional criteria, input from knowledgeable hard-working experts and well meaning friends, and if the sky is blue today. But the historical data is pretty convincing that stocks will trend up at an above average investment rate over the long haul.

Additional Information

The details of this summary, including company names and the over 200 fields of information for each company, were extracted from the updated The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks MS-Excel worksheet for February 2020, and has been distributed to The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks Subscribers for their personal use and further research
For characteristics of the most recent monthly The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks go to The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks information page.

We are always interested in your feedback, which you can provide on the Contact Us page.

Disclaimers: The PBR1000 is compiled from a variety of publicly available resources. As such, PBRMarketTools.com is not responsible for the data itself. Any liability for the representations or decisions based on the data is solely the responsibility of the authorized user, not PBRMarketTools.com, its employees or affiliates. PBRMarketTools.com is an independent business intelligence service providing news, data, and analysis. It is not a financial advisory or stock brokerage firm and has no affiliation with such organizations. Any opinions expressed should not be regarded as advice.

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Filed Under: Report Card Tagged With: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Institutional Investor, Investing, Investors, PBRMarketTools, Rankings, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000, The PBR25, Wealth Management

The PBR1000 February 2021 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

March 3, 2021 by admin

The PBR1000 for February 2021: The Bull Gets His First Month

The Stock Market Bull had a strong start to February, but then lost his mojo, gave The Stock Market Bear a big last week, but the Bull held on to take his first month of 2021.

By Larry C. Paxton

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for February and Week 8 of 2021 ending 02/26/21:

DJIA ends February and Week 8 at 30,932.37, -1.78% from last Friday, +3.17% MTD, +1.06% QTD/YTD, -3.22% from record 31,961.86 set 02/24/21.

NASDAQ ends February and Week 8 at 13,192.35, -4.92% from last Friday, +0.93% MTD, +2.36% QTD/YTD, -6.41% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends February and Week 8 at 3,811.15, -2.45% from last Friday, +2.61% MTD, +1.47% QTD/YTD, -3.14% from record 3,934.83 set 02/12/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 8 of 2021 News Summary:

The Stock Market Bull was smarting from his lackluster showing in Week 7 and tried to take charge of the pasture, even achieving a new record on Wednesday on the DJIA. But The Stock Market Bear started Week 8 focused on the tech sector, viciously taking down the NASDAQ on Monday. By Friday his lust for more green blood expanded into the DJIA ripping it for an over 1,000 point loss the last two days of the week. The Stock Market Bear easily gets a 3-0 victory for Week 8, but The Stock Market Bull wins February 3-0 because of his strong showing in the first couple of weeks. Here comes March and, as usual, predictions are all over the place, making us wonder if it will be another form of “March Madness!” Enjoy the game.

The February 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 1 month
The Stock Market Bear: 0 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

The Week 8 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 4 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 3 weeks
Mixed Results: 1 week

The February 2021 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 19

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 14+/5-; NASDAQ 11+/8-; SPX 10+/9-.

Record Days: DJIA 6, NASDAQ 5, SPX 4

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 6 days(02/01-08/21), NASDAQ 4 days(02/04-09/21), and SPX 6 days(02/01-08/21)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 2 days(02/25-26/21), NASDAQ 3 days(02/16-18/21), and SPX 5 days(016-22/21)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 4 days, 02/01/21( N +2.55%, S +1.61%), 02/02/21(D +1.57%, N +1.56%, S +1.39%), 02/04/21(D +1.08%, N +1.23%, S +1.09%), 02/24/21(, D +1.35%, S +1.14%)

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 3 days, 02/22/21(N -2.46%), 02/25/21(D -1/75%, N -3.52%, S -2.45%), 02/26/21(D -1.50%)

The PBR1000 February 2021 Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 February 2021 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on February 26, 2021, 1 Month % Chg is compared to January 29, 2021, 12 Months % Chg is compared to February 28, 2020, the 24 Months % Chg is compared to February 28, 2019, and 60 Months % Chg is compared to February 29, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 12 month subscription and automatically download the February 2021 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 28 rankings with the bonuses The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots and The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +86% to -69%. 716 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 4.87%, the median was a gain of 6.35%. The DJIA was +3.17%, NASDAQ +0.93%, SPX +2.61%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 02/26/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
Vail Resorts	898	MTN	$ 494.51	+86	+133	+137	+288
SeaWorld	975	SEAS	$ 49.66	+74	+83	+82	+175
Whiting Petroleum	951	WLL	$ 34.30	+69	n/a	n/a	n/a
PBF Energy	121	PBF	$ 14.20	+68	-37	-54	-53
SM Energy	950	SM	$ 13.86	+65	+11	-15	+53

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 12 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +2,726% to -94%. 819 out of 989 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 33.74%, the median was a gain of 27.24%. The DJIA was +21.74%, NASDAQ +53.98%, SPX +29.01%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 02/26/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
GameStop	446	GME	$ 101.74	-69	+2,726	+770	+230
Tupperware	927	TUP	$ 30.57	+2	+973	+2	-39
Antero Resources	592	AR	$ 9.00	+30	+463	+4	-61
Tesla Motors	119	TSLA	$ 675.50	-15	+406	+956	+1,660
Owens & Minor	329	OMI	$ 34.01	+17	+398	+445	-14

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 24 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +956% to -99%. 657 out of 985 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 34.70%. The median was a gain of 17.64%. The DJIA was +19.36%, NASDAQ +75.14%, SPX +36.87%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 02/26/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
Tesla Motors	119	TSLA	$ 675.50	-15	+406	+956	+1,660
GameStop	446	GME	$ 101.74	-69	+2,726	+770	+230
Snap	938	SNAP	$ 65.66	+24	+363	+570	n/a
Carvana	633	CVNA	$ 283.50	+9	+242	+532	n/a
Roku	992	ROKU	$ 395.48	+2	+248	+497	n/a

Table 4(R21): The PBR1000 Top 5 60 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 4 Summary: The range was +3,849% to -99%. 701 out of 925 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 98.93%. The median was a gain of 59.71%. The DJIA was +87.28%, NASDAQ +189.44%, SPX +97.24%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 02/26/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
AMD	430	AMD	$ 84.51	-1	+86	+259	+3,849
Square	563	SQ	$ 230.03	+7	+176	+183	+2,103
Tesla Motors	119	TSLA	$ 675.50	-15	+406	+956	+1,660
NVIDIA	285	NVDA	$ 548.58	+6	+103	+256	+1,191
RH	799	RH	$ 490.17	+3	+170	+219	+1,053

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $2,306 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $36.703 billion, median is $9.60 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 02/26/21	1 Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
Apple	3	AAPL	$ 2,031	-12	+70	+149
Microsoft	15	MSFT	$ 1,727	-4	+44	+101
Amazon	2	AMZN	$ 1,539	-5	+64	+91
Alphabet	9	GOOG	$ 1,364	+9	+51	+75
Facebook	29	FB	$ 725	-4	+34	+57
The PBR1000			$ 37,214	+1	+34	+41

Table 6: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company	Price 02/26/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	117,770.64	+4.9	+33.7	+34.7	+98.9
DJIA	30,932.37	+3.2	+21.7	+19.4	+87.3
NASDAQ	13,192.35	+0.9	+54.0	+75.1	+189.4
S&P500	3,811.15	+2.6	+29.0	+36.9	+97.2
GOLD	1,728.80	-6.6	+8.9	+31.5	+38.9
SILVER	26.44	-1.8	+58.5	+69.1	+77.0
OIL	61.50	+17.8	+35.9	+7.1	+82.2

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The PBR1000 February 2021 Breaking News Recap

February 26, 2021 by admin

The PBR1000 for February: A Roller Coaster Month?

A global pandemic that won’t go away, economies worldwide struggling, a new administration in the US with a different, or in some cases back to a previous direction, a 50/50 split in the Senate, delayed stimulus assistance, racial injustice, wealth and gender inequalities, all make for a month, or perhaps the whole year, one of unpredictable ups and downs, twists and turns. Buckle up, get ready to raise your hands high and scream as loud as you can as we ride a roller coaster in a world of uncertainties.

The February 2021 breaking news items of interest for The PBR1000 follow with the most current date first.

***Friday, February 26

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for February and Week 8 of 2021 ending 02/26/21:

DJIA ends Week 8 at 30,932.37, -1.78% from last Friday, +3.17% MTD, +1.06% QTD/YTD, -3.22% from record 31,961.86 set 02/24/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 8 at 13,192.35, -4.92% from last Friday, +0.93% MTD, +2.36% QTD/YTD, -6.41% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends Week 8 at 3,811.15, -2.45% from last Friday, +2.61% MTD, +1.47% QTD/YTD, -3.14% from record 3,934.83 set 02/12/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 8 of 2021 News Summary:

The Stock Market Bull was smarting from his lackluster showing in Week 7 and tried to take charge of the pasture, even achieving a new record on Wednesday on the DJIA. But The Stock Market Bear started Week 8 focused on the tech sector, viciously taking down the NASDAQ on Monday. By Friday his lust for more blood expanded into the DJIA ripping it for an over 1,000 point loss the last two days of the week. The Stock Market Bear easily gets a 3-0 victory for Week 8, but The Stock Market Bull wins February 3-0 because of his strong showing in the first couple of weeks. Here comes March and, as usual, predictions are all over the place, making us wonder if it will be another form of “March Madness!” Enjoy the game.

The February 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 1 month
The Stock Market Bear: 0 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

The Week 8 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 4 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 3 weeks
Mixed Results: 1 week

Week 8 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 02/26/21, at 2:22PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 113,267,921 confirmed cases globally with 2,513,380 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 62,881, which is -6,800 from last Friday. For the US it is 28,464,252 confirmed cases and 509,710 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 14,204, which is -578 from last Friday. The US has vaccinated 50,000,000+ so far in the new year and is easily exceeding 1 million vaccinations per day. It is anticipated that Johnson & Johnson’s single shot COVID-19 vaccine candidate will receive Emergency Use Authorization by the US FDA as soon as possibly today, joining Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna with that authorization. Walgreens and CVS also announced they will be receiving doses at most of their pharmacies very soon. While there are still some manufacturing, logistical, and federal/state/local issues, the vaccination programs seem to be doing well. During the week President Biden lead a somber ceremony about having reached the 500,000 deaths mark in the US.

US Federal Government: The US House is expected to pass its $1.9 trillion stimulus package this evening. It will then be forwarded to the US Senate. The $15/hour minimum wage part has been deemed in conflict with other previously passed legal actions, and work arounds are being discussed. President Biden’s nominees for high level federal government positions are being approved by the US Senate mostly on a bipartisan basis. President Biden has signed some more executive orders re-implementing some Obamacare era items, and addressing semiconductor chip manufacturing shortages that can affect defense projects and the broader commercial industries. There have been some hearings on the January 6 insurrection attempt with a focus on what was known prior to the attack, preparations for the day, and communications between law enforcement and military groups.

US Economy: Wages showed a significant uptick, weekly initial unemployment insurance claims fell more than expected, mortgage rates increased but are still near record lows, housing prices increased, new car prices are up, the projected building of new homes was up, oil prices increased, gold as well with some fluctuations. Consumer and business surveys continued to be optimistic based on the belief that the COVID-19 crisis will be ending and businesses will get back to some kind of comparable normalcy before the pandemic. Federal Reserve Chairman Powell testified before Congress indicating that inflation concerns are not yet worrisome. Similar thoughts were reflected by other members of the Federal Reserve throughout the week. Bitcoin and other digital currencies were discussion items throughout the week as the Bitcoin price took a significant leap up. New Secretary of the Treasury and former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen provided some opinions on these monetary options. Bond yields increased significantly because of inflationary fears by some key players.

Corporate Business: Annual corporate earnings reports and associated investor days were generally above expectations except for hospitality, travel, and related industries which have been hard hit. More companies announced increased dividends and restarted share buyback programs.

International News: . There was an airstrike against Iranian troops in Syria to stir up some controversies in that part of the world. The US released intelligence that says Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman approved the operation to capture or kill Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Myanmar continues to struggle with the military’s overthrow of its government. The US and European Union placed some sanctions on Russia. COVID-19 cases appear to be increasing in parts of Europe with continued concerns about variants.

Daily Corporate News:

United Airlines(PBR75 $UAL) reaches agreement with the US Dept of Justice to pay over $49 million to resolve criminal charges and civil claims relating to fraud on postal service contracts for transportation of international mail. USDOJ PR link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR113 $TMO) completes around $450 million in cash plus up to $100 million for milestone achievements acquisition of Mesa Biotech, a privately held molecular diagnostic company, includes its Accula System which has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US FDA for SARS-CoV-2 in vitro diagnostic testing and is now available for use in patient care settings, providing results within 30 minutes, with higher accuracy than other rapid tests on the market. PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR138 $LLY) gets $210 million US government order for a minimum of 100,000 doses of bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) 700 mg and etesevimab (LY-CoV016) 1400 mg together for the treatment of recently diagnosed, mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients who are at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization, will have the option to purchase up to an additional 1,100,000 doses through 11/25/21 under the same terms. PR link.

Diamondback Energy(PBR630 $FANG) completes $375 million in cash and 10.68 million shares of the Company’s common stock acquisition of leasehold interests and related oil and gas assets of Guidon Operating LLC, a portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners, includes approximately 32,500 net acres in the Northern Midland Basin. PR link.

Cinemark(PBR698 $CNK) says as of 12/31/20 it had 217 domestic and 129 international theatres open to limited hours, showing library content and some new releases with some limitations on capacities, 4Q20 attendance was 6.6 million patrons, average ticket price was $7.42 and concession revenues per patron was $4.75, total attendance for 2020 was 54.3 million, net loss for 2020 was $616.8 million vs profit of $191.4 in 2019. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of the Treasury says on 02/24/21 the US National Debt-Public is at $21.721 trillion, Intragovernmental $6.152 trillion, 02/24/21 US Total National Debt is $27.873 trillion, 01/31/21 was at $27.829 trillion, 12/30/20 $27.747, 02/28/20 $23.410. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says the Preliminary January 2021 US Total Personal Income Annual Rate is at $21.454 trillion, December 2020 was at $19.499 trillion, November 2020 $19.386 trillion, January 2020 $18.973 trillion. PR link.

The US Dept of the Treasury says on 02/26/21 the US 10 Year Treasury Note Yield is at 1.44%, 01/29/21 was at 1.11%, 12/31/20 0.93%, 02/28/20 1.13%. PR link.

MNI Indicators says the Preliminary February 2021 Chicago Business Barometer(>50 economy gaining) is at 59.5, January 2021 was at 63.8, December 2020 58.7, February 2020 48.9. “Among the main five indicators, New Orders saw the largest monthly decline, followed by Production. Employment recorded the biggest gain.” PR link.

The American Automobile Assn says on 02/26/21 the US Average Regular Unleaded Gas Price is at $2.699, 01/29/21 was at $2.422, 12/31/20 $2.253, 02/29/20 $2.447. PR link.

The U of Michigan Final February 2021 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 76.8, January 2021 was at 79.0, December 2020 80.7, February 2020 101.0. “Perhaps the most attention has been garnered by rising inflationary expectations. The year ahead inflation rate was expected to be 3.3% in February, up from 3.0% last month and 2.5% in December. While consumers clearly anticipate a spurt in inflation in the year ahead, the overall evidence does not indicate the emergence of an inflationary psychology that makes the expectation of inflation a self-fulfilling prophecy.” PR link.

***Thursday, February 25

Daily Corporate News:

AT&T(PBR10 $T) and TPG to establish a new company named DIRECTV (“New DIRECTV”) that will own and operate AT&T’s US video business unit consisting of the DIRECTV, AT&T TV and U-verse video services, implies an enterprise value for the new company of $16.25 billion, AT&T to own 70%, TPG 30%, AT&T will receive $8 billion, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Costco(PBR11 $COST) is raising its starting minimum wage to $16/hr beginning next week, over half of US hourly workers make over $25/hr, according to CEO. NPR PR link.

Target(PBR36 $TGT) will double Apple(PBR3 $AAPL)’s footprint in select Target stores and expand offerings in stores and online, starting with 17 stores, will roll out more throughout 2021. PR link.

Facebook(PBR47 $FB) agrees to payment deals with 3 Australian news publishers. MarketWatch PR link.

PepsiCo(PBR50 $PEP) launches Neon Zebra, a new line of non-alcoholic cocktail mixers, each 7.5oz mini-can of Neon Zebra mixed with spirit of choice, makes two cocktails. PR link.

Merck(PBR68 $MRK) to acquire Pandion Therapeutics(Nasdaq: PAND), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for patients living with autoimmune diseases, for $60/share cash, an equity value of around $1.85 billion, to close in 1H21. PR link.

Best Buy(PBR73) in 4Q21 conference call CEO says it has closed approximately 20 large-format locations each of the past 2 years, and expect to close a higher number this year, also have been reducing the length of the average lease term, started year with 123,000 employees, finish with 102,000, in February laid off and provided severance to approximately 5,000 in place, the majority of which were full time, at the same time are adding approximately 2,000 additional part-time positions. PR link.

Best Buy(PBR73 $BBY) authorizes new $5.0 billion share repurchase program, replaces 02/19 authorization which had $1.7 billion remaining. PR link.

3M(PBR98 $MMM) wins patent infringement case in China regarding its BCA-T (Blue Ceramic Abrasive Triangle) abrasive grain technology. PR link.

Weyerhaeuser(PBR440 $WY) to purchase 69,200 acres of high-quality timberlands in southwest Alabama from Soterra, a subsidiary of Greif(PBR576 $GEF) for approximately $149 million, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

Signet Jewelers(PBR461 $SIG) is raising its US minimum wage to $15 an hour for both full-time and part-time positions. PR link.

Hasbro(PBR560 $HAS) at virtual investor event announces restructuring, new financial reporting segments are: Consumer Products, including toys and games; Wizards of the Coast (Wizards) and Digital Gaming; and Entertainment, provides update on its products and services. PR link.

Hasbro(PBR560 $HAS) is officially renaming the MR. POTATO HEAD brand to POTATO HEAD to better reflect the full line, the iconic MR. and MRS. POTATO HEAD characters will remain MR. and MRS. POTATO HEAD. PR link.

iHeartMedia(PBR649 IHRT) restructuring into 2 reportable units, the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group and the iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group. PR link.

Twitter(PBR676 $TWTR) provides update on new products and services plans at its Analyst Day event. PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR974 $SEAS) in 4Q20 report says attendance was 6.4 million guests, a decline of 16.3 million guests from fiscal 2019, total revenue was $431.8 million, a decline of $966.5 million from fiscal 2019, 7 of 12 parks were open at end of 4Q20. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says that the 4Q20 2nd Estimated US Annual Gross Domestic Product is at +4.1%, $21.5 trillion, 3Q20 was at $21.2 trillion, 2Q20 $19.5 trillion, 4Q19 $21.7 trillion. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says for week ending 02/20/21 the US Weekly State Initial Jobless Claims is at 730.000, 01/23/21 was at 847,000, 12/26/20 787,000, 02/22/20 219,000; for week ending 02/13/21 the US Total Insured Unemployment is at 4,419,000 with an Insured Unemployment Rate of 3.1%, 02/15/20 was at 1,724,000 with an Insured Unemployment Rate of 1.2%. PR link.

FreddieMac says on 02/25/21 the US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate is at 2.97% with 0.6 points/fees, 01/28/21 was at 2.73%, 12/31/20 2.67%, 02/27/21 3.45%. “Optimism continues as the economy slowly regains its footing, thus affecting mortgage rates. Though rates continue to rise, they remain near historic lows. However, when combined with demand-fueled rising home prices and low inventory, these rising rates limit how competitive a potential homebuyer can be and how much house they are able to purchase.” PR link.

The US Federal Housing Finance Agency announces that borrowers with a mortgage backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac may be eligible for an additional three-month extension of COVID-19 forbearance, allows borrowers to be in forbearance for up to 18 months. PR link.

***Wednesday, February 24

Daily Corporate News:

ExxonMobil(PBR4 $XOM) to sell most of its non-operated upstream assets in the UK central and northern North Sea for $1+ billion, has additional upside of approximately $300 million in contingent payments based on potential for increase in commodity prices. PR link.

CVS Health(PBR5 $CVS) will administer COVID-19 vaccines in six additional states, approximately 570,000 doses available across 17 states through latest allocation. PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR18 $WBA) to sell Pixel by Labcorp COVID-19 PCR Test Home Collection Kits over-the-counter in up to 6,000 Walgreens stores nationwide beginning in spring of this year, no prescription required, $0 if meet certain requirements, $119 otherwise. PR link.

Verizon(PBR20 $VZ) is primary winner in the US FCC‘s C-Band auction for 5G spectrum, spends $45.5 billion, AT&T(PBR10 $T) spends $23.4 billion, total spend for 5 bidders was $81.2 billion. US FCC PR link.

IBM(PBR38 $IBM) Credit subsidiary to redeem $1.75 billion of outstanding debt and deregister with the SEC, no longer requires direct access to the public capital markets. PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR44 $LOW) in 4Q20 earnings call says it plans to spend $9 billion on share repurchases this year, used $5 billion last year. The Motley Fool PR link.

Australia passes new law requiring Facebook(PBR47 $FB) and Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google unit to pay for news. CNN PR link.

Facebook(PBR47 $FB) blog talks about the Australia actions regarding news reporting and why FB made its decisions, says it has invested $600 million since 2018 to support the news industry, and plans at least $1 billion more over the next three years. PR link.

HP(PBR57 $HPQ) to acquire provider of gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, USB microphones, and console accessories HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Co, for $425 million, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

TJX Cos(PBR78 $TJX) in 4Q21 report says open-only comp store sales were down only 3%, exceeding plans, approximately 690 stores are temporarily closed due to government mandates in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, vast majority are located in Europe, expects will continue to be that way for 1Q22. PR link.

AbbVie(PBR95 $ABBV) gets US FDA approval for HUMIRA® (adalimumab) for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in pediatric patients 5 years of age and older. PR link.

