The PBR1000 January 2019 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

January 2019 The PBR1000: The Stock Market Bull Starts With A Big Snort

Stock Market

The Stock Market Bull came back strong in January 2019 to make up a lot of ground from a disastrous December 2018.

By Larry C. Paxton

The January 2019 US Stock Exchanges Summary: There were a few days in January 2019 when The Stock Market Bear would take a big chunk out of the US stock exchanges. However, those were always isolated 1 day events because The Stock Market Bull would quickly counter with a big charge of his own and string together a few nice positive days. The Stock Market Bull convincingly wins January 3-0 in a pretty dramatic comeback from December 2018.

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

The January 2019 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 21

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 14+/7-; NASDAQ 15+/6-; SPX 15+/6-.

Record Days: None

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 5 days(01/04-10/19), NASDAQ 5 days(01/04-10/19), SPX 5 days(01/04-10/19)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 2 days(01/11-14/19), NASDAQ 2 days(01/11-14/19 & 01/28-29/19), SPX 2 days(01/11-14/19 & 01/28-29/19)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 7 days (01/04/19(D +3.29, N +4.26%, S +3.43%), 01/07/19(D +1.26%), 01/08/19(D +1.09%, N +1.08%), 01/15/19(N +1.71%, S +1.07%), 01/18/19(D +1.38%, N +1.03%, S +1.32%), 01/25/19(N +1.29%), 01/30/19(D +1.77%, N +2.20%, S +1.55%))

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 3 days (01/03/19(D -2.83%, N -3.04%; S -2.48%), 01/22/19(D -1.22%, N -1.91%; S -1.42%), 01/28/19(N -1.10%).

The PBR1000 January 2019 SnapShots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 January 2019 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on January 31, 2019Month % Chg is compared to December 31, 2018YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2018, and the 13 Months % Chg is compared to December 29, 2017. 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 2019 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 27 rankings and the bonus The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +165% to -45%936 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of +9.33%, the median was a gain of 10.88%. The DJIA was +7.17%, NASDAQ +9.74%, SPX +7.87%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
01/31/19
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
Pier 1 Imports
905 PIR $ 0.82 +165 +165 -80
Fannie Mae
20 FNMA $ 2.54 +140 +140 -4
Freddie Mac
37 FMCC $ 2.46 +134 +134 -2
Ferrellgas
862 FGP $ 1.22 +126 +126 -72
YRC Worldwide
514 YRCW $ 6.24 +98 +98 -57

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +165% to -45%936 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of +9.33%, the median was a gain of 10.88%. The DJIA was +7.17%, NASDAQ +9.74%, SPX +7.87%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
01/31/19
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
Pier 1 Imports
905 PIR $ 0.82 +165 +165 -80
Fannie Mae
20 FNMA $ 2.54 +140 +140 -4
Freddie Mac
37 FMCC $ 2.46 +134 +134 -2
Ferrellgas
862 FGP $ 1.22 +126 +126 -72
YRC Worldwide
514 YRCW $ 6.24 +98 +98 -57

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

Table 3 Summary: The range was +199% to -90%398 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of 2.18%. The median was a loss of 6.65%. The DJIA was +1.13%, NASDAQ +5.48%, SPX +1.14%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
01/31/19
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
BlueLinx 896 BXC $ 29.15 +18 +18 +199
AMD 489 AMD $ 24.41 +32 +32 +137
Crocs 1000 CROX $ 28.72 +11 +11 +127
Fossil 738 FOSL $ 16.96 +8 +8 +118
Genesis Healthcare 486 GEN $ 1.57 +33 +33 +107

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $840 billion to $0.03 billion. The average is $25.787 billionmedian is $7.50 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
01/31/19
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
Amazon
8 AMZN $ 840 B +11 +11 -3
Microsoft 22 MSFT $ 801 B +5 +5 -10
Apple 2 AAPL $ 785 B -3 -3 -17
Alphabet 21 GOOG $ 776 B +7 +7 +1
Berkshire Hathaway 4 BRKB $ 508 B +10 +10 -4
The PBR1000
  $ 25,787 B +9 +9 -0

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
12/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 83,966.79 +9.3 +9.3 -2.2
DJIA 24,999.67 +7.2 +7.2 +0.8
NASDAQ 7,281.74 +9.7 +9.7 +5.5
S&P500 2,704.10 +7.9 +7.9 +1.1
GOLD 1,323.40 +3.0 +3.0 +1.4
SILVER 15.98 +2.7 +2.7 -5.9
OIL            53.85 +17.6 +17.6 -10.4

To order a 12 month subscription of The PBR1000 Snapshots go to the Subscribe page.

If you are not already receiving the popular and highly acclaimed The PBR1000 Weekly Breaking News Recap sign up for your free subscription on the Contact Us page.

Please use the Contact Us page if you are a The PBR1000 company and would like to increase your visibility to our worldwide base of shrewd investors.

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 $14 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 26 rankings, over 200 data/information points, hotlinks to key data, and important news items per company. This service is used by astute business professionals and shrewd investors worldwide.

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 a provider of news, data, and analysis, and is not a financial advisor firm.

(Graphic courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, ddpavumba.)

Copyright © 2019 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, All Rights Reserved, 

The PBR1000 December 2018 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

December 2018 The PBR1000: The Stock Market Bear Wins The Year

In a destructive volatile and violent December The Stock Market Bear overwhelms December and takes 2018 in a remarkable comeback. Investors wonder what that means for 2019.


By Larry C. Paxton

The Stock Market Bull was standing tall at the end of November, ahead of The Stock Market Bear in weekly, monthly, and year-to-date victories and looking forward to a nice December bump. But The Stock Market Bear charged into the month viciously clawing and gnashing away at the exchanges. At the end of the month the results were devastating with all exchanges finishing down for the year and in correction territory compared to record highs achieved just a few months before. The Stock Market Bear easily wins December 3-0 in dominating style and takes the year 2018 as well.

The Week 52 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 21 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 21 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

The Month 12 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 6 months
The Stock Market Bear: 4 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

The Year 2018: The Stock Market Bear wins the year in a ruthless and dramatic come from behind in December.

The December 2018 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 19

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 8+/11-; NASDAQ 10+/9-; SPX 7+/12-.

Record Days: None

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 2 days(11/30-12/03/18, 12/12-13/18, 12/26-27/18), NASDAQ 4 days(12/26-31/18), SPX 2 days(11/30-12/03/18, 12/26-27/18)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4 days(12/19-24/18), NASDAQ 4 days(12/19-24/18), SPX 4 days(12/19-24/18)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 3 days (12/03/18(D, +1.13%; N, +1.51%; S, +1.09%), 12/26/18(D, +4.98%; N, +5.84%; S, +4.96%), 12/31/18(D, +1.15%))

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 8 days (12/04/18(D, -3.10%; N, -3.80%; S, -3.24%), 12/07/18(D, -2.24%; N, -3.05%; S, -2.33%), 12/14/18(D, -2.00%; N, -2.26%; S, -1.96%), 12/17/18(D, -1.81%; N, -2.99%; S, -2.06%), 12/19/18(D, -1.49%; N, -2.17%; S, -1.54%), 12/20/18(D, -1.99%; N, -1.63%; S, -1.58%), 12/21/18(D, -1.81%; N, -2.99; S, -2.06%), 12/24/18(D, -2.91%; N, -2.21%; S, -2.71%))

The PBR1000 December 2018 SnapShots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 December 2018 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on December 31, 2018Month % Chg is compared to November 30, 2018YTD % Chg is compared to December 29, 2017, and the 24 Months % Chg is compared to December 30, 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 December 2018 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 27 rankings and the bonus The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +10% to -78%44 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of 9.38%, the median was a loss of 11.03%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
12/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
Rent-A-Center
754 RCII $ 16.19 +10 +46 +44
Newmont Mining
374 NEW $ 34.65 +7 -8 +2
Broadcom
138 AVGO $ 254.28 +7 -1 +44
Genesco
720 GCO $ 44.30 +6 +36 -29
Magellan Health
464 MGLN $ 56.89 +4 -41 -24

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +153% to -93%276 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of 10.55%, the median was a loss of 15.38%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
12/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
BlueLinx 896 BXC $ 24.71 -9 +153 +231
Crocs 1000 CROX $ 25.98 -7 +106 +279
Fossil 738 FOSL $ 15.73 -19 +102 -39
AMD 489 AMD $ 18.46 -13 +80 +63
Herbalife 544 HLF $ 58.95 +3 +74 +145

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

Table 3 Summary: The range was +312% to -98%455 out of 993 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 7.03%. The median was a loss of 2.79%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
12/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
Square 845 SQ $ 56.09 -17 +62 +312
RH 803 RH $ 119.82 +3 +39 +290
Crocs 1000 CROX $ 25.98 -7 +106 +279
Weight Watchers 974 WTW $ 38.55 -23 -13 +237
BlueLinx 896 BXC $ 24.71 -9 +153 +231

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $771 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $23.636 billionmedian is $6.81 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
12/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
Microsoft
22 MSFT $ 771 B -10 +17 +60
Apple 2 AAPL $ 741 B -13 -15 +20
Amazon 8 AMZN $ 723 B -13 +30 +103
Alphabet 21 GOOG $ 721 B -5 -1 +36
Berkshire Hathaway 4 BRKB $ 500 B -7 +2 +24
The PBR1000
  $ 23,636 B -10 -9 +8

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
12/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 76,799.87 -9.4 -10.6 +7.0
DJIA 23,327.46 -8.7 -5.6 +18.0
NASDAQ 6,635.28 -9.5 -3.9 -23.3
S&P500 2,506.85 -9.2 -6.2 +12.0
GOLD 1,284.70 +4.6 -1.6 +11.6
SILVER 15.56 +9.2 -8.4 -2.7
OIL            45.81 -9.7 -23.8 -14.7

To order a 12 month subscription of The PBR1000 Snapshots go to the Subscribe page.

If you are not already receiving the popular and highly acclaimed The PBR1000 Weekly Breaking News Recap sign up for your free subscription on the Contact Us page.

Please use the Contact Us page if you are a The PBR1000 company and would like to increase your visibility to our worldwide base of shrewd investors.

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 $14 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 26 rankings, over 200 data/information points, hotlinks to key data, and important news items per company. This service is used by astute business professionals and shrewd investors worldwide.

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 a provider of news, data, and analysis, and is not a financial advisor firm.

(Graphic courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, ddpavumba.)

Copyright © 2019 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, All Rights Reserved, 

www.PBRMarketTools.com

The PBR1000 December 2018 Breaking News Recap

The PBR1000 December 2018 Breaking News Items

This house has a nice fence around it. It is a busy house where decisions are made that can affect US and world citizens.

By Larry C. Paxton

The December and Year News Summary: US/China trade relations concerns, a federal funds rate increase, the anticipation of a global economic growth slowdown, a new Congress that will be split into a Republican majority in the Senate and a Democrats majority in the House, and a government shutdown outweighed generally good US economic newsrecord spending for the holiday season, a low jobs unemployment rate, and higher wages. For the year lower corporate tax rates played a big role, but the repatriation of US dollars from oversees did not materialize at levels planned. The US economy showed robust growth and job openings exceeded available workers. Housing slowed from lower inventories and increasing mortgage rates and lack of new residential construction. Manufacturing, wholesale, and retail had a good year. The federal debt grew significantly as outlays increased more than receipts. Overall, the US economy did very well, but in the end the stock exchanges took a major dip, many saying the correction was long overdue, and some saying the correction was strongly influenced by political volatility throughout the year.

Here are The PBR1000 corporate, stock market, and economic related breaking news items of interest with hotlinks to the sources for December 2018, starting with the last active business day:

***Monday, December 31:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Month and Year Ending 12/31/18:

DJIA ends the month and year at 23,327.46, +1.15% from last Friday, -8.66% MTD, -11.83% QTD, -5.63% YTD, -13.05% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends the month and year at 6,635.28, +0.77% from last Friday, -9.48% MTD, -17.54% QTD, -3.88% YTD, -18.18% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends the week at 2,506.85, +0.85% from last Friday, -9.18% MTD, -13.97% QTD, -6.24% YTD, -14.46% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

The Stock Market Bull was standing tall at the end of November, ahead of The Stock Market Bear in weekly, monthly, and year-to-date victories and looking forward to a nice December bump. But The Stock Market Bearcharged into the month viciously clawing and gnashing away at the exchanges. At the end of the month the results were devastating with all exchanges finishing down for the year and in correction territory compared to record highs achieved just a few months before. The Stock Market Bear easily wins December 3-0 in dominating style and takes the year 2018 as well.

The Month 12 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 6 months
The Stock Market Bear: 4 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

The Year 2018: The Stock Market Bear wins the year in a ruthless and dramatic come from behind in December.

Walt Disney(PBR51 $DIS) and Verizon(PBR17 $VZ) Fios reach a broad based agreement, current contract to carry programming from Disney Media Networks, including ESPN, and Disney-owned ABC stations, like New York City’s WABC, was set to expire at year-end. NY Post PR link.

Windstream(PBR461) sells the legacy 600,000 members EarthLink consumer internet business to Dallas, TX-based private equity firm Trive Capital for $330 million cash. $WIN PR link.

Michael Kors(PBR524) completes around $2.12 billion acquisition of Italian luxury fashion house Gianni Versace SpA, Michael Kors changes its name to Capri Holdings Limited, to start trading on 01/02/19 using ticker NYSE: CPRI$CPRI PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR389) intends to terminate CFO Spencer Neumann’s employment for cause unrelated to the Company’s financial reporting or disclosure controls and procedures, placed on on a paid leave of absence pending an opportunity for him to demonstrate why cause does not exist, Chief Corporate Officer and former CFO Dennis Durkin appointed CFO. $ATVI PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says the US Debt Held by the Public on 12/28/18 was at $16.069 trillion, by Intragovernmental Holdings $5.799 trillion, Total Debt $21.868 trillion, +0.1% from 11/30/18, +6.7% from 12/29/17USTreasury PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the US 7th District Preliminary November 2018 Midwest Economic Index is at +0.09, October 2018 was at +0.20, September 2018+0.30, November 2017 +0.19. ChiFed PR link.

The Price/Ounce for Gold(GCG9 02/19) on 12/31/18 was at $1,284.70, 11/30/18 was $1,227.80, 12/31/17 $1,305.10; the Price/Barrel for Oil(CLG9 02/19) on 12/31/18 was at $45.81, 11/30/18 was $50.72, 12/31/17 $60.10; the Price/Bushel for Soybeans(SH9 03/19) on 12/31/18 was at 895.00 cents, 11/30/18 was 893.25 cents, 12/31/17 962.50 cents.

The US Treasury 10 Year Note Yield on 12/31/18 was at 2.69%, 11/30/18 was 3.01%, 12/31/17 2.40%.

The Conversion Rate for Euro1.0000 on 12/31/18 was $1.1474, 11/30/18 was $1.1320, 12/31/17 $1.2003.

The American Automobile Assn says US National Average Price Per Gallon of Regular Gas on 12/31/18 was at $2.266, 11/30/18 was at $2.493, 10/31/18 $2.801, 12/29/17 $2.477. AAA PR link.

***Friday, December 28:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 12/28/18:

DJIA ends the week at 23,062.40, +2.75% from last Friday, -9.70% MTD, -12.83% QTD, -6.70% YTD, -14.04% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends the week at 6,584.52, +3.97% from last Friday, -10.18% MTD, -18.17% QTD, -4.62% YTD, -18.81% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends the week at 2,485.74, +2.86% from last Friday, -9.94% MTD, -14.70% QTD, -7.03% YTD, -15.18% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

The Stock Market Bear made a strong showing on a shortened trading day on Monday. Tuesday the exchanges were closed for Christmas. Then The Stock Market Bull came back with a vengence on Wednesday, and held on to regain some dignity in the month of December taking Week 52, the final full week of the year, 3-0 and finishes even with The Stock Market Bear. Nevertheless, with only 1 trading day left in the year, The Stock Market Bearlooks to win 2018 with its dramatic come from behind deep gouging in December.

The Week 52 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 21 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 21 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

The Week 52 News Summary: It was basically a shortened 3 1/2 day trading week. The partial federal government shutdownUS/China trade relations, forecasts for a slowing global economy, the recent raising of the federal funds rate were a drag on the stock market exchanges. However, the continued strength of the US economy and record consumer spending during the holiday season more than offset the negatives.

Wells Fargo(PBR28) reaches agreement with all 50 state Attorneys General and the District of Columbia regarding previously disclosed retail sales practices, auto collateral protection insurance (“CPI”) and Guaranteed Asset/Auto Protection (“GAP”), and mortgage interest rate lock matters, will pay a total of $575 million to resolve the civil claims. $WFC PR link.

Sears(PBR168 $SHLDQ) Chairman Eddie Lampert’s ESL Holdings hedge fund offer of $4.6 billion in cash and equity for operator of Sears and Kmart stores could ward off immediate liquidation, nonbinding offer for the roughly 500 remaining Sears stores will keep about 50,000 employees working. MarketWatch PR link.

Sears(PBR168) identifies 80 additional KMartand Sears stores that will be closing by the end of 03/19, liquidation sales to start in around 2 weeks. $SHLDQ PR link.

Edwards Lifesciences(PBR646) gets US FDA approval for its SAPIEN 3 Ultra system for transcatheter aortic valve replacement in severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis patients who are determined to be at intermediate or greater risk of open-heart surgery. $EW PR link.

Tesla(PBR249) adds Oracle(PBR74) Executive Chairman, Chief Tech Officer, and Founder Larry Ellison and Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR16)Executive VP and Global Chief Human Resources Officer Kathleen Wilson-Thompson to the Board as independent directors. $TSLA PR link.

The US Energy Information Administrationsays US Millions of Barrels of Crude Oil Stocks on 12/21/18 were at 441.4, was 450.5 on 11/23/18, 426.0 on 10/26/18, 431.9 on 12/22/17EIA PR link.

The MNI December 2018 Chicago Business Barometer(>50=Gaining) is at 65.4, November 2018 was 66.4, October 2018 58.4, December 2017 67.8. “… the Barometer continues to signal a healthy business environment, notching the 34th consecutive reading above 50.” MNI PR link.

***Thursday, December 27:

Boston Scientific(PBR315) exercises $325 million option to acquire the remaining shares of Millipede, Inc, a privately-held company in Santa Rosa, CA, upon its recent successful completion of a first-in-human clinical study, $125 million payment becoming available upon achievement of a commercial milestone. $BSX PR link.

Essendant(PBR507) $12.80/share, $996 million cash, includes net debt, acquisition by Staplestender offer extended to 01/02/19, 69.9% of shares have been tendered. $ESND PR link.

Brunswick(PBR534) has been granted exclusions by the US Trade Representative and US Customs and Border Protection from Section 301 tariffs for its 40, 50 and 60hp Mercury Marine engines which are assembled by Mercury in China and sold globally. $BC PR link.

Public Storage(PBR760) President Joe Russell to add CEO role, CFO/Operations Tom Boyle to become corporate CFO, Chairman/CEO Ron Havner to retain Chairman role, outgoing CFO John Reyes will be joining Board, all effective on 01/01/19. $PSA PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the US Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims 4 Week Moving Average for the Week Ending 12/22/18was at 218,000, -2.4% from 11/24/18, -8.3 from 12/28/17Total Insured Unemployment 4 Week Moving Average for the Week Ending 12/15/18 was at 1,675,750, -0.0% from 11/17/18, -12.7% from 12/16/17USDOL PR link.

The Conference Board says the US Preliminary December 2018 Consumer Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 128.1, November 2018 was 136.4, December 2017123.1. “Expectations regarding job prospects and business conditions weakened, but still suggest that the economy will continue expanding at a solid pace in the short-term. While consumers are ending 2018 on a strong note, back-to-back declines in Expectations are reflective of an increasing concern that the pace of economic growth will begin moderating in the first half of 2019.” TCB PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR38) says US 30 Year Average Fixed Mortgage Rate on 12/27/18 is at 4.55% with 0.5 Fees & Points11/29/18 was at 4.81%, 10/25/18 4.86%, 12/28/17 3.99%. $FMCC PR link.

US Federal Government economic data for scheduled New Family Home Sales and US Net International Investment Position were scheduled for today but are delayed indefinitely per the US Government Shutdown.

***Wednesday, December 26:

Amazon(PBR8) customers purchased millions more Amazon Devices this holiday season compared to last year – the best-selling Amazon Devices included all-new Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick 4K with all-new Alexa Voice Remote, and Echo$AMZN PR link.

JPMorgan Chase(PBR27 $JPM) to pay $135+ million to settle US Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) charges of improper handling of “pre-released” American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), SEC acknowledges JPMorgan’s cooperation in the investigation and remedial acts. SEC PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR235) files SEC registration statement for spin-off of the Henry Schein Animal Health business and the subsequent merger with Vets First Choice to form an independent public company with name Covetrus, will list as NASDAQ: CVET, to be completed in 1Q19. $HSIC PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR504) adds over 100,000 new AMC Stubs A-List members, allows up to 3 movies per week in any format, now has over 600,000 members, started in 06/18. $AMC PR link.

MasterCard(PBR233) SpendingPulse(TM)reports holiday sales between 11/01/18 and 12/24/18 increased 5.1% to more than $850 billion this year – the strongest growth in the last six years. Online shopping also saw large gains of 19.1% compared to 2017. $MA PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the US 5th District December 2018 Service Sector Revenue Index is at +10%, October 2018 was at +5%, September 2018 -1%, December 2017 +25%. “… service sector activity grew moderately in December … Many firms also reported growth in demand and spending as well as strengthening business conditions … respondents were optimistic, expecting growth to continue in the coming months.” RichmondFed PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says the US 5th District December 2018 Manufacturing Index is at -8%, November 2018 was at +14%, Octember 2018 +15%, December 2017 +30%. “… manufacturing activity weakened in December … weighed down by drops in the indexes for new orders and shipments.” RichmondFed PR link.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Preliminary October 2018 Home Price Index(01/2000=100.00) is at 206.03, September 2018 was at 205.83, August 2018 205.71, October 2017 195.33. Case-Shiller PR link.

***Tuesday, December 25: Christmas Day.
US Stock Exchanges Closed.***

***Monday, December 24: Christmas Eve.
US Stock Exchanges Close Early at 1PM instead of 4PM Eastern.***

Tesla(PBR249 $TSLA)‘s Elon Musk tweets that Tesla will cover the difference of the electric vehicle tax credit of $7,500 which drops down to $3,750 on 01/01/19 for customers who ordered a Tesla by 10/15/18 for delivery by 12/31/18, but did not receive their vehicle because of production delays; Tesla also lowers prices for Model 3‘s sold in China by 7.6% to a starting price of $72,000. NYPost PR link.