ViacomCBS(PBR103 $VIAC) unveils strategy for Paramount+ streaming service, includes content catalog of more than 30,000 episodes, 2,500 movie titles and over 1,000 live sporting events, plus around-the-clock news coverage. PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR195 $GPS) to invest $140 million in a new state-of-the-art Customer Experience Center in Longview, TX, to meet the rising customer demand for online shopping and reach its future plans for digital growth, will create 500+ full-time jobs in by end of 2023, will grow to 1,000+ full-time jobs over the next five years, and expects to create more than 1,000 part-time and seasonal jobs by 2026. PR link.

AutoZone(PBR247 $AZO) to provide an additional $100 to employees after they complete their COVID-19 vaccination. PR link.

Bausch Health(PBR352 $BHC) reaches agreement with 7.83% shareholder Icahn Enterprises(PBR317 $IEP) and associates, increases Board by two members of Icahn’s choosing. PR link.

Quest Diagnostics(PBR387 $DGX) introduces a new COVID-19 testing service that aids in providing insight into an individual’s immune response as a result of a recent or prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 or to immune response observed in connection with COVID-19 vaccination. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR489 $CCL)’s Princess Cruises extends pause of certain cruises to select Alaska, New England, and Pacific Coast sailings through 2021. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR489 $CCL)’s Seabourn ultra-luxury cruise line is cancelling all 19 of its 2021 Alaska/British Columbia departures. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR489 $CCL)’s Holland America Line is extending its pause of cruise operations to now include all sailings that depart from or conclude in a Canadian port in 2021, include several Alaska, three Canada/New England and two Pacific Coastal cruises in summer and fall of this year and also includes all Land+Sea Journeys. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR489 $CCL) pause in operations from US ports has been extended through 05/31/21. PR link.

Iron Mountain(PBR603 $IRM) to form a joint venture with Web Werks, one of India’s top colocation data center providers, expects to invest $150 million over the next two years, anticipates being the majority investor, Web Werks operates three Tier 3, carrier-neutral data centers, in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi NCR. PR link.

Autodesk(PBR700 $ADSK) to acquire Portland, OR-based Innovyze, a global leader in water infrastructure software, for $1 billion cash, to close by 04/30/21. PR link.

Crocs(PBR987 $CROX) in 4Q20 earnings call says it sold 18.9 million pairs of shoes in 4Q20, an increase of 37.7% over 4Q19, average selling price during Q4 increased 13.7% to $21.63. The Motley Fool PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says the Preliminary January 2021 US New Family Homes Sold Annual Rate is at 923,000, December 2020 was at 885,000, November 2020 839,000, January 2020 774,000. PR link.

The US Energy Information Administration says that the 02/19/21 US Crude Oil Reserves in Millions of Barrels is at 463.0, 01/22/21 was at 476.7, 12/25/20 493.5, 02/21/20 443.3. PR link.

The National Retail Federation issued its annual forecast, anticipating that retail sales will grow between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent to more than $4.33 trillion in 2021 as more individuals get vaccinated and the economy reopens. PR link.

***Tuesday, February 23

Daily Corporate News:

Wells Fargo(PBR26 $WFC) to sell its $603 billion in assets under management, 24 offices globally, and specialized investment teams supported by more than 450 investment professionals Wells Fargo Asset Management unit to GTCR and Reverence Capital Partners for $2.1 billion, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Home Depot(PBR27 $HD) on 4Q20 conference call says cordless tools are easier to use, more environmentally friendly, and have the power and runtime to get most jobs done, will be a focus for this spring. PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR35 $JNJ)’s Janssen unit VP sends a letter to a US House Commerce subcommittee stating that upon approval for Emergency Use Authorization by the US FDA they should be able to provide 20 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate for use in the US, 100 million doses by 06/30/21. PR link.

Facebook(PBR47 $FB) says the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address FB’s core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value its platform provides to publishers relative to the value FB receives from them, will be restoring news on Facebook over the next few days. PR link.

Estee Lauder(PBR219 $EL) to increase its investment in the Canadian-based, vertically integrated, multi-brand company, DECIEM Beauty Group from approximately 29% to approximately 76% , to close by 06/30/21, EL to purchase the remaining interests after a three-year period. PR link.

Oshkosh(PBR423 $OSK) Defense unit awarded a US Postal Service proposal, will provide between 50,000 and 165,000 vehicles over a period of 10 years, the USPS’s first large-scale fleet procurement in three decades. PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR151 $MAR) appoints Group President, Global Development, Design and Operations Services Anthony “Tony” Capuano as CEO and member of the Board, effective immediately, follows the unexpected passing of Marriott President/CEO Arne Sorenson on 02/15/21. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The Conference Board says the Preliminary February 2021 US Consumer Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 91.3, January 2021 was at 88.9, December 2020 87.1, February 2020 132.6. “… consumers remain cautiously optimistic, on the whole, about the outlook for the coming months. Notably, vacation intentions—particularly, plans to travel outside the U.S. and via air—saw an uptick this month, and are poised to improve further as vaccination efforts expand.” PR link.

The S&P/CoreLogic/Case-Shiller Preliminary December 2020 US National Home Price Index(01/2000=100) is at 234.40, November 2020 was at 232.41, October 2020 229.92, December 2019 212.37, December 2018 201.81. “As COVID-related restrictions began to grip the economy in early 2020, their effect on housing prices was unclear. Price growth decelerated in May and June, and then began a steady climb upward, and December’s report continues that acceleration in an emphatic manner. 2020’s 10.4% gain marks the best performance of housing prices in a calendar year since 2013…” PR link.

TrueCar forecasts February 2021 New Light Vehicle Sales-Retail to be at 967,545 units, Fleet 203,311 units, Total 1,170,856 units, January 2021 was at 1,109,578 units, December 2020 1,619,907 units, February 2020 1,373,324 units; forecasted February 2021 Average Transaction Price is at $38,075, January 2021 $37,558, December 2020 $39,089, February 2020 $35,709. PR link.

The US Federal Bank of Philadelphia says the February 2021 US 3rd District Non-Manufacturing Current General Activity Index(Region) is at +3.9, January 2021 was at -17.5, December 2020 -26.6, February 2020 +31.0. “The future activity indexes suggest that respondents expect improvement at their firms and in the region over the next six months.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the February 2021 US 5th District Manufacturing Index(Annualized) is at +14%, January 2021 was also at +14%, December 2020 +19%, February 2020 -2%. “The Fifth District manufacturing activity continued to improve in February… Manufacturers were optimistic that conditions would improve in the coming months.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the February 2021 US 5th District Service Sector Revenue Index(Annualized) is at -6%, January 2021 was at -3%, December 2020 -9%, February 2020 +26%. “Fifth District service sector firms reported mixed conditions in February… Survey respondents were optimistic that conditions would improve in the next six months.” PR link.

***Monday, February 22

Daily Corporate News:

Kroger(PBR22 $KR) confirmed that it was impacted by the data security incident affecting Accellion whose services were used by Kroger, as well as many other companies, for third-party secure file transfers, believes potential loss is less than 1% of customers impacted, those possibly affected are from Kroger Health and Money Services, did not affect any Kroger Family of Companies’ IT systems or any grocery store systems or data, no credit or debit card information or customer account passwords were affected. PR link.

Boeing(PBR40 $BA) recommends suspending operations for 69 in-service and 59 in storage Boeing 777’s per Pratt & Whitney engine problem over Demver, CO, US FAA is investigating and has taken that action. PR link.

CBRE(PBR122 $CBRE) to pay around $200 million and transfer its flex-space Hana unit to Industrious, a provider of private offices and suites, CBRE will have a 35% stake in Industrious, plans to acquire an additional 5% in a few months, is the largest shareholder. PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR158 $KSS) gets open letter from investor group lead by Macellum Capital Management saying Kohl’s has chronically underperformed its peers, presents 9 nominees for the Board to be elected at 2021 annual meeting. Macellum PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR158 $KSS) responds to investor group lead by Macellum Capital Management, rejects the Investor Group’s attempt to seize control of its Board and disrupt its momentum. PR link.

Goodyear Tire(PBR209 $GT) to acquire Cooper Tire & Rubber(PBR786 $CTB) for a total enterprise value of approximately $2.5 billion, $54.36/share cash and stock, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Kinder Morgan(PBR234 $KMI) and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners(NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN) to sell a 25% minority interest in their joint venture Natural Gas Pipeline Co of America to ArcLight Capital Partners for $830 million, KMI to continue to operate the pipeline, will have a 37.5% stake, as will Brookfield. PR link.

DISH(PBR244 $DISH) says it closed 4Q20 with 11.29 million pay-TV subscribers, 9.06 million retail wireless subscribers, revenues of $15.49 billion compared to $12.81 billion in 2019. PR link.

Discovery(PBR276 $DISCA) in 4Q20 report says it expects to have 12 million subscribers by the end of the month, is off to a promising start in 2021 with the successful launch of discovery+ streaming service. PR link.

Regeneron(PBR380 $REGN) and Sanofi get US FDA approval for PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc) for the first-line treatment of certain patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. PR link.

M&T Bank(PBR419 $MTB) to acquire People’s United Financial(PBR853 $PBCT) in an all stock transaction for around $7.6 billion, to close in 4Q21. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR489 $CCL) commences an underwritten public offering of $1 billion of shares of common stock, proceeds to be used for general corporate purposes. PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR502 $AMC) to reopen its 13 theatres in New York City on 03/05/21, is in response to NY Governor Cuomo’s authorization. PR link.

Camping World(PBR539 $CWH) to acquire Lee’s Family Trailer in Windham, ME, will be the company’s first location in the state of Maine, will rebrand as Camping World, to close in 04/21. PR link.

KKR(PBR608 $KKR) will acquire a 60% majority stake for around $1 billion in Telefónica Chile’s existing fiber optic network, the largest fiber optic network in Chile, and make that network open access through a newly established independent Chilean company with assets managed locally, to close in 1H21. PR link.

Hologic(PBR645 $HOLX) completes $230 million acquisition of Biotheranostics, a privately held, commercial-stage company that provides molecular diagnostic tests for breast and metastatic cancers. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the Preliminary January 2021 US National Activity Index is at +0.66, December 2020 was at +0.41, November 2020 +0.31, January 2020 -0.05. “Index suggests economic growth increased in January.” PR link.

The Conference Board says the Preliminary January 2021 US Leading Index(2016=100) is at 110.3, December 2020 was at 109.8, November 2020 109.4. “As the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 accelerates, labor markets and overall growth are likely to continue improving through the rest of this year … The Conference Board now expects the U.S. economy to expand by 4.4 percent in 2021, after a 3.5 percent contraction in 2020.” PR link.

***Friday, February 19

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 7 of 2021 ending 02/19/21:

DJIA ends Week 7 at 31,494.32, +0.11% from last Friday, +5.04% MTD, +2.90% QTD/YTD, -0.38% from record 31,613.02 set 02/17/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 7 at 13,874.46, -1.57% from last Friday, +6.15 MTD, +7.65% QTD/YTD, -1.57% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends Week 7 at 3,906.71, -0.71% from last Friday, +5.18% MTD, +4.01% QTD/YTD, -0.71% from record 3,934.83 set 02/12/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 7 of 2021 News Summary:

The week started out with Presidents’ Day on Monday, a federal holiday originally meant to commemorate the birthday of the first president of the US, George Washington. It was also the day after Valentine’s Day. The US stock markets were closed and it set a rather mellow mood for Week 7. The Stock Market Bull was pretty focused on the DJIA which established new records on Tuesday and Wednesday. But The Stock Market Bear was focused the NASDAQ, which lost some ground Tuesday through Thursday and was up only slightly on Friday. To add to the weekly balance The Stock Market Bear took the S&P500 on all four days. It was the second week in a row when none of the indices had volatile days, meaning no index was up or down by at least 1% on any of the days. The bottom line is that The Stock Market Bear had a 2-1 mixed result, the first of the year, in Week 7. As usual, some prognosticators are saying that this reflects an overbought market, doomsayers are saying to expect a huge correction dip, and the eternal optimists are saying The Stock Market Bull still has a lot of pent up energy and just took a little breather this week. It has been a good month so far for The Stock Market Bull, let’s see if he manages to avoid The Stock Market Bear from ruining his Valentine month.

The Week 7 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 4 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 2 weeks
Mixed Results: 1 week

Week 7 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 02/19/21, at 6:23PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 110,687,323 confirmed cases globally with 2,450,499 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 69,681, which is -17,721 from last Friday. For the US it is 27,999,565 confirmed cases and 495,506 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 14,782, which is -7,837 from last Friday. The COVID-19 vaccine companies continue to ramp up manufacturing, federal, state and local governments are becoming more efficient with scheduling appointments, the logistics seem to be working better, and an average of well over a million injections are occuring across the US each day. It appears that the program could be completed by mid-summer to early fall. However, there are concerns that COVID-19 variants might require an additional booster, but more testing is being done to verify if that is true.

US Federal Government: President Biden continues to sign Executive Orders undoing some of the Trump-era policies, re-instating some of the Obama-era initiatives, and making some headway in introducing some new actions. In particular, he released some suggested immigrant policies which are being hotly discussed. The stimulus program seems to be gaining some momentum, but it appears that the much anticipated stimulus checks will probably be sent out in late March/early April. As expected, the second impeachment trial of former President Trump ended last Saturday with an acquittal by the US Senate, with some Republicans joining all the Democrats in voting for the action, which came up 3 votes shy of being passed. There are still some repercussions from the January 6 insurrection attempt and US House Speaker Pelosi has announced that a commission will be formed to gather the facts.

US Economy: It was a short and light week of economic news. But the Thursday weekly initial jobless claims jumped up quite a bit, and a previous estimate was raised up considerably. Also, the Producer Price Index took a significant leap up, indicating possible inflation issues in the future. Leaders on the US Federal Reserve generally indicated that this is just one month, they still have tools available to control inflation. Mortgage rates went up a little but are still near lows. In general manufacturing results indicated continuing growth and cautious optimism in the near future.

Corporate Business: The annual corporate earnings reports for the large majority of companies with fiscal years ending in December continue to be released and investor presentations delivered. Except for the major hospitality and travel related companies results are better than what many had anticipated during the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Many companies have increased their dividends and restarted share buyback programs.

International News: . President Biden had some more initial conversations with world leaders and has made some strong statements about China as competition. He also had a first call with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. Myanmar continues to struggle as the military continues to be in charge and sanctions are coming in worldwide. On his first day in office President Biden signed an Executive Order re-establishing the US as a member of the Paris Climate Change Accord. The mandatory 30 days waiting period has finished and the US is now officially part of that agreement. Initial discussions on rejoining the Iran nuclear agreement are also being held. In general the world continues to go the way of the COVID-19 pandemic and there are concerns about the UK and South Africa variants being more contagious and deadly, and that the latest vaccines might not provide enough protection against them.

Daily Corporate News:

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR18 $WBA) has provided more than 3 million COVID-19 vaccinations across long-term care facilities, as well as additional vulnerable populations prioritized by state and local jurisdictions, has also completed COVID-19 vaccine first-dose clinics in all long-term care facilities that selected Walgreens as a vaccine provider, through the US Federal Retail Pharmacy Program on 02/12/21 began in-store vaccinations in 17 states and jurisdictions, starting 02/25/21 will be allocated 480,000+ doses per week in around 25 states & jurisdictions. PR link.

Cisco(PBR66 $CSCO) completes $730 million acquisition of IMImobile PLC (AIM: IMO), a global provider of cloud communications software and services that manage business-critical interactions at scale. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR240 $MGM)’s BetMGM and Topgolf Entertainment Group collaborate on marketing and promotional offers through the BetMGM platform at select Topgolf venues and within WGT by Topgolf, its online golf game. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The Natl Assn of Realtors says the Preliminary January 2021 US Existing Home Sales Annual Rate is at 1,690,000, December 2020 was at 6,650,000, November 2020 6,710,000, January 2020 5,410,000; the January 2021 Median Price(All Types of Housing) is at $303,900, December 2020 was at $309,800, November 2020 $310,800, January 2020 $266,300. “Home sales are continuing to play a part in propping up the economy… With additional stimulus likely to pass and several vaccines now available, the housing outlook looks solid for this year.” PR link.

***Thursday, February 18

Daily Corporate News:

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) 4Q21 report shows annual revenues of nearly $560 million, approves a new $20 billion share buyback program. PR link.

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) raising pay for 425,000 store associates in digital and stocking workgroups, starting rates moving to $13 – $19 per hour, based on the store’s location and market. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63 $PFE) and BioNTech SE(NASDAQ: BNTX) dosed the first patients in a trial of their messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine in 4,000 women in the latter stages of pregnancy. Bloomberg PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR138 $LLY) and Rigel Pharmaceuticals(Nasdaq: RIGL) enter strategic collaboration to develop RIPK1 inhibitors for the potential treatment of immunological and neurodegenerative diseases, Lilly will pay an upfront cash payment to Rigel of $125 million, Rigel may also be eligible to receive up to $835 million in potential development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties. PR link.

Sherwin-Williams(PBR170 $SHW) to divest Wattyl, an Australian and New Zealand manufacturer and seller of architectural and protective paint and coatings with annual revenue of approximately $200 million USD and 750 employees, to global coatings company Hempel A/S; Wattyl was previously a unit of Valspar which SHW acquired in 2017, to close in 1Q21, terms not disclosed. PR link.

ODP Corp(PBR290 $ODP) has acquired BuyerQuest Holdings, has delivered a world-class eCommerce experience to procurement organizations all around the world, accelerates ODP’s technology development. PR link.

Camping World(PBR539 $CWH) to acquire two dealership locations of Flagg RV in Uxbridge, MA and West Boylston, MA, and additional land in Griswold, CT for a planned future location, terms not disclosed, to close in 04/21. PR link.

KKR(PBR608 $KKR) sells five major student housing developments with a total of 2,163 units across the UK to Greystar Real Estate Partners for around $400 million. PR link.

Twilio(PBR991 $TWLO) has commenced an underwritten public offering of $1,000,000,000 of shares of its Class A common stock. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary January 2021 US Import Prices Monthly Change is at +1.4%, December 2020 was at +1.0%, November 2020 +0.1%, Year-Over-Year +0.9%; January 2021 US Export Prices Monthly Change is at +2.5%, December 2020 was at +1.3%, November 2020 +0.7%, January 2020 +0.5%, Year-Over-Year +2.3%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says the Preliminary January 2021 US New Residential Construction Building Permits Issued Annual Rate is at a 1,881,000, December 2020 was at 1,704,000, November 2020 1,635,000, January 2020 1,536,000. PR link.

FannieMae in its February Economic and Housing Outlook says fiscal stimulus, successful vaccine deployment likely to boost growth but also pose inflationary risk, raises 2021 GDP forecast from 5.3% to 6.7%, on a Q4/Q4 basis. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says the February 2021 US 3rd District Manufacturing General Business Indicator is at +23.1, January 2021 was at +26.5, December 2020 +9.1, February 2020 +30.8. “Most future indexes moderated this month but continue to indicate that firms expect growth over the next six months.” PR link.

***Wednesday, February 17

Daily Corporate News:

Apple(PBR3) gets attention of European Union antitrust regulators per complaint filed by Fortnite game developer Epic Games over Apple’s App Store payment system and control over app downloads. Reuters PR link.

Ford(PBR13) says by mid-2026, 100% of its passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid; moving to all-electric by 2030, is part of its plan to invest at least $22 billion globally in electrification through 2025. PR link.

Kroger(PBR22) Health unit announces new scheduling tool to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments online, is now receiving and administering vaccines at 1,300 of its 2,200 family of pharmacies, will be able to administer an average of nearly 500,000 vaccinations per week when all locations online, also providing a vaccine support call center. PR link.

Energy Transfer(PBR58) to acquire Enable Midstream Partners(PBR748) for around $7.2 billion in an all stock deal, to close in mid-2021, has approvals of CenterPoint Energy(PBR252) and OGE Energy(PBR863) who together control 79.2% of Enable’s common stock, to close in mid-2021. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) get an agreement with the European Commission to supply an additional 200 million doses of COMIRNATY®, the companies’ COVID-19 Vaccine, to the 27 European Union (EU) member states, brings total supply to the EU to 500 million doses, with delivery expected by the end of 2021, also EC has the option to request supply of an additional 100 million doses. PR link.

Tyson Foods(PBR76) to offer up to four hours pay to workers getting COVID vaccine. MarketWatch PR link.

Sherwin-Williams(PBR170) adds 15 million shares to its repurchase program authorized in 10/15, shares remaining will be part of 3:1 split at end of March, no expiration date. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR240) will resume 24/7 hotel operations at Mandalay Bay, Park MGM and The Mirage resorts effective 03/03/21, because of increased interest in travel to Las Vegas. PR link.

News Corp(PBR340) gets 3 year agreement with Alphabet(PBR12)’s Google unit to provide news to the Google News Showcase from its US, UK and Australia news services, includes the development of a subscription platform, the sharing of ad revenue via Google’s ad technology services, the cultivation of audio journalism and meaningful investments in innovative video journalism by Google’s YouTube unit. PR link.

Tractor Supply(PBR360) to acquire operator of 167 stores located in 11 states Orscheln Farm and Home for around $297 million cash. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR489)’s Italian business, Costa Cruises, restarts Mediterranean cruises with new program from 03/27/21 with Costa Smeralda and from 05/02/21 with Costa Luminosa. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR489)’s P&O Cruises Australia is extending its current operational pause to departures on or before 06/18/21. PR link.

Camping World(PBR539) expands in NE US with new locations in Hamburg, PA and Albany, NY, established through the acquisition of Boat-N-RV Superstore, terms not disclosed. PR link.

KKR(PBR608) to acquire Flow Control Group, a leading distributor of mission-critical flow control and industrial automation products with 10,000+ customers and 2,000+ suppliers in N America, from Bertram Capital, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Wyndham Destinations(PBR622) is now Travel+Leisure Co, ticker is changed from NYSE: WYND to NYSE: TNL, Wyndham Destinations now one of nearly 20 travel brands of the company. PR link.

Rent-A-Center(PBR795) completes $1.273 billion in cash and around 10.8 million shares of Rent-A-Center common stock currently valued at $377 million acquisition of fintech company with $1.25 billion in revenues in 2020 Acima Holdings, a leading provider of virtual lease-to-own solutions. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary January 2021 US Producer Price Index Final Demand is +1.3%, December 2020 was at +0.3%, November 2020 +0.1%, January 2020 +0.3%, Last 12 Months is at +1.7%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary December 2020 US Sales-Manufacturers is at $501.8 billion, Retailers $488.6 billion, Wholesalers $503.8 billion, for December 2020 Total Sales at $1,494.2 billion, November 2020 was at $1,482.8, October 2020 $1,482.1, December 2019 $1,458.0. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Advance January 2021 US Retail Sales-Retailers is at $513.6 billion, Food Services & Drinking Places $54.6 billion, for Total Advance January 2021 Retail Sales at $568.2 billion, December 2020 was at $539.7 billion, November 2020 $545.2 billion, January 2020 $528.9 billion. PR link.

The Federal Reserve Board says the Preliminary January 2021 US Industrial Production % of Capacity is at 75.6%, December 2020 was at 74.9%, November 2020 73.9%, January 2020 76.9%. PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Preliminary February 2021 US Housing Market Composite Index is at 84, January 2021 was at 83, December 2020 86, February 2020 74. “Strong buyer demand helped offset supply chain challenges and a surge in lumber prices as builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes inched up one point to 84 in February…” PR link.

The US Federal Open Market Committee releases the Minutes of the 01/26-27/21 Meeting, keeps the federal funds rate at 0.00-0.25%, commits to more bond buying, says “… the Committee’s assessments will take into account a wide range of information, including readings on public health, labor market conditions, inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and financial and international developments.” PR link.

***Tuesday, February 16

Daily Corporate News:

Amazon(PBR2 $AMZN) to acquire Shopify competitor Australian based Selz, makes tools that enable businesses to more easily launch their own online stores. CNBC PR link.

Norwegian Cruise Lines(PBR447 $NCLH) extends suspension of all cruises through 05/31/21. PR link.

Palo Alto Networks(PBR679 $PANW) to acquire Bridgecrew, a developer-first cloud security company, for around $156 million. PR link.

Regal Beloit(PBR706 $RBC) and Rexnord(PBR884 $RXN) to be spun-off Process & Motion Control(PMC) segment to merge into RBC, transaction values PMC at $3.69 billion, to close in 4Q21. PR link.

Ingersoll-Rand(PBR824 $IR) to sell a majority interest in its High Pressure Solutions (HPS) Segment to private equity firm American Industrial Partners, will receive around $300 million cash, retain a 45% common equity interest in the business. PR link.

AutoNation(PBR148 $AN) per plan separates Chairman/CEO roles, elects Rick L. Burdick to serve as Chairman, Mike Jackson continues as CEO. PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR151 $MAR) announces the unexpected death of President/CEO Arne Sorenson, was being treated for pancreatic cancer, interim management structure was put into place on 02/02/21, new CEO is expected to be appointed within the next two weeks. PR link.

La-Z-Boy(PBR941 $LZB) Chairman/President/CEO Kurt L. Darrow to retire from President/CEO roles effective 04/25/21, will then serve as non-executive Chairman until up to 04/30/22, SVP/CFO Melinda D. Whittington elected to become new President/CEO on 04/25/21. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the February 2021 Empire State Manufacturing General Business Conditions Index is at +12.1, January 2021 was at +3.5, December 2020 +4.9, February 2020 +12.9. “The general business conditions index rose nine points to 12.1, its highest level since July of last year… Looking ahead, firms remained optimistic that conditions would improve over the next six months, and capital spending plans expanded noticeably.” PR link.

***Monday, February 15

***US Presidents’ Day.
***US Stock Exchanges Closed.

Daily Corporate News:

Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google unit enters into a long-term partnership with Seven West Media, one of Australia’s leading integrated media companies across broadcast, print and digital news, SWM to provide news content to the Google Showcase product which launched in Australia in early February, terms not disclosed. Seven West Media PR link.

General Motors(PBR19 $GM) expands its electric vehicle portfolio with the introduction of the new, all-electric SUV-like 2022 Bolt EUV, alongside the redesigned 2022 Bolt EV, Bolt EUV starts at $33,995, to offer Super Cruise1, the industry’s first true hands-free driver assistance system for enabled roads, Bolt EV starts at $31,995, both to be available in the summer. PR link.

US Foods(PBR110 $USFD) says on 03/01/21 all 72 Smart Foodservice® Warehouse Stores will be rebranded as US Foods CHEF’STORE®, had acquired Smart Foodservice Warehouse Stores in 04/20. PR link.

Avery Dennison(PBR413 $AVY) to acquire JDC Solutions, a privately owned manufacturer of pressure-sensitive specialty tapes, headquartered in Mount Juliet, TN, with around 75 employees and about $30 million in annual revenues, for $24 million, to close in 1Q21. PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR692 $BYD) announces BoydPay Digital Wallet in partnership with games developer Aristocrat Technologies, allows customers to use their smartphones to play casino games, cash out, and pay for restaurant meals, show tickets or hotel rooms, available in 3 casinos now, full roll-out planned for summer. PR link.

Intel(PBR45 $INTC) announces that Pat Gelsinger is now CEO, 8th CEO in company’s history. PR link.

***Friday, February 12

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 6 of 2021 ending 02/12/21:

DJIA ends Week 6 at record 31,458.40, +1.00% from last Friday, +4.92% MTD, +2.78% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 31,458.40 set 02/12/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 6 at record 14,095.47, +1.73% from last Friday, +7.84 MTD, +9.37% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 14,095.47 set 02/12/21.

SPX ends Week 6 at record 3,934.83, +1.23% from last Friday, +5.94% MTD, +4.76% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 3,934.83 set 02/12/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 6 of 2021 News Summary:

The drama of options trading on GameStop and AMC Entertainment and others made a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere this week, much to the relief of the usual major investing heavyweights and traditional institutional and retail investors. Amid another Trump impeachment trial, coronavirus pandemic news, a new administration trying to settle in, and generally mixed corporate earnings, The Stock Market Bull once again ignored all that and took firm charge of the pasture, ending Week 6 with another convincing 3-0 victory of the major US stock indices, which all ended the week at new records. The Stock Market Bear did try to make some half-hearted efforts, but the impacts were minimal and they were just brief interruptions while The Stock Market Bull was taking some quick water breaks. It will be a long rest weekend as Week 7 will start with the US exchanges being closed on Monday in observance of Presidents Day, when we sing “Happy Birthday!” to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The action then resumes with the experts pondering and placing their bets on how long this Bull can keep on running.

The Week 6 of 2021 tally YTD is:

The Stock Market Bull: 4 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 2 weeks
Mixed Results: 0 weeks

Week 6 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 02/12/21, at 6:26PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 108,154,014 confirmed cases globally with 2,380,818 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 87,402, which is -4,613 from last Friday. For the US it is 27,487,790 confirmed cases and 480,724 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 22,619, which is -34 from last Friday. The US government has ordered 100 million more doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, making the total 300 million doses. It is anticipated that injections by all should be available to all by the end of April and projections seem to show vaccinations could be completed by the end of July. Manufacturing and logistical issues seem to be settling down and the daily injection rate continues to exceed 1 million/day.

US Presidency: President Biden appears to be in firm control, made his first call to China President Jinping, addressing several important issues from trade to human rights, and indicating that he plans to continue taking strong positions to protect the US. More appointees have been nominated and approved. The major news was the impeachment trial of former President Trump with the US House Managers making their case for impeachment to the US Senate jury over 2 days by showing some graphic videos of the January 6th attack on the Capitol Building, saying that the insurrectionists were incited by President Trump’s speech just before the event and that it was planned. Trump’s defense team has countered over a 3 hour period that President Trump’s speech also asked for a peaceful demonstration, showed clips of other politicians also using strong language to encourage people to take actions that might be considered inciteful. The US Senate could vote on the impeachment during the weekend, the expectation is that there will not be enough votes to convict.

US Economy: The Consumer Price Index showed a monthly modest increase and an annual 1.4% inflation rate over the past 12 months, below the Federal Reserve 2% target. Wholesale trade sales increased by a nice rate, the national spending deficit had a large increase and the Congressional Budget Office released a report indicating a $2.3 trillion shortfall this year and an average $1.2 trillion shortfall annually for the next 10 years. The U of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index took a dip as consumers indicated some concerns about jobs, housing and income. The Federal Reserve released a stress test to major US banks to see how they would weather another severe test of the economy. Weekly initial jobless claims went back up a little, but continuing jobless numbers were down. Average weekly earnings continued to show modest increases and are up 7.5% over last year.

Corporate Business: As expected annual corporate earnings continued to pour in with a mixed bag of results, showing definite impacts from the coronavirus pandemic, but with guidance often being positive assuming the pandemic ends sometime this summer or early fall. More companies have reinstated share repurchase programs, are adjusting their business models to account for the way employees work and how they are compensated, expanding use of e-commerce, and moving to Cloud-based information technologies. There were a few mergers and acquisitions deals announced, but one of the major news items was that the acquisition of China based TikTok by Oracle and Walmart has been called off indefinitely.

International News: . The Biden administration is implementing sanctions against Myanmar which is now controlled by the military which ousted its democratically elected but controversial president. As mentioned earlier, President Biden has his first direct telephone call with China President Jinping. With the new administration’s halt of building a wall along the Mexico border there now appears to be in increase of illegals crossing into the US. The Biden administration is also taking steps to reunite parents who have been deported with their children who continue to be in custody of the US government. Some initial impacts of the UK and Europe Brexit action are starting to be realized. Europe and Africa continue to struggle with COVID-19 issues, especially as variants continue to appear that appear to be more contagious and might not respond to current vaccines.

Daily Corporate News:

AT&T(PBR10 $T)’s WarnerMedia unit direct-to-consumer streaming platform HBO Max is scheduled to launch in late June in 39 territories1 across Latin America and the Caribbean, marking the first availability for the platform outside the US. PR link.

Microsoft(PBR17 $MSFT) endorses Australia‘s proposal that would require tech gatekeepers like Facebook(PBR47 $FB) and Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google unit to share revenue with local independent news organizations. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63 $PFE) says the US government has exercised its option for an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, brings the total number of doses to be supplied to the US government to 300 million, enough for 150 million people. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63 $PFE) gets US FDA approval for the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for PANZYGA® (Immune Globulin Intravenous [Human] – ifas 10% Liquid Preparation) to treat adult patients with a rare neurological disease of the peripheral nerves called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). PR link.

International Paper(PBR137 $IP) to sell the Kwidzyn pulp and paper mill and supporting operations in Poland to Mayr-Melnhof Karton AG for around $812 million, employs approximately 2,300 people and has the annual capacity to produce 740,000 metric tons of folding boxboard, uncoated freesheet, specialty kraft papers, and market pulp on four machines, to close in 3Q21. PR link.

Becton Dickinson(PBR182 $BD) gets US FDA Emergency Use Authorization for a new molecular diagnostic test for both SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A+B that can return results in two to three hours, is run on the BD MAX™ System. PR link.

Bausch Health(PBR352 $BHC) gets US SEC Schedule 13D from Icahn Enterprises(PBR317) and affiliates showing ownership stake in BHC at 7.83%. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The U of Michigan Preliminary February 2021 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 76.2, January 2021 was at 79.0, December 2020 80.7, February 2020 101.0. “The expected strength in consumer spending in 2021 and 2022 critically depends on a significant reduction in precautionary motives, which in turn depend on progress against the pandemic as well as favorable trends in both inflation and employment.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board releases hypothetical scenarios for its 2021 bank stress tests, 19 large banks are subject to the stress test. PR link.

***Thursday, February 11

Microsoft(PBR17 $MSFT) and Volkswagen Group’s Car.Software Organisation to use Microsoft’s Azure to develop Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, for automated driving functions that can be tested, deployed and operated. PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR51 $DIS) in 1Q21 report says Disney+ streaming service grew from 26.5 million subscribers at end of 2019 to 94.9 million at end of 2020. PR link.

Kraft Heinz(PBR117 $KHC) to sell its $1.1 billion in revenues in 2020 nuts business, including most products sold under the Planters brand, to Hormel Foods(PBR320 $HRL) for $3.35 billion cash, to close in 1H21. PR link.

Rite Aid(PBR141 $RAD) an inaugural participant in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, will receive direct federal allocations initially in five states and two jurisdictions: California, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New York City, expects to receive 100 COVID-19 vaccine doses per participating store, per week at launch. PR link.

Rite Aid(PBR141 $RAD) expands its no-charge COVID-19 testing to all its 1,200+ drive-in locations in partnership with US Dept of Health and Human Services. PR link.

PayPal(PBR172 $PYPL) expects that it could have 750 million active accounts by 2025 and do $50 billion in revenues, has 377 million accounts as of end of 2020, did $21 billion. MarketWatch PR link.

Regeneron(PBR380 $REGN) gets US FDA approval for EvkeezaTM (evinacumab-dgnb) as an adjunct to other low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering therapies to treat adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older. PR link.

Navistar(PBR395 $NAV) acquires a new property in San Antonio, TX, which includes existing buildings that will house support functions for its under-construction 900,000-square-foot plant which will produce Class 6-8 vehicles, including new electric-powered trucks, making total investment in the region exceed $275 million and will create over 650 jobs. PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR605 $NDAQ) completes $2.75 billion cash acquisition of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador based cloud based anti-financial crime management solutions provider with 2,000+ N American financial institutions customers Verafin, which expects to have $140 million in revenues in 2021. PR link.

The US Congressional Budget Office releases a document, The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2021 to 2031, forecasts 2021 Deficit to be a $2.3 trillion, then an average deficit of $1.2 trillion per year through 2031. Total debt held by the public at the end of 2020 was at $21.019 trillion, gross domestic product was at $21.000 trillion, estimated debt at end of 2031 is projected to be $35.304 trillion, gross domestic product $32.933 trillion. PR link.

COVID-19 Vaccines Update: Starting today, 02/11/21, 6,500 US pharmacy locations of the around 40,000 nationwide will start receiving doses of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines. CNBC PR link.

***Wednesday, February 10

Target(PBR36 $TGT) providing up to four hours of pay (two hours for each vaccine dose) to its hourly team members when they get their coronavirus vaccines, also providing free Lyft rides for US associates. PR link.

Centene(PBR42 $CNC) adds to share repurchase program, up to $1.0 billion balance available. PR link.

Best Buy(PBR73 $BBY) to cut some jobs at its big box stores as it transitions to more online sales, had furloughed about 51,000 of its workers early in April, including nearly all its part-time employees, as it closed most of its stores early in the pandemic to all but curbside pickup, started bringing back furloughed workers in June and in August raised its starting wage to $15 an hour. MarketWatch PR link.

United Airlines(PBR75 $UAL) to work with Archer Aviation to accelerate production of advanced, short-haul electric aircraft, 5 year timeframe. PR link.

Oracle(PBR80 $ORCL) and Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) acquisition of China based TikTok has been ‘shelved indefinitely,’ Biden administration doing its own security risk evaluations. CNET PR link.

AbbVie(P)BR95 $ABBV)’s Allergan unit gets US FDA approval for BOTOX® for the treatment of detrusor (bladder muscle) overactivity associated with a neurologic condition in pediatric patients 5 years of age and older who have an inadequate response to or are intolerant of anticholinergic medication. PR link.

Charles Schwab(PBR289 $SCHW) lays off around 200 more employees, follows the 1,000 laid off in October after acquisition of TD Ameritrade, still hiring around 1,400 in strategic areas critical to support its growing client base, terminated employees will get early access to all newly-opened positions. CNBC PR link.

Newmont Goldcorp(PBR315 $NEM) reports gold Mineral Reserves of 94.2 million attributable ounces for 2020 as compared to the its adjusted1 95.7 million ounces at the end of 2019, exceeded its 2020 conversion target by replacing 80% of all depletion and maintaining its industry-leading position with the largest gold reserves. PR link.

Tractor Supply(PBR360 $TSCO) to provide a one-time payment of $50 and allow time off as needed for all Team Members who elect to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, has also partnered with a third-party provider to facilitate onsite vaccination clinics at its eight distribution centers and Store Support Center upon approval and availability. PR link.

HanesBrands(PBR415 $HBI) in 4Q20 report says it is planning to exit the personal protective equipment(PPE) business, evaluating strategic opportunities for its European business, plans to focus on its Championship brand. PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR418 $BECN) completes $850 million divestiture of its interior products business, consisting of 81 branch locations where it distributes construction products including wallboard, acoustical ceilings, steel framing and insulation to both residential and commercial contractors, to private equity firm American Securities. PR link.

Global Payments(PBR539 $GPN) enters into a $500 million accelerated share repurchase program of its common shares, to be completed by 03/31/21, is part of current share repurchase program. PR link.

Moody’s(PBR549 $MCO) to acquire provider of N America credit data Cortera, provides data and analytics on over 36 million companies. PR link.

Petco(PBR590 $WOOF) to provide a one-time $75 payment to each partner who completes a Covid-19 vaccination program as it becomes available, for each partner that gets fully vaccinated, Petco will also contribute $25 to the Petco Partner Assistance Fund, which provides assistance to employees experiencing financial hardship. PR link.

TreeHouse Foods(PBR603 $THS) comments on JANA Partners‘ 13D filing and nomination of three directors for election to TreeHouse’s board of directors, said it has had multiple constructive discussions with JANA, says current 12 member of the Board are highly qualified, will be reviewing qualifications of JANA nominees. PR link.

Triumph Group(PBR760 $TGI) to sell its Red Oak, TX operations with 1 million sf factory space and 400 employees used for manufacturing large, complex composite and metallic structures such as wing, empennage, and fuselage assemblies, to Arlington Capital Partners, to close by 03/31/21, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Zillow(PBR788 $Z) to acquire ShowingTime.com, an online scheduling platform for home showings used in 370 Multiple Listing Services representing more than one million real estate professionals across the US and Canada, for $500 million. PR link.

The US Dept of the Treasury says the January 2021 US Federal Government Receipts are at $384.7 billion, Outlays are at $547.5 billion, for a January 2021 US Federal Government Deficit of $162.8 billion, December 2020 Deficit was $143.6 billion, November 2020 Deficit $145.3 billion, January 2020 $32.6 billion; the January 2021 Total Deficit Year-to-Date(4 months) is at $735.7 billion, January 2020 Total Deficit was at $389.2 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary January 2021 US Current Average Earnings Per Hour is at $29.96, Average Hours Worked Per Week at 35.0, for January 2021 Average Weekly Earnings of $1,048.60, December 2020 was at $1,037.53, November 2020 $1,030.43, January 2020 $975.15. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the January 2021 US Monthly Change in the Consumer Price Index(Seasonally adjusted) is at +0.3%, December 2020 was at +0.2%, November 2020 +0.2%, Last 12 Months(Unadjusted) is at +1.4%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary December 2020 US Wholesales Sales-Durables is at $245.2 billion, Non-Durables $258.6 billion, for December 2020 Total US Wholesale Sales of $503.8 billion, November 2020 was at $497.6 billion, October 2020 $496.00 billion, December 2019 $495.3 billion. PR link.

***Tuesday, February 9

PepsiCo(PBR50 $PEP) debuts Pearl Milling Company, the new name of the pancake mix and syrup varieties previously found under the Aunt Jemima brand, will start to arrive in market in 06/21. PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR138 $LLY) gets US FDA Emergency Use Authorization for investigational bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) 700 mg and etesevimab (LY-CoV016) 1400 mg together, is authorized for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in patients aged 12 and older who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization. PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR151 $MAR) enters long term agreement with Sunwing Travel Group’s hotel division, Blue Diamond Resorts, which has an extensive portfolio of resort properties throughout the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, will add 19 franchised resorts totaling nearly 7,000 rooms across six destinations and more than doubling the company’s presence in the all-inclusive segment to 33 properties by 2025. PR link.

Carrier(PBR164 $CARR) authorizes up to $350 share repurchase program. PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR245 $LAD) has acquired two stores in the Greater Orlando, FL market from Fields Auto Group, includes a Land Rover and a Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram location, also opening a previously awarded Infiniti location in the Downtown Los Angeles area, both events to add around $240 million in annual revenues, brings the total annualized revenue acquired to over $3.5 billion since the launch of LAD’s five-year plan to reach $50 billion in revenue and $50 of earnings per share. PR link.

Chesapeake Energy(PBR354 $CHK) emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a new Board, average daily production in 4Q20 was 435,000 barrels of oil equivalent. PR link.

Regeneron(PBR381 $REGN) and Sanofi get US FDA approval for the PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo® (cemiplimab-rwlc) as the first immunotherapy treatment indicated for patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma (BCC) previously treated with a hedgehog pathway inhibitor (HHI) or for whom an HHI is not appropriate. PR link.

Polaris Industries(PBR429 $PII)’ Indian Motorcyle unit is unleashing three new, totally reimagined Indian Chief models for its 2022 lineup in celebration of 100 years in business. PR link.

GoDaddy(PBR747 $GDDY) has completed its acquisition of Poynt, expands GoDaddy’s commerce services to help small businesses grow – both online and offline – using one platform. PR link.

CIT Group(PBR850 $CIT) and First Citizens BancShares(NASDAQ: FCNCA) shareholders approve all stock merger into First Citizens, will create the 19th largest bank in the US based on over $100 billion in assets, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary December 2020 US Job Openings-Private are at 6,048,000, Government 598,000, December 2020 Total Job Openings is at 6,646,000, November 2020 was at 6,572,000, October 2020 6,632,000, December 2019 6,553,000. Go to the PR link for Hires and Separations data. PR link.