KLA-Tencor(PBR582) continues to have advanced discussions with the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China (SAMR) regarding clearance of the proposed $69.02/share in cash/stock, an equity value at $3.4 billion, merger involving KLA-Tencor and Orbotech(NASDAQ: ORBK) with a goal of obtaining clearance as soon as practicable in 2019. $KLAC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the US Preliminary November 2018 National Activity Index is at +0.22, October 2018 was +0.0, September 2018 +0.15, November 2017+0.35. ChiFed PR link.

***Friday, December 21:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 12/21/18:

DJIA ends the week at 22,445.37, -6.87% from last Friday, -12.11% MTD, -15.17% QTD, -9.20% YTD, -16.34% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends the week at 6,332.99, -8.36% from last Friday, -13.61% MTD, -21.29% QTD, -8.26% YTD, -21.91% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends the week at 2,416.62, -7.05% from last Friday, -12.45% MTD, -17.07% QTD, -9.61% YTD, -17.54% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

The Stock Market Bull made a brief appearance on Tuesday. But it was really all about The Stock Market Bear, who completely decimated the exchanges for the 3rd week in a row with a dominating 3-0 win, in Week 51 now has the most weekly wins, and in what was unthinkable only a couple of months ago looks on track to grab 2018.

The Week 51 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bear: 21 weeks
The Stock Market Bull: 20 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

The Week 51 News Summary: The US economy continues to do well, but the week was hit with the hat trick of the threat of a possible partial US government shutdown, the Federal Reserve raising the federal funds rate 0.25%, and there was nothing to allay the concerns over US/China trade issues.

Amazon(PBR8) to open its first fulfillment service center in Mississippi, 554,000 sf facility in Marshall County, will employ 850 full-time people, minimum wage is $15/hour. $AMZN PR link.

Amazon(PBR8)’s Air Network expands the long term partnership with Air Transport Services Group, leases 10 additional 767-300 dedicated Amazon cargo aircraft, increasing the fleet to 50 aircraft. $AMZN PR link.

Sprint(PBR85) to pay record $330 million fine per settlement with NY State for not collecting proper state and local taxes on some wireless plans for nearly a decade. $S PR link.

Newell Brands(PBR196) completes $1.3 billion sale of $556 million in revenues in 2017 fishing gear provider Pure Fishing unit to Sycamore Partners and its $1.3 billion sale of $768 million in 2017 revenues yearbooks, publications, jewelry and consumer goods that serve the K-12 educational, college and professional sports segments provider Jostens unit to Platinum Equity$NWL PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR340) sale to China Oceanwide for $5.43/share, $2.7 billion cash gets approval of Delaware Regulator and FannieMae(PBR20) and Freddie Mac(PBR38), transaction close extended to 01/31/19 to get additional US, China and other regulatory approvals. $GNW PR link.

Host Hotels(PBR484) completes sale of its 33% stake in its European joint venture to the partner for $505 million. $HST PR link.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals(PBR638) gets US FDA approval for ULTOMIRIS™ (ravulizumab-cwvz), the first and only long-acting C5 complement inhibitor administered every eight weeks, for the treatment of adult patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a debilitating ultra-rare blood disorder. $ALXN PR link.

Spectrum Brands(PBR691) $1.25 billion sale of its Global Auto Care business to Energizer Holdings(NYSE: ENR) gets passed US Federal Trade Commission and clearance from the Polish Competition Authority, has received all antitrust approvals needed, to close in 02/19. $SPB PR link.

Meredith Corp(PBR839) completes $150 million sale of its FORTUNE media brand to businessman Chatchaval Jiaravanon and is in active negotiations to sell the Sports Illustratedand MONEY media brands. $MDP PR link.

Lawsuit by Pennsylvania Attorney GeneralJosh Shapiro against student loan provider Navient(PBR965 $NAVI) gets US District Courtdecision to move forward per 70-page opinion released earlier this week. MarketWatch PR link.

PepsiCo(PBR44) N America CEO Al Carey to retire at the end of 03/19 after nearly 38 years with the Company, President/COO Frito-Lay N America Vivek Sankaran to be successor, President/COO N America Beverages Kirk Tanner to become CEO of Frito-Lay. $PEP PR link.

PVH(PBR320)’s Calvin Klein unit and its Chief Creative Officer Raf Simons amicably part ways per new brand direction, also will not be participating in New York Fashion Week in 02/19. $PVH PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says US Preliminary November 2018 Total Personal Income Annual Rate is at $17.822 trillion, +0.2% from October 2018, +4.2% from November 2017November 2018 Personal Current Taxes was $2.079 trillion, for Disposable Income of $15.743 trillion, Personal Outlays $14.799 trillion, for Personal Savings of $0.944 trillion, 6.0% of Disposable Income, 11.7% Effective Tax RateUSDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says US 3Q18 3rd Estimate of Gross Domestic Product is +3.4%, Total Annual GDP is at $20.658 trillion, +1.2% from 2Q18, +5.5% from 3Q17US 3Q18 Total Personal Consumption Expenditureswere at $14.050 trillion, +1.3% from 2Q18, +5.2% from 3Q17USDOC PR link.

The U of Michigan Final December 2018 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 98.3, November 2018 was at 97.5, October 201898.6, December 2017 95.9. UMichigan PR link.

***Thursday, December 20:

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR19) in FY 1Q19 says it is launching a transformational cost management program, targets annual cost savings in excess of $1 billion by the end of the third year. $WBA PR link.

Boeing(PBR30) gets largest aircraft deal ever for the African continent, 100 737 MAX 8’s, for Lagos, Nigeria based Green Africa Airways, list price of $11.7 billion. $BA PR link.

Intel(PBR45) EVP/General Counsel Steven Rodgers writes article, “Qualcomm(PBR124)’s Patent Litigation Campaign isn’t Really about Vindicating Intellectual Property Rights.” $INTC PR link.

Cigna(PBR65) completes $96.18/share equivalent, $67 billion cash/stock acquisition of Express Scripts(PBR26)$CI PR link.

Altria(PBR110) invests $12.8 billion for 35% stake in US based e-vapor provider JUUL$MO PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR124) gets permanent injunction ruling from District Court of Munich, Germany, against Apple(PBR2) for infringing on Qualcomm’s intellectual property for power savings in smartphones, Apple to cease the sale, offer for sale and importation for sale in Germany of infringing iPhones$QCOM PR link.

NGL Energy(PBR161) sells South Pecos Water Disposal Assets to WaterBridge Resources for $238.8 million, to focus on its Delaware Basin Water Disposal operations in Texas. $NGL PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR177)’s Old Navy stores partners with Lyft to offer free round trips to pick up Buy Online Pick-Up In-Store purchases on the 2 Saturdays before Christmas Day. $GPS PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR235) and Vets First Choicesay that the new standalone public company from planned spin-off of the Henry Schein Animal Health business and the subsequent merger with Vets First Choice will be named Covetrus, will employ 5,000+ across 25 countries, have around 100,000 customers, Benjamin Shaw to be CEO, executive team named, to be completed in 1Q19. $HSIC PR link.

Perrigo(PBR512) to appeal tax due for around $1.9 billion to Ireland for Elan Pharma unit acquired in 12/13 for 2013, no payment due at this time, could take years to resolve. $PRGO PR link.

Greif(PBR627) to acquire N America $1.4 billion in sales paperboard manufacturer Caraustar for $1.8 billion, to close 1Q19. $GEF PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR699) has extended through 2025 its long-term license agreement with Hasbro(PBR496) and Hasbro International for the exclusive use of MONOPOLY and more than 15 other iconic game brands. $SGMS PR link.

Autodesk(PBR865) to acquire bid management, risk analysis and other preconstruction solutions with a network of more than 700,000 construction professionals provider BuildConnect for $275 million, to close by 01/31/19. $ADSK PR link.

Autodesk(PBR865) completes $875 million net of cash acquisition of San Francisco, CA-based cloud real-time collaboration construction productivity software provider PlanGrid$ADSK PR link.

Pyxus(PBR894) applauds the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, permanently removes hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, deems it an agricultural commodity. $PYX PR link.

WW(fka Weight Watchers)(PBR974) and Blue Apron (NYSE: APRN) announce WW x Blue Apron, a new partnership that features weekly rotating selection of recipes inspired by the WW Freestyle™ program and available for home delivery. $WTW PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR327) hires Mark Clouse as President/CEO, effective 01/22/19, will succeed interim President/CEO Keith McLoughlin, who will remain a Director, activist investor Third Point supports the decision. $CPB PR link.

Avon Products(PBR468) hires Vikram Agarwal as SVP/Chief Supply Chain Officer, succeeds departing Michael Watson; SVP/Human Resources Susan Ormiston leaving in 01/19. $AVP PR link.

Pinnacle West(PBR620) promotes Jeffrey B. Guldner to President/Arizona Public Service, its largest subsidiary, will have responsibility for all areas of APS excluding nuclear generation. $PNW PR link.

Abercrombie & Fitch(PBR641) provides details on terms of departure for former Brands President Stacia Andersen. $ANF PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphiasays the 3rd District December 2018 Manufacturing General Activity Indicator is at 9.4, November 2018 was 12.9, October 201822.2, December 2017 27.9. “Manufacturing activity in the region continued to grow but remained subdued … firms remained generally optimistic about future growth.” PhillyFed PR link.

The Conference Board says the US Preliminary November 2018 Leading Economic Index(2016=100) is at 111.8, October 2018 was at 111.6, September 2018111.9, November 2017 106.6. “Despite the recent volatility in stock prices, the strengths among the leading indicators have been widespread. Solid GDP growth at about 2.8 percent should continue in early 2019, but the LEI suggests the economy is likely to moderate further in the second half of 2019.” TCB PR link.

***Wednesday, December 19:

Apple(PBR2 $AAPL) releasing a software update to possibly avoid a ban on the sale of older iPhones in ChinaMarketWatch PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21 $GOOG)’s Google unit slammed in 100 page complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission for ‘disturbing’ children’s games. MarketWatch PR link.

Boeing(PBR30) forecasts demand of 2,300 new airplanes in India over next 20 years, valued at $320 billion. $BA PR link.

UPS(PBR42) expects 1.5 million packages to be returned on 12/19/18, National Returns Day, 1 million on other days, expects 1.3 million on 01/03/19, planning to deliver 800 million packages during holiday season. $UPS PR link.

Pfizer(PBR55) and GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK) to form joint venture global consumer healthcare company, Pfizer, with a 32% minor equity stake, will contribute its consumer healthcare business to GlaxoSmithKline’s existing consumer healthcare business, 2017 global sales for the combined business were approximately $12.7 billion, will later spin-off as an independent company. $PFE PR link.

Facebook(PBR68) provides clarification on their messaging partnerships, provides examples with Spotify, Netflix, Dropbox, and Royal Bank of Canada$FB PR link.

Facebook(PBR68 $FB) being sued by Washington DC Attorney General for failing to protect millions of users’ data during 2016 elections. DC AG PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR69) and Seattle Mariners team Up to present hometown T-Mobile Park in new partner 25 year deal. $TMUS PR link.

Merck(PBR73) gets US FDA approval for KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) for treatment of adult and pediatric patients with recurrent locally advanced or metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, a rare form of skin cancer. $MRK PR link.

Merck(PBR73) and AstraZeneca get US FDA approval for LYNPARZA® (olaparib) for first-line maintenance therapy in BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer. $MRK PR link.

3M(PBR87) to acquire $200 million in revenues/year healthcare technology of cloud-based, conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered systems that help physicians efficiently capture and improve the patient narrative business of M*Modal, for a total enterprise value of $1.0 billion, does not include other M*Modal business units. $MMM PR link.

Medtronic(PBR94) completes around $1.64 billion acquisition of Israel based robotic guidance systems pioneer Mazor Robotics (NASDAQ:MZOR, TASE:MZOR.TZ)$MDT PR link.

Thermo-Fisher Scientific(PBR138) $925 million acquisition of manufacturer of instrumentation and software used to enhance and extend the operation and performance of electron microscopes Gatan, a wholly owned subsidiary of Roper Technologies(PBR530) requires additional UK review, last authorization required to close. $TMO PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR139) announces that Japan‘s largest over-the-counter drug company Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings Co has offered to purchase Bristol-Myers Squibb’s French pharmaceutical company UPSA consumer health business for $1.6 billion, put option transaction, to close in 1H19. $BMY PR link.

Allergan(PBR174) suspends sales of textured breast implants and tissue expanders, is withdrawing any remaining supply in Europeanmarkets, follows a compulsory recall request from French regulatory authority Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament (ANSM), stems from expiration of company’s CE Mark, plans to renew. $AGN PR link.

Newell Brands(PBR196) activist investor Carl Icahn and associates SEC filing shows they have increased their stake in NWL to 9.89%. $NWL PR link.

Alcoa(PBR251) will immediately begin to curtail half of the one operating potline at the Aluminerie de Bécancour Inc. (ABI) smelter in Québec, Canada, other 2 potlines curtailed in 01/18 because of union lockout, still in negotiations. $AA PR link.

Sempra Energy(PBR260) subsidiary gets 20 year deal to export US liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Port Arthur LNG liquefaction-export facility to Polish Oil & Gas Co, for 2.7 billion cubic meters per year (after regasification) – enough natural gas to meet about 15% of Poland‘s daily needs. $SRE PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR443) acquires Southaven, MS-based broad range of property/casualty coverages to businesses and individuals provider Pointer Insurance Agency$AJG PR link.

GNC(PBR799 $GNC) recalls nearly 800,000 units of ‘Women’s Iron Complete’ for child safety concerns. MarketWatch PR link.

AvalonBay Communities(PBR850) completes $460 million net proceeds sale of 80% interest in 5 Manhattan apartment communities, 1,301 apartment homes, 58,000 sf retail space, retains a 20% interest and act as the managing member and property manager for the assets. $AVB PR link.

Pier 1 Imports(PBR904) appoints director Cheryl A. Bachelder as interim CEO, succeeds Alasdair B. James, who has stepped down, is implementing a more rigorous cost reduction program, to evaluate a full range of strategic alternatives. $PIR PR link.

The Federal Open Market Committee issues statement raising federal funds rate 0.25% to 2.25% to 2.50%, says labor market has continued to strengthen and that economic activity has been rising at a strong rate, inflation remains near 2%, judges that risks to the economic outlook are roughly balanced, but will continue to monitor global economic and financial developments, anticipates some further gradual rate increases over the medium term. FOMC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says US Preliminary 3Q18 Total Exports of Goods, Services, and Income Receipts was at $930.3 billion, -0.7% from 2Q18, +7.1% from 3Q173Q18 Total Imports of Goods, Services, and Income Payments was $1,055.1 billion, +1.7% from 2Q18, +8.5% from 3Q173Q18 Deficit is $124.8 billion, +23.3% from 2Q18, +20.7% from 3Q17USDOC PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says US Preliminary November 2018 Existing Home Sales Annual Rate is at 5,320,000 units, +1.9% from October 2018, -7.0% from November 2017November 2018 Median Sales Price is at $257,700, +0.9% from October 2018, +4.2% from November 2017NAR PR link.

***Tuesday, December 18:

Amazon(PBR8) says third annual Digital Daywill be on Friday, 12/28/18, will feature significant discounts on thousands of digital content items including movies, TV shows, mobile games, apps, eBooks, and more. $AMZN PR link.

Kroger(PBR18) launches first-ever unmanned self-driving grocery delivery service available to the general public in partnership with Nuno, tested since August, initially available for a Scottsdale, AZ, Fry’s Food store, $5.95/delivery, no minimum. $KR PR link.

Kroger(PBR18) to sell its digital coupon and digital rebate publishing unit You Technology to Inmar in conjunction with a long-term services agreement with Inmar for the continued delivery of digital offer management services to Kroger, to close 1Q19, terms not disclosed. $KR PR link.

FedEx(PBR43) announces cost reduction actions, includes voluntary buyout program for eligible employees, limited hiring in staff functions. $FEDX PR link.

Cisco(PBR58) to acquire privately held Carlsbad, CA-based specialty semiconductor products manufacturer Luxtera for $660 million cash. $CSCO PR link.

Charter Communications(PBR67 $CHTR) to pay record $174.2 million consumer fraud settlement for defrauding Internet subscribers per NY Attorney General‘s office. NY AG PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR121) to pay $12 million upfront plus up to $620 million based on achieving milestones plus royalties to Aduro Biotech (NASDAQ: ADRO) for a research collaboration and exclusive license agreement for Aduro’s cGAS-STING Pathway Inhibitor program for the research and development of novel immunotherapies for autoimmune and other inflammatory diseases. $LLY PR link.

Amgen(PBR122) to pay $50 million upfront plus up to $497 million based on achieving milestones plus royalties to Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN) in a joint venture to develop MP0310 in combination with Amgen’s oncology assets. $AMGN PR link.

United Natural Foods(PBR283) to transfer trading of its common stock from the NASDAQ Global Select Market, to begin trading on the NYSE on 01/02/19, will continue to use stock symbol UNFI$UNFI PR link.

ConAgra Brands(PBR347) to sell its Wesson® Oil brand to Canada‘s largest agribusiness, Richardson International, to close in 1Q19, terms not disclosed. $CAG PR link.

Cooper-Standard(PBR622) plans to build a new 3 story 110,000 sf world headquarters in Northville, MI, near its current Novi, MI facility, to be completed in early 2020, to house 400 employees, expandable options. $CPS PR link.

Alliant Energy(PBR654) moving its stock exchange listing to NASDAQ from the NYSEeffective after the market closes on 12/28/18, will continue to use stock symbol LNT$LNT PR link.

SkyWest(PBR682) to sell its ExpressJet Airlines unit to ManaAir for $70 million cash for the majority of assets and assumption of ExpressJet liabilities, to close in early 2019. $SKYW PR link.

McDermott Intl(PBR710) signs 16-year lease for new headquarters at Energy Center Five, an 18-story, 524,000 sf office tower in Houston, TX, will consolidate 1,700 employees to 1 location from 5 locations, move in starts mid 2019. $MDR PR link.

Rent-A-Center(PBR756) terminates $15.00/share, $1.365 billion cash acquisition by private equity firm Vintage Capital, did not receive an extension notice from Vintage Capital by end of day 12/17/18, asks for the reverse breakup fee of $126,500,000 within three business days per merger agreement. $RCII PR link.

Duke Energy(PBR114) former Chairman/CEO Jim Rogers dies at age 71, was CEO from 2006 to 2013, influential in building the largest US electric utility, led Duke Energy to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and steered the company to more renewable energy. $DUK PR link.

Eastman Chemical(PBR299) SVP/Corporate Development and Chemical Intermediates Damon C. Warmack to retire mid 2019, SVP/Additives & Functional Products Dr. Lucian Boldea to become an EVP and assume leadership of Chemical Intermediates effective 01/01/19. $EMN PR link.

Brunswick(PBR534) Chief Human Resources Officer Brenna Priesser to add President/Business Acceleration role to her responsibilities, effective 01/01/19. $BC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says US Preliminary November 2018 Private Housing Building Permits Issues Annual Rate is at 1,328,000 units, +5.0% from October 2018, +0.4% from November 2017USDOC PR link.

***Monday, December 17:

Alphabet(PBR21)’s Google unit expanding commitment to New York City, investing over $1 billion in capital improvements to establish a new 1.7 million sf campus, Google Hudson Square, to start moving in in 2020. $GOOG PR link.

Boeing(PBR30) increases share repurchase authorization to $20 billion from $18 billion authorized in 12/17, has used $9 billion. $BA PR link.

Boeing(PBR30) to acquire 80% stake for $4.2 billion in joint venture with Brazil based Embraer(B3: EMBR3, NYSE: ERJ), needs Brazil and other regulatory approvals, to close by end of 2019. $BA PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR36) authorizes up to $5 billion share repurchase program. $JNJ PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR69) and Sprint(PBR85) $59 billion all stock merger gets approval from Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), US Dept of Justice, US Dept of Homeland Security, and Dept of Defense, collectively referred to as Team Telecom, has no objections to the merger and has withdrawn its request to defer action, still needs additional regulatory approvals, to close in 1H19. $TMUS PR link.

Oracle(PBR77 $ORCL) buys back $10 billion in shares in recent quarter, on track to do $20 billion in FY2019, up from $11.5 billion in FY2018, opinion piece says it inflates earnings per share number. MarketWatch PR link.

Goldman Sachs(PBR86 $GS) faces charges in Malaysia over massive corruption scandal, denies any wrongdoing. NPR PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR159) to launch 4 new ships in 2019, 20 new ships scheduled for delivery between 2019 and 2025. $CCL PR link.

BNY Mellon(PBR181) to pay $54+ million to settle charges with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for improper handling of “pre-released” American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)$BK PR link.

Universal Health(PBR257) authorizes an increase of $500 million for share repurchase program, is now $1.7 billion, $1.16 billion used. $UHS PR link.

Air Products(PBR318) to increase product pricing, monthly service charges, and surcharges for merchant customers in N America by 10 to 20%, effective 01/01/19, because of increased costs. $APD PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR443) to acquire Conshohocken, PA-based retail property/casualty insurance broker Preston-Patterson Co, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Whirlpool(PBR134) Chairman Jeff M. Fettig to retire after 38 years with the company on 12/31/18, CEO Marc Bitzer to add Chairman role on 01/01/19. $WHR PR link.

CBS(PBR215) Board determines there are grounds to terminate former Chairman/CEO Les Moonves for cause, he will not receive any severance payment(estimated at $120 million). $CBS PR link.

Acadia Healthcare(PBR724) Chairman/CEO Joey Jacobs removed from his roles, hires Debbie Osteen as CEO, Lead Director Reeve B. Waud elected Chairman. $ACHC PR link.

Kroger(PBR18) EVP/CFO J. Michael Schlotman to retire as CFO by 04/03/19, remain EVP through 12/28/19, CEO of Kroger Personal Finance Gary Millerchip to become SVP/CFO on 04/04/19. $KR PR link.

Trinity Industries(PBR618) SVP/CFO James E. Perry to leave after filing of annual 10-K, SVP/Chief Administrative Officer Melendy Lovett to be successor. $TRN PR link.

Tower Intl(PBR872) COO Mike Rajkovic agrees to accelerated retirement because of pending divestiture of European operations. $TOWR PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the Empire State Preliminary December 2018 Manufacturing General Business Conditions Index is at 10.9, November 2018 was at 23.3, October 2018 21.1, December 2017 19.6. NYFed PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Preliminary December 2018 Housing Market Composite Index is at 56, November 2018 was at 60, October 2018 68, November 2017 74. NAHB/WF PR link.

***Friday, December 14:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 12/14/18:

DJIA ends the week at 24,100.51, -1.18% from last Friday, -5.63% MTD, -8.91% QTD, -2.50% YTD, -10.17% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends the week at 6,910.66, -0.84% from last Friday, -5.73% MTD, -14.11% QTD, +0.11% YTD, -14.79% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends the week at 2,599.95, -1.26% from last Friday, -5.80% MTD, -10.78% QTD, -2.76% YTD, -11.29% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

The Stock Market Bull did okay during the first four days of the week, then The Stock Market Bear came charging in on Friday bigtime to take a 3-0 win in Week 50. With his 2 week dramatic winning streak he now evens the match for weekly victories and threatens to capture 2018as well.