CoreLogic says the November 2020 US Mortgages Delinquent 30 or More Days is at 5.9%, October 2020 was at 6.1%, September 2020 6.3%, November 2019 3.9%. “The consistent decline in serious delinquency since August is a sign of growing financial stability for families. In addition to ensuring that homeowners stay in their homes, the decline in delinquency means fewer distressed sales, which is both a positive for individual households and the overall housing market.” PR link.

The US Federal Housing Finance Agency announces that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are extending the moratoriums on single-family foreclosures and real estate owned (REO) evictions until 03/31/21. Also, COVID-19 Payment Deferral for borrowers with an Enterprise-backed mortgage can now cover up to 15 months of missed payments, allows those borrowers to repay their missed payments at the time the home is sold, refinanced, or at mortgage maturity. PR link.

**Monday, February 8

Tesla(PBR119 $TSLA) has acquired $1.5 billion in bitcoin, expect to begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment in the near future. PR link.

Tesla(PBR119 $TSLA) to meet with China‘s market regulator and four other central government departments over customer complaints about vehicle malfunctions. NikkeiAsia PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR159 $KISS) to partner with Eddie Bauer to bring premium-quality performance outerwear and outdoor apparel for the entire family to Kohl’s customers nationwide in Fall 2021. PR link.

Voya Financial(PBR397 $VOYA) Advisers unit to be acquired by Cetera Financial Group, includes 900 independent financial professionals, around $40 billion in assets, will result in $300 million for Voya, to close 2Q21 or 3Q21. PR link.

Wynn Resorts(PBR437 $WYNN) is making available a public offering of 5,500,000 shares of its common stock, proceeds to be used for general corporate purposes. PR link.

Electronic Arts(PBR495 $EA) to acquire developer and publisher of popular mobile games GluMobile(NASDAQ: GLUU) for an enterprise value of $2.1 billion, $12.50/share cash, to close by 06/30/21. PR link.

Global Payments(PBR540 $GPN) and Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google unit agree to an expansive multi-year partnership to deliver innovative cloud-based products and capabilities, enabling best-in-class digital merchant customer experiences worldwide, includes Global Payments migrating its merchant acquiring technology to Google Cloud, and will provide merchant acquiring services to Google to extend its global market reach, will also be launching a series of strategic go-to-market and co-sell activities together. PR link.

Cleveland-Cliffs(PBR894 $CLF) commenced an underwritten public offering of 60,000,000 common shares, which consists of 40,000,000 currently outstanding Common Shares offered by a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal SA and 20,000,000 Common Shares offered by the Company. PR link.

Cubic Corp(PBR965 $CUB) to be acquired by an affiliate of Veritas Capital under which Veritas and Evergreen Coast Capital, an affiliate of Elliott Investment Management, will acquire Cubic for $70.00 per share in cash, around $2.8 billion, includes the assumption of debt, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the January 2021 Monthly Survey of Consumer Expectations shows that “… households’ year-ahead spending growth expectations rose to 4.2%, the highest level recorded in more than 5 years. In contrast, earnings growth expectations have remained flat for the sixth consecutive month.” PR link.

FannieMae says the January 2021 US Home Purchase Sentiment Index is at 77.7, December 2020 was at 74.0, November 2020 80.0, January 2020 93.0. “Overall, the index’s monthly increase was driven largely by a substantial jump in the share of consumers reporting that it’s a good time to sell a home, with many citing favorable mortgage rates, high home prices, and low housing inventory as their primary rationale… ” PR link.

***Friday, February 5

The US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 5 of 2021 ending 02/05/21:

DJIA ends Week 5 at 31,148.24, +3.89% from last Friday/MTD, +1.77% QTD/YTD, -0.13% from record 31,188.38 set 01/20/21. NASDAQ ends Week 5 at record 13,856.30, +6.01% from last Friday/MTD, +7.51% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 13,856.30 set 02/05/21. SPX ends Week 5 at record 3,886.83, +4.65% from last Friday/MTD, +3.48% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 3,886.83 set 02/05/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 5 of 2021 News Summary:

The options traders saw GameStop and AMC Entertainment stock prices dive almost as dramatically as they rose the previous week. The effect and visibility has caught the attention of federal agencies and some rules changes will most likely be made soon to avoid manipulating the markets in this new era of investing. The Stock Market Bear had his way in Week 4, was pleased with himself, and apparently decided to return to hibernation. The Stock Market Bull responded with a dominating Week 5, more than recovered last week’s losses, closed Week 5 with records for the NASDAQ and S&P500, and fell just short for the DJIA. With his 3-0 victory The Stock Market Bull retakes the lead year-to-date. Week 6 ends with Valentine’s Day, we’ll see who shows the most love for investors. The Week 5 of 2021 tally YTD is: The Stock Market Bull: 3 weeks The Stock Market Bear: 2 weeks Mixed Results: 0 weeks

Week 5 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 02/05/21, at 15:22PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 105,229,079 confirmed cases globally with 2,293,416 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 92,015, which is -7,492 from last Friday. For the US it is 26,779,193 confirmed cases and 458,105 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 22,653, which is +137 from last Friday. Johnson & Johnson has submitted a request for its COVID-19 vaccine to the US FDA for Emergency Use Authorization(EUA), the committee that reviews and makes recommendations is meeting 02/26/21. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are still the only vaccines with an EUA in the US. There continue to be manufacturing and logistical issues with those vaccines, but there is optimism that they will soon be ironed out. The US daily injection rate remains above 1 million/day. US Presidential Transition: Executive Orders signed by President Biden are undoing many of former President Trump’s Executive Orders and policies. President Biden met with Republicans for their version of a stimulus package, but President Biden has decided to push for his ‘Go Big’ $1.9 trillion plan, claiming that the Democrats have the votes to get it through and don’t need help from Republicans. So far all of President Biden’s nominations for cabinet and other high level positions that have met before Senate committees have been approved. US Economy: The economy continues to move forward at an overall modest rate. Construction spending had a nice increase of around 1% in December, surveys on manufacturing were very positive backed by new orders being up 1.1% in December. However, US employment change, while positive, was disappointing with only a net gain of around 49,000 in January reported by the US Dept of Labor. Consumer debt bounced up a bit. The International trade report showed a widening deficit gap as imports continue to exceed exports. The business surveys indicated cautious optimism based based on vaccines being available to put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other factors that might affect the economy include a heavy snowfall in the Northeast part of the US. On Groundhog Day the always accurate Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter. Corporate Business: Corporate earnings reports had another big week, overall with a mixed bag of results, but again, some cautious optimism about the future. Many companies continue to right-size by reducing headcount, closing and consolidating facilities. American Airlines is planning furloughs of around 13,000 to start in April. General Motors, Ford and Harley-Davidson have announced aggressive plans to bring their electric vehicles to market. Oil and gas companies had a good week as oil prices increased, but most are also investing in alternative energy as well. Several companies indicated they are positioned well enough to resume or start share buyback programs again. International News: . Most coverage went to the overthrow of the democratically elected president by the military, creating a lot of uncertainty. In Russia President Putin’s archrival Navalny who recently returned to Russia after recovering from a nerve gas attack, was captured, put in prison, and convicted in a trial that has a sentence of 2 1/2 years in prison. Both of these actions have made news worldwide with many international leaders and figures expressing concern and considering what actions they should take. President Biden again indicated he plans to take a hard line with China.

Daily Corporate News:

Chevron(PBR16 $CVX) offers to buy the shares it does not already own of Noble Midstream Partners LP (NASDAQ: NBLX), indirectly majority-owned by Chevron, for $12.47/share in an all stock transaction. PR link.

Kroger(PBR22 $KR) will provide a one-time payment of $100 to all associates who receive the full manufacturer-recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, also announces an additional $50 million investment to thank and reward associates across its 35-state footprint, including a $100 store credit and 1,000 fuel points for hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center associates. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63 $PFE) gets a US Patent Term Extension certificate for breast cancer therapy IBRANCE® (palbociclib) until 03/05/27. PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR109 $BMY)’s Juno Therapeutics unit gets US FDA approval for Breyanzi (lisocabtagene maraleucel), a cell-based gene therapy to treat adult patients with certain types of large B-cell lymphoma. PR link.

Illinois Tool Works(PBR223 $ITW) to repurchase around $1 billion in shares in 2021. PR link.

TechnipFMC(PBR232 $FTI) to spin-off Technip Energies as an independent public company effective 02/16/21, will initially trade in the US on the OTC as an ADR. PR link.

AES Corp(PBR302 $AES) subsidiary Indianapolis Power & Light Co to acquire 197 megawatt solar project in Clinton County, IN, system to be completed in 2023, will generate enough electricity to power 30,000+ homes. PR link.

Intuit(PBR391 $INTU) CEO Sasan Goodarzi is interviewed by David Solomon of Goldman Sachs(PBR87 $GS), talks about challenges of business during the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. PR link.

Under Armour(PBR520 $UA) has made another move to scale back its sports marketing commitments by calling time on its on-field licensing deal with the National Football League, estimated to cost UA $10-15 million, UA seeking alternative opportunities to serve athletes and ensure best return to UA. -SportsPro PR link.

Zions Bancorp(PBR708 $ZION) authorizes up to $50 million share repurchase program for 1Q21. PR link.

Greenbrier(PBR786 $GBX) to form GBX Leasing, a new leasing joint venture with The Longwood Group to develop an owned portfolio of leased railcars primarily to be built by Greenbrier, GBX Leasing will acquire approximately $200 million of newly-built and leased railcars per annum from Greenbrier. PR link.

Carrier(PBR165 $CARR) elects CEO David Gitlin to also be Chairman, succeeds Executive Chairman John Faraci who remains on the Board. PR link.

Daily Economic News:

The US Dept of Labor says the January 2021 US Number of Employed is at 150,031,000, Unemployed 10,130,000, Unemployment Rate is at 6.3%, December 2020 was at 6.7%, November 2020 6.7%, January 2020 3.5%. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board says the Preliminary December 2020 US Consumer Credit Outstanding-Revolving is at $975.9 billion, Non-Revolving $3,208.3 billion, Total is at $4,184.2 billion, November 2020 was at $4,174.5 billion, October 2020 $4,160.5 billion, December 2019 $4,180.7 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary December 2020 US Exports-Goods is at $133.5 billion, Services $56.5 billion, December 2020 Total Exports is at $190.0 billion; December 2020 US Imports-Goods is at $217.7 billion, Services $38.9 billion, December 2020 Total Imports is at $256.6 billion, December 2020 Total Deficit is at $66.6 billion, December 2020 Total YTD Deficit(12 Months) is at $678.9 billion, December 2019 Total YTD Deficit was at $576.3 billion. PR link.

***Thursday, February 4

Alphabet(PBR12)’s Google unit gets new multi-year, strategic partnership with Twitter(PBR680), Twitter will extend its work with Google and move offline analytics, data processing, and machine learning workloads to Google’s Data Cloud. MarketWatch PR link.

Ford(PBR13) raises planned investment in electric and autonomous vehicles to $29 billion, further advances turnaround of global automotive business in 4Q20. PR link.

Microsoft(PBR17) unveils new Employee Experience Platform — Microsoft Viva, for $300 billion market, will integrate with the productivity and collaboration capabilities in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams. PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR35) submits application to the US FDA for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine, plans to manufacturer 100 million doses for use in the US in 1H21. PR link.

Boeing(PBR40) is outsourcing 600 IT jobs to Dell(PBR34) starting in late 04/21, shed 20,000 jobs companywide in 2020 and has said it needs to cut 11,000 more this year. The Seattle Times PR link.

American Airlines(PBR69) notifies employees that on 02/05/21 it will begin to send Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices to approximately 13,000 U.S.-based employees, will take effect on or after 04/01/21, in response to continuing COVID-19 pandemic on its business. PR link.

Quest Diagnostics(PBR389) increases its share repurchase program by $1 billion, balance available is now around $1.917 billion. PR link.

Ralph Lauren(PBR462) in 3Q21 report says it has identified up to 10 stores subject to potential closure through Fiscal 2022, plans to complete the consolidation of its existing North America distribution centers, plans to reinstate quarterly dividend in the 1H22 fiscal year. PR link.

Coty(PBR563) opens the Gucci Beauty flagship store on Alibaba‘s luxury and premium brands online Tmall Luxury Pavilion, digital store connects Gucci Beauty products with more than 770 million Chinese consumers. PR link.

UnitedHealth(PBR7) CEO David S. Wichmann retires, Optum unit CEO and UNH President Sir Andrew Witty named CEO, effective immediately, Dirk McMahon to become President/COO; will join Witty and CFO John Rex in CEO Office. PR link.

Merck(PBR68) Chairman/CEO Kenneth C. Frazier to retire from CEO role on 06/30/21, will continue as Executive Chairman for a period yet to be determined afterwards, EVP/Global Services and CFO Robert M. Davis to become CEO and member of the Board on 07/01/21. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Revised 4Q20 US Labor Productivity Output/Hour(Business Sector) is at -5.4%, 3Q20 was at +6.5%, 2Q20 +9.6%, 4Q19 +1.4%, Preliminary 2020 is at +2.6%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary December 2020 US Manufacturers New Orders-Durables is at $246.4 billion, Non-Durables $247.1 billion, Total $493.5 billion, November 2020 was at $488.3 billion, October 2020 $482.2 billion, December 2019 $500.2 billion. PR link.

***Wednesday, February 3

Amazon(PBR2) to open a new 634,812 sf fulfillment center in Alcoa, TN, will create nearly 800 full-time jobs. PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR151 $MAR)’s JW Marriott unit‘s 100th property, JW Marriott Tampa Water Street is now open, first JW Marriott opened in 1984 in Washington, DC. PR link.

Sherwin-Williams(PBR171 $SHW) to do a 3:1 stock split for shareholder of record at the close of business on 03/31/21, will start trading at stock-split adjusted basis on 04/01/21. PR link.

Uber(PBR222 $UBER) launches its Eat Local campaign, renewed efforts to support independent restaurant owners and operators in 2021 as the industry continues to face COVID-related challenges, committing $20 million through various initiatives including $4.5 million in microgrants. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM)’s BetMGM gets Richard Childress Racing as a partner, marks the first partnership between a NASCAR team and sports betting operator. PR link.

Express(PBR892 $EXPR) average price of shares has averaged over $1.00 over the past 30 days, regains NYSE listing compliance. PR link.

Steris(PBR741 $STE) President/CEO Walt Rosebrough to step down at company’s annual meeting on 07/29/21, COO Dan Carestio to become President/CEO at that time, is appointed to Board effective immediately. PR link.

ADP says the Preliminary January 2021 US Change In Private Sector Employment is at +174,000, +51,000 from Small Businesses, +84,000 from Mid-Sized Businesses, +39,000 from Large-Sized Businesses; Goods Producing Sector is at +19,000, Services Sector is at +156,000. PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says the Preliminary January 2021 US Services PMI Index(>50 Economy is growing) is at 58.7%, the highest since February 2019 when it was at 58.8%, revised December 2020 was at 57.2%. PR link.

IHS Markit says the January 2021 US Composite PMI Output Index is at 58.7, December 2020 was at 55.3, November 2020 58.6, January 2020 53.3. “The improving data set the scene for a strong first quarter, and a rise in business expectations for the year ahead bodes well for the recovery to gain traction as the year proceeds. Companies have become increasingly upbeat amid news of vaccine roll-outs and hopes of further stimulus.” PR link.

***Tuesday, February 2

Amazon(PBR2) will pay more than $61.7 million to settle US Federal Trade Commission charges that it failed to pay Amazon Flex drivers the full amount of tips they received from Amazon customers over a two and a half year period. FTC PR link.

McKesson(PBR8) has revenues of $179.1 billion through 3Q21, +4% from 3Q20, takes $8.1 billion charge in 3Q21 related to the estimated liability for opioid-related claims of governmental entities, authorizes an additional $2 billion for its share repurchase program. PR link.

Boeing(PBR40) using bonds to raise $9.825 billion to help repay draws on loans. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63) raises forecast of COVID-19 vaccine revenues from $13 billion to $15 billion based on recent study releases by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson(PBR35) of their potential vaccines that showed lower efficacy. Barron’s PR link.

HCA Healthcare(PBR64) 4Q20 report says share repurchase program resumes, had been suspended in March 2020, has $2.8 billion available, authorizes $6 billion to be added. PR link.

Uber(PBR222) to acquire alcohol delivery service Drizly for around $1.1 billion, to close in 1H21. PR link.

US Steel(PBR239) has commenced an underwritten public offering of 42,000,000 shares of common stock, expects to generate $699 million in cash, to pay down debt and for general corporate purposes. PR link.

RR Donnelley(PBR456) to expand its N American production capabilities in Reynosa, Mexico, and Durham, NC, to support the trading card and collectible card game industry which has grown significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. PR link.

Chipotle(PBR489) in 4Q20 report says digital sales grew 174.1% year over year to $2.8 billion and represented 46.2% of of its $6.0 billion in 2020 sales. PR link.

Electronic Arts(PBR495) to enter into a partnership with CLC, the leading US collegiate trademark licensing company, to return college football to its EA Sports platform, to be the exclusive developer of simulation college football video game experiences, timeframe for availability to be announced later. PR link.

Harley-Davidson(PBR510) provides The Hardwire 2021-2025 strategic plan, includes a Harley-Davidson Certified, a pre-owned motorcycle program, to strengthen commitment to electric with the creation of a dedicated division focused exclusively on leading the future of electric motorcycles. PR link.

Carlisle Cos(PBR552) authorizes new up to 5 million shares repurchase program, is in addition to around 2 million shares available on 12/31/20 from the existing program, no expiration date. PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR607) to sell its to sell its US fixed income business, Nasdaq Fixed Income, to an affiliate of Tradeweb Markets(Nasdaq: TW), value of transaction to be around $700 million, $1 billion to be added to share repurchase program upon close, expected sometime in 2021. PR link.

Amazon(PBR2) Chairman/CEO Jeff Bezos to transition to be Executive Chairman in 3Q21, President/CEO of Amazon Web Services Andy Jassy to become President/CEO at that time. PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR151) President/CEO Arne Sorenson to temporarily reduce schedule for pancreatic cancer treatment, interim management structure put in place to oversee day-to-day operations. PR link.

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR215) Non-Executive Chairman Gerald J. Ford steps down, to retire as a director at end of his term in 06/21, CEO Richard C. Adkerson named to add Chairman role, effective immediately. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the 4Q20 US Total Housing Units are at 141,241,000, Owner Occupied is at 82,808,000, Renter Occupied 42,997,000, Unoccupied 15,436,000, for Homeownership Rate of 65.8%, 3Q20 was at 67.4%, 2Q20 67.9%, 4Q19 65.1%. PR link.

The PurdueU/CME Group January 2021 US Ag Economy Barometer(100=Unchanged) Composite Index is at 167, December 2020 was at 174, November 2020 167, January 2020 167. “The ongoing strength in the Current Conditions Index appears to be driven by the ongoing rally in crop prices, while the deterioration in the Futures Expectations Index seems to be motivated by longer-run concerns about policies that could impact U.S. agriculture in the future… ” PR link.

FreddieMac‘s most recent “Insight” provides an interesting analysis titled “U.S. Population Growth: Where is housing demand strongest?” PR link.

Go to The PBRMarketTools US Economic Indices Snapshots information page to find out more about the news and data we provide. US Indices Info Page.

***Monday, February 1

Apple(PBR3 $AAPL) gets more than $33 billion worth of orders for its new 6 tranche $14 billion debt deal, includes mostly bonds rated Aa1 and AA+ that mature in five to 40 years. MarketWatch PR link.

ExxonMobil(PBR4 $XOM) forms ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions unit to commercialize emission-reduction technology, will initially focus on carbon capture and storage, to invest $3 billion on lower emission energy solutions through 2025. PR link.

Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)‘s Google unit’s internal games development group for its Stadia platform to be phased out, new game titles to be provided by third party developers. PR link.

Ford(PBR13 $F) and Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google unit agree to 6 year partnership to create unique services and capabilities for Ford and Lincoln customers, makes Google Cloud Ford’s preferred cloud provider, establishing a new collaborative group, Team Upshift to drive innovation and implement Ford’s transformation plan. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63 PFE) COVID-19 vaccine partner BioNTech(NASDAQ: BNTX) says it plans to manufacture 2 billion doses of our COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 by expanding the previously expected output of 1.3 billion doses by more than 50%, modification of production processes at Pfizer’s facility in Puurs, Belgium, has been successfully completed, now working with 13 European partners for expansion as well. BioNTech PR link.

Northrop Grummaun (PBR92 $NOC) completes its $3.4 billion in cash divestiture of its federal IT and mission support business, generated around $2.3 billion in revenues in 2020, to Veritas Capital. PR link.

Duke Energy(PBR116 $DUK) forms a new, wholly owned subsidiary eTransEnergy, to help large businesses and municipalities with all the planning, financing, acquisition and deployment services to electrify their fleets. PR link.

Eaton Corp(PBR147 $ETN) to acquire Cobham Mission Systems, a leading manufacturer of air-to-air refueling systems, environmental systems, and actuation primarily for defense markets, for $2.83 billion, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR153 $CCL)’s Princess Cruises MedallionClass Ships launches Ocean® Sportsbook, a new, real-time sports wagering option on major sports competitions like professional* and college football, basketball, baseball and hockey as well as a wide variety of other domestic and international events.to be available onboard when cruises resume. PR link.

Xerox(PBR338 $XRX) is making organizational changes to support plans to create three new businesses – Software, Financing and Innovation by 2022. PR link.

Blackstone(PBR402 $BX) to acquire Interior Logic Group Holdings, a data-driven and technology-enabled provider of interior design, supply chain and installation management solutions to several of the nation’s largest single-family homebuilders, from Littlejohn & Co for around $1.6 billion, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

KKR(PBR611 $KKR) completes acquisition of 2+ million policyholders retirement and life insurance company Global Atlantic Financial Group Ltd, had a book value of around $4.7billion at closing, will continue to operate as a separate business with its existing brands and management team. PR link.