The Week 50 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 20 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 20 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

The Week 50 News Summary: The US economy continues to do well, but there are growing concerns about the projections of global economy growth, about US/China trade issues, and a fair amount of conjecture on whether or not The Fed will raise federal short term interest rates next week. There is also the threat of a US government shutdown at the end of next week, and the media is having a hay day covering President Trump’s former trusted advisors as they plead guilty to a variety of charges that might create complications for his presidency and personal life.

GE(PBR19) plans on a tender process for the appointment as GE’s independent audit firm, only 65% of shareholder votes were for retaining KPMG, which has been reappointed for 2019 by the Audit Committee$GE PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR36) replies to article published by Reuters which says J&J’s baby powder talc contains asbestos, J&J says article is one-sided, false, and inflammatory; says its baby powder talc has been tested for decades thousands of time by independent labs worldwide and regulators and asbestos has never been detected. $JNJ PR link.

Merck(PBR73) to acquire France based around $410 million in global revenue digital animal identification, traceability and monitoring solutions provider Antelliq Group for around $2.4 billion cash, assumes $1.3 billion in debt which it will pay off upon transaction closing, will become wholly owned subsidiary with the Animal Health Division, to close in 2Q19. $MRK PR link.

Amgen(PBR122) gets US FDA approval for Nplate® (Romiplostim) for use In pediatric patients with immune thrombocytopenia. $AMGN PR link.

XPO Logistics(PBR185) authorizes up to $1 billion share repurchase program. $XPO PR link.

PPG(PBR193) to acquire Elverson, PA based 700+ employees globally in 10 plants manufacturer of low-friction, wear-resistant coatings for industrial applications in automotive, aerospace, energy and construction products and nonstick coatings for cookware, bakeware and small electric appliances Whitford Worldwide, to close 1Q19, terms not disclosed. $PPG PR link.

Dominion Energy(PBR228) and SCANA(PBR547) $7.9 billion all stock transaction, $14.6 billion with debt merger gets Public Service Commission of S Carolinaapproval with some conditions to be published on 12/21/18, last regulatory approval required. $SCG PR link.

Tesla(PBR249 $TSLA) sells $837 million of bonds backed by auto leases. MarketWatch PR link.

Flowers Foods(PBR594) completes around $205 million acquisition of privately held, gluten-free baking company Johnstown, CO, based $70-80 million in revenues anticipated in 2019 Canyon Bakehouse$FLO PR link.

Albemarle(PBR701) subsidiary to acquire 50% of Mineral Resources Limited (ASX: MIN)’s Wodgina hard rock lithium project in Western Australia for $1.15 billion and form a 50/50 joint venture with MRL to own and operate the Wodgina Project to produce spodumene concentrate and battery grade lithium hydroxide. $ALB PR link.

Genesco(PBR719) to sell its Lids Sports Group headwear unit for $100 million in cash to FanzzLids Holdings, a holding company of affiliates of Ames Watson Capital; Genesco also authorizes increase of current share repurchase program to $125 million. $GCO PR link.

Lincoln Financial(PBR202) hires Leon Roday as EVP/General Counsel. $LNC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the US September 2018 Average Wages & Salaries/Hour was at $25.03, Average Benefits/Hour $11.60, Total Average Hourly Compensation was $36.63, +1.1% from June 2018, +2.8% from September 2017USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says US Preliminary November 2018 Total Industry % of Manufacturing Capacity was at 78.5%, October 2018 was 78.1%, September 201878.4%, November 2017 77.1%. USFed PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary October 2018 Total Sales for Manufacturers was $508.4 billion, Retail $451.5 billion, and Wholesale $510.1 billion for Total Sales of $1.470 trillion, +0.3% from September 2018, +6.1% from October 2017USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Advance November 2018 Retail Sales were at $452.9 billion, Food Services & Drinking Places $60.6 billion, Total Retail $513.5 billion, +0.2% from October 2018, +4.2% from November 2017USDOC PR link.

***Thursday, December 13:

Apple(PBR2) to do major expansion of its operations in Austin, TX, including an investment of $1 billion to build a new campus in N Austin, also plans to establish new sites in Seattle, WA, San Diego, CA, and Culver City, CA, and expand in cities across the US including Pittsburgh, PA, New York. NY, and Boulder, CO over the next three years, to create 20,000 new jobs by 2023. $AAPL PR link.

GE(PBR18) to establish a new, independent company focused on building a comprehensive Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) software portfolio, will start with $1.2 billion in annual software revenue and an existing global industrial customer base, to be a GE wholly-owned, independently run business with a new brand and identity, its own equity structure, and its own Board of Directors. $GE PR link.

GE(PBR18) Digital unit to sell majority stake in its cloud-based software productivity tools for field service technicians ServiceMax business to Silver Lake investment firm, will retain 10% equity interest, to close in early 2019, terms not disclosed. $GE PR link.

Intel(PBR45 $INTC) and ESL Gaming to invest over $100 million over 3 years to develop and promote esports. ESL Gaming PR link.

Centene(PBR59) to do 2:1 stock split in 1Q19, will require shareholder approval. $CNC PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR81) extending a loan to Ioniqa Technologies (The Netherlands) for development of Ioniqa’s proprietary technology to produce high-grade, recycled PET content from hard-to-recycle plastic waste for use in bottles used by Coca-Cola. $KO PR link.

AbbVie(PBR101) authorizes a $5 billion increase to its existing stock repurchase program. $ABBV PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) outlines growth agenda at investor conference, topics include Starbucks Delivers partnerships with Uber Eats in the USand Ele.me in China for delivery services, digital partnership with Alibaba in China, introducing Nitro Cold Brew in US stores, market opportunities with Nestle, expanding benefits packages for employees. $SBUX PR link.

L Brands(PBR225) to transfer ownership and operating control of its $250 million in 2018 revenues and $40 million loss La Senza fashion unit to an affiliate of global private equity firm Regent LP, in return for future consideration. $LB PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR235) authorizes $400 million share repurchase program, previous $400 million authorization has been completed. $HSIC PR link.

Consolidated Edison(PBR245) completes $1.54 billion acquisition of a Sempra Energy(PBR261) subsidiary for $1.54 billion that owns 981 megawatts (MW) AC of operating renewable electric production projects, with 2,600 MW AC ConEd is now 2nd largest producer of solar energy in N America. $ED PR link.

Mylan(PBR247) gets favorable US Patent and Trademark Appeal Board decision, found all claims of Sanofi’s Lantus (insulin glargine 100 Units/mL) formulation patents unpatentable, has 12 month sales over $6.5 billion. $MYL PR link.

Ball Corp(PBR266) to sell its metal beverage packaging facilities in China to ORG Technology Co. Ltd. (SZSE:002701) for approximately $225 million, to close 2H19. $BLL PR link.

Ingredion(PBR439) investing $140 million to accelerate production and expand portfolio of plant-based proteins, including pulse flours, concentrates and isolates. $INGR PR link.

Pioneer Natural Resources(PBR477)authorizes up to $2 billion share repurchase program. $PXD PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR699) to pay $151.5 million settlement in its litigation with Shuffle Tech International LLC and other plaintiffs. $SGMS PR link.

Avon Products(PBR468) hires Gustavo Arnal to be EVP/CFO starting in Spring 2019, succeeds departing Jamie Wilson. $AVP PR link.

Chipotle(PBR537) completes executive team with hiring of Roger Theodoredis as Chief Legal Officer and Tabassum Zalotrawala as Chief Development Officer, other executive team members listed. $CMG PR link.

Alliant Energy(PBR655) SVP and President/Interstate Power and Light(IPL) Douglas R. Kopp to retire in 1H19, John Larsen promoted to President/COO and CEO/IPL and Wisconsin Power & Light(WPL), effective 01/01/19. $LNT PR link.

MSC Industrial(PBR715) SVP/ Sales & Customer Success Dave Wright has resigned to pursue another opportunity, successor search starts. $MSM PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US November 2018 Federal Government Receipts were $206.0 billion, Outlays $410.9, Total Deficit$204.9 billion; Receipts YTD(2 months) are at $458.7 billion, Outlays YTD $764.0 billion, Total Deficit YTD $305.4 billion, November 2017 Total Deficit YTD was $201.8 billion. USTreasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary November 2018 Import Prices were -1.6%, October 2018 was +0.5%, September 2018+0.0%, November 2017 +1.0%, Last 12 Months +0.7%; November 2018 Export Priceswere -0.9%, October 2018 was +0.5%, September 2018 +0.0%, November 2017+0.5%, Last 12 Months +1.8%. USDOL PR link.

***Wednesday, December 12:

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) and Express Scripts(PBR26) extend existing agreement to 3 more years to provide access to Walmart’s prescription services for Express Scripts clients’ covered members, to deliver additional affordable prescription solutions, averaging a 40% discount, to millions of underinsured and uninsured Americans. $ESRX PR link.

Kroger(PBR18) launches its Rx Savings Club, a new program designed to significantly reduce the cost of prescription drugs for customers across the country, adding to the retailer’s Wellness Your Way platform, developed in partnership with GoodRx, offers 3 tier pricing. $KR PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR40) authorizes new $10 billion share repurchase program, adds to current program which has $4.5 billion still available. $LOW PR link.

Merck(PBR73) to invest an initial $26 million and up to an additional $75 million based on achieved milestone, plus sales royalties, in Instituto Butantan, Sao Paulo, Brazil, a non-profit producer of immunobiologic products for Brazil in a collaboration agreement to develop vaccines to protect against dengue virus disease, the mosquito-borne infection. $MRK PR link.

Arrow Electronics(PBR104) authorizes additional $600 million share repurchase program. $VZ PR link.

Avnet(PBR152) to acquire privately held 500 employees in the US and India software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) company Softweb Solutions, terms not disclosed. $AVT PR link.

Norfolk Southern(PBR272) to relocate its headquarters from Norfolk, VA, to new facility to be built in Atlanta, GA$NSC PR link.

Bausch Health(PBR325) to acquire certain assets of in Chapter 11 as of today biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel gastrointestinal (GI) therapies Synergy Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: SGYP) for approximately $200 million plus certain assumed liabilities as the “stalking horse” bidder. $BHS PR link.

NVR(PBR426) authorizes $300 million share repurchase program. $NVR PR link.

Laureate Education(PBR551) to sell 5 of its its universities in Spain and Portugal to global private equity firm Permira Funds for $871 million, to close 1H19. $LAUR PR link.

Boston Properties(PBR766) to acquire 650,000 MW hours of environmental attributes over three years from Capricorn Ridge II Wind Farm in Sterling, TX, projected power consumption at 33 buildings and garages totaling 15 million square feet in Boston, MA, area, reduces carbon intensity by 78% from 2008 base. $BXP PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR809) authorizes new $100 million share repurchase program, is in addition to the Company’s existing repurchase authorization. $BYD PR link.

Curtis-Wright(PBR830) authorizes additional $100 million for share purchase program. $CS PR link.

Wendy’s(PBR984) is first restaurant chain to partner with the Progressive Beef™ program, a verification program that includes understanding antibiotics use, humane environment for cattle; also has initiative to source vine-ripened tomatoes for its N American restaurants exclusively from US and Canada greenhouse farms by early 2019. $WEN PR link.

Owens & Minor(PBR308) interim CFO Robert Snead now officially EVP/CFO. $OMI PR link.

Brink’s(PBR667) hires George Neill as Chief Marketing Officer. $BCO PR link.

Synovus Financial(PBR949) CFO Kevin Blair now SVP/COO, will also be interim CFO until successor on board. $SNV PR link.

Regions Financial(PBR446) appoints Lead Independent Director Charles D. McCrary to be the independent Chair of the Board, effective 01/01/19, will succeed Executive Chairman O. B. Grayson Hall, Jr., who retires 12/31/18. $RF PR link.

SAIC(PBR541) appoints director Donna Morea as Chair, to succeed Edward “Sandy” Sanderson, Jr., who will remain a director, will be effective following the closing of SAIC’s planned acquisition of Engility Holdings 01/19. $SAIC PR link.

Par Pacific(PBR801) Chairman Melvyn N. Klein to step down effective 01/01/19, but will remain a Director, Vice Chairman Robert S. Silberman to be successor. $PARR PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the US Preliminary November 2018 Average Current Earnings/Hour is at $27.35, Average Hours Worked/Week 34.4, for Current Weekly Earnings of $940.84, -0.1% from October 2018, +2.8% from November 2017USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the US November 2018 Consumer Price Index is at +0.0%, All Items Less Food and Energy +0.2%, Last 12 Months +2.2%, October 2018 was at +2.5%, September 2018 +2.3%, November 2017+3.0%. USDOL PR link.

***Tuesday, December 11:

Verizon(PBR17) voluntary separation program for select U.S.-based management employees to result in 10,400 eligible employees separating by the end of 06/19, with nearly half exiting in 12/18; expects to record a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of approximately $4.6 billion in 4Q18 for its Oath digital advertising business; expects to complete an internal reorganization of legal entities associated with its wireless business in 12/18 resulting in a non-recurring deferred tax benefit of approximately $2.1 billion 4Q18. $VZ PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21)’s Google unit to accelerate sunsetting of its Google+ platform within 90 days because of low usage and recently discovered bugs. $GOOG PR link.

Allstate(PBR75 $ALL) plans to bring 2,500 jobs, possible corporate campus to Chandler, AZArizona Republic PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR123) announces a policy to reduce the overall use of antibiotics in its beef products, will start with 10 largest beef suppliers. $MCD PR link.

Cinemark(PBR708) says its Movie Club, the first exhibitor-sponsored subscription program, has surpassed 500,000 active members with more than 1,400 members per theatre, exceeds original first year forecast by more than doubling initial projections, $8.99/mo. $CNK PR link.

Avista(PBR957) commissions Adams Nielson solar array located in Lind, WA, is a 28 Megawatt DC array comprised of 81,700 panels spanning 200 acres, generates enough electricity to supply the equivalent of approximately 4,000 homes annually, is largest solar array in Washington State$AVA PR link.

Adtalem Education(PBR983) completes divestiture of Carrington College to San Joaquin Valley College, completes divestiture of DeVry University to Cogswell Education, to focus on post secondary education in the medical and healthcare markets. $ATGE PR link.

Axalta(PBR552) interim CEO Robert Bryant named permanent CEO, VP and interim CFO Sean Lannon also named permanent CFO, both effective immediately. $AXTA PR link.

Cleveland-Cliffs(PBR819) promotes EVP/Business Development Clifford T. Smith to EVP/COO, effective 01/01/19. $CLF PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary November 2018 Total Final Monthly Demand Producer Price Index is at +0.1%, October 2018 was at +0.6%, September 2018 +0.2%, November 2017 +0.4%, Last 12 Months+2.5%. USDOL PR link.

CoreLogic says US September 2018 Housing Loans 30 Days Or More Delinquents is at 4.4%, August 2018 was 4.0%, July 2018 4.1%, September 2017 5.0%, “Overall U.S. mortgage delinquency rates are up in natural disaster areas but down nearly everywhere else.” CoreLogic PR link.

Manpower(PBR137) says US hiring intentionsat 12 year high as demand for workers is set to grow in 2019 with positive job forecasts in all 50 states and 100 largest metro areas. $MAN PR link.

China informs US Sec of the Treasury Munchin that they will be reducing tariffs on US imported automobiles from 40% down to 15% as part of trade negotiations. MarketWatch PR link.

***Monday, December 10:

Qualcomm(PBR124) gets approval from China courts for two preliminary injunctions against four Chinese subsidiaries of Apple(PBR2) to immediately cease infringing upon two Qualcomm patents through the unlicensed importation, sale and offers for sale in China of iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X$QCOM PR link.

CBS(PBR215) to sell 25-acre CBS Television City® property and sound stage operation to Los Angeles-based real estate developer Hackman Capital Partners for $750 million. $CBS PR link.

Tesla(PBR249 $TSLA)‘s CEO Elon Musk slams SEC, in “60 Minutes” interview says Tesla’s critics have been ‘unfair’ and ‘outrageous’.MarketWatch PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR443) acquires Toronto-based Accompass, provides health & welfare, investment & retirement, executive compensation, and broad-based compensation consulting and support services to clients throughout Canada, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR443) acquires Chicago, IL-based captive consultant focused exclusively on US medical and professional liability participants Captive Insurance Company Design and Operations, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

WABCO(PBR672) authorizes new up to $600 million share buyback program, effective 01/01/19 through 12/31/20, $300 million to be used from previous authorization by 12/31/18. $WBC PR link.

Red Hat(PBR715) sets special shareholders meeting for 01/16/19 to vote on $190.00/share, $34 billion cash acquisition by IBM(PBR34), to close 2H19 if approved. $RHT PR link.

EnerSys(PBR780) completes $750 million cash/stock acquisition of certain assets of select entities belonging to Bellingham, WA, based global commercial-grade energy solutions for broadband, telecom, renewable, industrial and traffic customers provider Alpha Technologies, did $591 million for year ending 06/30/18. $ENS PR link.

Allscripts(PBR900) to sell its interests in behavioral health, human services and post-acute care technologies provider Netsmart Technologies, will net around $525 million after taxes. $MDRX PR link.

GoPro(PBR994) plans to move most of its US-bound camera production out of China by the summer of 2019 to mitigate the potential impact of inclusion on any new tariff lists. International-bound camera production will remain in China.$GPRO PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR107) hires Daniel O’Day as Chairman/CEO, effective 03/01/19, Chief Patient Officer Gregg Alton named interim CEO from 01/01/19 to 03/01/19, succeeds President/CEO John F. Milligan, PhD, who steps down on 12/31/18. $GILD PR link.

Lockheed(PBR56) to promote Kenneth R. Possenriede to EVP/CFO, effective 02/11/19, to succeed Bruce L. Tanner who is retiring in mid 2019. $LMT PR link.

Merck(PBR73) President/Global Human Health Adam H. Schechter to step down 12/31/18 to become advisor to CEO, in reorganization successors will be Frank Clyburn as Chief Commercial Officer and Michael Nally as Chief Marketing Officer. $MRK PR link.

Owens & Minor(PBR308) hires Joseph S. Pekala as SVP/Chief Information Officer. $OMI PR link.

Spirit AeroSystems(PBR392) hires Jose Ignacio Garcia as SVP/Chief Financial Officer effective 01/09/19, to succeed retiring Sanjay Kapoor. $SPR PR link.

Clorox(PBR445) promotes Linda Rendle to EVP/Strategy and Operations and Eric Reynolds to EVP/Cleaning and Burt’s Bees, both effective 01/07/19. $CLX PR link.

S&P Global(PBR450) President/S&P Global Market Intelligence andEVP/Data & Technology Mike Chinn to leave in 03/19, Martina Cheung to become President/S&P Global Market Intelligence, Nick Cafferillo to become Chief Data & Technology Officer with an expanded role, both effective 01/02/19. $SPGI PR link.

PerkinElmer(PBR838) promotes Prahlad Singh to newly created role of President/COO, effective 01/01/19. $PKI PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary October 2018 Private Job Openings were at 6,489,000, Government 590,000, Total Job Openings 7,079,000, +1.7% from September 2018, +16.8% from October 2017Net Employment Change Over Last 12 Months is +2,511,000, +0.2% from September 2018, +18.2% from October 2017USDOL PR link.

Manpower(PBR137) says global 1Q19 hiring intentions point to continued global labor market growth led by US and Asia$MAN PR link.

***Friday, December 7:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 12/07/18:

DJIA ends the week at 24,388.95, -4.50% from last Friday/MTD, -7.82% QTD, -1.34% YTD, -9.09% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends the week at 6,969.25, -4.93% from last Friday/MTD, -13.39% QTD, +0.95% YTD, -14.06% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends the week at 2,633.08, -4.60% from last Friday/MTD, -9.64% QTD, -1.52% YTD, -10.16% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

After a good appearance by The Stock Market Bull on Monday, The Stock Market Bearviciously slashed and gashed away the rest of the shortened trading week for an overwhelming 3-0 win in Week 49 and threatens to even the match and perhaps even take the year.

The Week 49 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 20 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 19 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

The Week 49 News Summary: While the US economy remains to show strong growth, it is being countered by the uncertainty of US/China trade and relations, uncertainty of what the Fedwill do with federal short term interest rates, and uncertainty about oil productionCorporate earnings were also mixed, the jobs report by many is regarded as soft, the government funding bill was kicked down the road a couple of weeks. At the same time the nation mournedthe loss of a beloved leader, George HW Bush, the 41st President of the US, whose leadership style is greatly missed.

Facebook(PBR68) authorizes an additional $9.0 billion for its share repurchase program, previous authorization was for up to $15.0 billion, no expiration date. $FB PR link.

Altria(PBR110) to acquire 45% stake in Toronto, CAN based global cannabinoid company Cronos Group(TSX: CRON and NASDAQ: CRON) for $1.8 billion, includes right to nominate 4 directors, and to acquire up to an additional 10% stake over 4 years. $MO PR link.

Altria(PBR110) to discontinue production and distribution of all MarkTen and Green Smoke e-vapor products and VERVE oral nicotine containing products, will refocus on more compelling reduced-risk tobacco product opportunities. $MO PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR443) acquires UKbased retail insurance broker Pavey Group, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Tower Intl(PBR872) to sell its European Operations to privately owned French automotive supplier Financière SNOP Dunois S.A. for around $290 million, to close 1Q19. $TOWR PR link.

Hillenbrand(PBR906) authorizes new share repurchase program for up to $200 million, no expiration date. $HI PR link.

Synovus Financial(PBR949) $2.9 billion all stock acquisition of FCB Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: FCB), owner of Florida Community Bank (FCB), Florida’s largest community bank, gets regulatory approval from the Federal Reserve Board and the Georgia Dept of Banking and Finance, to close around 01/01/19. $SNV PR link.

Graco(PBR953) authorizes new up to 18 million shares repurchase program, is in addition to current program which has 3.3 million shares available, no expiration date. $GGG PR link.

Tesla(PBR249) hires Dane Butswinkas as General Counsel, succeeds Todd Maron who will be departing at end of 2018. $TSLA PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US November 2018 Available Labor Force is at 162,770,000, Employed at 156,795,000, +233,000 from October 2018, +2,878,000 from November 2017Unemployed at 5,975,000, -100,000 from October 2018, -641,000 from November 2017Unemployment Rate at 3.7%, November 2017was at 4.1%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary October 2018 Total Wholesale Durable Goods Sales were at $246.9 billion, Non-Durable Goods $263.2 billion, Total Wholesale Sales $510.1 billion, -0.2% from September 2018, +6.8% from October 2017USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board says US Preliminary October 2018 Revolving Consumer Credit Outstanding Annual Rate is at $1.037 trillion, Non-Revolving $2.296 trillion, Total Consumer Credit Outstanding Annual Rate $3.964 trillion, +0.9% from September 2018, +3.6% YTD(10 months), +4.5% from October 2017USFed PR link.