Worthington Industries(PBR735 $WOR) has acquired Secaucus, NJ-based $68.2 million in sales in 2020 General Tools & Instruments Co, a provider of consumer products brands in niche tools and outdoor living, for $115 million. PR link.

Ingersoll-Rand(PBR826 $IR) completes $184 million cash acquisition of Springfield, MO based 160 employees with around $60 million in annual revenues Tuthill Vacuum and Blower Systems. PR link.

Emerson Electric(PBR187 $EMR) Chairman/CEO David N. Farr to retire as CEO on 02/05/21, retire as Chairman on 05/04/21, Executive President/Automation Solutions Lal Karsanbhai named CEO successor. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary December 2020 US Construction Spending Annual Rate-Residential is at $700.2 billion, Non-Residential $790.2 billion, Total $1,490.4 billion, November 2020 was at $1,475.6 billion, October 2020 $1,459.0, December 2019 $1,347.3 billion. PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says the January 2021 US Manufacturing PMI Index(>50 economy expanding) is at 58.7%, December 2020 was at 60.5%. “Manufacturing performed well for the eighth straight month, with demand, consumption and inputs registering strong growth compared to December. Labor market difficulties at panelists’ companies and their suppliers will continue to restrict the manufacturing economy expansion until the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis abates… ” PR link.

IHS Markit says the January 2021 US Manufacturing PMI Index is at 59.2, December 2020 was at 57.1, November 2020 56.7, January 2020 51.9. “US manufacturing started 2021 on an encouragingly strong footing, with production and order books growing at the fastest rates for over six years.” PR link.

The non-partisan US Congressional Budget Office says Estimated Year-to-Year 2021 US Real Gross Domestic Product will be around +4.6%, 2021 Unemployment Rate will end at around 5.3%, 2020 Real GDP is estimated at -3.5%, Unemployment Rate at 6.8%. PR link.

***Friday, January 29

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 4 of 2021 ending 01/29/21:

DJIA ends Week 4 at 29,982.62, -3.27% from last Friday, -2.04% MTD/QTD/YTD, -3.87% from record 31,188.38 set 01/20/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 4 at 13,070.69,-3.49% from last Friday, +1.42% MTD/QTD/YTD, -4.15% from record 13,635.99 set 01/25/21.

SPX ends Week 4 at 3,714.24, -3.31% from last Friday, -1.11% MTD/QTD/YTD, -3.66%% from record 3,855.36 set 01/25/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 4 and January 2021 Summary: The start of Week 4 looked promising as The Stock Market Bull opened Monday by establishing new records on the NASDAQ and S&P500. But The Stock Market Bear had had enough and took over the rest of the final week of the month by spilling a lot of green blood. At the same time there was a war between day trader and hedge fund shorters against users and sympathizers of GameStock and AMC Entertainment, with dramatic wild rides up then down and then way up again. Many say this was instigated through the Reddit social media platform. The popular millenial trading sites like Robinhood became the primary tool used to carry out the war, and the incident is starting to be scrutinized by the federal government. The Week 4 result, however, was clearly in favor of The Stock Market Bear who racks up a 3-0 result. Before the week started it appeared that January would be an easy victory for The Stock Market Bull, but January 2021 ended with a 2-1 mixed result in favor of The Stock Market Bear. There was a lot of volatility in January. Let’s see if there is a more loving Valentine effect in February.

The Week 4 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 2 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 2 weeks
Mixed Results: 0 weeks

The Month 1 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 0 months
The Stock Market Bear: 0 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

The Week 4 and Month of January 2021 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 01/29/21, at 14:21PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 101,879,985 confirmed cases globally with 2,201,401 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 99,507, which is +1,882 from last Friday. For the US it is 25,874,892 confirmed cases and 435,452 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 22,516, which is +678 from last Friday. It appears that 1+ million vaccinations are being injected daily, but logistical and manufacturing issues remain. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are being used. Johnson & Johnson has published preliminary results of its Phase 3 trial single dose vaccine, effectiveness comes in at a high rate, but not as high as the first two. US FDA Emergency Use Authorization needs to be approved before it can start to be used. President Biden announced that an additional 200 million doses have been ordered for use through the summer. For January the Coronavirus Pandemic seems to have picked up some steam, especially as new variants are being detected, there are a lot of logistical and supply issues for approved vaccines, but there seems to be some longterm optimism that this pandemic will come to an end.

US Presidential Transition: President Biden has signed several executive orders, including rejoining the Paris Climate Change Accord and the World Health Organization. He also has put a halt to the Keystone XL pipeline suspended construction of the wall between the US and Mexico. Other actions include a “Buy American” incentive plan, the reopening of the Obamacare health plans, and much more. The US Senate approved some high level nominations, most notable being Janet Yellen as Secretary of the US Dept of the Treasury and Antony Blinken as Secretary of the US Dept of State. Biden’s proposed Stimulus Bill is being questioned by the Republicans who would like a separate bill for funding stimulus checks while Democrats want a broader bill that includes additional priorities. It is the first big test of a split 50/50 US Senate and sets the tone for future efforts that require cooperation. January was a transition period as the new administration took on the reigns, but it has not been the smoothest, especially in light of the attempted January 6th insurrection at the Capital Building. However, forward movement is being made, but it appears many challenges lie ahead.

US Economy: The 4Q20 Gross Domestic Product Annual Rate came in at a respectable +4%. The mid January 4 Week Average of Total Insured Unemployment fell just below 5 million, about a 450,000 decrease from mid December, but still well above the 1.7+ million in pre-pandemic mid last January. Consumer confidence surveys were up a little bit, home prices continue to rise, mortgage rates remain low, the Federal Open Market Committee met and issued a statement that the US economy has “moderated” and remains at the mercy of the pandemic. January was mostly slightly positive for economic news with a lot of anxiety building up for a post-pandemic boom.

Corporate Business: It was a big week for annual corporate earnings reports. The effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic was pretty clear, but 4Q20 results indicated some optimism for the future as many corporations continue to implement startegies to raise cash to get them through however long the pandemic lasts. There were some bright spots as well, especially in the tech world, some retailers, and financial sector.

International News: . President Biden was a little more open about taking a hard stance against China regarding trade and intellectual property issues. New Secretary of State Blinkman is starting to try to rebuild some relationships that were affected during the Trump administration, working with the Palestinians as one example. Brexit is starting to show its so far mostly negative effects in the UK and Europe. The European economy is in a recession and continues to struggle from the Coronavirus Pandemic caused lockdowns.

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The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks January 2020 Report Card

February 18, 2021 by admin

The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks January 2020 Report Card

How did the stock analysts do in their 12 month forecast of January 2020? Here’s the research!

By Larry C. Paxton

Welcome to the 12 Month Report Card for The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks for January 2020.

The PBR25 Premise

Last 12 Months Influences

Since January 2020 a lot has happened that was not predicted and not part of their analysis at that time:

The world and the US was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to take lives in large numbers, has affected economies worldwide, resulted in millions of lost jobs, and stressed healthcare, education, and businesses beyond imagination, with major uncertainties that remain today for individuals and organizations of all types.
There was a lot of civil unrest in the US from the unfortunate and graphic death of a black man, George Floyd. Other incidents followed that has made the US take more seriously racial injustice issues and accentuated concerns about income and opportunity inequalities.
There was a very contentious US Presidential campaign that exacerbated how fractured the US is politically.

There is a lot more that can be said, but this is not meant to be an opinions post. It is a piece focused on the review of the recommendations stock analysts came up with around late January 2020 and the actual results 12 months later around the end of January 2021.

Creating The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks List for January 2020

The starting point is the prestigious The PBR1000, produced monthly by PBRMarketTools. To be included in The PBR1000 the 1,000 companies must meet the following criteria:

The companies must be publicly traded on the NYSE, NYSE American or NASDAQ stock exchanges, with a very few temporarily trading on the Over-The-Counter market because they are transitioning from bankruptcy.
They must be headquartered in the US, or have primary operations in the US.
They must have generated at least $1 billion in revenues in their most recent full fiscal year.
They must file an annual 10-K form with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in US dollars
Each of the 1,000 companies is given a primary ranking based on revenues, with the company having the highest revenue amount ranked 1(currently Walmart). There are 27 secondary rankings in The PBR1000 based on other criteria as well.

Each month the 12 month estimates and recommendations by stock analysts are updated on The PBR1000. The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks list for January 2020 was then created using the following process:

At any point in time The PBR1000 has around 15,000 stock analyst recommendations.
The PBR1000 was sorted by stock analyst recommendations.
Those stocks rated a “Buy” were then further sorted by the number of “Buy” recommendations.
For January 2020 a cut off of at least 13 “Buy” recommendations was then sorted by each stock’s weighted average, with a Buy being worth 5 points, Overweight 4 points, Hold 3 points, Underweight 2 points and Sell 1 point. The maximum weighted average is 5.00. For a stock to achieve a “Buy” recommendation its weighted average must be greater than 4.50.
The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks list was finalized by doing a descending sort by the weighted averages.

Characteristics of The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks for January 2020

The PBR25 data for January 2020 is actually from February 4, 2020
Revenue rankings were from 5(Amazon) to 920(Parsley Energy, which was acquired during the following 12 months. Diamondback Energy was next, ranked at 868.)
Market capitalization(company stock value) ranged from $5.34 billion to $1,314.17 billion. Total market capitalization for all The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks was $4,908.02 billion
Weighted averages ranged from 4.96 to 4.64, the average was 4.75, on the 5.00 scale.
17 companies traded on the NYSE, 7 companies on NASDAQ, 1 company on the NYSE American
7 companies were energy related companies, 6 companies were technology related companies, 4 were financial services companies, 2 were retailers, 2 were healthcare related services, 2 were construction companies, 1 was a travel services company, 1 was a securities investment company
Per share stock prices on 02/04/20 ranged from $12.59 to $2,008.72. The total for all 24 of the 25 stocks used was $6,583.46
12 month targeted stock prices ranged from $19.81 to $2,403.00. The total for all 24 stocks used was $8,055.55
The total average forecasted 12 month change was +$1,472.09, for a percent change of +16.59%

Actual Results for The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks for January 2021

The data is from January 29, 2021
One energy related company was acquired during the 12 month period. This analysis is based on the 24 remaining companies.
Per share stock prices on 01/29/21 ranged from $6.27 to $3,206.20. The total for all 24 stocks used was $8,816.47
The 12 month actual difference was +$2,233.01, for a +33.92% change
Actual 12 month change ranged from -61.22%(the travel services company) to +116.61%(a financial services company), the median was +3.70%
13 companies exceeded the forecasted 12 month average change, 11 companies did not
6 of the 11 companies that did not meet the forecast were energy related
The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks achieved a +33.92% gain over the 12 months while the 3 major US stock indices had the following results: DJIA +8.32%, NASDAQ +40.84%, S&P500 +16.45%

Conclusions, Observations, Validations and Realities

If you had bought 1 share each of The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks at the closing price on February 4, 2020, you would have achieved a +33.92% gain at the close on January 29, 2021, an excellent return
The stock analysts +3.70% median result was below the forecasted +16.59% 12 month target, but there was a very wide fluctuation on both sides of the median
It is difficult to forecast out 12 months with any great accuracy, there are just too many variables and uncertainties, but it can be useful and helpful in providing some guidance
It does demonstrate that The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks is a valid methodology and process for that particular month.
Our demonstration account, called The Charlie Fund, uses the popular “Buy & Hold with Consistent Monthly Investment Strategy” with the monthly The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks as the primary research tool. It achieved a +46.62% return in 2020, a further validation of the methodology.
There are no guarantees! The reality is that there will always be ups and downs in the stock market and people make stocks buy, hold and sell decisions based on a wide range logical and emotional criteria, input from knowledgeable hard-working experts and well meaning friends, and if the sky is blue today. But the historical data is pretty convincing that stocks will trend up at an above average investment rate over the long haul.

Additional Information

The details of this summary, including company names and the over 200 fields of information for each company, were extracted from the updated The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks MS-Excel worksheet for January 2020, and has been distributed to The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks Subscribers for their personal use and further research
For characteristics of the most recent monthly The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks go to The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks information page.

We are always interested in your feedback, which you can provide on the Contact Us page.

Disclaimers: The PBR1000 is compiled from a variety of publicly available resources. As such, PBRMarketTools.com is not responsible for the data itself. Any liability for the representations or decisions based on the data is solely the responsibility of the authorized user, not PBRMarketTools.com, its employees or affiliates. PBRMarketTools.com is an independent business intelligence service providing news, data, and analysis. It is not a financial advisory or stock brokerage firm and has no affiliation with such organizations. Any opinions expressed should not be regarded as advice.

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The PBR1000 January 2021 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

February 3, 2021 by admin

The PBR1000 for January 2021: A Mixed Start

The Stock Market Bull was ahead through Week 3, then The Stock Market Bear came out of hibernation and wiped out almost all the January gains.

By Larry C. Paxton

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 4 and January 2021 ending 01/29/21:

DJIA ends Week 4 and January at 29,982.62, -3.27% from last Friday, -2.04% MTD/QTD/YTD, -3.87% from record 31,188.38 set 01/20/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 4 and January at 13,070.69,-3.49% from last Friday, +1.42% MTD/QTD/YTD, -4.15% from record 13,635.99 set 01/25/21.

SPX ends Week 4 and January at 3,714.24, -3.31% from last Friday, -1.11% MTD/QTD/YTD, -3.66%% from record 3,855.36 set 01/25/21.

US Stock Exchanges Week 4 and January 2021 Summary: The start of Week 4 looked promising as The Stock Market Bull opened Monday by establishing new records on the NASDAQ and S&P500. But The Stock Market Bear had had enough and took over the rest of the final week of the month by spilling a lot of green blood. At the same time there was a war between day trader and hedge fund shorters against users and sympathizers of GameStock and AMC Entertainment, with dramatic wild rides up then down and then way up again. Many say this was instigated through the Reddit social media platform. The popular millennial trading sites like Robinhood became the primary tool used to carry out the war, and the incident is starting to be scrutinized by the federal government. The Week 4 result, however, was clearly in favor of The Stock Market Bear who racks up a 3-0 result. Before the week started it appeared that January would be an easy victory for The Stock Market Bull, but January 2021 ended with a 2-1 mixed result in favor of The Stock Market Bear. There was a lot of volatility in January. Let’s see if there is a more loving Valentine effect in February.

The Week 4 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 2 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 2 weeks
Mixed Results: 0 weeks

The Month 1 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 0 months
The Stock Market Bear: 0 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

The January 2021 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 19

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

Record Days: DJIA 4, NASDAQ 6, SPX 5

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4 days(01/05-08/21), NASDAQ 5 days(01/19-25/21), and SPX 4 days(01/05-08/21)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 5 days(01/21-27/21), NASDAQ 2 days(01/14-15/21, 01/26-27/21), and SPX 2 days(01/14-15/21, 01/26-27/21)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 5 days, 01/06/21( D +1.44%), 01/07/21(N +2.56%, S +1.48%), 01/08/21(N +1.03%), 01/19/21(N +1.53%), 01/20/21(N +1.97%, S +1.39%)

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 4 days, 01/04/21(D -1.25%, N -1.47%, S -1.48%), 01/11/21(N -1.25%), 01/27/21(D -2.05%, N -2.61%, S -2.57%), 01/29/21(D -2.03%, N -2.00%, S -1.93%)

The PBR1000 January 2021 Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 January 2021 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on January 29, 2021, 1 Month % Chg is compared to December 31, 2020, 12 Months % Chg is compared to January 31, 2020, the 24 Months % Chg is compared to January 31, 2019, and 60 Months % Chg is compared to January 29, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots just click here to get your 12 month subscription and automatically download the January 2021 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 28 rankings with the bonuses The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots and The PBR25 Top Buy Stocks.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +1,625% to -26%. 484 out of 999 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of 0.09%, the median was a loss of 0.38%. The DJIA was -2.04%, NASDAQ +1.42%, SPX -1.11%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 01/29/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
GameStop	448	GME	$ 325.00	+1,625	+8,354	+2,766	+1,140
Express	892	EXPR	$ 6.00	+559	+50	+13	-65
AMC Entertainment	502	AMC	$ 13.26	+525	+103	-9	-39
SunPower	918	SPWR	$ 54.01	+111	+534	+830	+112
Bed Bath & Beyond	276	BBBY	$ 35.33	+99	+148	+134	-18

Table 2(S12): The PBR1000 Top 5 12 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 2 Summary: The range was +8,364% to -99%. 583 out of 990 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 16.40%, the median was a gain of 7.74%. The DJIA was +6.11%, NASDAQ +42.83%, SPX +15.15%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 01/29/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
GameStop	448	GME	$ 325.00	+1,625	+8,364	+2,766	+1,140
SunPower	918	SPWR	$ 54.01	+111	+534	+830	+112
Tesla Motors	118	TSLA	$ 793.53	+12	+510	+1,192	+1,975
Tupperware	928	TUP	$ 30.08	-7	+381	+10	-35
Owens & Minor	331	OMI	$ 29.08	+8	+365	+284	-16

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 24 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +2,766% to -99%. 623 out of 980 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 32.49%. The median was a gain of 13.25%. The DJIA was +19.93%, NASDAQ +79.50%, SPX +37.36%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 01/29/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
GameStop	448	GME	$ 325.00	+1,625	+8,364	+2,766	+1,140
Tesla Motors	118	TSLA	$ 793.53	+12	+510	+1,192	+1,975
SunPower	918	SPWR	$ 54.01	+111	+534	+830	+112
Roku	992	ROKU	$ 389.03	+17	+222	+765	n/a
Snap	938	SNAP	$ 52.94	+6	+188	+693	n/a

Table 4(R21): The PBR1000 Top 5 60 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 4 Summary: The range was +3,793% to -99%. 682 out of 930 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 89.88%. The median was a gain of 52.14%. The DJIA was +82.08%, NASDAQ +183.29%, SPX +91.43%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 01/29/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
AMD	432	AMD	$ 85.64	-7	+82	+251	+3,793
Square	564	SQ	$ 215.96	-1	+189	+203	+2,362
Tesla Motors	118	TSLA	$ 793.53	+12	+510	+1,192	+1,975
NVIDIA	285	NVDA	$ 579.59	-1	+120	+261	+1,674
GameStop	448	GME	$ 325.00	+1,625	+8,364	+2,766	+1,140

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $2,306 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $36.703 billion, median is $9.60 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 01/29/21	1 Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
Apple	3	AAPL	$ 2,306	+1	+63	+194
Microsoft	17	MSFT	$ 1,802	+8	+37	+125
Amazon	2	AMZN	$ 1,624	-2	+75	+93
Alphabet	12	GOOG	$ 1,257	+7	+25	+62
Tesla Motors	118	TSLA	$ 792	+20	+586	+1,402
The PBR1000			$ 36,703	+2	+19	+43

Table 6: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company	Price 01/29/21	Mo % Chg	12 Mos % Chg	24 Mos % Chg	60 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	112,105.10	-0.0	+16.4	+32.5	+89.9
DJIA	29,982.62	-2.0	+6.1	+19.9	+82.1
NASDAQ	13,070.69	+1.4	+42.8	+79.5	+183.4
S&P500	3,714.24	-1.1	+15.2	+37.4	+91.4
GOLD	1,850.30	-2.4	+16.1	+39.8	+65.4
SILVER	26.91	+1.9	+49.3	+68.4	+88.7
OIL	52.20	+7.6	-20.7	-3.1	+54.7

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The PBR1000 January 2021 Breaking News Recap

January 31, 2021 by admin

The PBR1000 for January: The Beginning of the End?

COVID-19 still consumes most of the news, but with vaccinations now approved and being distributed there is hope that the end of the pandemic is near, but there are issues of new variant strains, and how a new US President plans to proceed.

The January 2021 breaking news items of interest for The PBR1000 follow with the most current date first.

***Friday, January 29

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 4 of 2021 ending 01/29/21:

DJIA ends Week 4 at 29,982.62, -3.27% from last Friday, -2.04% MTD/QTD/YTD, -3.87% from record 31,188.38 set 01/20/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 4 at 13,070.69,-3.49% from last Friday, +1.42% MTD/QTD/YTD, -4.15% from record 13,635.99 set 01/25/21.

SPX ends Week 4 at 3,714.24, -3.31% from last Friday, -1.11% MTD/QTD/YTD, -3.66%% from record 3,855.36 set 01/25/21.

The Week 4 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 2 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 2 weeks
Mixed Results: 0 weeks

The Month 1 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 0 months
The Stock Market Bear: 0 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

The Week 4 and Month of January 2021 News Summary:

Johnson & Johnson(PBR35 $JNJ)’s Janssen unit says results from Phase 3 test indicates that its single shot COVID-19 vaccine candidate was 66% effective overall at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 related hospitalization and death, 28 days after vaccination, to file for US FDA Emergency Use Authorization in early February. PR link.

American Airlines(PBR69 $AAL) enters into an at-the-market(ATM) agreement with some financial institutions to sell up to $1.18 billion in shares of common stock. PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR137) says in 4Q20 report that the US government has committed to purchase a total of 1,450,000 doses of bamlanivimab, which includes 950,000 doses already delivered and an agreement earlier this week to deliver 500,000 additional doses no later than 03/31/21, for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with a positive COVID-19 test, who are at high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19 and/or hospitalization. PR link.

Eaton Corp(PBR147) to acquire Tripp Lite, a leading supplier of power quality products and connectivity solutions including single-phase uninterruptible power supply systems, rack power distribution units, surge protectors, and enclosures for data centers, industrial, medical, and communications markets in the Americas, for $1.65 billion, to close mid-2021. PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR502) major investor Silver Lake sells all its stock for $713 million, capitalizing on a 10-fold rise in the price of the shares as traders organizing on social media platforms such as Reddit snapped them up. Reuters PR link.

The US Dept of the Treasury says that on 01/27/21 the US National Debt-Public is at $21.629 trillion, Intragovernmental $6.131 trillion, Total $27.760 trillion, 12/30/20 was at $27.747 trillion, 11/30/20 $27.406 trillion, 12/31/19 $23.201 trillion. PR link.

The US Dept of the Treasury says at the close on 01/29/21 the US 10 Year Treasury Note Yield is at 1.11%, 12/31/20 was at 0.93%, 11/30/20 0.84%, 12/31/19 1.92%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says the Preliminary December 2020 US Personal Income Annual Rate is at $19.569 trillion, November 2020 was at $19.452 trillion, October 2020 $19.708 trillion, December 2019 $18.801 trillion. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the 4Q20 US Employment Cost Index(12/2005=100) is at 142.4, 3Q20 was at 141.1, 2Q2020 140.7, 4Q19 138.9. PR link.

The U of Michigan Final January 2021 US Consumer Sentiment Index is at 79.0, December 2020 was at 80.7, November 2020 76.9, January 2020 99.8. “Despite continuing job and income disparities, as precautionary motives begin to ease, accumulated savings will spark a significant gain in spending in late 2021.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the Preliminary December 2020 US 7th District Midwest Economy Index is at +1.26, November 2020 was at +1.83, October 2020 +3.00, December 2019 -0.51. “Index suggests slower, but still above-trend Midwest growth through December.” PR link.

MNI Indicators says the Preliminary December 2020 Chicago Business Barometer(>50 economy is gaining) is at +63.8, November 2020 was at +58.7, October 2020 58.2, December 2019 +48.9. “The index now stands at the highest level since July 2018, boosted by a pick-up in activity at the beginning of 2021.” PR link.

The American Automobile Assn says the 01/29/21 Average Price/Gallon for Gas(Regular) is at $2.422, 12/31/20 was at $2.253, 11/30/20 $2.142, 01/31/20 $2.485. PR link.

***Thursday, January 28

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) expanding media business, renamed from Walmart Media Group to Walmart Connect, to accelerate the connection between partner brands and its 150 million weekly customers. PR link.

Ford(PBR13 $F) announces that the Mustang Mach-E, its first global pioneering SUV built on an all-new, all-electric platform, will be manufactured in China by Changan Ford for local customers. PR link.

General Motors(PBR19 $GM) plans to be carbon neutral by 2040 in its global products and operations, has worked with the Environmental Defense Fund to develop a shared vision of an all-electric future and an aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035. PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR44 $LOW) to provide $80 million in additional bonuses on 02/05/21 for frontline workers, $300 for full-time hourly associates, $150 for part-time and seasonal associates, is 7th bonus round, also is hiring more than 50,000 seasonal and full-time retail associates for spring. PR link.

Altria(PBR114 $MO) authorizes a new $2 billion share repurchase program, to complete by 06/30/22. PR link.

VISA(PBR142 $V) authorizes a new $8 billion share repurchase program, total funds available now around $11 billion. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM)’s BetMGM to become exclusive sports betting partner in the US for digital sports media company The Athletic, includes the creation of The Athletic Betting Hub, a new content vertical for The Athletic. PR link.

Chipotle(PBR489 $CMG) is testing Chipotle Carside at 29 restaurants in California, mobile Chipotle app orders delivered to parked cars. PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR502 $AMC) reports that affiliates of Silver Lake and certain co-investors to convert all $600.0 million of the Company’s 2.95% Convertible Senior Secured Notes due 2026 into shares of the Company’s Class A common stock at $13.51/share, will result in the issuance of 44,422,860 Class A shares. PR link.

Marriott Vacations(PBR598 $VAC) to acquire Welk Resorts, a large independent timeshare company with 8 properties primarily on the West coast, for around $430 million, will rebrand as Hyatt Residence Club resorts, to close in early 2Q21. PR link.

Verso Corp(PBR827 $VRS) appoints Randy J. Nebel as President/CEO, had been interim since 10/20. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says the Advance 4Q20 Real Gross Domestic Product Annual Rate is +4.0%, $21.480 trillion, 3Q20 was at $21.170 trillion, 2Q20 $19.520 trillion, 4Q19 $21.747 trillion. PR link.

The Conference Board says the Preliminary December 2020 US Leading Economic Index(2016=100) is at 109.5, November 2020 was at 109.2, October 2020 108.5, December 2019 110.7. “While the resurgence of COVID-19 and weak labor markets remain barriers to growth, The Conference Board expects the economy to expand by at least 2.0 percent (annual rate) in Q1 and then gain momentum throughout the year.” PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says that for the Week Ending 01/16/21 the US Total Insured Unemployment is at 4,771,000, 12/19/20 was at 5,219,000, 11/14/20 6,071,000, 01/18/20 1,704,000. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says the Preliminary December 2020 US New Family Homes Sold Annual Rate is at 842,000, November 2020 was at 829,000, October 2020 949,000, December 2019 731,000; the December 2020 US Median New Family Home Price is at $355,900, November 2020 was at $343,900, October 2020 $345,500, December 2019 $329,500. PR link.

FreddieMac says on 01/28/21 the US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate is at 2.73% with 0.7 points/fees, 12/31/20 was at 2.67%, 11/25/20 2.72%, 01/29/20 3.51%. “As the market reacts to a new administration in Washington and COVID-19 driven economic malaise, mortgage rates continued to decrease this week, just slightly. Even as house prices increase at the fastest rate we’ve seen in years, competition to buy is strong given the low inventory that exists across the country. The fact that there are not enough homes to meet demand is going to be an ongoing issue for the foreseeable future.” PR link.

***Wednesday, January 27

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines in Maryland, Texas, Delaware, Indiana and the District of Columbia to eligible populations as determined by each district and state. PR link.

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) expanding its network of local automated fulfillment centers, some as add-on facilities to an existing store, others to be utilizing space in existing stores. PR link.

Apple(PBR3 $AAPL) in 1Q21 has record $111.4 billion in revenues, up 21% from 1Q20, 1Q21 diluted earnings/share at $1.68, international sales accounted for 64% of 1Q21 revenues. PR link.

AT&T(10 $T) in 4Q20 report says it has a total of 182.6 million total subscribers and connections, up from 165.9 million at end of 2019, ended 2020 with 17.2 million total video connections, had 20.4 million at end of 2019, total 2020 revenues are at $171.8 billion, 2019 was at $181.2 billion. PR link.

Anthem(PBR20 $ANTM) in 4Q20 report says it now has 42.9 million members, up 4.7% from 2019, repurchased shares for $2.7 billion in 2020, authorizes an increase of $5 billion for share repurchase program, balance available is now around $6.1 billion. PR link.

JPMorgan Chase(PBR24 $JPM) to launch a mobile app based digital retail bank in the UK in the coming months, is headquartered in London, already has 400 employees. Businesswire PR link.

Boeing(PBR40 $BA) issues statement regarding European Union Aviation Safety Agency‘s approval to resume 737 MAX operations in Europe. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR97 $PFE)/BioNTech SE to use Sanofi facilities in Frankfurt, Germany, starting in the summer, to manufacture 125 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for distribution in Europe. Sanofi PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR137 $LLY), Vir Biotechnology(NASDAQ: VIR) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) to collaborate to evaluate a combination of two COVID-19 therapies in low-risk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. PR link.

Salesforce(184 $CRM) announces Vaccine Cloud, technology to help government agencies, healthcare organizations, businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions worldwide more rapidly, safely and efficiently deploy and manage their vaccine programs. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM)’s BetMGM launches its sports betting and iGaming app in Virginia. PR link.

Regeneron(PBR382 $REGN) says tests show REGEN-COVTM (casirivimab and imdevimab antibody cocktail) successfully neutralizes the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants first identified in the UK (B.1.1.7) and South Africa (B.1.351). PR link.

Navistar(PBR397 $NAV) to collaborate with GM(PBR19 $GM) and Navistar’s OneH2 subsidiary to launch a hydrogen fuel cell truck ecosystem, will be initially piloted by JB Hunt Transport(PBR335 $JBHT), Navistar’s first production model International® RH™ Series hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) to be commercially available in model year 2024. PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR502 $AMC) has sold in aggregate 63.3 million additional shares of its Class A common stock since 01/25/21 for additional proceeds of $304.8 million, completes at the market equity program. PR link.

Coty(PBR563 $COTY) is consolidating its global fragrance operations, to close manufacturing site in Cologne, Germany, to be completed by Summer 2022, will affect around 300 employees. PR link.

First Horizon National(PBR860 $FHN) authorizes up to $500 million share repurchase program, expires 01/31/23. PR link.

Brown-Forman(PBR603 $BF.B) Chairman G. Garvin Brown IV to retire in 07/21 after serving 14 years, will be succeeded by Campbell P. Brown, who will assume the Chair role at the company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders. PR link.

The US Federal Open Market Committee releases a statement from its 01/26-27/21 meeting, says, “The COVID-19 pandemic is causing tremendous human and economic hardship across the United States and around the world. The pace of the recovery in economic activity and employment has moderated in recent months, with weakness concentrated in the sectors most adversely affected by the pandemic… The path of the economy will depend significantly on the course of the virus, including progress on vaccinations. The ongoing public health crisis continues to weigh on economic activity, employment, and inflation, and poses considerable risks to the economic outlook… The Committee decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent… will continue to increase its holdings of Treasury securities by at least $80 billion per month and of agency mortgage‑backed securities by at least $40 billion per month until substantial further progress has been made toward the Committee’s maximum employment and price stability goals.” PR link.

The Quarterly ADP Workforce Vitality Report says the 4Q20 Wage Growth is at +4.4%, 3Q20 was at +5.3%, 2Q20 +6.0%, 4Q19 +3.1%. “… the labor market recovery will continue to plod along in the near-term as the easy part of the recovery is mostly in the rearview and the hard work of new business creation lies ahead.” PR link.

The US Energy Information Administration says that on 01/22/21 the US Crude Oil Stocks(Millions of Barrels) is at 476.7, 12/25/20 was at 493.5, 11/20/20 488.7, 01/24/20 431.7. PR link.

***Tuesday, January 26

Verizon(PBR20 $VZ) ends 2020 with 94.4 million total wireless retail connections, had 94.5 million at end of 2019, total 2020 revenues were at $128.3 billion, had $131.9 billion in 2019. PR link.

Target(PBR36 $TGT) announces a limited-edition collection with Levi Strauss(PBR476 $LEVI), featuring an assortment of home and lifestyle items and marking Levi’s® first Home partnership, to launch on 02/28/21. PR link.

Raytheon Technologies(PBR39 $RTX) in 4Q20 transcript CFO says it has reduced commercial headcount at Collins by another 1,500, bringing the total to 16,500, and contractors by another 500, bringing the total to approximately 4500 contractors, has reducted total commercial aero headcount by around 20%. The Motley Fool The Motley Fool PR link.

Tesla(PBR118 $TSLA) in 4Q20 report says had $10.744 billion in sales for the quarter, +46% from $7.384 billion in 4Q19. PR link.

VISA(PBR142 $V) and TransferWise, which provides multi-currency debit cards services in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, UK and US, form global partnership for first use of Visa Cloud Connect services. PR link.

Twitter(PBR680 $TWTR) has acquired Revue, a service that makes it free and easy for anyone to start and publish editorial newsletters, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Elanco Animal Health(PBR732 $ELAN) to close some R&D sites in New Zealand and Germany in restructuring post Bayer acquisition, will eliminate around 350 positions worldwide. PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR18 $WBA) appoints Starbucks COO Rosalind (Roz) Brewer as its next CEO, to be effective 03/15/21, will succeed Stefano Pessina who will transition to Executive Chairman. PR link.

Las Vegas Sands(PBR226 $LVS) appoints Acting Chairman/CEO and President/COO Robert Goldstein as Chairman/CEO, succeeds Sheldon Adelson who passed away on 01/12/21, COO and CFO appointments also announced. PR link.

The Conference Board says the Preliminary January 2021 US Consumer Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 89.3, December 2020 was at 87.1, November 2020 92.9, January 2020 130.4. “Consumers’ expectations for the economy and jobs… advanced further, suggesting that consumers foresee conditions improving in the not-too-distant future. In addition, the percent of consumers who said they intend to purchase a home in the next six months improved, suggesting that the pace of home sales should remain robust in early 2021.” PR link.

The S&P/CoreLogic/Case-Shiller November 2020 US National Home Price Index(01/2000=100) is at 232.38, October 2020 was at 229.93, September 2020 226.82, November 2019 212.24. “Recent data are consistent with the view that COVID has encouraged potential buyers to move from urban apartments to suburban homes. This may represent a true secular shift in housing demand, or may simply represent an acceleration of moves that would have taken place over the next several years anyway. Future data will be required to address that question.” PR link.

TrueCar says the Forecasted January 2021 US Total New Car Units Sold will be at 1,048,975, December 2020 was at 1,619,907, January 2020 1,143,027; Forecasted January 2021 Average New Car Price will be at $37,330, December 2020 was at $39,089, January 2020 $35,821. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says the January 2021 US 3rd District Non-Manufacturing Current General Activity Index is at -17.5, December 2020 was at -26.6. “The respondents continued to anticipate growth over the next six months.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the January 2021 US 5th District Manufacturing Index(Annualized) is at +14%, December 2020 was at +19%, November 2020 +15%, January 2020 +20%. “The composite index… remained in expansionary territory… Overall, manufacturers were optimistic that conditions would continue to improve in the coming months.” PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the January 2021 US 5th District Service Sector Revenue Index(Annualized) is at -3%, December 2020 was at -9%, November 2020 +13%, January 2020 +10%. “Firms were optimistic that conditions would improve in the next six months.” PR link.

***Monday, January 25

CVS Health(PBR5 $CVS) has administered the first round of COVID-19 vaccine doses, nearly two million shots, to nearly 8,000 skilled nursing facilities across the US, second doses is well underway and expected to be complete within four weeks. PR link.

Verizon(PBR20 $VZ), in an evaluation with AT&T(PBR10 $T) and T-Mobile(PBR71 $TMUS), sweeps the 2H20 US RootScore Awards, bringing home by far the most state and metro area awards, and delivering excellent speeds, outstanding reliability, and an expanded 5G footprint in major cities. IHS Markit RootMetrics PR link.

UPS(PBR43 $UPS) to sell UPS Freight unit to TFI International(NYSE and TSX: TFII) for $800 million, UPS gets agreement for UPS Freight to continue to utilize UPS’ domestic package network to fulfill shipments for a period of five years, to close in 2Q21. PR link.

Merck(PBR68 $MRK) says based on Phase 1 results it is discontinuing development of its SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 vaccine candidates, V590 and V591, and plans to focus its SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 research strategy and production capabilities on advancing two therapeutic candidates, MK-4482 and MK-7110. PR link.

Honeywell(PBR85 $HON) to divest five performance and lifestyle footwear brands it deems non-core to its business: The Original Muck Boot Company, XTRATUF fishing boots and deck shoes, Ranger, NEOS overshoes and Servus protective rubber boots, to Rocky Brands, a leading manufacturer of premium footwear and apparel, for approximately $230 million, to close by end of 1Q21. PR link.

Baker Hughes(PBR123 $BKR) files statement with US SEC noting that GE(PBR33 $GE) sold 38,007,041 shares of Class A Common Stock on 01/22/21, GE has 311+ million shares remaining, represents 30.1% of BKR Class A shares issued. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR153 $CCL) releases plans for additional ship deployments from its US West coast ports. PR link.

Edison Intl(PBR250 $EIX)’s Southern California Edison unit settles 2017 and 2018 wildfire and mudslide events with approximately 1000 individual plaintiffs for $2.2 billion. PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR347 $ALK) takes delivery of its first Boeing(PBR40 $BA) 737-9 MAX aircraft, to get 68 over 4 year period, passenger service to start 03/01/21. PR link.

NCR(PBR422 $NCR) to acquire Cardtronics (Nasdaq: CATM), the world’s largest non-bank ATM operator and service provider, for $39.00/share, around $2.5 billion cash, to close mid 2021, Cardtronics has terminated its acquisition agreement with Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR759 $APO), NCR paid the termination fee of $32.6 million. PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR502 $AMC) has raised $917 million in fresh investment capital since mid-December, should allow the company to make it through this dark coronavirus-impacted winter, CEO Aron says, “… any talk of an imminent bankruptcy for AMC is completely off the table.” PR link.

IAC(PBR557 $IAC) raised $300 million in primary equity for its Vimeo unit, which now has a valuation of $5+ billion, Vimeo spin-off planned for 2Q21. PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR759 $APO) Chairman/CEO Leon Black to retire as CEO on or before 07/31/21, will remain Chairman, Marc Rowan appointed to be successor. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the Preliminary December 2020 US National Activity Index is at +0.52, November 2020 was at +0.31, October 2020 +1.01, December 2019 -0.26. “Index points to an uptick in economic growth in December.” PR link.

Blackstone(PBR402 $BX) Vice Chairman Byron Wien’s Market Insights provides an interesting review of the 2021 Ten Surprises and Three Also Rans in its 36th annual edition. PR link.

***Friday, January 22

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 3 of 2021 ending 01/22/21:

DJIA ends Week 3 at 30,996.98, +0.59% from last Friday, +1.28% MTD/QTD/YTD, -0.61% from record 31,188.38 set 01/20/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 3 at record 13,543.06,+4.19% from last Friday, +5.08 MTD/QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 13,543.06 set 01/22/21.

SPX ends Week 3 at 3,841.47, +1.94% from last Friday, +2.27% MTD/QTD/YTD, -0.30%% from record 3,841.47 set 01/21/21.

The Week 3 of 2021 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of today, Friday, 01/22/21, at 14:22PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 97,986,357 confirmed cases globally with 2,101,894 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 97,625, which is +6,735 from last Friday. For the US it is 24,771,973 confirmed cases and 412,936 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 21,838, which is -491 from than last Friday. Now President-Elect Joe Biden has pledged that 100 million people will be vaccinated in the first 100 days of his taking office. Logistical and manufacturing issues still seem to be having an effect, 2 more vaccine candidates are expected to be approved by the US FDA and available in a few weeks in addition to the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna that are the only ones available currently.

US Presidential Transition: It was a rather subdued transition compared to recent transfers of power because of restrictions from the Coronavirus Pandemic and the presence of 25,000 National Guard troops for security purposes after the break-in at the Capital Building on January 6th. As scheduled, two weeks later on January 20th, Joe Biden became the 46th President of the US and Kamala Harris the Vice President, to much pomp and circumstance and no public protests. In his acceptance speech President Biden appealed for unity among the American people, and reiterated that his first priority was to conquer the Coronavirus Pandemic. Washington Mall was filled with American flags instead of people. There was a televised remote parade of the states presentation afterwards, and an evening of nice and hopeful messages, presentations, singing, and a spectacular Mall fireworks show. President Biden quickly went into action by signing several executive orders, several of them reversing some of former President Trump directives. VP Harris installed 3 new Democrats into the Senate, two from the runoff elections in Georgia and one from California who has taken the seat she previously held. With a 50-50 Senate split, VP Harris is now the tiebreaker when there is a 50-50 vote on a measure. The Senate committees have started the process of interviewing nominees for cabinet and other high posts. President Biden at age 78 makes history by becoming the oldest President to start serving in that position, and Kamala Harris is the first woman, the first Black, and the first person of Asian American descent to take on the role of Vice President.

US Economy: The number of weekly initial unemployment insurance claims decreased a little. Housing starts had a nice increase, existing home sales had a slight increase, home builders say conditions are still good despite increases in prices for lumber, and the Philly Fed’s manufacturing survey index took had a greater than expected increase.

International News: . Initial indications are that President Biden will also take a hard stance against China regarding trade and intellectual property issues. Brexit is a work in process. Much of the European economy is struggling because of the Coronavirus Pandemic caused lockdowns, and Europe is now viewed as being in a recession.

US Stock Exchanges: The exchanges were closed on Monday in observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr, and his legacy. On Tuesday The Stock Market Bull charged onto the field feeling optimistic about the transition of power and the economy, and continued to do so throughout the week as all 3 major indices hit new records on inauguration day. The Stock Market Bear could only counter by taking the last 2 days of the DJIA and last day of the S&P500. The Stock Market Bull easily takes Week 3 3-0. “Experts” are again divided over those that say the run can continue forever and those who say the markets are way overdue for a major crash. Sounds a little bit like last year when both came true.

The Week 3 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 2 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 1 week
Mixed Results: 0 weeks

Kroger(PBR22 $KR) and Ocado(LSE: OCDO) announces Phoenix, AZ, for a Customer Fulfillment Center, will be around 200,000 sf, employ up to 700, to be operational in 24 after breaking of ground, will serve Arizona markets. PR link.

Boeing(PBR40 $BA) is committing that its commercial airplanes are capable and certified to fly on 100% sustainable aviation fuels by 2030. PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63 $PFE) and BioNTech SE get an initial agreement to provide up to 40 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to COVAX, which serves 92 countries, in 2021, first deliveries to occur in 1Q21, will be at a not-for-profit price. PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR109 $BMY) gets US FDA approval for OPDIVO®(nivolumab) 240 mg (injection for intravenous use) every two weeks or 480 mg every four weeks in combination with CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib) 40 mg once daily tablets for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR137 $LLY) completes $22.50/share, $880 million cash plus a contigent value right worth up to an additional $4.00/share based on milestone achievements, for up to $1.04 billion cash acquisition of developer of potentially disease-modifying AAV9-based gene therapies for patients with neurodegenerative diseases Prevail Therapeutics(NASDAQ: PRVL). PR link.

DuPont(PBR144 $DD), Corteva(PBR225 $CTVA) and Chemours(PBR496 $CC) agree to resolution of legacy PFAS chemicals legacy claims, DuPont & Corteva together, on one hand, and Chemours, on the other hand, agree to a 50-50 split of certain qualified expenses incurred over a term not to exceed twenty years or $4 billion. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR153 $CCL) is extending its pause for US departures through 04/30/21, cancelling Australian operations through 05/19/21, and European itineraries for Carnival Legend are being planned to start 05/29/21. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM)’s BetMGM launches its sports betting and iGaming app in Michigan. PR link.