Fannie Mae(PBR20) says its US November 2018 Home Purchase Sentiment Index is at 86.2, October 2018 was at 85.7, September 2018 87.7, November 2017 87.8. “The HPSI has moved within a tight range over the past five months, as positive sentiment regarding the overall economy continued to offset cooling housing sentiment, …” $FNMA PR link.

The U of Michigan US Preliminary December 2018 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 97.5, November 2018 was at 97.5, October 201898.6, December 2017 95.9. “Consumer sentiment … has remained at very favorable levels since the start of 2017.” UMichigan PR link.

The Natl Retail Federation reports that monthly imports reach 2 million containers for first time as retailers continue rush to beat tariffs. NRF PR link.

***Thursday, December 6:

The November 2018 Snapshot 15 Summary:
The PBR1000 Top 5 by Market Capitalization
(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, Market Capitalization in billions):

1. Microsoft(PBR22 $MSFT), $852B
2. Apple(PBR4 $AAPL), $849B
3. Amazon(PBR8 $AMZN), $827B
4. Alphabet(PBR21 $GOOG), $761B
5. Berkshire Hathaway(PBR3 $BRK.B), $539B

Range: $852 billion to $0.04 billion
The PBR1000 Total: $26.383 trillion, +3.38% from 10/31/18, +2.30% from 12/29/17, +21.53% from 12/30/16
Average: $26.383 billion
Median: $7.86 billion

To get all 15 Snapshots and 27 rankings on The PBR1000 go to the Subscribe page.

IBM(PBR34) to sell its collaboration and on-premise marketing and commerce software products to India based HCL Technologies for $1.8 billion, to close mid 2019. $IBM PR link.

General Dynamics(PBR89) authorizes an additional 10 million shares repurchase program, balance available is now 12.1 million shares. $GD PR link.

Sears(PBR169 $SHLD) gets $4.6 billion bid to be bought out by Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert’s hedge fund ESL InvestmentsMarketWatch PR link.

Lennar(PBR227) 1,300 associates $272.7 million in revenues in 2017 wholly owned subsidiary North American Title Group‘s underwriter and the majority of its retail title business to combine with Silicon Valley-based “insurtech” startup States Title that uses predictive analytics to underwrite the title on a property nearly instantaneously, Lennar to retain a minority interest, remaining part of NATG business to be named CalAtlantic Title$LEN PR link.

VF Corp(PBR249) spin-off independent public company to be named Kontoor Brands, Inc, will hold VF’s Jeans(Wrangler® and Lee® brands)and VF Outlet businesses in the denim category, to be completed in 1H19. $VFC PR link.

NCR(PBR414) completes $5.05 share, around $184 million acquisition of Allentown, PA-based $63.4 million in revenue in 2018 JetPay (NASDAQ: JTPY), a provider of end-to-end payment processing and Human Capital Management solutions. $NCR PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR443) acquires Boston Marks Insurance NZ in New Zealand, BMG Aviation in Australia and the book of business of Boston Marks Insurance Brokers in the UK; all part of the Boston Marks Group, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR81) Chairman Muhtar Kent to retire in 04/19 after 41 years with the company, President/CEO James Quincy to become Chairman/CEO after 04/19 annual meeting. $KO PR link.

QEP Resources(PBR931)Chairman/President/CEO Chuck Stanley to retire effective 01/14/19, hires Tim Cutt to be President/CEO, Lead Independent Director David A. Trice to become Chairman. $QEP PR link.

Northrop Grumman(PBR109) elects Lucy C. Ryan as Corporate VP/Communications. $NOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Z1 Report says US 3Q18 Networth of Households/Non-Profits is at $109.039 trillion, +1.9% from 2Q18, +8.2% from 3Q17USFed PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Revised 3Q18 Labor Productivity Output/Hour-All Personswas +1.9%, 2Q18 was +3.6%, 1Q18 +0.6%, 3Q17 +2.8%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the US October 2018 Total Exports were $211.1 billion, Total Imports $266.6 billion, Total Deficit $55.5 billion, October 2017 Total Deficit was $47.0 billion; US October 2018 YTD(10 months) Total Exports were $2.093 trillion, Total Imports$2.596 trillion, Total Deficit YTD $502.7 billion, October 2017 YTD Total Deficit was $451.2 billion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary October 2018 Manufacturing Durable Goods New Orders were at $249.0 billion, Non-Durable Goods $253.7 billion, Total Manufacturing New Orders $502.7 billion, -2.1% from September 2018, +6.9% from October 2018Total Manufacturing New Orders YTD(10 months) were at $4.993 trillion, +7.5% from October 2017 YTDUSDOC PR link.

ADP(PBR217) says US Preliminary November 2018 Private Sector Employment grew by 179,000, -20.4% from October 2018, -10.5% from November 2017. 46,000 new jobs came from Small Businesses(1-49 employees), 119,000 from Mid Size Businesses(50-499 employees), and 13,000 from Large Businesses(500 or more employees); 16,000 jobs came from the Goods Producing Sector, and 163,000 jobs came from the Services Producing Sector$ADP PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says the US November 2018 Non-Manufacturing Index(>50 = Economy Growing) is at 60.7%, October 2018 was at 60.3%, September 201861.6%, November 2017 57.4%, “… represents continued growth in the non-manufacturing sector, at a slightly faster rate.” ISM PR link.

IHS Markit says the US November 2018 Composite PMI Output Index is at 54.7, October 2018 was at 54.9, September 201853.9, November 2017 54.5, “The
overall expansion in the US private sector was strong overall, despite slower rates of growth in both the manufacturing and service sectors.” IHS Markit PR link.

***Wednesday, December 5:

***A National Day of Mourning:
Remembering George HW Bush,
41st President of the United States.

US Stock Exchanges Closed,
US Federal Agencies Closed. ***

November 2018 Snapshot 13 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers since 12/30/16(23 months) (Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 11/30/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 12/30/16):

1. Square(PBR845 $SQ), $69.84, +412%
2. Weight Watchers(PBR974 $WTW), $50.02, +337%
3. Crocs(PBR1000 $CROX), $27.80, +305%
4. RH(PBR803 $RH), $116.14, +278%
5. BlueLinx(PBR895 $BXC), $27.10, +263%

Range: +412% to -96%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:622/993
Average: +18.08%
Median: +9.02%
DJIA: +22.09%
NASDAQ: +36.18%
SPX: +23.29%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 November 2018 Top 5 Stocks by Market Capitalization.

CVS Health(PBR7) introduces Guaranteed Net Cost pricing model incorporates rebates that simplifies the financial arrangements underlying Pharmacy Benefit Management contracts. $CVS PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21)’s Waymo unit now piloting its Waymo One commercial self-driving service. $GOOG PR link.

American Airlines(PBR63) launches its first-ever biometric boarding pilot program, a one-stop facial recognition scan, is at Los Angeles International Airport(LAX), 90 day pilot. $AAL PR link.

Facebook(PBR68) responds to Six4Three, creators of the Pikinis app, documents and emails mentioned in the British Parliamentinvestigation. A link to Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook post is included at the bottom. $FB PR link.

Dollar General(PBR118) says that for the 52-week fiscal year ending 01/31/20 (“fiscal year 2019”), the Company plans to execute approximately 2,075 real estate projects, including 975 new store openings, 1,000 mature store remodels, and 100 store relocations. $DG PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR124) unveils newest generation in the 8 Mobile Platform Series, the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 855 Mobile Platform, world’s first commercial mobile platform supporting multi-gigabit 5G, industry-leading AI and immersive extended reality (XR) collectively. $QCOM PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR128) completes sale of its majority owned railcar manufacturer subsidiary American Railcar Industries(NASDAQ: ARII) for $70.00/share, $1.75 billion, to ITE Management LP subsidiary ITE Rail Fund$IEP PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR128) selling its 77% stake in majority-owned subsidiary Ferrous Resources Limited to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brazil based Vale SA, for around $550 million, includes debt, to close in 2019. $IEP PR link.

TravelCenters(PBR450) completes $330.8 million sale of its 225 convenience stores Minit Mart non-core business to EG Group$TA PR link.

LAM Research(PBR520) CEO Martin Anstice resigns per continuing investigation into allegations of misconduct in the workplace and conduct inconsistent with the company’s core values, does not involve financial systems, gets no severance pay, President/COO Tim Archer named President/CEO effective immediately. $LRCX PR link.

Gannett(PBR691) President/CEO Robert J. Dickey to retire upon appoint of succcessor but no later than 05/07/19. $GCI PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases the Beige Book, “Most of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts reported that their economies expanded at a modest or moderate pace from mid-October through late November, though both Dallas and Philadelphia noted slower growth compared with the prior Beige Book period.” USFed PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR38) says “… housing stock is well short of what the US needs … if supply continues to fall short of demand, home prices and rents are likely to outpace income and household formation will fail to reach potential.” $FMCC PR link.

***Tuesday, December 4:

The November 2018 Snapshot 12 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 YTD(11 months) Stock Performers (Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 11/30/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 12/29/17):

1. BlueLinx(PBR895 BXC), $27.10, +178%
2. Fossil(PBR738 $FOSL), $19.33, +149%
3. Crocs(PBR1000 $CROX), $27.80, +120%
4. SeaWorld(PBR982 $SEAS), $28.48, +110%
5. Genesis Healthcare(PBR486 $GEN), $1.59, +109%

Range: +178% to -91%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:419/1,000
Average: -1.24%
Median: -4.47%
DJIA: +3.31%
NASDAQ: +6.19%
SPX: +3.24%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers Since 12/30/16(23 months).

Kroger(PBR18) to expand pilot of Kroger Express with 2,300 items in 13 N Kentucky Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR19) stores, announces Home Chef Express meal kits, with each kit serving 2 at $8.50/serving, now available in 65 Chicago area Walgreens stores. $KR PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21 $GOOG)’s Google unit suspends China developed Cheetah, Kika apps over ad-fraud allegations. MarketWatch PR link.

Microsoft(PBR22) expanding its Microsoft Airband Initiative to make broadband available to 2 million people in rural areas to 3 million by 07/04/22. $MSFT PR link.

Northrop Grumman(PBR111) authorizes additional $3 billion for its share repurchase program, balance available is now $4.1 billion. $NOC PR link.

PACCAR(PBR150) authorizes new $500 million share repurchase program, to start upon completion of current $300 million authorization, which has $124.8 million available. $PCAR PR link.

Wellcare Health Plans(PBR166) completes acquisition of CVS Health(PBR7)’s Aetna 2 million members Medicare Part D unit, Aetna will provide administrative services to, and assume the financial risk of, the Aetna Part D plans through the end of plan year 2019, Wellcare to recognize revenue starting in 2020. $WCG PR link.

CarMax(PBR202) rollout of a new customer-driven buying experience launching first in Atlanta, GA, with plans to scale nationwide. For the first time, CarMax customers will have a choice as to how they want to buy a car – from home, in-store, or a seamless combination of both in less than 30 minutes. $KMX PR link.

MasterCard(PBR233) authorizes new up to $6.5 billion share repurchase program of its Class Astock, will be effective upon completion of current $4 billion authorization which has $470 million remaining. $MA PR link.

WellTower(PBR405) announces new off-market investment volume of $1.0 billion at a blended cap rate of 6.4% comprised of 11 separate Seniors Housing and Medical Officetransactions. $WELL PR link.

YUM!(PBR459)’s Pizza Hut subsidiary to acquire online ordering software and service provider for the restaurant industry QuikOrder, already used for 50% of Pizza Hut sales, in use for around 20 years, to close in 12/18, terms not disclosed. $YUM PR link.

Windstream(PBR461) achieves 500,000 seat milestone with its cloud-based communications solutions, a 20% increase year over year growth rate. $WIN PR link.

Pyxus(PBR894) joint venture, Criticality, an integrated N Carolina-based industrial hemp company operating under N Carolina’s industrial hemp pilot program, has launched “Korent,” its new line of cannabidiol (CBD) oil products$PYX PR link.

Humana(PBR54) hires Vishal Agrawal, MD, as Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer, realigning its Care Delivery Organization under the leadership of CFO Brian Kane. $HUM PR link.

AIG(PBR57) promotes Mark D. Lyons to EVP/CFO, succeeds Sid Sankaran. $AIG PR link.

Sealed Air(PBR540) hires Angel Willis as VP/General Counsel and Secretary, effective 01/07/19. $SEE PR link.

CIT Group(PBR811) hires Robert Rubino as President/CIT Bank, N.A., the banking subsidiary of CIT, and head of Commercial Banking, effective 02/25/19. $CIT PR link.

The Purdue U/CME Group US November 2018 Ag Economy Barometer Composite Index(100=Unchanged) is at 134, October 2018 was at 136, September 2018 114, November 2017 128. “…producers still have a relatively optimistic view of the future … expressed concern about Congress’ failure to pass a new Farm Bill to replace the expired 2014 Farm Bill.” Purdue U/CME Group PR link.

***Monday, December 3:

The November 2018 Snapshot 11 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Performers(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 11/30/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 10/31/18):

1. Sears(PBR168 $SHLDQ), $0.34, +70%
2. Eastman Kodak(PBR945 $KODK, $3.94, +61%
3. Community Health(PBR153 $CYH), $4.75, +50%
4. Newell Brands(PBR196 $NWL, $23.40, +47%
5. Hertz Global(PBR323 $HTZ), $18.71, +36%

Range: +70% to -64%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:647/1,000
Average: +2.81%
Median: +2.90%
DJIA: +1.68%
NASDAQ: +0.34%
SPX: +1.79%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers YTD.

ExxonMobil(PBR3) makes its 10th discovery offshore Guyana and increased its estimate of the discovered recoverable resource for the Stabroek Block to more than 5 billion oil-equivalent barrels. $XOM PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR120 $MAR) pledges to pay for new passports if fraud has taken place per hack reported on 11/30/18. MarketWatch PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR139) to transfer $3.8 billion of US pension obligations through a full termination of its US Retirement Income Plan$BMY PR link.

PPG(PBR193) will implement a 10% price increase on all of its industrial coatings products globally effective 01/01/19, cites unprecedented cost pressures. $PPG PR link.

Lennar(PBR227) completes sale of its Rialto Investment and Asset Management business to Stone Point Capital for $340 million. $LEN PR link.

Navistar(PBR332 $NAV) Defense unit to get 70% majority interest acquisition by Cerberus Capital Management, to close by end of 2018. http://bit.ly/NAVhl03Cerberus PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR441) acquires a 40% equity stake in Indonesian insurance broker and risk management services provider PT IBS Insurance Broking Service, as well as 100% of reinsurance broker, IBS Re Singapore, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR473) completes $400 million acquisition of Shoal Creek metallurgical coal mine from private coal producer Drummond Co, located on the Black Warrior River in Central Alabama, serves Asian and Europeansteel mills with high-vol A coking coal, sold 2.1 million tons in 2017. $BTU PR link.

Hub Group(PBR583) completes $255 million cash acquisition of 280 employees consolidation services to consumer packaged goods companies selling into the N American retail market and truck brokerage services provider CaseStack$HUBG PR link.

FMC(PBR722) authorizes new $1 billion share buyback program, expects to be completed by mid 2020. $FMC PR link.

Trimble(PBR751) reinstates share repurchase program, was on temporarily on hold during Viewpoint acquisition, has about $392 million available. $TRMB PR link.

ResMed(PBR815) to acquire private Madison, WI, based digital therapeutics for people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma provider Propeller Healthfor $225 million. $RMD PR link.

Crocs(PBR1000) to repurchase half of the outstanding Preferred Shares owned by Blackstone(PBR386), representing approximately 6.9 million common shares on an as-converted basis, for $183.7 million, or $26.64 per share. Blackstone will immediately convert its remaining Preferred Shares into approximately 6.9 million shares of the Company’s common stock and has agreed not to sell or transfer those shares to a third party for approximately nine months for which Crocs will pay Blackstone $15 million, Blackstone director nominations to move from two to one. $CROX PR link.

CenterPoint Energy(PBR297) President/CEO Scott M. Prochazka upon completion of $72/share, $6 billion acquisition of Vectren(PBR756) will be appointed to the same role for the combined company, other executives named, to close in 1Q19. $CNP PR link.

Deere & Co(PBR95) SVP/Power Systems, Worldwide Parts Services, Advanced Technology and Engineering, and Global Supply Management and Logistics Jean Gilles to retire after 38 years with Deere, effective 01/11/19, current executives named to add these responsibilities to their roles. $DE PR link.

Patterson Cos(PBR471) hires Tony Pellegrin as VP/Business Development, Mergers and Acquisitions. $PDCO PR link.

E*Trade(PBR811) promotes Chad Turner to CFO, will report to COO Mike Pizzi. $ETFC PR link.

Hexcel(PBR872) hires Colleen Pritchett as President/Aerospace, Americas. $HXL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary October 2018 Total Residential Construction Spending Annual Rate was at $545.1 billion, Total Non-Residential Annual Rate at $763.8 billion, for Total Construction Spending Annual Rate of $1.309 trillion, -0.2% from September 2018, +4.9% from October 2017USDOC PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says The US November 2018 Manufacturing PMI Index(>50% economy is expanding) is at 59.3%, October 2018 was at 57.7%, September 2018 59.8%, November 2017 58.2%, “Comments from the panel reflect continued expanding business strength…” ISM PR link.

IHS Markit says the US November 2018 US Manufacturing PMI is at 55.3, October 2018was 55.7, September 2018 55.6, November 2017 53.9, “… survey data signalled a solid improvement in operating conditions across the U.S. manufacturing sector …” IHS Markit PR link.

MNI Indicators says the US November 2018 Chicago Business Barometer(>50 is gaining)is at 66.4, October 2018 58.4, September 201860.4, November 2017 63.9,
“Business activity recorded its most impressive performance so far this year in November, ending a three-month run of declines.” MNI Indicators PR link.

Automotive News says US November 2018 Number of New Light Vehicles Sold was at 1,392,244, -0.5% from November 2017Average Transaction Price(per ALG) was $34,438, +1.7% from November 2017YTD(11 months) Total Sold is at 15,695,288, +0.4% from November 2017New Light Vehicles Sold Annual Rate is at 17,550,000. “U.S. light-vehicle sales slipped 0.5 percent in November as robust fleet shipments by some automakers failed to offset slumping demand for passenger cars.” Automotive News PR link.

***Friday, November 30:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week and Month Ending 11/30/18:

DJIA ends the week and month at 25,538.46, +5.16% from last Friday, +1.68% MTD, -3.48% QTD, +3.31% YTD, -4.81% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends the week and month at 7,330.54, +5.64% from last Friday, +0.34% MTD, -8.90% QTD, +6.19% YTD, -9.61% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends the week and month at 2,760.16, +4.85% from last Friday, +1.79% MTD, -5.28% QTD, +3.24% YTD, -5.82% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

The Stock Market Bull returned with a vengence after the embarrassing loss last week to The Stock Market Bear, and more than made up for the difference. With a resounding 3-0 victory The Stock Market Bull wins both the week and month.

The Month 11 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 6 months
The Stock Market Bear: 3 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

The Week 48 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 20 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 18 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

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, 27 rankings, and over 200 fields of data and information on each company. Click here to find out more! 

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The PBR1000 November 2018 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

November 2018 The PBR1000: The Stock Market Bull Comes From Behind

It was a wild ride in a volatile November as The Stock Market Bull pulls out a come from behind victory.

By Larry C. Paxton

It was the second month of Stock Market volatility even though the US economy again indicated good growth. There were also more mixed corporate earnings reportsUS/China trade issues remain unresolved even though there seems to be some hope that they will be soon, the intensely negative US general elections have resulted in a divided Congress but there is relief that the ordeal is over, energy and tech stocks tumbled, but retail had record results from the Black Friday through Cyber Monday to kick off the holiday season, perhaps a result of rising wages and consumer optimism.

The Stock Market Bull prevailed with a big comeback in the last week of November to take the month. He heads into the last month of 2018 with the lead, but The Stock Market Bear is unlikely to give up and will battle to the end.

Month 11 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 6 months
The Stock Market Bear: 3 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

Week 48 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 20 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 18 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

The November 2018 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 21

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

Record Days: None

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4 days(11/05-08/18), NASDAQ 3 days(10/30/18-11/01/18, 11/16-20/18), SPX 3 days(10/30/18-11/01/18, 11/05-07/18, 11/26-29/18)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4 days(11/09-14/18), NASDAQ 3 days(11/08-12/18, 11/16-20/18), SPX 5 days(11/08-14/18)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 5 days(11/01/18(D, +1.06%; N, +1.75%; S, +1.06%), 11/07/18(D, +2.13%; N, +2.64%; S, +2.12%), 11/15/18(N, +1.72%; S, +1.06%), 11/26/18(D, +1.46%; N, +2.06%; S, +1.55%), 11/28/18(D, +2.50%, N, +2.95%; S, +2.30%))

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 3 days(11/02/18(N, -1.04%), 11/09/18(N, -1.65%), 11/12/18(D, -2.23%; N, -2.78%; S, -1.97%))

The PBR1000 November 2018 Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 November 2018 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on November 30, 2018Month % Chg is compared to October 31, 2018YTD % Chg is compared to December 29, 2017, and the 23 Months % Chg is compared to December 30, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 12 month subscription and automatically download the November 2018 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 27 rankings and the bonus The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +70% to -64%647 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 2.81%, the median was a gain of 2.90%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
11/30/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
Sears
168 SHLD $ 0.34 +70 -91 -96
Eastman Kodak
945 KODK $ 3.94 +61 +27 -75
Community Health
153 CYH $ 4.75 +50 +12 -15
Newell Brands
196 NWL $ 23.40 +47 -24 -48
Hertz Global
323 HTZ $ 18.71 +36 -15 -13

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +178% to -91%419 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of 1.24%, the median was a loss of -4.47%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
11/30/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
BlueLinx 895 BXC $ 27.10 +15 +178 +263
Fossil 738 FOSL $ 19.33 -11 +149 -25
Crocs 1000 CROX $ 27.80 +35 +120 +305
SeaWorld 982 SEAS $ 28.48 +9 +110 +50
Genesis Healthcare 486 GEN $ 1.59 +3 +109 -63

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 23 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +412% to -96%622 out of 993 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 18.08%. The median was a gain of 9.02%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
11/30/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
Square 845 SQ $ 69.84 -5 +101 +412
Weight Watchers 974 WTW $ 50.02 -24 +13 +337
Crocs 1000 CROX $ 27.80 +35 +120 +305
RH 803 RH $ 116.14 +0 +35 +278
BlueLinx 895 BXC $ 27.10 +15 +178 +263

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $852 billion to $0.04 billion. The average is $26.383 billionmedian is $7.86 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
11/30/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
Microsoft
22 MSFT $ 852 B +7 +29 +76
Apple 2 AAPL $ 849 B -18 -3 +37
Amazon 8 AMZN $ 827 B +11 +49 +132
Alphabet 21 GOOG $ 761 B +5 +4 +43
Berkshire Hathaway 4 BRKB $ 539 B +7 +10 +34
The PBR1000
  $ 26,383 B +3 +2 +22

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
11/30/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 84,765.70 +2.8 -1.2 +18.1
DJIA 25,538.46 +1.7 +3.3 +29.2
NASDAQ 7,330.54 +0.3 +6.2 +36.2
S&P500 2,760.16 +1.8 +3.2 +23.3
GOLD 1,227.80 +0.7 -5.9 +6.6
SILVER 14.25 -0.4 -16.1 -10.9
OIL            50.72 -21.9 -15.6 -5.6

To order a 12 month subscription of The PBR1000 Snapshots go to the Subscribe page.