Boston Scientific(PBR289 $BSX) gets US FDA approval for its fourth-generation Vercise Genus™ Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) System, used for treating symptoms of Parkinson disease, a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder. PR link.

JetBlue(PBR374 $JBLU) enters into a Payroll Support Program Extension Agreement with the US Dept of the Treasury for $252 million, also issues to Treasury warrants to purchase 316,583 shares of JetBlue’s common stock for $14.43/share. PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says the Preliminary December 2020 US Existing Home Sales Annual Rate is at 6,760,000, November 2020 was at 6,710,000, October 2020 6,860,000, December 2019 5,530,000; December 2020 Median Home Price is at $309,800, November 2020 was at $310,800, October 2020 $313,000, December 2019 $274,500; December 2020 Existing Homes for Sale Inventory is at 1,070,000, about 1.9 months supply; December 2020 Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate is at 2.68%. “Home sales rose in December, and for 2020 as a whole, we saw sales perform at their highest levels since 2006, despite the pandemic… What’s even better is that this momentum is likely to carry into the new year, with more buyers expected to enter the market.” PR link.

***Thursday, January 21

Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google France unit to provide remuneration to French news publications based on criteria agreed to with the Alliance de la Presse d’Information Générale. PR link.

Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Loon unit to shut down after over 7 years, was trying to provide low cost internet connectivity through the use of stratospheric balloons. PR link.

Ford(PBR13 $F) expects to record a pre-tax remeasurement loss in its 4Q20 results of approximately $1.5 billion related to its pension and other postretirement employee benefits. PR link.

Boston Scientific(PBR289 $BSX) to acquire privately held $158 million in sales in 2020 Preventice Solutions, offers a full portfolio of mobile cardiac health solutions and services, ranging from ambulatory cardiac monitors – including short and long-term Holter monitors – to cardiac event monitors and mobile cardiac telemetry, for an upfront cash payment of $925 million, and up to an additional $300 million in a potential commercial milestone payment. PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR347 $ALK) gets $533 million Payroll Support Program loan assistance from the US Dept of the Treasury, to be used exclusively toward continuing to pay employee salaries, wages and benefits, includes granting of 95,532 warrants to purchase Alaska Air Group (ALK) common stock at a strike price of $52.25. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says the Preliminary December 2020 US New Residential Building Permits Issued Annual Rate-Private Housing is at 1,709,000, November 2020 was at 1,635,000, October 2020 1,544,000, December 2019 1,457,000. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says the January 2021 US 3rd District Manufacturing General Business Indicator is at 26.5, December 2020 was at 9.1, November 2020 20.7, January 2020 13.7. “Changes in future indexes were mixed this month, but levels remained positive, suggesting that overall growth is expected to continue over the next six months.” PR link.

***Wednesday, January 20

***Joseph R. Biden inaugurated as
***46th President of the United States
***Kamala Harris inaugurated as
***Vice President of the United States

Merck(PBR68 $MRK) gets US FDA approval for VERQUVO, a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization following a hospitalization for heart failure or need for outpatient intravenous (IV) diuretics in adults with symptomatic chronic heart failure and ejection fraction less than 45%. PR link.

Tyson Foods(PBR76 $TSN) agrees to settle all claims regarding the Broiler Antitrust Civil Litigation, will pay $221.5 million to affected classes. PR link.

CACI(PBR478 $CACI) Chairman of the Board/Executive Chairman and former CEO Dr. J. Philip (Jack) London passes away at age 83, Michael A. Daniels elected Chairman. PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Preliminary January 2021 Housing Market Composite Index is at 83, December 2020 was at 86, November 2020 90, January 2020 75. “Rising material costs led by a huge upsurge in lumber prices along with a resurgence of the coronavirus across much of the nation pushed builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes down three points to 83 in January… Despite the drop, builder sentiment remains at a strong level.” PR link.

***Tuesday, January 19

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) to provide domestic and international money transfers, bill payments and money orders services at its stores through an agreement with Western Union(PBR518 $WU), to roll out starting in Spring 2021. PR link.

General Motors(PBR19 $GM) and Cruise enter a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft(PBR17 $MSFT) to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles, includes General Motors, Honda, Microsoft, and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2 billion in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation of Cruise to $30 billion. PR link.

Bank of America(PBR25 $BAC) authorizes the repurchase of $2.9 billion in common stock through 03/31/21, plus repurchases to offset shares awarded under equity-based compensation plans during the same period, estimated to be approximately $0.3 billion, maximum allowed per US Federal Reserve rules. PR link.

FedEx(PBR49 $FDX) proposes to reduce its European workforce by 5,500-6,300 across operational teams and back-office functions as it nears the completion of the network integration of TNT. PR link.

Cisco(PBR66 $CSCO) gets China’s State Administration for Market Regulation approval for $115/share $4.3 billion cash acquisition of designer and manufacturer of high-speed, optical interconnect technologies Acacia Communications under several conditions aimed to protect supply to the companies’ Chinese customers. MarketWatch PR link.

American Airlines(PBR69 $AAL) gets a Payroll Support Program Extension Agreement with the US Dept of Treasury for $3.1 billion, be used exclusively for the continuation of payment of employee wages, salaries and benefits, the requirement against involuntary furloughs and reductions in employee pay rates and benefits through 03/31/21. PR link.

ViacomCBS(PBR103 $VIAC) to launch its streaming service Paramount+ on 03/04/21 in the US, will also be launching in Latin America, the Nordics, and later in Australia. PR link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR113 $TMO) to acquire 500 employees $45 million in 2020 revenues Mesa Biotech, a privately held molecular diagnostic company, includes its Accula System which has received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US FDA for SARS-CoV-2 in vitro diagnostic testing and is now available for use in patient care settings, providing results within 30 minutes, with higher accuracy than other rapid tests on the market, for approximately $450 million in cash plus up to $100 million for milestone achievements, to close in 1Q21. PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR137 $LLY) and Merus NV (NASDAQ: MRUS), a clinical-stage oncology company developing multi-specific antibodies, agree to a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement, will leverage Merus’ proprietary Biclonics® platform along with the scientific and rational drug design expertise of Loxo Oncology at Lilly to research and develop up to three CD3-engaging T-cell re-directing bispecific antibody therapies, Eli Lilly to make up front payment of $40 million plus an equity investment in Merus of $20 million, plus up to around $1.6 billion for milestone achievements. PR link.

Netflix(PBR158 $NFLX) says in 4Q20 report that it has crossed the 200 million paid memberships mark, 37 million new members in 2020. PR link.

Cognizant(PBR188 $CTSH) to acquire Magenic Technologies, a privately-held custom software development services company headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, with 475 employees in the US and 350+ employees in Manila, Philippines, to close in 1Q21, terms not disclosed. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM) says it does not intend to submit a revised proposal and it will not make a firm offer for for gaming partner Entain plc. PR link.

Bed Bath & Beyond(PBR276 $BBY) completes sale of its Cost Plus World Market brand to private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management, includes 243 brick-and-mortar locations, the CPWM digital business, 2 distribution facilities and a corporate office located in Alameda, CA, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Royal Caribbean(PBR284 $RCL) to sell its Azamara brand to private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $201 million cash, to close in 1Q21. PR link.

eBay(PBR288 $EBAY) says it has initiated a process to explore, review and evaluate a range of strategic alternatives for its Korea business. PR link.

Charles Schwab(PBR290 $SCHW) says in 4Q20 report that total client assets reached a record of $6.69 trillion spread across 29.6 million brokerage accounts, up 66% and 140%, respectively, from a year ago. PR link.

Office Depot(PBR292 $ODP) responds to proposal by be acquired by parent of Staples, says it is open to combining its retail and consumer-facing ecommerce operations with Staples under the right set of circumstances and on mutually acceptable terms, offers two options, a joint venture or an acquistion. PR link.

Oshkosh(PBR425 $OSK) completes $115 million acquisition of Pratt Miller which specializes in advanced engineering, technology and innovation across the motorsport and multiple ground vehicle markets. PR link.

Norwegian Cruise Lines(PBR451 $NCLH) extends suspension of all voyages through 04/30/21. PR link.

Harley-Davidson(PBR510 $HOG) releases its 2021 motorcycle lineup. PR link.

Hill-Rom(PBR767 $HRC) to acquire Bardy Diagnostics(BardyDx), an innovator in digital health and a leading provider of ambulatory cardiac monitoring technologies, for $375 million cash and future potential payments based on the achievement of certain commercial milestones, to close by 03/31/21. PR link.

***Monday, January 18

***US Federal Government Holiday.
***Martin Luther King, Jr, Birthday Observed.
***US Stock Exchanges Closed.

***Friday, January 15

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 2 of 2021 ending 01/15/21:

DJIA ends Week 2 at 30,814.26, -0.91% from last Friday, +0.68% MTD/QTD/YTD, -0.91% from record 31,097.97 set 01/08/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 2 at 12,998.50, -1.54% from last Friday, +0.86 MTD/QTD/YTD, -1.54% from record 13,201.98 set 01/08/21.

SPX ends Week 2 at 3,768.25, -1.48% from last Friday, +0.32% MTD/QTD/YTD, -1.48%% from record 3,824.68 set 01/08/21.

The Week 2 of 2021 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of Friday, 01/15/21, at 14:22PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 93,626,393 confirmed cases globally with 2,004,269 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 90,890, which is 6,932 less than last Friday. For the US it is 23,475,380 confirmed cases and 391,098 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 22,329, which is 1,425 less than last Friday. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccinations continue with mixed success because of logistical issues and states struggling to have a priority plan. President-Elect Joe Biden has pledged that 100 million people will be vaccinated in the first 100 days of his taking office.

US Presidential Transition: President-Elect Joe Biden and his transition team continue to make preparations for the January 20th inaugural, which is becoming a bit toned down because of the insurrection attempt at the Capital Building last week. High level officials continue to be nominated and will be presented to the US Senate when it reconvenes next Tuesday. However, another critical item on the US Senate agenda will be the impeachment trial of President Trump after the vote to impeach in the US House was completed this week, making President Trump the only US president to be impeached twice. The US Senate will be split with 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, 2 Independents who caucus with the Democrats. With the split, Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris will break tie votes. An impeachment of the US president requires a two-thirds votes to the affirmative.

US Economy: The number of weekly initial unemployment insurance claims increased due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Retail sales were disappointingly down slightly. Average employee earnings are up, the Consumer Price Index was up a little bit, the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book indicated modest growth, Import and Export taxes were up, the Producer Price Index was up slightly. President-Elect Biden is proposing a $1.9 trillion relief and stimulus plan that includes a $1,400 individual benefit payment.

International News: . The Coronavirus Pandemic numbers continue to increase in the Europe amid more lockdowns and restrictions. The UK and European Union are starting to readjust their economies as a result of the year end completion of Brexit. The N Korea leader has indicated his country did not achieve economic goals, is making new plans, and also says they will increase their nuclear arms capabilities.

US Stock Exchanges: After a big first week of records for The Stock Market Bull, The Stock Market Bear wanted to make sure he got some attention as well and has an agenda as well. With the aftermath of the insurrection attempt the previous week, the impeachment vote in the US House, the continued Coronavirus pandemic issues and concerns for jobs and the economy, and some uncertainties of a new US president, he had some news to back him up and easily took Week 2 of 2021. Next week starts with the US stock exchanges closed in remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr, the subdued inauguration of a new US president on Wednesday, and a light week of scheduled economic news. Welcome to a New Year of confusing starts!

The Week 2 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 1 week
The Stock Market Bear: 1 week
Mixed Results: 0 weeks

GE(PBR33 $GE) sues Siemens Energy for using stolen trade secrets to rig contract bids in Virginia. Reuters PR link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR113 $TMO) has completed the acquisition of Henogen S.A., Novasep’s viral vector manufacturing business in Belgium, for approximately $810 million in cash. PR link.

Tesla(PBR118 $TSLA)’s Model Y, its mid-size Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), earns a 5-star safety rating in every category from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). PR link.

US Steel(PBR239 $X) completes the $774 million cash acquisition of the remaining equity of Big River Steel located in northeast Arkansas it did not previously own. PR link.

Frontier Communications(PBR372 $FTRCQ) gets US Federal Communications Commission approval for its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy restructring plan, also has approval of 13 states, plans to emerge from Chapter 11 in early 2021. PR link.

Huntsman(PBR429 $HUN) completes $250 million acquisition of around $106 million of revenues in 2019 Gabriel Performance Products, a N American specialty chemical manufacturer of specialty additives and epoxy curing agents for the coatings, adhesives, sealants and composite end-markets, from Audax Private Equity. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary December 2020 US Totally Monthly Final Demand Producer Price Index is at +0.3%, November 2020 was at +0.1%, October 2020 +0.3%, December 2019 +0.3%. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says the Preliminary December 2020 US Industrial Production % of Capacity is at 74.5%, November 2020 was at 73.4%, October 2020 73.0%, December 2019 77.2%. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary November 2020 US Sales-Manufacturers is at $492.9 billion, Retailers $491.1 billion, Wholesalers $496.7 billion, making Preliminary November 2020 US Total Sales at $1,480.8 billion, October 2020 was at $1,482.1 billion, September 2020 $1,468.5 billion, November 2019 $1,458.4 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Advance December 2020 US Retail Sales-Retailers is at $489.7 billion, Food Services & Drinking Places $51.2 billion, making Advance December 2020 US Total Retail Sales at $540.9 billion, November 2020 was at $544.6 billion, October 2020 $552.2 billion, December 2019 $525.7 billion. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the January 2021 Empire State Manufacturing General Business Conditions Index is at 3.5, December 2020 was at 4.9, November 2020 6.3, January 2020 4.8. “… firms remained optimistic that conditions would improve over the next six months.” PR link.

The U of Michigan Preliminary January 2021 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 79.2, December 2020 was at 80.7, November 2020 76.9, January 2020 99.8. “Consumer sentiment posted trivial declines in early January despite the horrendous rise in covid-19 deaths, the insurrection, and the impeachment of Trump.” PR link.

***Thursday, January 14

Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google unit completes $2.1 billion cash acquisition of Fitbit(PBR971 $FIT). PR link.

FannieMae(PBR23) and FreddieMac(PBR41) get US Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Dept of the US Treasury approval to continue to retain earnings, says retained earnings alone are insufficient to adequately capitalize the companies, can raise private capital and exit conservatorship once certain conditions are met. FHFA PR link.

Pfizer(PBR63 $PFE) gets US FDA approval for supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for XALKORI® (crizotinib) for the treatment of pediatric patients 1 year of age and older and young adults with relapsed or refractory, systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) that is anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive. PR link.

Cisco(PBR66 $CSCO) to acquire designer and manufacturer of high-speed, optical interconnect technologies Acacia Communications for $115.00/share(original offer was $70.00/share), around $4.3 billion cash(original was around $2.6 billion), to close in 1Q21. PR link.

Leidos(PBR280 $LDOS) completes $215 million cash acquisition of Reston, VA based 1901 Group, a leading provider for managed IT services and cloud solutions in the private and public market with 26 locations across the US. PR link.

Newmont Goldcorp(PBR318 $NEM) approves up to $1.0 billion share repurchase program to be completed over next 18 months. PR link.

WW(PBR972) and Serta in partnership to offer holistic wellness solutions for the new year, in exclusive through 03/31/21 with Sam’s Club Serta mattress purchasers to receive 3 free months of WW’s Digital subscription service, service to include other mattress retailers later. PR link.

Monster Beverage(PBR611 $MNST) appoints CFO Hilton H. Schlosberg as Co-CEO with Chairman/CEO Rodney C. Sacks, EVP/Finance Thomas J. Kelly becomes CFO. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary December 2020 US Import Price Index is at +0.9%, November 2020 was at +0.2%, October 2020 -0.1%, December 2019 +0.2%; the Preliminary December 2020 US Export Price Index is at +1.1%, November 2020 was at +0.7%, October 2020 +0.2%, December 2019 -0.2%; Year-to-Year Import Price Index is at -0.3%, Export Price Index +0.2%. PR link.

***Wednesday, January 13

T-Mobile US(PBR71) signs five-year, multi-billion-dollar agreements with both Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) to continue advancing and expanding the nation’s largest 5G network. PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR126 $QCOM) to acquire Santa Clara, CA based CPU and technology design team, with industry-leading expertise in high performance processors, Systems on a Chip (SoC) and power management for compute-intensive devices and applications, NUVIA, for $1.4 billion. PR link.

MasterCard(PBR184 $MA) credit cards to be issued by Synchrony Financial(PBR162 $SYF) for co-branded Mastercard credit and prepaid debit cards for Walgreens(PBR18 $WBA), will closely connect with Walgreens new customer loyalty program, myWalgreens, launched in 11/20. PR link.

Molson Coors(PBR294 $TAP) and HEXO Corp joint venture Truss CBD USA launches Veryvell™ Sparkling CBD Water in Colorado. PR link.

Dropbox(PBR943 $DBX) in letter from CEO to employees says it is reducting its global workforce by 315 people, around 11% of the workforce, new strategies being implemented to remain competitive. PR link.

Veeva Systems(PBR996) gets shareholders vote to become the first publicly held company to become a public benefit company, will remain a for-profit corporation but will be legally responsible to balance the interests of multiple stakeholders, including customers, employees, partners, and shareholders, to be effective 02/01/21. PR link.

Intel(PBR45 $INTC) appoints former employee and current VMWare CEO since 2012 Pat Gelsinger as its new CEO and member of the Board, effective 02/15/21, will succeed Bob Swan. PR link.

The US Dept of the Treasury says the December 2020 US Federal Government Receipts is at $346.1 billion, Outlays $489.7 billion, for a December 2020 Deficit of $143.6 billion, November 2020 Deficit was at $145.3 billion, October 2020 $284.1 billion, December 2019 $13.3 billion; December 2020 YTD(3 months) Deficit is $572.9 billion, December 2019 YTD Deficit was at $356.6 billion. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases the Beige Book for data through 01/04/21, says, “… economic activity increased modestly… Although the prospect of COVID-19 vaccines has bolstered business optimism for 2021 growth, this has been tempered by concern over the recent virus resurgence and the implications for near-term business conditions.” PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary December 2020 US Current Average Earnings/Hour is at $29.81, Average Hours Worked/Week at 34.7, for Current Average Weekly Earnings of $1,034.41, November 2020 was at $1,029.38, October 2020 $1,026.25, December 2019 $973.09. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the December 2020 US Consumer Price Index-Urban is at +0.4%, November 2020 was at +0.2%, October 2020 +0.0%, December 2019 +0.2%, Last 12 Months(Unadjusted) is at +1.2%. PR link.

***Tuesday, January 12

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) creating a new fintech service as majority owner in a partnership with global investment firm Ribbit Capital. PR link.

General Motors(PBR19 $GM) launches BrightDrop, will offer an ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products, software and services to empower delivery and logistics companies to move goods more efficiently; electric pallet, the EP1, will be available in early 2021, and its electric light commercial vehicle, the EV600, will be on roads in late 2021. PR link.

VISA(PBR142 $V) $5.3 billion acquisition of financial apps developer Plaid terminated by mutual agreement after lawsuit by US Dept of Justice. PR link.

Ally Financial(PBR262 $ALLY) authorizes an up to $1.6 billion share repurchase program for 2021, based on results of stress test by US Federal Reserve in 12/20. PR link.

Royal Caribbean(PBR285 $RCL) is suspending almost all sailings through 04/30/21. PR link.

Pioneer Natural Resources(PBR328 $PXD) completes $7.6 billion acquisition of Parsley Energy(PBR904 $PE). PR link.

Regeneron(PBR383 $REGN) gets US government order of up to 1.25 million doses of all finished doses of the casirivimab and imdevimab COVID-19 antibody cocktail, to be delivered by 06/30/21. PR link.

Steris(PBR739 $STE) to acquire $1 billion in 2020 sales global provider of infection prevention products and services primarily to endoscopy and dental customers Cantel Medical Corp (NYSE:CMD) for $200.46/share stock & cash, equity value of around $3.6 billion, to close by 06/30/21. PR link.

Synhrony Financial(PBR162 $SYF) CEO Margaret Keane to become Executive Chairman, President Brian Doubles to become President/CEO in leadership transition scheduled for 04/01/21. PR link.

Las Vegas Sands(PBR226 $LVS) Founder/Chairman/CEO Sheldon Adelson dies at age 87 of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the Preliminary November 2020 US Job Openings-Private is at 5,858,000, Government 669,000, for November 2020 US Total Job Openings of 6,527,000, October 2020 was at 6,632,000, September 2020 6,494,000, November 2019 6,793,000. PR link.

CoreLogic says the October 2020 US Housing Mortgages 30 Days or More Delinquent are at 6.1%, September 2020 was at 6.3%, August 2020 6.6%, October 2019 3.7%. “After a financially challenging year, the healthy housing market and new stimulus measures are helping borrowers get back on their feet. Given these variables, we should begin to see a reduced flow of homes in delinquency in the coming months.” PR link.

***Monday, January 11

Ford(PBR13 $F) to serve customers in the South America region with a portfolio of connected and increasingly electrified SUVs, pickups and commercial vehicles sourced from Argentina, Uruguay and other markets, as Ford Brazil ceases production operations in 2021. https://bit.ly/3qeSv8PPR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR109 $BMY) authorizes an additional $2 billion for share repurchases, program balance is now around $6.4 billion. http://bit.ly/39qQTSOPR link.

Baxter(PBR273 $BAX)’s BioPharma Solutions unit gets an agreement to provide sterile manufacturing services for NVX-CoV2373, Novavax’ COVID-19 recombinant nanoparticle vaccine candidate with Matrix-M™ adjuvant, for production and distribution in the UK and European markets, vaccine currently in Phase 3 study. http://bit.ly/39vbzJ8PR link.