If you are not already receiving the popular and highly acclaimed The PBR1000 Weekly Breaking News Recap sign up for your free subscription on the Contact Us page.

Please use the Contact Us page if you are a The PBR1000 company and would like to increase your visibility to our worldwide base of shrewd investors.

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 $14 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 26 rankings, over 200 data/information points, hotlinks to key data, and important news items per company. This service is used by astute business professionals and shrewd investors worldwide.

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 a provider of news, data, and analysis, and is not a financial advisor firm.

(Graphic courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, hywards.)

Copyright © 2018 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, All Rights Reserved, 

www.PBRMarketTools.com

The PBR1000 October 2018 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

October 2018 The PBR1000: A Bear of a Month

The Stock Market Bear chewed and clawed away viciously to dominate October 2018. Investors are encouraged to hold on, but many wonder if this is the end of The Stock Market Bull run.

By Larry C. Paxton

Even though the US economy continued to be robust, with low unemployment and increasing wages starting to take effect, it was balanced out by a combination of mixed corporate earnings reports(especially by the tech sector), US/China trade issues, intensely negative US general elections campaigning, and perhaps just a weariness from the US stock market doing so well for so long. As a result, volatility reigned during the month.

The Stock Market Bear took advantage of the most volatile month of 2018 so far to easily win bragging rights for October and now threatens what was shaping up as another a good year.

Month 10 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 5 months
The Stock Market Bear: 3 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

Week 43 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 17 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 16 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

The October 2018 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 23

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 10+/13-; NASDAQ 8+/15-; SPX 7+/16-.

Record Days: DJIA 2, NASDAQ 0, SPX 0

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 5 days(09/27-10/03/18), NASDAQ 2 days(10/30-31/18), SPX 2 days(10/30-31/18)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3 days(10/09-11/18), NASDAQ 3 days(10/04-08/18, 10/17-19/18), SPX 6 days(10/04-11/18, 10/17-24/18)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 5 days(10/12/18(D, +1.15%; N, +2.29%; S, +1.42%), 10/16/18(D, +2.17%; N, +2.29%; S, +2.15%), 10/25/18(D, +1.63%; N, +2.95%; S, +1.86%), 10/30/18(D, +1.77%; N, +1.58%; S, +1.57%), 10/31/18(N, +2.01%; S, +1.09%))

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 8 days(10/04/18(N, -1.81%), 10/05/18(N, -1.16%), 10/10/18(D, -3.15%; N, -4.08%; S, -3.29%), 10/11/18(D, -2.13%; N, -1.25%; S, -2.06%), 10/18/18(D, -1.27%; N, -2.06%; S, -1.44%), 10/24/18(D, -2.41%; N, -4.43%; S, -3.09), 10/26/18(D, -1.19%; N, -2.07%; S, -1.73%), 10/29/18(N, -1.63%))

The PBR1000 October 2018 Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 October 2018 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on October 31, 2018Month % Chg is compared to September 28, 2018YTD % Chg is compared to December 29, 2017, and the 22 Months % Chg is compared to December 30, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 12 month subscription and automatically download the October 2018 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 26 rankings and the bonus The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +34% to -62%158 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of -8.00%%, the median was a loss of -8.33%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
10/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
Fred’s
899 FRED 2.74 +34 -32 -85
Esterline Tech
870 ESL 117.36 +29 +57 +32
Tesla Motors
249 TSLA 337.32 +27 +8 +58
Red Hat
713 RHT 171.64 +26 +43 +146
Twitter
802 TWTR 34.75 +22 +45 +113

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +179% to -90%383 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of 3.96%, the median was a loss of 5.38%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
10/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
Fossil 733 FOSL 21.71 -7 +179 -16
BlueLinx 892 BXC 23.55 -25 +141 +215
UNISYS 743 UIS 18.41 -10 +126 +23
Endo Intl 642 ENDP 16.94 +1 +119 +3
Square 843 SQ 73.45 -26 +112 +439

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 22 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +477% to -96%580 out of 993 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 14.76%. The median was a gain of 6.72%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
10/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
Weight Watchers 974 WTW 66.10 -8 +49 +477
Square 843 SQ 73.45 -26 +112 +439
RH 803 RH 115.71 -12 +34 +277
Systemax 980 SYX 32.31 -2 -3 +268
BlueLinx 892 BXC 23.55 -25 +141 +215

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $1,030 billion to $0.03 billion. The average is $25.610 billionmedian is $7.55 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
10/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
Apple
4 AAPL 1,030 -7 +18 +67
Microsoft 22 MSFT 796 -9 +21 +65
Amazon 8 AMZN 748 -24 +35 +110
Alphabet 21 GOOG 725 -13 -1 +36
Berkshire Hathaway 3 BRKB 502 -6 +2 +25
The PBR1000
  25,610 -8 -1 +18

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
10/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 82,552.72 -8.0 -4.0 +14.7
DJIA 25,115.76 -5.1 +1.6 +27.1
NASDAQ 7,305.90 -9.2 +5.8 +35.7
S&P500 2,711.74 -6.9 +1.4 +21.1
GOLD 1,219.00 +1.9 -6.6 +5.8
SILVER 14.31 -2.6 -15.8 -10.5
OIL            64.92 -11.8 +8.0 +20.9

To order a 12 month subscription of The PBR1000 Snapshots go to the Subscribe page.

If you are not already receiving the popular and highly acclaimed The PBR1000 Weekly Breaking News Recap sign up for your free subscription on the Contact Us page.

Please use the Contact Us page if you are a The PBR1000 company and would like to increase your visibility to our worldwide base of shrewd investors.

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 a provider of news, data, and analysis, and is not a financial advisor firm. 

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 $14 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 26 rankings, over 200 data/information points, hotlinks to key data, and important news items per company. This service is used by astute business professionals and shrewd investors worldwide.

(Graphic courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net, ddpavumba.)

Copyright © 2018 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, All Rights Reserved, 

www.PBRMarketTools.com, Sales@PBRMarketTools.com

The PBR1000 October 2018 Breaking News Recap

The PBR1000 October 2018 Breaking News Items

The US Capital Building will be the same, but what will be the mix of the people who work inside be like in the new year?

By Larry C. Paxton

October 2018 News Summary: Except for housing, the US economy continued to be robust and appears it will continue to be that way well into 2019. The US, Mexico, and Canada came together for a trade agreement to replace NAFTA, but a US/China deal made no progress, tariffs are being imposed and more threatened. Brexit, the Italian budget, new talks to be planned with N Korea, and some other international issues might have had an effect as well. The divisive and contentious US elections, compounded by the bizarre episode of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court weighed in. Hurricane Michael caused extensive damage throughout the Southeast US. Corporate earnings were mixed, and suddenly bond yields took an upward arc. October was a busy month for news, and sets the stage for the US elections to be held November 6th, remember to vote!

Here are The PBR1000 corporate, stock market, and economic related breaking news items of interest with hotlinks to the sources for October 2018, starting with the last active business day:

***Wednesday, October 31:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Month of October Ending 10/31/18:

DJIA ends October at 25,115.76, +1.73% from last Friday, -5.07% MTD/QTD, +1.60% YTD, -6.38% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends October at 7,305.90, +1.94% from last Friday, -9.20% MTD/QTD, +5.83% YTD, -9.91% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends October at 2,711.74, +2.00% from last Friday, -6.94 MTD/QTD, -+1.43% YTD, -7.47% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

October US Stock Exchanges Summary:‘Volatile’ is the word for October as stock exchanges had nearly half their days swing up or down by at least 1%, and mostly down. In the end The Stock Market Bear had a large margin 3-0 victoryfor the month.

The Month 10 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 5 months
The Stock Market Bear: 3 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

General Motors(PBR12 $GM) has offered voluntary buyout packages to about 18,000 salaried workers in N America in an effort to cut costs amid mounting pressures on the global auto business. MarketWatch PR link.

Sprint(PBR87) FY 2Q18 report shows total end of period connections on 09/30/18 at 54,547,000, is +520,000 from 09/30/17. $S PR link.

Estee Lauder(PBR216) authorizes additional 40 million shares repurchase program, increases the total authorization to 256 million shares, of which approximately 212 million have been repurchased to date. $EL PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR270) becomes multi-year official gaming partner of the New York Jets, includes fans access to a mobile play-along predictive game “I Called It presented by Play MGM.” $MGM PR link.

Pilgrim’s Pride(PBR271) authorizes $200 million share repurchase program, expires in 12 months. $PPC PR link.

Adobe Systems(PBR377) completes $4.75 billion acquisition of 5,000 customers cloud platform for B2B marketing engagement provider Marketo$ADBE PR link.

United Rentals(PBR408) completes $2.1 billion cash acquisition of 114 locations in 25 US states with 1,700 employees, $786 million revenue for 12 months ending 08/31/18 BlueLine Rentals$URI PR link.

Fiserv(PBR469) completes $690 million acquisition of the debit card processing, ATM Managed Services and MoneyPass®surcharge free network of Elan Financial Services, a unit of US Bancorp(PBR117), which does around $170 million/year in revenues. $FISV PR link.

Western Union(PBR475) to launch a new payment option in select countries that allows Amazon(PBR8) international shoppers to pay in person, in local currency where available, for their online purchases. $WU PR link.

Rush Enterprises(PBR526) authorizes new $150 million share repurchase program, replaces current program which had around $13 million remaining. $RUSHB PR link.

Quad/Graphics(PBR577) to acquire print and digital media solutions provider LSC Communications(PBR631) in all stock transaction valued at $1.4 billion, to close mid 2019. $QUAD PR link.

Valmont(PBR745) authorizes $250 million share repurchase program, to go into effect upon completion of current program which has $45 million left. $VMI PR link.

Barnes Group(PBR961) completes $430 million acquisition of privately held Italy based robotic grippers, advanced end-of-arm tooling systems, sensors and other automation components designer and developer Gimatic Srl$B PR link.

Southern Co(PBR119) PowerSecure Holdingsand its subsidiary, PowerSecure CEO Sidney Hinton retires, successor is SO Chairman/President/CEO Mark Lantrip, additional leadership named. $SO PR link.

Black Hills(PBR921) Chairman/CEO David Emery to retire as CEO on 12/31/18, be Executive Chairman until 05/01/20, President/COO Linden R. (“Linn”) Evans to be CEO successor on 01/01/19. $BKH PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR120) President/Managing Director of Europe Amy McPherson to retire by 03/31/19. $MAR PR link.

XPO Logistics(PBR182) hires Matthew Fassler as Chief Strategy Officer, effective 11/26/18, succeeds departing Scott Malat. $XPO PR link.

Brunswick(PBR535) hires Jason Worthy as President/Fitness, succeeds departed Jaime Irick, Fitness division on track to be a spin-off. $BC PR link.

Cincinnati Bell(PBR979) Chairman Phillip R. Cox to step down prior to 2019 shareholders annual meeting, Lynn A. Wentworth elected to be successor. $CBB PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says the US Debt Held By Public on 10/30/18 was at $15.847 trillion, Intragovernmental Holdings $5.853 trillion, Total National Debt $21.700 trillion, +0.9% from 09/28/18, +5.9% YTD, +6.2% from 10/31/17USTreasury PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US 10 Year Treasury Note Yield on 10/31/18 was 3.15%, 09/28/18 was 3.05%, 08/31/18 2.86%, 10/31/172.38%. USTreasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US 3Q18 Employment Cost Index for All Civilian Workers(12/2005=100) is at 134.3, 2Q18 was 133.3, 1Q18 132.5, 3Q17 130.6. USDOL PR link.

The US Energy Information Administrationsays the US Crude Oil Stocks on 10/26/18were at 426.0 million barrels of oil, +7.6% from 09/21/18, -6.8% from 10/20/17USEIA PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the 7th District Midwest Preliminary August 2018 Economic Index is at +0.37, July 2018was also +0.37, the August 2018 Relative Economic Index is at -0.06, July 2018 was +0.35. ChiFed PR link.

ADP(PBR217) says US October 2018 Change in Non-Farm Private Sector Employment was +227,000, +29,000 from Small Businesses(1-49 employees), +96,000 from Mid-Sized Businesses(50-499 employees), +102,000 from Large Businesses(500 or more employees). “Testimonial to the robust employment picture is the broad-based gains in jobs across industries. The only blemish is the struggles small businesses are having filling open job positions.” $ADP PR link.

The American Automobile Assn says the US Average Price of Regular Gas Per Gallon on 10/31/18 was at $2.801, -2.6% from 09/28/18, +13.5% from 10/31/17AAA PR link.

The Exchange Rate on 10/31/18 for $1 US for 1 Euro is $1.1345, -2.2% from 09/28/18, -2.6% from 10/31/17.

***Tuesday, October 30:

Walmart(PBR1) to introduce “Check Out With Me” service starting 11/01/18, will position associates in the busiest areas of its stores so customers can bypass regular checkout lines and pay for everything right in the department they are shopping. $WMT PR link.

Apple(PBR4 $AAPL) introduces new iPad Pro(starts at $799), iPad Pro PR link., all-new MacBook Air(starts at $1,199), MacBook Air PR link., and new Mac mini(starts at $799), Mac mini PR link.

GE(PBR18) releases 3Q18 report, will reduce quarterly dividend from $0.12/share to $0.01/share to retain around $3.9 billion, to reorganize Power unit into two units, a Gas unit, and a unit that includes Steam, Grid Solutions, Nuclear, and Power Conversion$GE PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21)’s Waymo unit gets California Dept of Motor Vehicles‘ first permit in the state to begin fully driverless testing on public roads, includes day and night testing on city streets, rural roads and highways with posted speed limits of up to 65 mph, and in fog and light rain, initially in the Mountain View area. $GOOG PR link.

Facebook(PBR69) in 3Q18 report says 3Q advertising revenues grew by 33% year over year, 2.27 billion monthly active users, +10% from 3Q17. $FB PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR70) reports it had 77.2 million customers at end of 3Q18, had 75.6 million at end of 2Q18, 70.7 million at end of 3Q17. $TMUS PR link.

Merck(PBR73) gets US FDA approval for KEYTRUDA, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with carboplatin and either paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel, for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). $MRK PR link.

Mondelez(PBR110) to launch in 11/18 an innovation hub called SnackFutures to capitalize on changing consumer trends and emerging growth opportunities in snacking around the world. $MDLZ PR link.

US Foods(PBR115) to build a 355,000 sf distribution center in McClellan, CA, to open by end of 2020, $71.6 million investment, will service independent restaurant operators across N California$USFD PR link.

Whirlpool(PBR138) to build new 798,000 sf Factory Distribution Center next to its manufacturing facilities in Tulsa, OK, which will employ an additional 150 people, $55 million investment, to open by 12/19. $WHR PR link.

WestRock(PBR192) gets US Dept of Justice approval for $35/share, $4.9 billion, includes $1.36 billion debt, acquisition of Kapstone(PBR666), a N Americanproducer/distributor of containerboard, corrugated products and specialty papers, including liner and medium containerboard, kraft papers and saturating kraft, last approval required, to close 11/02/18. $WRK PR link.

Chesapeake Energy(PBR302) to acquire WildHorse Resource Development Corporation (NYSE:WRD), an oil and gas company with operations in the Eagle Ford Shale and Austin Chalk formations in SE Texas, for around $3.977 billion cash and stock, to close 1H19. $CHK PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR328) says hedge fund investor Third Point proposal is an attempt to seize control of the Board, their plan is a cut and paste of CPB’s plan, encourages vote for current Board at annual meeting. $CPB PR link.

YUM China(PBR385) increases share repurchase program by $850 million, balance is now $1.4 billion. $YUMC PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR518) is the first gaming-entertainment company to sign deal with both an NBA and NHL team, the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, will open 5,000 sf premium dining facility in Prudential Center, through multi-year partnership with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment$CZR PR link.

McDermott Intl(PBR702) says storage tank business and its US pipe fabrication business are not core to the company, seeking buyers, combined revenues of $1.5 billion in 2017, has 5,350 employees. $MDR PR link.

Twitter(PBR794) in 3Q18 report says it had a 326 million monthly active users, 67 million users were in the US, advertising revenues up 29% year over year. $TWTR PR link.

Modine Manufacturing(PBR856) authorizes up to $50 million share repurchase program over next two years. $MOD PR link.

NuStar(PBR893) to sell its European terminals and related assets to Inter Pipeline for $270 million, to close in 4Q18. $NS PR link.

Take-Two Interactive(PBR898)’s Red Dead Redemption 2 has single-biggest opening weekend(Friday-Sunday) in the history of entertainment with over $725 million in worldwide retail sell-through during its first three days, and is second-highest grossing entertainment launch of all time next to Rockstar Games’ previously released title, Grand Theft Auto V, which had over $1 billion in retail sell-through in three days(started on a Tuesday). $TTWO PR link.

Schneider Natl(PBR550) President/CEO Chris Lofgren to retire after annual meeting in 04/19, EVP/COO Mark Rourke named successor. $SNDR PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US 3Q18 Total Housing Units were at 138.6 million, Occupied were 121.4 million, Ownerswere in 78.1 million, Renters in 43.3 million, Vacant 17.2 million, Home Ownership Rate at 64.4%, 2Q18 was 64.3%, 3Q17 63.9%. USDOC PR link.

The Conference Board says US Preliminary October Consumer Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 137.9, “Consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions remains quite positive, primarily due to strong employment growth…,” September 2018 was at 135.3. TCB PR link.

S&P/CoreLogic/Case-Shiller says US August 2018 National Home Price Index(01/2000=100)is at 205.81, July 2018 was 205.35, June 2018204.42, August 2017 194.59, August 2016183.79. Case-Shiller PR link.

***Monday, October 29:

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT)’s Jet.com e-commerce site to offer Blue Apron(NYSE: APRN) meal kits in greater NYC area. Blue Apron PR link.

IBM(PBR34) to acquire global open source cloud software provider Red Hat(PBR717) for $190.00/share, $34 billion cash, to close 2H19. $IBM PR link.

Pfizer(PBR55) enters into a non-exclusive clinical development agreement with Novartis (NYSE: NVS) to investigate one or more combination therapies for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) liver diseases. $PFE PR link.

Northrop Grumman(PBR111) to do $1 billion accelerated share repurchase program with Goldman Sachs(PBR88), 80% by 10/31/18, balance at start of 2019. $NOC PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR121) and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: DRNA) doing a global licensing and research collaboration focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of potential new medicines in the areas of cardio-metabolic disease, neurodegeneration and pain, will utilize Dicerna’s proprietary GalXC™ RNAi technology platform, Dicerna to receive $100 million cash up front plus $100 million investment plus up to $350 million for achieving certain milestones. $LLY PR link.

Booking(PBR223) invests $200 million and enters strategic partnership with leading online-to-offline mobile (O2O) mobile platform in 235 cities in 8 Southeast Asia countries with 8 million micro-entrepreneurs company Grab$BKNG PR link.

VF Corp(PBR249) completes sale of its Reef®footwear brand to The Rockport Group, terms not disclosed. $VFC PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR270) is National Hockey League‘s first sports betting partner in multi-year strategic relationship. $MGM PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR328) launches snack or pick-me-up Well Yes!® Sipping Soups, come in five flavors in convenient grab-and-go packaging, $1.99 suggested retail price. $CPB PR link.

LifePoint Health(PBR378) shareholders approve $65.00/share, $5.6 billion acquisition by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR765) and affiliates unit RCCH HealthCare Partners by end of 2018. $LPNT PR link.

BGC Partners(PBR668) to acquire UK based $100 million in revenues/2018 independent Lloyd’s of London insurance broker Ed Broking Group Limited, terms not disclosed. $BGC PR link.

EnerSys(PBR776) to acquire for $750 million certain assets of select entities belonging to Bellingham, WA, based global commercial-grade energy solutions for broadband, telecom, renewable, industrial and traffic customers provider Alpha Technologies, did $591 million for year ending 06/30/18. $ENS PR link.

SunPower(PBR878) is supplying 349 megawatts of SunPower high efficiency solar panels for the Limondale solar power plant, Australia‘s largest solar project to date, to be fully operational mid 2020. $SPWR PR link.

Hain Celestial(PBR796) hires Mark L. Schiller as President/CEO, effective 11/05/18, succeeds Chairman/President/CEO/Founder Irwin D Simon who will become Non-Executive Chairman. $HAIN PR link.

JCPenney(PBR229) hires Michael Fung as Interim CFO, succeeds Jerry Murray who will resume his responsibilities as SVP/Finance. $JCP PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) founder Elon Musk tweets that he has given up all his titles, is now ‘Nothing of Tesla,’ later tweet indicates he has retained President title. $TSLA PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says US Preliminary September 2018 Total Personal Income Annual Rate is at $17.726 trillion, +0.2% from August 2018, +7.2% from September 2017Personal Savings at $975.5 billion for a 6.2% Savings RateEffective Tax Rate at 11.7%. USDOC PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR38) October 2018 Forecastsays it expects US Gross Domestic Product annual rate to be 3.0% in 2018, 2.4% in 2019, 1.8% in 2020 as the effects of expansionary fiscal policy fade, forecasts average 2018 30 year fixed mortgage rate to be 4.5%, 20195.1%, 2020 5.6%, home prices to average+5.4% in 2018, +4.6% in 2019, 2.9% in 2020$FMCC PR link.

On Sunday, 10/28/18, the dominate major league baseball team throughout the season Boston Red Sox wins 5-1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers to take the World Series in the 5th gameMassLive PR link.

***Friday, October 26:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 10/26/18:

DJIA ends week at 24,688.31, -2.97% from last Friday, -6.69% MTD/QTD, -0.13% YTD, -7.98% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 7,167.21, -3.78% from last Friday, -10.93% MTD/QTD, +3.82% YTD, -11.62% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends week at 2,658.69, -3.94% from last Friday, -8.76 MTD/QTD, -0.56% YTD, -9.28% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

Weekly US Stock Exchanges Summary: It was a big week for The Stock Market Bear as his big bear hugs squeezed out gains year-to-date for the DJIA and SPX. The Stock Market Bullmade a brief appearance on Thursday, but made a big retreat on Friday. It was The Stock Market Bear all the way with a 3-0 victory, the 3rd week this month.