Office Depot(PBR293 $ODP) confirms it has received a proposal to be acquired by parent of Staples and a portfolio company of Sycamore Partners, Board review is underway. http://bit.ly/3qltYzfPR link.

Molson Coors(PBR294 $TAP) signs exclusive distribution deal with a team including Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Dany Garcia, Dave Rienzi and John Shulman, to launch ZOA, a non-alcohol energy drink made with better-for-you, natural ingredients. http://bit.ly/3i8TZyEPR link.

NCR(PBR422 $NCR) confirms it has submitted an offer to acquire Cardtronics (Nasdaq: CATM) for $39.00/share cash. http://bit.ly/3nDLBs4PR link.

GameStop(PBR449 $GME) enters into agreement with one of its largest stockholders, RC Ventures, appoints 3 new directors to the Board, Board now has 13 directors, will be reduced to 9 at next annual meeting in 06/21. http://bit.ly/2Ll9xDIPR link.

Chipotle(PBR489 $CMG) to have its first national hiring event of 2021, called ‘Coast To Coast Career Day’ on Thursday, 01/14/21, has a goal of employing 15,000 new team members for its restaurants across the US. http://chip.tl/35AiTCuPR link.

KKR(PBR610 $KKR) to acquire a majority stake of the music catalog of three-time Grammy winner Ryan Tedder and OneRepublic, includes nearly 500 songs written, recorded or produced by Tedder for OneRepublic. http://bit.ly/3oHkZI1PR link.

Hillenbrand(PBR813 $HI) to sell its Abel Pumps unit to IDEX(PBR817) for $103.5 million cash. http://bit.ly/38BUhuHPR link.

***Friday, January 8

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 1 of 2021 ending 01/08/21:

DJIA ends Week 1 at record 31,097.97, +1.61% from last Friday and MTD/QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 31,097.97 set 01/08/21.

NASDAQ ends Week 1 at record 13,201.98, +2.43% from last Friday and MTD/QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 13,201.98 set 01/08/21.

SPX ends Week 1 at record 3,824.68, +1.83% from last Friday and MTD/QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 3,824.68 set 01/08/21.

The Week 1 of 2021 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: As of Friday, 01/08/21, at 21:21PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 88,845,495 confirmed cases globally with 1,913,379 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 97,822, which is 33,265 more than last Friday. For the US it is 21,862,771 confirmed cases and 368,769 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 23,754, which is 8,985 more than last Friday. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccinations are taking place at a slower pace than expected as states grapple with priorities and logistics.

US Presidential Transition: The apparently unexpected attempted insurrection with a violent and destructive attack on the Capital Building on Wednesday, January 6th, was unprecedented and an historic event. After the Capital Building was cleared the Congress resumed its traditional count and certification of the Electoral College. As expected, it was confirmed that Joe Biden is President-Elect and Kamala Harris Vice President-Elect. Additional nominees for high level posts are being named and the transition continues with an additional focus on security issues in Washington DC.

US Economy: Overall economic data was positive, especially for manufacturing and services industries. However, the ADP private sector employee count took a bigger than expected drop, weekly initial job claims increased as well, and the US governments civilian labor force reports showed a decline in employment as well, all the result of an increase in COVID-19 related concerns. The Federal Open Market Committee minutes from its last meeting indicated a concensus that the US economy is growing modestly at best, resulting in ongoing actions and policies being implemented to help mitigate economic fragility concerns.

International News: . The UK and European Union continue to gently walk through the first week of Brexit, which is also more complicated because of a new more contagious variant of COVID-19 virus resulting in more lockdowns and restrictions.

US Stock Exchanges: On Monday The Stock Market Bear viciously clawed and loudly growled to start the new year and week. But The Stock Market Bull responded with courage and with conviction charged focused and determined through the rest of Week 1 with the result of ending at record levels for all 3 major US stock indices, for a 3-0 Week 1 victory, a pretty amazing accomplishment considering the historic midweek attack on the Capital Building. An unpredictable first week for 2021 is in the books. Does it set the tone for the rest of the year as we continue to grapple with a pandemic, the economic fallout, and with a new administration taking over very soon?

The Week 1 of 2021 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 1 week
The Stock Market Bear: 0 weeks
Mixed Results: 0 weeks

Domtar(PBR521 $UFS) to sell its Personal Care business to American Industrial Partners for $920 million, is reinforcing its focus on building an industry-leading Paper, Pulp and Packaging company, to close by end of 1Q21. PR link.

Roku(PBR992 $ROKU) says its Roku TV™ is the number one selling smart TV operating system in 2020 with 38% of market share in the US and 31% in Canada. PR link.

Roku(PBR992 $ROKU) has acquired the exclusive global distribution rights to Quibi‘s shows, The Roku Channel will become the exclusive place to stream more than 75 premium shows and documentaries that Quibi created in conjunction with Hollywood’s leading studios and production companies, will make the content available for free on an ad-supported basis in 2021 to all Roku users. PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the December 2020 US Civilians Employed is at 149,830,000, Unemployed is 10,737,000, for an Unemployment Rate of 6.7%, November 2020 was at 6.7%, October 2020 6.9%, December 2019 3.6%. PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says the Preliminary November 2020 US Consumer Credit Outstanding-Revolving is at $978.8 billion, Non-Revolving $3,198.0 billion, for November 2020 Total US Consumer Credit Outstanding of $4,176.8 billion, October 2020 was at $4,161.5 billion, September 2020 $4,157.0 billion, November 2019 $4,170.5 billion. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says Preliminary November 2020 US Wholesale Sales-Durables is at $243.1 billion, Non-Durables $253.6 billion, for November 2020 US Total Wholesale Sales of $496.7 billion, October 2020 was at $496.0 billion, September 2020 $487.7 billion, November 2019 $497.9 billion. PR link.

FannieMae says the December 2020 Home Purchase Sentiment Index is at 74.0, November 2020 was at 80.0, October 2020 81.7, December 2019 91.7. “Both the ‘Good Time to Sell’ and ‘Good Time to Buy’ components fell significantly, with respondents overwhelmingly noting the unfavourability of economic conditions.” PR link.

***Thursday, January 7

Boeing(PBR40 $BA) reaches agreement with the US Dept of Justice, resolves investigation relating to the evaluation of the Boeing 737 MAX airplane by the US Federal Aviation Administration, provides for $2.5 billion in payments for fines, compensation to affected families of 2 crashes, and customer financial losses. PR link.

Albertsons(PBR55 $ACI) says it is the first American grocer to pilot an automated and contactless grocery PickUp kiosk, located at one of its Jewel-Osco stores in Chicago, features an automated, temperature-controlled kiosk, provides a contactless pickup experience, for customers who select the “Kiosk PickUp” option who will then have 2-hr time slots during which to pick up their groceries. PR link.

DXC Technology(PBR161 $DXC) confirms it has received an unsolicited, preliminary and non-binding proposal from France based public company Atos SE to acquire all DXC Technology shares, Board is evaluating proposal. PR link.

Wayfair(PBR336 $W) says that all US employees will now make at least $15/hour, took effect 01/03/21, applies to full-time, part-time and seasonal employees, will result in an increase for 40% of its employees. PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR337 $STZ) in 3Q21 report says it has authorized a new $2 billion share repurchase program, has $1.9 billion available from previous authorization. PR link.

Devon Energy(PBR458 $DVN) completes all stock merger of equals with WPX Energy(NYSE: WPX), creates a $12 billion enterprise value company, builds a dominant Delaware Basin acreage position totaling 400,000 net acres. PR link.

Tiffany(PBR592 $TIF) $135/share $16.2 billion acquisition by LVMH is completed. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary November 2020 US Exports-Goods is at $127.7 billion, Services $56.4 billion, for November 2020 Total US Exports of $184.1 billion; Preliminary November 2020 US Imports-Goods is at $214.1 billion, Services $38.2 billion, for November 2020 Total US Imports of $252.3 billion; November 2020 Total US Deficit is at $68.2 billion, November 2020 Total US Deficit YTD(11 months) is at $604.9 billion, November 2019 Total US Deficit YTD was at $530.7 billion. PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management December 2020 US Services PMI Index(>50 economy is growing) is at 57.2%, November 2020 was at 55.9%, October 2020 56.6%, December 2019 55.0%. “Most respondents are cautiously optimistic about business conditions with the recent approval and impending distribution of vaccines…” PR link.

***Wednesday, January 6

Amazon(PBR2 $AMZN) announces the Housing Equity Fund, a more than $2 billion commitment to preserve and create over 20,000 affordable housing units in Washington State’s Puget Sound region; Arlington, VA; and Nashville, TN. PR link.

CVS Health(PBR5 $CVS) provides update on on COVID-19 vaccinations in long-term care facilities per partnership with the US federal and state governments, will be providing services to nearly 31,000 assisted living facilites. PR link.

UnitedHealth(PBR7 $UNH)’s OptumInsight unit to acquire Change Healthcare (NASDAQ: CHNG) for $25.75/share cash, will create a health care technology leader to provide software and data analytics, technology-enabled services and research, advisory and revenue cycle management offerings. PR link.

AmerisourceBergen(PBR9 $ABC) to acquire the majority of Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR18 $WBA)’s Alliance Healthcare businesses for approximately $6.5 billion, to close by 09/30/21. PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR18 $WBA) has accelerated its investment in VillageMD to support the opening of 600 to 700 Village Medical at Walgreens primary care clinics in more than 30 US markets within the next four years, with the intent to build hundreds more thereafter. PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR71 $TMUS) in preliminary 4Q20 report says it had 5.5 million postpaid net new adds in 2020, 5G network now reaching 280 million people and covering 106 million people with Ultra Capacity 5G’s super-fast speeds. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR153 $CCL)’s Princess Cruises extends pause on all cruises through at least through 05/14/21. PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR153 $CCL)’s Holland America extends pause on all cruises through at least 04/30/21. PR link.

Truist Financial(PBR211 $TFC) sold its $10 billion in plan assets institutional 401(k) investment advisory services business to OneDigital Investment Advisors on 12/31/20, will sell its institutional 401(k) recordkeeping businesses to Ascensus and Empower Retirement in 1Q21, each with $5 billion in plan assets, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Vistra Energy(PBR258 $VST)’s Moss Landing Power Plant in Monterey County, CA, 300 megawatts/1,200 megawatt-hours, lithium-ion battery storage system came online 12/11/20, largest such facility in the world, to add 100 MW/ 09/200 MWh in August, 2021. PR link.

NVIDIA(PBR285 $NVDA)‘s $40 billion cash and stock acquisition of AI development Cambridge, UK based company Arm Limited from SoftBank to be investigated by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority starting later this year, says it will work closely with other competition authorities around the world to carefully consider the impact of the deal and ensure that it doesn’t ultimately result in consumers facing more expensive or lower quality products. PR link.

Wyndham Destinations(PBR615 $WYND) has acquired the Travel + Leisure brand and all related assets from Meredith Corp(PBR773 $MDP), will change its name to Travel + Leisure Co in early 2021, start trading as NYSE: TNL in mid February 2021, Meredith will continue to operate and monetize Travel + Leisure’s media across multiple channels, including its advertising and marketing activities, under a 30-year royalty-free, renewable licensing relationship. PR link.

Roku(PBR992 $ROKU) says its Roku TV™ is the number one selling smart TV operating system in 2020 with 38% of market share in the US and 31% in Canada. PR link.

New York Community Bank(PBR912 $NYCB) appoints Michael J. Levine as Non-Executive Chairman, succeeds Dominick Ciampa who remains on the Board. PR link.

The Federal Open Marked Committee releases the minutes from its December 15-16, 2020 meeting. “… Overall financial conditions remained accommodative, in part reflecting policy measures to support the economy and the flow of credit to U.S. households and businesses. Members agreed that the Federal Reserve was committed to using its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy in this challenging time, thereby promoting its maximum employment and price stability goals. Members also stated that the path of the economy would depend significantly on the course of the virus. In addition, members agreed that the ongoing public health crisis would continue to weigh on economic activity, employment, and inflation in the near term and was posing considerable risks to the economic outlook over the medium term.” PR link.

ADP says the Preliminary December 2020 US Change in Non-Farm Private Employment is -123,000, -13,000 from Small Businesses(1-49 employees), +37,000 from Mid-Size Businesses(50-499 employees), and -147,000 from Large Businesses(500 or more employees); there were -18,000 jobs from the Goods Producing Sector, -105,000 from the Service Providing Sector. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary November 2020 US Manufacturers New Orders-Durables is at $244.4 billion, Non-Durables $242.8 billion, Total $487.2 billion, October 2020 was at $482.2 billion, September 2020 $475.9 billion, November 2019 $490.7 billion. PR link.

IHS Markit says the December 2020 US Composite PMI Output Index is at 55.3, November 2020 was at 58.6, October 2020 56.3, December 2019 52.7. “… businesses remain much more confident about the outlook in a year’s time than before the successful vaccine developments, reflecting greater optimism for prospects of life returning to normal in the second half of 2021.” PR link.

***Tuesday, January 5

Amazon(PBR2 $AMZN) is making its first-ever purchase of eleven Boeing 767-300 aircraft, includes seven aircraft from Delta and four aircraft from WestJet, which will join the network by 2022. PR link.

Mondelez(PBR111 $MDLZ) has acquired Hu (as in “Human”) Master Holdings, the parent company of Hu Products, a fast-growing US-based snacking company offering high-quality snacks made from simple ingredients, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR337 $STZ) completes divestiture of a portion of Constellation’s wine and spirits portfolio to E. & J. Gallo Winery for around $810 million, in a separate transaction divests the Nobilo wine brand to E. & J. Gallo for around $130 million. PR link.

Coty(PBR563 $COTY) completes $200 million acquisition for 20% ownership in Kardashian West’s business to further develop it globally, skincare line remains on track for an expected launch in fiscal year 2022. PR link.

Hologic(PBR648 $HOLX) to acquire Biotheranostics, a privately held, commercial-stage company that provides molecular diagnostic tests for breast and metastatic cancers, for approximately $230 million, to close in 02/21. PR link.

Illumina(PBR666 $ILMN) and Helix partner and with support from the CDC to augment national surveillance infrastructure in the US to track the emergence and prevalence of novel strains of SARS-CoV-2 . PR link.

WW(PBR972 $WW) gets partnership with The Vitamin Shoppe, launches co-branded nutritional supplements, introduces select member-favorite WW snacks and protein boosters to The Vitamin Shoppe, as well as the opportunity to purchase WW memberships through The Vitamin Shoppe’s 715+ retail locations and online. PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR126 $QCOM) elects President Cristiano Amon to become CEO, to succeed to succeed Steve Mollenkopf who is retiring after 26 years with the company, to be effective 06/30/21. PR link.

Public Storage(PBR774 $PSA) reaches agreement with major stockholder Elliott Management, adds two new independent directors to the Board. PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management December 2020 US Manufacturing PMI Index(>50 is economy expanding) is at 60.7%, November 2020 was at 57.5%, October 2020 59.3%, December 2019 47.8%. “Manufacturing performed well for the seventh straight month, with demand, consumption and inputs registering strong growth compared to November. Labor market difficulties at panelists’ companies and their suppliers will continue to restrict the manufacturing economy expansion until the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis ends…” PR link.

The PurdueU/CME Group December 2020 US Ag Economy Barometer Composite Index is at 174, November 2020 was at 167, October 2020 183, December 2019 150. “Farmer sentiment rises as income prospects improve, concerns about key policy issues remain.” PR link.

***Monday, January 4

Amazon(PBR2 $AMZN), Berkshire Hathaway(PBR6 $BRK.B) and JPMorgan Chase(PBR24 $JPM) healthcare joint venture to make healthcare more efficient and cost effective, Haven Healthcare, is disbanding after 3 years. CNBC PR link.

Alphabet(PBR12 $GOOG)’s Google unit has 400 workers signing on to form the Alphabet Workers Union, is supported by the Communications Workers of America, and is open to full-time and contract employees. CNET PR link.

Centene(PBR42 $CNC) to acquire Magellan Health(PBR411 $MGLN) for $95/share, enterprise value of around $2.2 billion, brings together the companies’ complementary capabilities in behavioral health, specialty healthcare and pharmacy management, will establish one of the nation’s largest behavioral health platforms across 41 million unique members, to close in 2H21. PR link.

Albertsons(PBR55 $ACI) grocery store units in S California turning to a third-party delivery service using independent contractors by the end of 02/21. KNOCK PR link.

ViacomCBS(PBR103 $VIAC) gets new multi-year distribution agreement that adds more content from ViacomCBS’ leading portfolio of news, entertainment and sports networks to Hulu’s live TV subscription streaming service, Hulu + Live TV, terms not disclosed. PR link.

Tesla(PBR118 $TSLA) reports it delivered 180,570 vehicles in 4Q20, 499,550 vehicles for all of 2020, Model Y production in Shanghai has begun, with deliveries expected to begin shortly. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM) confirms it has made an offer to buy Entain plc, its partner in the US sports betting and iGaming market, Entain has said offer undervalues it, asks for more details. PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR241 $MGM) launches its BetMGM sports betting mobile app in Iowa. PR link.

AES Corp(PBR302 $AES) to sell its entire 51% equity interest in the 1,242 MW Mong Duong 2 coal-fired power plant in Vietnam to a consortium led by a US-based investor, to close late 2021/early 2022. PR link.

Apache Corp(PBR450 $APA) to create a holding company structure, to be called APA Corporation, will replace Apache Corporation as the public company trading name, will continue to use ticker NASDAQ: APA, to be completed in 1H21. PR link.

Herbalife(PBR544 $HLF) repurchases $600 million in shares at $48.05/share from Icahn Enterprises(PBR319 $IEP), Icahn will then own around 8 million shares, represents around 6% of all common shares. PR link.

Dentsply Sirona(PBR627 $XRAY) has acquired Byte, a rapidly growing direct-to-consumer, doctor-directed clear aligner company with expected revenues of $200 million in 2021, for $1.04 billion cash, closed on 12/31/20. PR link.

Teledyne(PBR719 $TDY) to acquire Oregon based FLIR Systems(NASDAQ:FLIR), a global industrial technology company focused on intelligent sensing solutions for defense and industrial applications with nearly $2 billion in annual revenues, for $56/share, around $8.0 billion cash and stock, to close in mid 2021. PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says the Preliminary November 2020 US Construction Spending Annual Rate-Residential is at $667.0 billion, Non-Residential $792.5 billion, for November 2020 US Total Construction Spending Annual Rate of $1,459.4 billion, October 2020 was at $1,446.9 billion, September 2020 $1,424.0 billion, November 2019 $1,342.5 billion. PR link.

IHS Markit says the December 2020 US Manufacturing PMI Index is at 57.1, November 2020 was at 56.7, October 2020 53.4, December 2019 52.4. “Firms … remain highly positive about the outlook for the year ahead, anticipating that vaccine roll-outs will help drive a further recovery in 2021, although some of November’s post-election exuberance has been tamed by the recent rise in virus case numbers, suggesting the near-term outlook will remain challenging.” PR link.

***Thursday, December 31

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for Week 53 of 2020 and year ending 12/31/20:

DJIA ends Week 53 and 2020 at record 30,606.48, +1.35% from last Friday, +3.27% MTD, +10.17% QTD, +7.25% YTD, +0.00% from record 30,606.48 set 12/31/20.

NASDAQ ends Week 53 and 2020 at 12,888.28, +0.65% from last Friday, +5.65% MTD, +15.41% QTD, +43.64% YTD, -0.09% from record 12,899.42 set 12/28/20.

SPX ends Week 53 and 2020 at record 3,756.07, +1.43% from last Friday, +3.71% MTD, +11.69% QTD, +16.26% YTD, +0.00% from record 3,756.07 set 12/31/20.

The Week 53 of 2020 News Summary:

Coronavirus Pandemic: The year 2020 has ended and the final tallies are in. As of Thursday, 12/31/20, at 15:23PM Eastern US, the John Hopkins University CSSE unit says there are now 83,316,999 confirmed cases globally with 1,815,557 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 64,557, which is -14,671 from last Friday. For the US it is 19,923,169 confirmed cases and 345,015 deaths, an increase from last Friday of 14,769, which is -2,442 from last Friday. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccinations started a week ago to mixed success because of logistical issues.

US Presidential Transition: President-Elect Joe Biden continues to nominate high level officials. The Republicans are running out of time to contest allegations of voter fraud as courts continue to rule lawsuits as not valid. President Trump has still not conceded the race. The US House will continue to have a Democrat majority. The control of the US Senate will be decided by two US Senate runoff elections to be held on January 5 in Georgia.

US Economy: The number of weekly initial unemployment insurance claims fell again. Other indicators show a modestly growing economy. While the US House passed a bill authorizing a $2,000 benefit per qualified person, it appears the US Senate will not be approving the measure. The $600 benefit is already being sent out.

International News: The UK approves the Brexit deal. The Coronavirus Pandemic worsens in the European Union, more lockdowns and restrictions are being put in place.

US Stock Exchanges: It was a shortened trading week of 4 days, trading volumes were low, and it was a non-volatile week, with The Stock Market Bull having a nice day on Monday. The Stock Market Bear made a half-hearted appearance on Tuesday, and then The Stock Market Bull closed out Week 53 and 2020 with records for all 3 major US stock exchanges during the week, including 2 of them on the last day. It was a strange and dramatic year that started strong, then took a huge dip because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, and then had a strong recovery, The Stock Market Bull came out a clear and convincing victor in 2020. Now 2021 awaits, expert prognosticators are all over the place from doomsday to bright clear shiny days forecasts. Enjoy the long weekend to start the New Year, get a good rest, and then get ready to ride the 2021 rollercoaster!

The Week 53 of 2020 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 26 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 19 weeks
Mixed Results: 8 weeks

The December of 2020 tally YTD is:
The Stock Market Bull: 7 months
The Stock Market Bear: 4 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

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