The Week 43 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 17 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 16 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

Weekly News Summary: Good economic news(3Q18 GDP 3.5%, low unemployment)and corporate earnings generally exceeding predictions were offset by a technology sectorrout, uncertainties in global and US politics and trade policies. and perhaps the need for a much overdue correction after a prolonged bull market of many years.

Facebook(PBR69) removes 82 Pages, Groups and accounts for coordinated inauthentic behavior that originated in Iran and targeted people in the US and UK$FB PR link.

Conagra Brands(PBR346) completes $68/share, $10.9 billion cash/stock, includes net debt, acquisition of Pinnacle Foods(PBR694)$CAG PR link.

Greenbrier(PBR840) and Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Railway Company form $270 million joint venture for railway projects and to supply railcars for profitable growth of the Saudi freight rail market. $GBX PR link.

AGCO(PBR335) SVP/Global Crop Cycle and Fuse Connected Services Eric Hansotia becomes COO, a newly created position, on 01/01/19. $AGCO PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says US 3Q18 1st Estimate Gross Domestic Product was at 3.5%, 2Q18 was 4.2%, 1Q18 2.2%, 3Q17 2.8%, 3Q18 Total Annual GDP 1st Estimate is $20.659 trillion, +1.2% from 2Q18, +5.5% from 3Q17USDOC PR link.

The U of Michigan US Final October 2018 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 98.6, “…has been higher thus far in 2018 (98.5) than in any prior year since 2000…,” September 2018 was 100.1, August 2018 96.2, October 2017 100.7. UMichigan PR link.

***Thursday, October 25:

Ford(PBR10) issuing a recall for approximately 1.5 million select 2012-18 Ford Focus vehicles equipped with 2.0-liter GDI and 2.0-liter GTDI engines for a malfunctioning canister purge valve, possible stall & restart issues, not aware of any accidents, injuries or fires as a result of this condition. $F PR link.

AIG(PBR58) Europe unit gets UK approval to split into two companies, one for the UK, another for Europe, in preparation for Brexit$AIG PR link.

Merck(PBR73) authorizes additional $10 billion share repurchase program, has entered into a $5 billion accelerated share repurchase program under its expanded authorization. $MRK PR link.

21st Century Fox(PBR92 $FOX) Fox News unit will debut its new on-demand subscription-based service Fox Nation on 11/27/18, with Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and Brit Hume to contribute programming, $5.99/mo or $64.00 /yr. MarketWatch PR link.

Thermo-Fisher Scientific(PBR138) completes $477 million cash acquistion of Becton Dickenson(PBR241)’s Advanced Bioprocessing business, does $100 million annually. $TMO PR link.

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR222) announces The Home Depot(PBR23) will be exclusive home improvement retailer for its STANLEY hand tools and storage product portfolio, and across the STANLEY FATMAX tape measure brand, both in store and online, beginning in 2019. $SWK PR link.

LKQ(PBR295) authorizes up to $500 million share repurchase program through 10/25/21. $LKQ PR link.

Mohawk Industries(PBR305) authorizes up to $500 million share repurchase program. $MHK PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR328) Chairman Les Vinney issues letter to shareholders about upcoming annual meeting, says recent investor hedge fund Third Point nominees for board are not qualified, reiterates strategic plan of 08/30/18, including being open to selling company. $CPB PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR328 $CPB) gets sued in New Jersey Superior Court by hedge fund investor Third Point over ‘misinformation’ in proxy fight. MarketWatch PR link.

Green Plains(PBR634) enters into a stock purchase agreement with Kerry Group to sell the Fleischmann’s Vinegar Company for $350 million cash. $GPRE PR link.

Brunswick(PBR535) Chairman/CEO Mark Schwabero to retire by 12/31/18, will be succeeded by President/Brunswick Marine Consumer Solutions and Chief Technology Officer David Foulkes, Manny Fernandez, lead independent director, will become non-executive chairman, upon Schwabero’s retirement. $BC PR link.

PriceSmart(PBR709) President/CEO Jose Luis Laparte resigns, terms being finalized, Founder/Chairman Robert Price made Executive Chairman, board member Sherry S. Bahrambeygui to serve as Interim CEO, effective immediately. $PSMT PR link.

Spectrum Brands(PBR529) promotes Randal D. Lewis to the newly created position of SVP/COO. $SPB PR link.

BGC Partners(PBR668) CFO Steven R. McMurray to resign, effective 12/15/18, EVP/COO Sean A. Windeatt to add Interim CFO to his responsibilities until new CFO on board. $BGC PR link.

TripAdvisor(PBR942) hires Lindsay Nelson as President/Core Experience (CoreX) business unit, effective 10/30/18. $TRIP PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the US 4 Week Moving Average Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims on 10/20/18 was at 211,750, +2.7% from 09/22/18, -11.7% from 10/21/17Insured Unemployment Rate on 10/13/18 was 1.1%, 09/15/18 was 1.2%, 10/14/17 1.4%. USDOL PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR38) says US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate on 10/25/18 was at 4.86% with 0.5 points/fees, “…expect rates to continue to rise, which will put downward pressure on homebuying activity…,” 09/27/18 was 4.72%, 08/30/18 4.52%, 10/26/17 3.94%. $FMCC PR link.

***Wednesday, October 24:

ExxonMobil(PBR2 $XOM) lawsuit filed against it by the New York Attorney General alleging that the company misled investors regarding the risk that climate change regulations posed to its business, says former Chairman/CEO Rex Tillerson knew of misrepresentations for years.NY Attorney General PR link.

Kraft Heinz(PBR106) to sell $150 million in revenues/year Indian brands Complan, Glucon-D, Nycil and Sampriti to Zydus Cadila for approximately $625 million on a debt free and cash free basis, to close in 1Q19. $KHC PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) reports first profit, $312 million net income on $6.824 billion total revenues for 3Q18, Model 3 was the best-selling car in the US in terms of revenue and the 5th best-selling car in terms of volume, averaged 4,300 Model 3s/wk production. $TSLA PR link.

Ameren(PBR439) Missouri subsidiary gets certificate of convenience and necessity to acquire, after construction, a 400-megawatt facility to be located in Schuyler and Adair counties in northeast Missouri, will be largest wind facility in the state. $AEE PR link.

Wells Fargo(PBR27) says Chief Administrative Officer Hope Hardison and Chief Auditor David Julian have begun leaves of absence, will no longer be members of the company’s Operating Committee, leaves relate to previously disclosed ongoing reviews by regulatory agencies in connection with historical retail banking sales practices, makes several key leadership appointments. $WFC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Beige Book for data from 09/01/18 through 10/15/18 says economic activity expanded across the US, with the majority of Federal Reserve Districts reporting modest to moderate growth. New York and St. Louis indicated slight growth, overall, while Dallas reported robust growth driven by strong manufacturing, retail, and nonfinancial services activity. USFed PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says US Preliminary September 2018 New Family Homes Sold Annual Rate was at 553,000, -5.5% from August 2018, -13.2% from September 2017; the September 2018 Median Price was $377,200, -1.9% from August 2018, -0.6% from September 2017; the September 2018 New Homes Available was at 327,000, +2.8% from August 2018, +16.8% from September 2017September 2018 Months Supply was at 7.1, August 2018 was 6.5, September 2017 5.3. USDOC PR link.

The ADP(PBR217) 3Q18 US Workforce Vitality Report says Wage Growth was at 3.5%, +0.7% from 3Q17, Wage Level at $27.81/hr, +$0.95 from 3Q17, Employment Growth at +1.7%, -0.3% from 3Q17, Turnover Rate at 65.9, +6.3% from 3Q17. $ADP PR link.

The US Federal Drug Administration approves Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza (flu) in patients 12 years of age and older who have been symptomatic for no more than 48 hours, first new antiviral flu treatment with a novel mechanism of action approved by the FDA in nearly 20 years, not a substitute for annual flu vaccinations, approval granted to Shionogi & Co., Ltd under Priority Review program. USFDA PR link.

***Tuesday, October 23:

Walmart(PBR1) to add millions more items to its Walmart.com shopping that will include free 2 day shipping on orders over $35 with no membership fees, returns online or at most stores, starts in 11/18. $WMT PR link.

Amazon(PBR8) Business launches new Business Prime benefits for businesses of all sizes in the US, Germany and Japan, in US includes 5% Back or 90-Day terms on eligible purchases with the new Amazon Business American Express Card$AMZN PR link.

Verizon(PBR16) ends 3Q18 with 116,871,000 retail prepaid and post paid connections, +1.4% from 3Q17. $VZ PR link.

Kroger(PBR17) to hire 10,000+ seasonal associates coast to coast. $KR PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR36) to acquire Ci:z Holdings Co(TYO: 4924), a Japanesemarketing, development and distribution company of a broad range of dermocosmetic, cosmetic and skincare products for around $51.75/share, $2 billion, tender offer to be completed in 1H19. $JNJ PR link.

Target(PBR39) offering same-day delivery through ShiptDrive-Up service expanded to 1,000 stores, free 2-day delivery with no minimum or membership requirement on hundreds of thousands of items from 11/01/18 through 12/22/18. $TGT PR link.

Medtronic(PBR94) gets US FDA approval for Valiant Navion(TM) Thoracic Stent Graft System$MDT PR link.

Arconic(PBR215 $ARNC) attempt to auction itself hits snag over Grenfell Tower liability.MarketWatch PR link.

Becton Dickenson(PBR241) to invest $200 million for facilities in Nebraska, create 300 jobs statewide. $BDX PR link.

Tesla(PBR250)‘s Chairman/CEO Elon Musk tweet says “To simplify production, many Tesla Model S & X interior configs, will no longer be available after Nov 1.” $TSLA PR link.

Conagra Brands(PBR346) $68/share, $10.9 billion cash/stock, includes net debt, acquisition of Pinnacle Foods(PBR694) gets Pinnacle Foods shareholders approval, to close 10/26/18. $CAG PR link.

Tapestry(PBR459)’s Coach unit commits to fur-free policy by launch of collection for Fall 2019. $TPR PR link.

Harley-Davidson(PBR470) notifies dealers of a voluntary safety recall for a hydraulic clutch assembly on all model year 2017 and 2018 Touring, Trike and CVO Touring models and certain 2017 Softail models, includes approximately 238,300 motorcycles globally, estimates total cost to be approximately $35 million, will be charged to 4Q18. $HOG PR link.

Essendant(PBR507) $12.80/share, $996 million cash, includes net debt, acquisition by Staplestender offer extended to 11/05/18, 62.5% of shares have been tendered. $ESND PR link.

Sprouts(PBR529) opens 30 stores in 2018, to open 30 more in 2019, operates 300+ stores in 19 states, planning expansion into more states. $SFM PR link.

First Solar(PBR715) to develop and build the 58 megawatt (AC) Cove Mountain Solar Projectnear Enterprise, UT, will provide 100% of power for Facebook(PBR69)’s Prineville, OR, Data Center through a power purchase agreement with PacifiCorp$FSLR PR link.

Guess?(PBR812) to partner with I:CO®, short for I:Collect, to launch its RESOURCEDnationwide wardrobe recycling program starting 10/23/18, will expand US-wide and globally by 2020. $GES PR link.

Rollins(PBR925) to do 3 for 2 stock split, will be distributed on 12/10/18, to stockholders of record at the close of business on 11/09/18. $ROL PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR389) hires Johanna Faries as new Head of Product for the Call of Duty® World League eSports. $ATVI PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says US Fifth District October 2018 Manufacturing Index(Annualized) is at 15%, indicates manufacturing activity expanded moderately, September 2018 was 29%, August 2018 24%, October 2017 12%. RichmondFed PR link.. The US Fifth District October 2018 Service Sector Revenue Index(Annualized) is at -1%, indicates service sector activity softened, its first negative reading since November 2013, September 2018 was 18%, August 2018 31%, October 2017 24%. RichmondFed PR link.

***Monday, October 22:

Icahn Enterprises(PBR128) to sell its majority owned railcar manufacturer subsidiary American Railcar Industries(NASDAQ: ARII) for $70.00/share, $1.75 billion, to ITE Management LP subsidiary ITE Rail Fund, to close 4Q18. $IEP PR link.

United Natural Foods(PBR283) completes $2.9 billion cash, includes debt, acquisition of SuperValu(PBR205), plans to divest SUPERVALU retail assets over time. $UNFI PR link.

Jacobs Engineering(PBR290) to sell its Energy, Chemicals and Resources (ECR)segment to WorleyParsons Limited (ASX: WOR) for $3.3 billion, consisting of $2.6 billion in cash and $700 million in WorleyParsons ordinary shares, to close 1H19. $JEC PR link.

eBay(PBR299) launches Instant Selling for consumers to instantly sell their smartphones. $EBAY PR link.

NCR(PBR414) to acquire Allentown, PA-based $63.4 million in revenue in 2018 JetPay (NASDAQ: JTPY), a provider of end-to-end payment processing and Human Capital Management solutions , for $5.05 share, around $184 million, by end of 2018. $NCR PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR441) acquires Issaquah, WA-based independent international benefits broker Richter International Consulting, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

KKR(PBR679)’s Japan unit Calsonic Kansei to acquire automotive component supplier Magneti Marelli from Fiat Chrysler for $7.1 billion, creates 7th largest auto parts company in the world. $KKR PR link.

SemGroup(PBR866) completes $350 million sale of a 49% interest in Maurepas Pipeline to Alinda Capital Partners$SEMG PR link.

Brown & Brown(PBR877) to acquire Minneapolis, MN, 700 risk management and employee benefits professionals in 32 locations across 21 states $200 million/year US insurance broker Hays Companies, terms not disclosed. $BRO PR link.

Kimberly-Clark(PBR155) Chairman/CEO Thomas Falk to become Executive Chairman on 01/01/19, President/COO Mike Hsu to become CEO. $KMB PR link.

Celgene(PBR219) hires Dr. Alise Reicin as President/Global Clinical Development, effective 11/01/18. $CELG PR link.

Medtronic(PBR94) co-founder Earl Bakken passes away at age 94. $MDT PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the US Preliminary September 2018 National Activity Index is at +0.17, “… points to a moderation of economic growth…,”August 2018was +0.27, July 2018 +0.18, September 2017+0.18. ChiFed PR link.

***Friday, October 19:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 10/19/18:

DJIA ends week at 25,444.34, +0.41% from last Friday, -3.83% MTD/QTD, +2.93% YTD, -5.16% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 7,449.03, -0.64% from last Friday, -7.42% MTD/QTD, +7.90% YTD, -8.15% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends week at 2,767.78, +0.02% from last Friday, -5.02 MTD/QTD, +3.52% YTD, -5.56% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

Weekly US Stock Exchanges Summary:Looking at the final changes for the week you would not have guessed that The Stock Market Bull and The Stock Market Bear had some major tussles during the week. In the end The Stock Market Bull barely eked out a 2-1 edge, and the dramatic week ends mixed.

The Week 42 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 17 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 15 weeks
Mixed Results: 10 weeks

Weekly News Summary: Economic newscontinued to be mostly positive except for housing; the FOMC indicated strongly that it plans to continue raising federal funds rates; consumer and business sentiment indiceswere positive, but slipping a slight bit. Corporate earnings reports generally exceeded expectations. Foreign issues, like the suspected killing of a Saudi Arabia/American journalist in Turkey, Brexit problems, Italian budget challenges, ongoing US/China trade relations continue to have an impact; the clean up of significant devastation from Hurricane Michael across the Southeast US has started. The US general election campaigns are acrimonious at best. A lot is on the line, and what is RealNews and FakeNews is sometimes difficult to discern when watching debates. Be prepared for last minute revelations and surprises.

Intel(PBR45)’s 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-9900K processor sets 16 benchmark records, including a world record, as part of extreme overclocking demonstration. $INTC PR link.

Honeywell(PBR71) in 3Q18 10-Q report revises asbestos-related liability to $2.6 billion, up from previous $1.1 billion estimate, from its Bendix Friction Materials business which was sold in 2014. $HON PR link.

Energy Transfer Equity(PBR72) completes acquisition of Energy Transfer Partners(NYSE: ETP) in simplification transaction, changes name to Energy Transfer LP, trading symbol changed from ETE to NYSE: ET$ET PR link.

Abbott(PBR104) gets US FDA approval for the HeartMate 3™ Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) as a destination therapy for patients living with advanced heart failure not eligible for a transplant who will live with their device for the rest of their lives. $ABT PR link.

PNM Resources(PBR959) to purchase 100 megawatts of solar generation from NM Renewable Development in order to continue serving the Facebook(PBR69) data center in New Mexico with 100% renewable energy. $PNM PR link.

United Natural Foods(PBR309)‘s Steve Spinner to remain Chairman/CEO upon $32.50/share, $2.9 billion cash, includes debt, acquisition of SuperValu(PBR205 $SUV), management team members named. $UNFI PR link.

21st Century Fox(PBR92) new “Fox” that will be spun-off hires Charlie Collier as CEO of Entertainment, effective 11/01/18. $FOX PR link.

AbbVie(PBR102) EVP/CFO William Chase to retire mid 2019, is appointed EVP/Finance & Administration, VP/Controller Robert Michael promoted to SVP/CFO. $ABBV PR link.

AutoZone(PBR268) Founder/Director J. R. “Pitt” Hyde III to retire in 12/18, started company in 1979. $AZO PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says US Preliminary September 2018 Existing Home Sales Annual Rate was at 5,150,000, “… the lowest existing home sales level since November 2015…,” -3.4% from August 2018, -4.1% from September 2017September 2018 Median Price was $258,100, -2.5% from August 2018, +4.2% from September 2017Median Time On Market was 32 days. NAR PR link.

***Thursday, October 18:

Walmart(PBR1) to break ground on its first high-tech distribution center, to be located in Shafter, CA, to open fall 2020. $WMT PR link.

Valero Energy(PBR29) to acquire Valero Energy Partners LP (NYSE: VLP) for $42.25/share, $950 million cash. $VLO PR link.

DowDuPont(PBR46) concludes that non-cash impairment charges are required for 3Q18 of about $4.6 billion for goodwill and other assets associated with its agriculture reporting unit. $DWDP PR link.

DowDuPont(PBR46) files initial Form 10registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for the separation of Corteva Agriscience(TM), Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, on track to separate on 06/01/19. $DWDP PR link.

American Express(PBR80) and PayPal(PBR219) expand strategic partnership, allows US AMEX members to use Membership Rewards points for purchases on PayPal, send money via Venmo or PayPal from the AMEX Mobile app, add AMEX Cards to the PayPal wallet via mobile app or website, and other features. $AXP PR link.

AbbVie(PBR102) gets global resolution of all intellectual property-related litigation with Fresenius Kabi over its proposed biosimilar Humira®(adalimumab) product, Fresenius to pay royalties, get non-exclusive US intellectual property license rights on 09/30/23. $ABBV PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) to fully license Starbucks operations in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg to its longstanding strategic partner Alsea, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ALSEA), the largest independent chain restaurant operator in Latin America$SBUX PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) to open its 3rd Princibakery standalone location in the US, is in New York City near the theater district. $SBUX PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR145) to exercise its call option to acquire Intel(PBR45)‘s interest in joint venture IM Flash Technologies, call available on 01/01/19, to pay $1.5 billion cash, includes $1 billion debt, to close 6-12 months after call declared. $MU PR link.

Nordstrom(PBR179) hosting company-wide hiring day on 10/19/18, to hire 24,000 seasonal workers. $JWN PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) Chairman/CEO Elon Musk tweets new lower price for mid-range Model 3car, says cost is $35,000 after US/CA tax rebates, true cost $31,000 after gas savings. $TSLA PR link.

Sempra Energy(PBR261) and its Oncor unit to acquire Texas electric transmission and distribution assets of InfraREIT(NYSE: HIFR) for $21/share, $1.275 billion, to close mid 2019. $SRE PR link.

Live Nation(PBR281)’s TicketMaster unit acquires UPGRADED, a blockchain technology company servicing the live events industry, converts traditional tickets into secure interactive digital assets protected by blockchain, providing event creators with more control and visibility over ticket distribution, and protecting fans against fraudulent tickets. $LYV PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR389) Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 has sold more than $500 million in sell-through worldwide in its first three days of release. $ATVI PR link.

Invesco(PBR499) to acquire Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance‘s asset management affiliate OppenheimerFunds in stock and preferred equity transaction that will give MassMutual a 15.5% stake in Invesco, Invesco to become 13th-largest global investment manager and sixth-largest US retail investment manager with assets under management of $1.2 trillion, to close 2Q19. $IVZ PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR82) President/EMEA Group Brian Smith to become President/COO on 01/01/19, EVP/CFO Kathy Waller to retire after 32 years with company on 03/16/19, President/Asia Pacific John Murphy to be successor on 01/01/19, VP & Chief Technology Officer of N America Nancy Quan promoted to SVP and will be company CTO on 01/01/19, to succeed Ed Hays, who is retiring on 03/31/19, SVP & CIO Barry Simpson to become to also be President/Enabling Services and have new title of Chief Information and Integrated Services Officer on 01/01/19. $KO PR link.

LifePoint Health(PBR378) announces leadership team when it becomes a private company after $65.00/share, $5.6 billion acquisition by RCCH HealthCare Partners by end of 2018. $LPNT PR link.

Vitamin Shoppe(PBR995) hires Stacey Renfro for newly constructed role of EVP/Chief Customer and Digital Experience Officer, effective 11/05/18. $VSI PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphiasays that the US 3rd District October 2018 Manufacturing General Activity Indicator is at 22.2, indicates continued growth, expectations for the next six months remained optimistic, September 2018 was at 22.9, August 201811.9, October 2017 28.8. PhillyFed PR link.

The Conference Board says US Preliminary September 2018 Leading Economic Indicator(2016=100) is at 111.8, “…suggesting the US business cycle remains on a strong growth trajectory heading into 2019…,” August 2018 was 111.3, July 2018 110.9, September 2017 104.6. TCB PR link.

***Wednesday, October 17:

Amazon(PBR8) paying $15/hr or more for 100,000 seasonal jobs. $AMZN PR link.

Prudential Financial(PBR51) is pleased with the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) decision to rescind Prudential as a nonbank systemically important financial institution. $PRU PR link.

Tesla(PBR250 $TSLA) secures rights to 210 acres in Liangang, Shanghai, China for its first electric battery manufacturing plant outside the US, called Gigafactory 3, to be able to support production of 500,000 Teslas vehicles/year.Forbes PR link.

Hershey(PBR368) completes $420 million acquisition of B&G Foods(NYSE:BGS)’ Pirate Brands, including the Pirate’s Booty, Smart Puffs and Original Tings brands. $HSY PR link.

First Solar(PBR715) sells 100 Megawatt (MW)AC Willow Springs Solar Project in Kern County, CA, to annually provide enough electricity to power about 41,000 typical California homes and displace more than 77,000 metric tons of CO2 greenhouse gas emission, to DE Shaw Renewable Investments, terms not disclosed. $FSLR PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR334) President/COO Bill Newlands will assume the role of President/CEO, current CEO Rob Sands to become Executive Chair, Executive Chair Richard Sands to become Executive Vice Chair, all on 03/01/19. $STZ PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says US Preliminary September 2018 Number of Private Housing Permits Issued Annual Rateis at 1,241,000, -0.7% from August 2018, -1.0% from September 2017USDOC PR link.

The Federal Open Market Committee releases minutes from its 09/25-26/18 meeting, “…members expected that further gradual increases in the target range for the federal funds rate would be consistent with sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near the Committee’s symmetric 2 percent objective over the medium term. Members continued to judge that the risks to the economic outlook remained roughly balanced.” FOMC PR link.

***Tuesday, October 16:

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) and Advance Auto Parts(PBR305) to begin rolling out on Walmart.com in 1H19 Advance’s extensive portfolio of aftermarket automotive parts, accessories and maintenance items. $AAP PR link.

Amazon(PBR8) introduces the all-new Kindle Paperwhite—thinner, lighter, 2x the storage, and waterproof for $129. $AMZN PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21)’s Google unit submit appeal to European Commission regarding its new Android apps rules, at the same time outlines its plans to comply with the ruling. $GOOG PR link.

Wells Fargo(PBR27) applies for investment firm license from the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority, is part of WFC’s Brexit strategy. $WFC PR link.

Target(PBR39) adding nearly 250,000 sf in 500+ stores for 2,500+ new and exclusive toys, nearly double from last year, for holiday season, introducing a new toys hub on Target.com, as well as a digitally enabled kids’ gifting catalog. $TGT PR link.

Macy’s(PBR113) and Marxent partner to offer virtual reality experience in approximately 70 stores nationwide and plans to open 20 more by January 2019, reduces return rates to less than 2%, boosts customer confidence in furniture purchase and increases basket size. $M PR link.

Duke Energy(PBR114) to pilot four programs to expand electric vehicle charging options across S Carolina$DUK PR link.

Netflix(PBR251) ends 3Q18 with 58.5 million domestic streaming subscribers, 3Q17 was 52.8 million, ends 3Q18 with 78.6 million international streaming subscribers, 3Q17 was 56.5 million. $NFLX PR link.

Boston Scientific(PBR315) completes acquisition of privately-held Augmenix for $500 million cash upfront plus $100 million for reaching sales milestones, developer of SpaceOAR® System, a therapy used to reduce common and debilitating side effects that men may experience after receiving prostate cancer radiotherapy. $BSX PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR441) acquires El Centro, CA, based property/casualty insurance and risk management services firm Tyler Insurance Agency, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Taylor Morrison Homes(PBR599) to implement a holding company reorganization, effective 10/26/18, will simplify capital and tax structure and eliminate dual share class, name & ticker symbol remain the same. $TMHC PR link.

Public Storage(PBR758) affiliate, Shurgard Self Storage SA, completes its initial global offering on Euronext Brussels: SHUR, largest owner and operator of self-storage facilities in Europe with 229 self-storage centers and approximately 12 million net rentable square feet in seven countries, PSA retains 35.2% stake. $PSA PR link.

Marvell Technology(PBR804) adds $700 million to share repurchase program, balance available is now just over $1 billion. $MRVL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary August 2018 Total Private Job Openings were at 6,464,000, Government Job Openings673,000, Total Job Openings 7,137,000, +0.9% from July 2018, +18.1% from August 2017USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says US Preliminary September 2018 Total Manufacturing Industry Capacity Utilization was at 78.1%, August 2018 was 78.1%, July 2018 77.9%, September 2017 76.1%, Capacity Utilization Growth Over Previous Year at +1.8%. USFed PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders/Wells Fargo US Preliminary October 2018 Housing Market Index Sales Conditions is at 74, Future Sales Expectations 75, Prospective Buyers Traffic53, Composite Index 68, “Builders are motivated by solid housing demand, fueled by a growing economy and a generational low for unemployment…,” September 2018 was 67, August 2018 67, October 2017 68. NAHB/WF PR link.

Boeing(PBR30) forecasts air cargo traffic will double in 20 years, a 4.2% annual growth, projects demand for 2,650 freighters over the next two decades. $BA PR link.

***Monday, October 15:

Amazon(PBR8) becomes an official retail partner for popular entrepreneur TV program “Shark Tank.” $AMZN PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21 $GOOG)’s Google unit CEO defends potential China-compliant search engine. MarketWatch PR link.

Sears(PBR169) files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, intends to reorganize around a smaller store platform of EBITDA-positive stores, to close an additional 142 unprofitable stores near end of 2018, has received commitments for $300 million in senior priming debtor-in-possession (“DIP”) financing from its senior secured asset-based revolving lenders and is negotiating a $300 million subordinated DIP financing with ESL Investments led by Sears Chairman/CEO Edward Lampert, Sears and KMart stores to remain open, Office of the CEO formed, Lampert remains Chairman. $SHLD PR link.

Ross Stores(PBR206) opens 30 Ross Dress for Less® (“Ross”) and ten dd’s DISCOUNTS®stores across 19 different states in 09/18 and 10/18, completes store growth plans for fiscal 2018 with the addition of 99 new stores. $ROST PR link.

US Steel(PBR240) reaches tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers (USW) on successor four-year collective bargaining agreements covering approximately 14,000 USW-represented employees in the US. $X PR link.

Harris Corp(PBR436 $HRS) and L3 Technologies(PBR299) to combine in an all stock merger of equals, to be L3 Harris Technologies, Inc, will become 6th largest US defense company with 48,000 employees, $16 billion in 2018 revenues, EBIT of $2.4 billion, to be headquartered in Melbourne, FL, to close mid 2019. $LLL PR link.

Wayfair(PBR524) launches MyWay membership program, $29.99 annual fee, includes free shipping, 25% discount for in-home services, and other perks. $W PR link.

The Andersons(PBR607) to acquire the 67.5% of mover of physical commodities including grains, feed ingredients, energy products, and freight within N America and internationally affiliate Lansing Trade Group equity that it does not already own for $305 million in cash and stock, to close before 01/31/19. $ANDE PR link.

Penn Natl Gaming(PBR691) completes $32.47/share, $2.8 billion cash/stock acquisition of owner/operator of 16 gaming and entertainment facilities Pinnacle Entertainment(NASDAQ:PNK)$PENN PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR800) completes $575 million acquisition of four Pinnacle Entertainmentproperties which has been acquired by Penn Natl Gaming(PBR691), now operates 29 casino properties in 10 states. $BYD PR link.

Macquarie Infrastructure(PBR886) completes $900 million cash sale of 644 MW power generation facility Bayonne, NJ, based Bayonne Energy Center to an investment fund managed by Morgan Stanley(PBR63)$MIC PR link.

Kimco Realty(PBR989) expects to benefit from Sears(PBR169) bankruptcy, anticipates creating value at its 14 Sears/KMart locations by re-tenanting and redeveloping these below-market anchor spaces and activating underutilized parking fields. $KIM PR link.

Cardinal Health(PBR14) hires Victor Crawford as CEO/Pharmaceutical Segment, effective 11/12/18. $CAH PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR104) EVP/Medical Devices Robert Ford promoted to EVP/COO. $ABT PR link.

William Cos(PBR343) hires Debbie Cowan as SVP/Chief Human Resources Officer, effective 10/29/18. $WMB PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US September 2018 Total Federal Government Receipts were $343.6 billion, Outlays $224.4, Total Surplus$119.1 billion; FY2018 Total Federal Government Receipts were $3.329 trillion, Total Outlays $4.108 trillion, FY2018 Total Deficit was $779.0 billion. USTreasury PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary August 2018 Total Manufacturer/Retailers/Wholesales Saleswere at $1.492 trillion, +0.5% from July 2018, +7.1% from August 2017August 2018 Total Manufacturers/Retailers/Wholesales Inventories were at $1.961 trillion, +0.5% from July 2018, +4.2% from August 2017August 2018 Inventories/Sales Ratio at 1.34, July 2018 was 1.34, August 2017 1.38. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Advanced September 2018 Total Retail Saleswere $448.4 billion, Total Food Services & Drinking Places $60.6 billion, Total Sales$509.0 billion, +0.1% from August 2018, +4.7% from September 2017USDOC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the Empire State October 2018 Manufacturing General Business Conditions Index is at 21.1, indicating business activity continued to grow strongly in New York State, September 2018was 19.0, August 2018 25.6, October 201728.1. NYFed PR link.

***Friday, October 12:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 10/12/18:

DJIA ends week at 25,339.99, -4.19% from last Friday, -4.23% MTD/QTD, +2.51% YTD, -5.55% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 7,496.89, -3.74% from last Friday, -6.83% MTD/QTD, +8.60% YTD, -7.56% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends week at 2,767.13, -4.10% from last Friday, -5.04 MTD/QTD, +3.50% YTD, -5.58% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

Weekly US Stock Exchanges Summary: The Stock Market Bear had big days on Wednesday and Thursday to easily take all 3 major US exchanges for the week and for the second week in a row.

The Week 41 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 17 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 15 weeks
Mixed Results: 9 weeks

Weekly News Summary: There was not a lot of economic news except for CPI which continued to show positive results, US bond yields rose up significantly again and anticipated Federal Reserve funds interest rates controversies greatly impacted equities and the stock markets; US/China trade relations continued to be sour; last weekend the Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Justice in a 50-48 party line vote; Hurricane Michaelslammed into the Florida panhandle and into Georgia and the Carolinas creating a lot of damage.

Walmart(PBR1) acquires intimates online retailer Bare Necessities, offers more than 100,000 SKUs from more than 160 brands, will join the Walmart US eCommerce portfolio, will operate as a separate standalone and complementary brand. $WMT PR link.

Broadcom(PBR158) $44.50/share, $18.9 billion cash acquisition of CA Technologies(PBR567)gets European Union approval, last regulatory requirement, to close transaction on 11/05/18. $AVGO PR link.

Tesla(PBR250 $TSLA)’s sales in the US are gaining on BMW and other luxury car makers.MarketWatch PR link.

Textron(PBR205) promotes Scott Ernest to President/CEO Industrial Segment, succeeds departing Kevin Holleran. $TXT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary September 2018 All Import Prices were +0.5%, US All Export Prices +0.0%, All Import Prices Last 12 Months were +3.5%, All Export Prices Last 12 Months +2.7%. USDOL PR link.

The U of Michigan US Preliminary October 2018 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 99.0, “…remained at quite favorable levels and just above the average reading during 2018 (98.5)…,” September 2018 100.1, August 201896.2, October 2017 100.7. UMichigan PR link.

***Thursday, October 11:

Walmart(PBR1) and developer of interactive video technology Eko to develop original, interactive content that will include a range of offerings, from cooking shows to interactive toy catalogues, will go beyond the basic personalization available today, allowing viewers to participate in and shape stories as they are being told. $WMT PR link.

Apple(PBR4 $AAPL) to pay London, UK based Dialog Semiconductor plc (XETRA: DLG)$300 million cash for certain of its assets and over 300 employees to support chip research and development, to prepay $300 million for Dialog products to be delivered over the next three years. Dialog PR link.

Facebook(PBR69) removing 559 Pages and 251 accounts that have consistently broken its rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behavior, many related to US midterm elections. $FB PR link.

Dollar Tree(PBR126) to hire 25,000 associates in its third annual Nationwide Hiring Eventhosted at its 15,000 Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores across the country on Wednesday, 10/17/18. $DLTR PR link.

L Brands(PBR225) pursuing all alternatives for its La Senza business, has 126 company-owned and operated stores in N America and 188 non-company owned international stores, $250 million in 2018 revenues, $40 million loss. $LB PR link.

GameStop(PBR310) recruiting for 15,000+ retail sales positions within its more than 3,800 GameStop video game and more than 40 ThinkGeek pop culture US store locations. $GME PR link.

Royal Caribbean(PBR322) signs 12 year agreement with Southern Company(PBR119)’s Power subsidiary for 200-megawatt (MW) Reading Wind Facility, located in Osage and Lyon Counties, KS, will offset up to 12% of Royal Caribbean’s emissions beginning in 2020. $RCL PR link.

Wynn Resorts(PBR402) enters into strategic partnership with Europe-based digital sports betting operator BetBull Limited, to pursue sports betting opportunities in emerging USmarket, will make a minority equity investment of 22.5% in BetBull. $WYNN PR link.

Sonoco Products(PBR506) increases prices for all EPS, EPP, PUR and refrigeration packaging products in the US and Mexico, effective on or before 11/10/18. $SON PR link.

KKR(PBR679) completes $46/share cash $9.9 billion enterprise value acquisition of Envision Healthcare(PBR354)$KKR PR link.

RH(PBR797) authorizes up to $700 million share repurchase program. $RH PR link.

Estee Lauder(PBR216 $EL) wins suit to rid Canada based global skin care and cosmetics retailer Deciem, in which it holds a minor stake, of its founder/Co-CEO Brandon Truaxe. Forbes PR link.

YUM!(PBR458) promotes Managing Director of Pizza Hut Asia-Pacific Vipul Chawla to President/Pizza Hut International, effective 12/03/18, to succeed departing Milind Pant. $YUM PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary September 2018 Employee Average Current Hourly Wage is at $27.24, Average Weekly Working Hours at 34.5, Average Weekly Earnings at $939.78, +0.3% from August 2018, +3.4% from September 2017USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US September 2018 Consumer Price Index is at -0.1%, August 2018 was +0.2%, July 2018 +0.2%, September 2017 +0.5%, September 2018 Last 12 Months(Unadjusted) +2.3%, August 2018was +2.7%, July 2018 +2.9%, September 2017+2.2%. USDOL PR link.

***Wednesday, October 10:

CVS Health(PBR7) $207/share, $69 billion, stock/cash acquisition of Aetna(PBR48) gets US Dept of Justice approval based on completion of Aetna’s Medicare Part D unit sale to WellCare Health Plans(PBR166), to close in 4Q18. $CVS PR link.

Kroger(PBR17) and Home Chef launch weekly rotating in-store meal kits at Kroger Family of Stores in select locations, each meal serves two and starts at $8.50 per serving. $KR PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR19) and LabCorp(PBR283 $LH) to open at least 600 LabCorp patient service centers at Walgreens stores across the US over the next four years. $WBA PR link.

Travelers Cos(PBR98) teams up with Amazon(PBR8) to sell smart home kits, includes security cameras, water sensors, motion detectors, a smart home hub, and an Amazon Echo Dot, will result in discounted home owner insurance. $TRV PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR120) to expand its portfolio in the UAE by more than 80 properties by 2023. $MAR PR link.

T Rowe Price(PBR520) in SEC filing discloses it owns 17.4+ million shares, for a 10.2% stake, in Tesla(PBR250 $TSLA)$TROW PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR350) around 7% stakeholder investor firm Third Point(NYSE: TPRE) sends letter to Board saying it should not elect a new full time CEO until after the 11/29/18 shareholders meeting. $CPB PR link.

American Eagle Outfitters(PBR605) and Aerieto hire 22,000 part-time seasonal associates for the holiday season, hiring event on 10/14/18. $AEO PR link.

Green Plains(PBR634) to sell three of its ethanol plants located in Lakota, IA, Bluffton, IN, and Riga, MI, to Valero Renewable Fuels Co for $328 million, involves 280 million gallons of nameplate capacity. $GPRE PR link.

TransDigm(PBR640) to acquire Bellevue, WA, based 28 business units organized across eight platforms for specialty aerospace, defense and industrial products, 12,500 employees in more than 50 operating global locations, $2.0 billion sales/FY18 Esterline Technologies(PBR867)for $122.50/share, a 38% premium from 10/09/18 closing price, around $4.0 billion in cash, includes debt, to close 2H19. $TDG PR link.

DSW(PBR731) and Authentic Brands in new partnership to acquire several intellectual property rights from the footwear and accessories product design and development company Camuto Group for around $375 million. $DSW PR link.

Murphy Oil(PBR833) forms 80/20 deep water Gulf of Mexico joint venture with Petrobas(NYSE: PBR) subsidiary for $900 million plus additional incentives, adds approximately 41,000 net barrels of oil equivalent per day from Gulf of Mexico operations. $MUR PR link.

CVS Health(PBR7) to expand Board to include three additional AetnaPBR48) directors upon acquisition, CVS EVP/CFO Shawn M. Guertin to step away for personal and family reasons, remain with CVS to help in integration, EVP/Controller and Chief Accounting Officer Eva C. Boratto to become EVP/CFO upon closing of acquisition. $CVS PR link.

Whirlpool(PBR138) Chief Human Resources Officer David Binkley to retire on 03/01/19 after nearly 35 years with company, VP/Global Human Resources Carey Martin named successor. $WHR PR link.

Tupperware(PBR835) EVP/CFO Michael S. Poteshman to retire 03/01/19 after 25 years with company, new CFO search starts. $TUP PR link.

Square(PBR840) CFO Sarah Friar to leave in 12/18 to become CEO of Nextdoor. $SQ PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary September 2018 Total Final Month Demand Producer Price Index is at +0.2%, August 2018was -0.1%, July 2018 +0.0%, September 2017+0.3%; the September 2018 Total Last 12 Months Final Demand is at +2.9%, August 2018 +2.9%, July 2018 +2.8%, September 2017 +2.6%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary August 2018 Total Wholesale Sales-Durables was at $247.0 billion, Non-Durables $264.2 billion, for Total Wholesale Sales of $642.7 billion, +1.0% from July 2018, +5.3% from August 2017USDOC PR link.

***Tuesday, October 9:

Alphabet(PBR21 $GOOG)’s Google unit appeals European Union’s $5 billion Androidantitrust fine. MarketWatch PR link.

Boeing(PBR30) completes $63/share, includes assumption of about $1.0 billion of net debt, total $4.25 billion all cash acquisition of independent provider of aviation parts and services in the aerospace industry KLX(NASDAQ: KLXI)$BA PR link.

Intel(PBR45) 8th Gen Intel® Core™ processors to be used in Alphabet(PBR21) Google unit’s new Pixel Slate, starts at $599, to be available later in 2018. $INTC PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) major investor Pershing Square has 15.2 million shares, average cost of $51/share. $SBUX PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) announces new benefit, US company-owned stores partners will receive 10 subsidized backup care days a year for kids and adults. $SBUX PR link.

International Paper(PBR129) authorizes $2.0 billion share repurchase program, is in addition to $430 million remaining from previous program. $IP PR link.

Cummins(PBR143) authorizes new up to $2 billion share repurchase program upon completion of its 2016 $1 billion share repurchase program. $CMI PR link.

Frontier Communications(PBR312) introduces new Gigabit service in its FiOS and Vantage Fiber markets, offering its fastest residential broadband service while also increasing its new consumer broadband offer to 200/200 megabits per second (Mbps), and adding higher speed tiers previously not offered in Indiana, Oregon and Washington (300/300 Mbps). $FTR PR link.

Conagra Brands(PBR346) offering 16,312,057 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $35.25/share, to net $556 million, primarily to be used for $68/share, $10.9 billion cash/stock, includes net debt, acquisition of Pinnacle Foods(PBR694)$CAG PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR699) to acquire global supplier of real-time betting data and pricing for N American sporting events Don Best Sports Corporation and DBS Canada Corporation, to close 4Q18, terms not disclosed. $SGMS PR link.

MDC Holdings(PBR778) homebuilding subsidiaries, including Richmond American, have closed on their 200,000th home. $MDC PR link.

Maximus(PBR798) to acquire certain assets of General Dynamics(PBR90) Information Technology’s large-scale, citizen-engagement centers in the US Federal civilian market for $400 million cash, to close mid 11/18. $MMS PR link.

Duke Energy(PBR114) announces 6 executive rotations across the company. $DUK PR link.

Dominion Energy(PBR228) EVP/CFO Mark F. McGettrick to step down as CFO on 11/01/18, to retire on 01/01/19 after 38 years with company, SVP/Mergers & Acquisitions and Treasurer James R. “Jim” Chapman to be successor. $D PR link.

AES Corp(PBR276) hires Sanjeev Addala to the newly created position of Chief Information Digital Officer (CIDO). $AES PR link.

CoreLogic says US July 2018 Percent of Home Loans 30 or more Days Past Due was at 4.1%, June 2018 was 4.3%, May 2018 4.2%, July 2017 4.6%; July 2018 Total Percent of Homes in Foreclosure was at 0.5%, July 20170.7%. CoreLogic PR link.

***Monday, October 8:

Ford(PBR10) redesigning its marketing operations globally, names agencies, to hire 100 in-house global marketing positions, expects to yield $150 million in efficiencies annually. $F PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21)’s Google unit sunsetting Google+ app over next 10 months, modifying rules for app developers. $GOOG PR link.

Facebook(PBR69) announces $199 10-inch 1280 x 800 display Portal and $349 15-inch 1920 x 1080 pivoting display Portal+ video communication devices for the home, addresses security issues. $FB PR link.

PPG(PBR193) increasing global price an average of 10% for all automotive original equipment manufacturer products, including coatings, adhesives and sealants, effective 11/01/18. $PPG PR link.

Netflix(PBR251) to open new production hub in Albuquerque, NM, invest $1 billion over next 10 years, create up to 1000 production jobs a year. $NFLX PR link.

Sonoco Products(PBR506) raising prices 6-10% for all rigid plastic packaging in the US and Canada, effective 11/05/18, cites continued resin disruptions, strong regional demand, and increases in other materials and freight. $SON PR link.

Hyatt Hotels(PBR528) to acquire international lifestyle hotel management company Two Roads Hospitality for $480 million plus invest up to $120 million contingent on certain terms of the closing, acquisition includes management of 85 properties in 8 countries and 23 new markets. $H PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR765) to acquire an around $1 billion portfolio of predominantly equity investments in energy assets from GE(PBR18) Capital’s Energy Financial Services unit. $APO PR link.

Rowan Cos(PBR978) to combine with UKbased Ensco plc (NYSE: ESV) in an all-stock transaction, estimated enterprise value of the combined company is $12.0 billion, to close 1H19. $RDC PR link.

Fannie Mae(PBR20) board member Hugh R. Frater appointed Interim CEO, effective 10/16/18, succeeds departing Timothy J. Mayopoulos. $FNMA PR link.

Perrigo(PBR512) President/CEO Uwe Roehrhoff steps down, Murray S. Kessler hired as President/CEO, effective immediately. $PRGO PR link.

Axalta(PBR552) CEO Terence Hahn resigns by mutual agreement with the Board following an investigation by outside counsel into conduct unrelated to financial matters that Axalta believes was inconsistent with Company policies, appoints EVP/CFO Robert Bryant appointed to additional role of Interim CEO. $AXTA PR link.

Systemax(PBR982) President/CEO Larry Reinhold to step down from management roles, remain on Board, effective 01/07/19, at which time Board member Barry Litwin will become CEO. $SYX PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR53) announces new organizational structure for its Media Networks business, to be effective upon closing of 21st Century Fox(PBR92) acquisition, Peter Rice to become Chairman, Walt Disney Television and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks, Dana Walden to assume new role of Chairman, Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment, John Landgraf to serve as Chairman of FX Networks and FX Productions, Gary E. Knell to serve as Chairman of National Geographic Partners. $DIS PR link.

21st Century Fox(PBR92) soon to be spin-off FOX hires Danny O’Brien as EVP/Head of Government Relations and Hope Hicks as EVP/Chief Communications Officer. $FOX PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) hires Patrick Grismer as EVP/CFO, effective 11/30/18, to succeed retiring Scott Maw. $SBUX PR link.

Juniper Networks(PBR509) hires Eva Andres as SVP/Chief Human Resources Officer. $JNPR PR link.

Hyatt Hotels(PBR528) CFO Patrick Grismer resigns, effective 11/02/18, to be succeeded by SVP/Finance for the Americas Joan Bottarini. $H PR link.

FannieMae(PBR20) says the US September 2018 Home Purchase Sentiment Index was at 87.7, “…perceptions of high home prices and expectations for rising mortgage rates continue to weigh on potential homebuyers,” August 2018 was 88.0, July 2018 86.5, September 2017 88.3. $FNMA PR link.

***Friday, October 5:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 10/05/18:

DJIA ends week at 26,447.05, -0.04% from last Friday/MTD/QTD, +6.99% YTD, -1.42% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 7,788.45, -3.21% from last Friday/MTD/QTD, +12.82% YTD, -3.96% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends week at 2,885.57, -0.97% from last Friday/MTD/QTD, +7.93% YTD, -1.54% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

Weekly US Stock Exchanges Summary: The Stock Market Bear took all 3 major US exchanges, with the DJIA barely creeping into Bear territory on the last day of the week.

Week 40 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 17 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 14 weeks
Mixed Results: 9 weeks

Weekly News Summary: Economic news was generally positive, with a few numbers lower than expected, especially for jobs; US bond yields rise significantly driving equities and the stock markets down; with a new US/Mexico/Canada tentative trade agreementthe focus is now on a US/China deal; the US international trade deficit showed a bigger gap from the previous month and YTD; after a brief FBI investigation into alleged sexual misconduct 36 years ago by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh it appears that he will be confirmed in a close Senate party line vote on 10/06/18.

CIT Group(PBR798) exits the European rail leasing business with completion of sale of its NACCO unit in two transactions for net proceeds of $1.1 billion. $CIT PR link.

Cooper-Standard(PBR622) hires Gabrielle Corrent as VP/Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions. $CPS PR link.

Primoris Services(PBR807) EVP/CFO Peter J. Moerbeek to step down upon release of 3Q18 report, SVP/Corporate Controller Ken Dodgen to become EVP/CFO at that time. $PRIM PR link.

CSX(PBR256) Chairman Edward J. Kelly, III to retire in 01/19, John J. Zillmer elected successor. $CSX PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US September 2018 Total Employed was at 155,962,000, +420,000 from August 2018, +1,638,000 from September 2017Total Unemployed at 5,964,000, -794,000 from September 2017Unemployment Rate is at 3.7%, September 2017 was 4.2%. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board says US Preliminary August 2018 Total Consumer Revolving Debt was at $1.042 trillion, Total Consumer Non-Revolving Debt at $2.894 trillion, Total Consumer Debt $3.395 trillion, +0.5% from July 2018, +2.7% YTD(8 months), +4.6% from August 2017USFed PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says US August 2018 Total Exports were $209.4 billion, Total Imports $262.6 billion, Total Deficit $53.2 billion, Total Deficit YTD(8 months) is $391.2 billion, August 2017 Total Deficit YTD was $359.8 billion. USDOC PR link.

***Thursday, October 4:

The September 2018 Snapshot 15 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stocks By Market Capitalization (Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 09/28/18 Market Capitalization in Billions):

1. Apple(PBR4 AAPL), $1,110
2. Amazon(PBR8 AMZN), $982
3. Microsoft(PBR22 MSFT), $877
4. Alphabet(PBR21 GOOG), $836
5. Berkshire Hathaway(PBR3 BRKB), $535

Range: $1,110 billion to $0.04 billion
Total: $27.892 trillion, +0.23% from July 2018, +7.78% YTD(9 months), +27.97% from 12/30/16(21 months)
Average: $27.892 billion
Median: $8.32 billion

Verizon(PBR16 $VZ) extends voluntary severance offer to 44,000 employees, more than a quarter of its workforce. telecompaper PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR19) acquired minority interest in online beauty retailer Birchbox, to build Birchbox retail experiences within 11 select Walgreens stores & online. $WBA PR link.

Alphabet(PBR21)’s Google unit gets mentioned by US VP Pence, says it should drop its Dragonfly search engine for China because of censorship and intellectual property issues.MarketWatch PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR36)’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit gets agreement with Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals for an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize ARO-HBV, a Phase 1/2 subcutaneous, ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) therapy candidate being investigated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B viral infection. $JNJ PR link.

American Express(PBR80) rebrands Gold Card, doubles membership rewards to 4x on USdining and supermarkets purchases, adds/expands other benefits. $AXP PR link.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances(PBR652) completes $106.25/share, $7.1 billion cash/stock acquisition of global flavors and natural fine ingredients producer with 70,000 products and 30,000+ customers Frutarom (TASE:FRUT)$IFF PR link.

AvalonBay Communities(PBR847) to sell 80% interest in 5 Manhattan apartment communities, 1,301 apartment homes, 58,000 sf retail space, retains a 20% interest and act as the managing member and property manager for the assets, net proceeds to be around $460 million. $AVB PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR974) launches WellnessWins™ rewards program, recognizes members for everyday behaviors that are proven to lead to healthier habits. $WTW PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR974) enters year-long partnership with Barclays Center and the launch of the WW Freestyle(TM) Café: BKLYN, a first-of-its-kind WW space within the arena that offers a diverse menu of healthy and delectable Mediterranean dishes as well as Cense Wine, curated by celebrity chef Cat Cora, the newest WW ambassador and first female “Iron Chef.”$WTW PR link.

Ocwen Financial(PBR991) completes $11.00/share, $360 million cash acquisition of mortgages services provider PHH Corp(NYSE: PHH), Glen A. Messina becomes President/CEO of combined company. $OCN PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR40) adds interim CFO responsbilities to SVP/Corporate Finance and Treasurer Tiffany Mason until David Denton, current EVP/CFO of CVS Health(PBR7), comes on board after CVS acquisition of Aetna(PBR48) in 4Q18. $LOW PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR270) Chief Customer Development Officer of MGM Resorts and CEO/President of CityCenter Robert Baldwin leaving both positions by end of 2018, over 3 decades in the industry. $MGM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary August 2018 Total Manufacturers New Orders for Durable Goods was at $259.6 billion, Non-Durable Goods $250.9 billion, Total New Orders $510.5 billion, +2.3% from July 2018, +10.0% from August 2017USDOC PR link.

***Wednesday, October 3:

The September 2018 Snapshot 13 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers Since 12/30/16 (21 Months)(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 09/28/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 12/30/16):

1. Square(PBR840 SQ), $99.01, +626%
2. Weight Watchers(PBR974 WTW), $71.99, +529%
3. RH(PBR801 RH), $131.01, +327%
4. BlueLinx(PBR891 BXC, $31.49, +322%
5. Wayfair(PBR524 W), $147.67, +321%

Range: +626% to -94%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:680/995
Average: +24.41%
Median: +14.89%
DJIA: +33.88%
NASDAQ: +49.47%
SPX: +30.16%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 September 2018 Top 5 By Market Capitalization.

Amazon(PBR8) to start shipping $49.99 Fire TV Stick 4K and the all-new $29.99 standalone Alexa Voice Remote with Device Controlstarting 10/31/18, other options available. $AMZN PR link.

General Motors(PBR12) to get initial $750 million investment plus $2 billion over 12 years from Honda to build new Cruise autonomous vehicle$GM PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR36) completes $2.1 billion sale of its blood glucose monitoring products $1.5 billion in sales/2017 LifeScanbusiness to Platinum Equity$JNJ PR link.

VISA(PBR154) announces agreement with Postmates, the nation’s largest on-demand delivery network, to enable real-time funds disbursement to their entire fleet of over 200,000. $V PR link.

XPO Logistics(PBR182) to deploy 5,000 intelligent robots throughout its logistics sites in N America and Europe, each robot can move a rack weighing approximately 1,000 to 3,500 lbs., bringing it to a station where a worker fulfills up to 48 orders simultaneously. $XPO PR link.

Ebay(PBR299 $EBAY) cease-and-desist letter accuses Amazon(PBR8 $AMZN) of illegally poaching its sellers. MarketWatch PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR616) to evaluate strategic alternatives, decision follows interest from multiple parties in making an offer to acquire the Company, including its Chairman Leonard Riggio. $BKS PR link.

Navient(PBR965 $NAVI) gets class action suit filed by the American Federation of Teacherswhich says Navient has been making numerous misrepresentations to steer borrowers away from Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs. $AFT PR link.

Becton Dickenson(PBR241) President Tom Polen gets additional COO responsibilities. $BDX PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR389) World of Warcraft® Executive Producer J. Allen Brack is the new president of Blizzard Entertainment succeeding Mike Morhaime who remains as a strategic adviser, appoints Chief Development Officer Ray Gresko and Blizzard Founder Allen Adham to Blizzard’s executive leadership team. $ATVI PR link.

GoDaddy(PBR866) founder Bob Parsons resigns from Board to devote his full time efforts to the array of businesses he created under the Yam WorldWide umbrella. $GDDY PR link.

ADP(PBR217) says the US Preliminary September 2018 Total Non-Farm Private Employment was +230,000, highest since February 2018, August 2018 was +168,000, July 2018 +211,000, September 2017 +84,000. $ADP PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management US Preliminary September 2018 Non-Manufacturing Index (>50%=Economy growing) is at 61.6%, August 2018 was 58.5%, July 2018 55.7%, September 2017 59.8%. ISM PR link.

The IHS Markit US September 2018 Composite Output Index is at 53.9, overall expansion was solid but eased to the weakest since January 2018, August 2018 was 54.7, July 2018 55.7, September 2017 54.8. IHS Markit PR link.

***Tuesday, October 2:

The September 2018 Snapshot 12 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 YTD Stock Performers(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 09/28/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 12/29/17):

1. BlueLinx(PBR891 BXC), $31.49, +223%
2. AMD(PBR488 AMD), $30.89, +200%
3. Fossil(PBR739 FOSL), $23.28, +200%
4. Square(PBR840 SQ), $99.01, +186%
5. UNISYS(PBR747 UIS), $20.40, +150%

Range: +223% to -82%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:545/1,000
Average: +4.33%
Median: +1.84%
DJIA: +7.04%
NASDAQ: +16.56%
SPX: +8.99%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers Since 12/31/16.

Walmart(PBR1) to acquire digitally native vertical brand focused exclusively on the $21B women’s plus-size market Eloquii, terms not disclosed, to close 4Q18. $WMT PR link.

Amazon(PBR8) raises minimum wage to $15 for all US employees, including full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal, effective 11/01/18. $AMZN PR link.

Kroger(PBR17) and Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR19) to develop/test in selected 13 Walgreens stores in N Kentucky a one-stop shopping experience where customers can access products and services from both companies. $KR PR link.

Johnson Controls(PBR93) acquires assets of Laredo, TX, based residential and commercial lines ranging from timers to smart home thermostats, including Kono and Geo, LUX Products, terms not disclosed. $JCI PR link.

JCPenney(PBR229) launches Peyton and Parker(TM) in time for the holiday season, a new private brand designed for families and socially connected moms, to be available in nearly 400 stores and online on 10/19/18. $JCP PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) reports that in 3Q18 deliveries totaled 83,500 vehicles: 55,840 Model 3, 14,470 Model S, and 13,190 Model X, delivered 80+% more vehicles in 3Q18 than delivered in all of 2017. $TSLA PR link.

McCormick(PBR520) opens new global headquarters in Hunt Valley, MD, LEED Gold designed 350,000 sf building, for 1,000 employees, consolidated from 4 locations. $MKC PR link.

Taylor Morrison Homes(PBR599) completes $21.50/share, $963 million cash/stock, includes debt, acquisition of builder AV Homes(NASDAQ: AVHI), combined company has 54,000 owned and controlled lots across 19 markets. $TMHC PR link.

KKR(PBR679) completes acquisition of global 10,000+ customers and 6,000 employees digital and IT infrastructure with a broad portfolio of software solutions provider BMC Software from a private investor group led by Bain Capital Private Equity and Golden Gate Capital, terms not disclosed. $KKR PR link.

Penn Natl Gaming(PBR691) gets US Federal Trade Commission approval for $32.47/share, $2.8 billion cash/stock acquisition of owner/operator of 16 gaming and entertainment facilities Pinnacle Entertainment(NASDAQ:PNK), subject to the previously agreed divestitures of four Pinnacle properties to Boyd Gaming(PBR800), to close in early 4Q18. $PENN PR link.

Prologis(PBR767) completes sale of a high-quality portfolio of buildings and land in Europeand the US to a major Asian property company for $1.1 billion. $PLD PR link.

Guess?(PBR812) opens 50th store in Mexico, 3.400 sf in the new shopping center development, PaseoQueretaro in the state of Queretaro$GES PR link.

JCPenney(PBR229) hires Jill Soltau as CEO, effective 10/15/18. $JCP PR link.

ServiceMaster(PBR716) names Deni Naumann interim President/Terminix Commercial, following departure of Kelly Kambs. $SERV PR link.

Automotive News says US September 2018 Total Light Vehicle Unit Sales were at 1,421,890, -4.1% from August 2018, -5.6% from September 2017Average Transaction Pricewas $32,003, Average Incentive Outlay $3,785. Automotive News PR link.

The PurdueU/CME US September 2018 Agriculture Economy Barometer Composite Index is at 114, down because of concern for trade conflicts, especially with ChinaAugust 2018 was at 129, July 2018 117, September 2017 132. PurdueU PR link.

***Monday, October 1:

The September 2018 Snapshot 11 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Performers(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 09/28/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 08/31/18):

1. Rowan Cos(PBR978 $RDC), $18.83, +34%
2. GNC(PBR796 $GNC), $4.14, +32%
3. TravelCenters(PBR452 $TA), $5.70, +31%
4. Pyxus(PBR890 $PYX), $23.00, +30%
5. Steelcase(PBR705 $SCS), $18.50, +27%

Range: +34 to -32%%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:437/1,000
Average: -0.35%
Median: -0.83%
DJIA: +1.90%
NASDAQ: -0.78%
SPX: +0.43%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers YTD.

Click here to find out more about The PBR1000! PR link.

HP Inc(PBR56) announces the HP Spectre Folio, made of 100% chromed tan, full-grain leather, features traditional laptop position as well as tent and tablet configurations, pre-orders from 10/01/18, available starting 10/29/18, from $1,299.99. $HPQ PR link.

Honeywell(PBR71) to acquire Germany-based $120 million/year, growing at 30% annual rate, warehouse automation business Transnormfrom IK Investment Partners for around $500 million; completes spin-off of transportation systems business Garrett Motion, trading as NYSE: GTX$HON PR link.

First Data(PBR245) completes $450 million sale of its $120 million in revenues in 2017 card processing businesses in parts of Central and Southeastern Europe to European high tech payment infrastructure and services provider SIA$FDC PR link.

State Street(PBR262) completes $2.6 billion acquisition of privately held Burlington, MA, $300+ million in revenues/2017 300 clients investment management front office tools and solutions provider Charles Lab Development$STT PR link.

Chipotle(PBR538) pilots new loyalty program, Chipotle Rewards, in Phoenix, AZ, Kansas City, MO/KS, and Columbus, OH, expects national launch in early 2019, emphasis on digital orders. $CMG PR link.

ServiceMaster(PBR716) completes spin-off of FrontDoor, the parent of American Home Shield, trading as NASDAQ: FTDR, ServiceMaster shareholders will own >80%. $SERV PR link.

Groupon(PBR814) to pay IBM(PBR34) $57 million to settle all patent litigation, includes a long-term patent cross-license agreement between the companies. $GRPN PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR974) to transfer stock trading from the NYSE to NASDAQ starting 10/15/18, will keep WTW ticker symbol. $WTW PR link.

GE(PBR18) names Lead Director H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. as Chairman/CEO, effective immediately, succeeds John Flannery, Tom Horton elected Lead Director, updates guidance saying GE Power expects to take $23 billion impairment charge. $GE PR link.

Pfizer(PBR55) COO Dr. Albert Bourla to become CEO on 01/01/19, Chairman/CEO Ian Read to become Executive Chairman. $PFE PR link.

Facebook(PBR69 $FB)’s Instagram unit co-founders CEO Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger introduce VP/Product Adam Mosseri as new head of Instagram. Instagram PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) and Chairman/CEO Elon Musk reach agreement with Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), Musk to step down as Chairman within 45 days, an Independent Chairman to be appointed, Tesla to appoint two new independent directors to the Board, a new Board committee will oversee Musk’s communications, Tesla and Musk to each pay fine of $20 million, funds to be distributed to harmed investors. $TSLA PR link.

Diebold Nixdorf(PBR529) hires Jeffrey Rutherford as Interim CFO, succeeds departing Chris Chapman. $DBD PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary August 2018 Total Construction Annual Rate is at $1.318 trillion, +0.1% from July 2018, +6.5% from August 2017USDOC PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management US September 2018 Manufacturing PMI Index(>50 economy expanding) was at 59.8%, 113th consecutive month for overall economic growth, August 2018 was 61.3%, July 201858.1%, September 2017 60.2%. ISM PR link.

The IHS Markit US September 2018 Manufacturing PMI is at 55.6, August 2018was at 54.7, July 2018 55.3, September 201753.1. IHS Markit PR link.

US reaches trade deal with Canada and MexicoPolitico PR link.

The US Trade Representative provides text of the US-Mexico-Canada AgreementUS Trade Rep PR link.

California approves nation’s toughest net-neutrality rulesMarketWatch PR link.

***Friday, September 28:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week and Month Ending 09/28/18:

DJIA ends week and month at 26,458.31, -1.57% from last Friday, +1.90% MTD, +9.01% QTD, +7.04% YTD, -1.07% from record 26,743.50 set 09/21/18.

NASDAQ ends week and month at 8,046.35, +0.74% from last Friday, -0.78% MTD, +7.14% QTD, +16.56% YTD, -0.78% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends week and month at 2,913.98, -0.54% from last Friday, +0.43% MTD, +7.20% QTD, +8.99% YTD, -0.57% from record 2,930.75 set 09/20/18.

Weekly/Monthly US Stock Exchanges Summary: For the week the Stock Market Beartook the DJIA and SPX exchanges, but not the NASDAQ for a mixed result for the week. For the month the results were reversed with the Stock Market Bull winning the DJIA and SPXbut the Stock Market Bear taking the NASDAQfor a mixed month.

Month 9 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 5 months
The Stock Market Bear: 2 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

Week 39 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 17 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 13 weeks
Mixed Results: 9 weeks

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The PBR1000 September 2018 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

September 2018 The PBR1000: A Mixed Month

Despite good economic news technology stocks took a hit during September giving The Stock Market Bear his only opportunity for a good growl.

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The US economy continued to produce solid results, with some concerns for the housing market and wages not growing at the expected rate. The Federal Open Market Committee raised the short term federal funds interest rate by +0.25% to +2.00-2.25%. Tech stocks struggled throughout the month and pulled the NASDAQ down into negative territory for the month.

 

For the month The Stock Market Bull won the DJIA and SPX but The Stock Market Bear took the NASDAQ for a mixed month.

Month 9 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 5 months
The Stock Market Bear: 2 months
Mixed Results: 2 months

Week 39 YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 17 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 13 weeks
Mixed Results: 9 weeks

The September 2018 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 19

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 12+/7-; NASDAQ 9+/10-; SPX 9+/10-.

Record Days: DJIA 2, NASDAQ 0, SPX 1

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4 days(09/11-14/18), NASDAQ 2 days(09/10-11/18, 09/24-25/18, 09/27-28/18), SPX 5 days(09/10-14/18)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3 days(09/24-26/18), NASDAQ 4 days(09/04-07/18), SPX 4 days(09/04-07/18)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): None

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 2 days(09/05/18(N, -1.19%), 09/17/18(N, -1.43%))

The PBR1000 September 2018 Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 September 2018 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on September 28, 2018Month % Chg is compared to August 31, 2018YTD % Chg is compared to December 29, 2017, and the 21 Months % Chg is compared to December 30, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 12 month subscription and automatically download the September 2018 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 26 rankings and the bonus The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +34% to -32%437 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a loss of -0.35%%, the median was a loss of -0.83%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
09/28/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
Rowan Cos
978 RDC 18.83 +34 +20 -0
GNC
797 GNC 4.14 +34 +12 -63
TravelCenters
452 TA 5.70 +31 +39 -20
Pyxus
890 PYX 23.00 +30 +74 +20
Steelcase
705 SCS 18.50 +27 +22 +3

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +223% to -82%545 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 4.33%, the median was a gain of 1.84%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
09/28/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
BlueLinx
891 BXC 31.49 -12 +223 +322
AMD 489 AMD 30.89 +23 +200 +172
Fossil 739 FOSL 23.28 +3 +200 -10
Square
841 SQ 99.01 +12 +186 +626
UNISYS 747 UIS 20.40 +10 +150 +36

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 21 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +626% to -94%680 out of 995 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 24.41%. The median was a gain of 14.89%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
09/28/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
Square 841 SQ 99.01 +12 +186 +626
Weight Watchers 974 WTW 71.99 -4 +63 +529
RH 802 RH 131.01 -18 +52 +327
BlueLinx 891 BXC 31.49 -12 +223 +322
Wayfair 524 W 147.67 +9 +84 +321

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $1,110 billion to $0.04 billion. The average is $27.9 billionmedian is $8.3 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
09/28/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
Apple
4 AAPL 1,110 -1 +27 +80
Amazon
8 AMZN 982 +1 +77 +176
Microsoft 22 MSFT 877 +2 +33 +82
Alphabet 21 GOOG 836 -4 +14 +57
Berkshire Hathaway 3 BRKB 535 +3 +9 +33
The PBR1000
  27,892 +0 +8 +28

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
09/28/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 89,704.53 -0.4 +4.3 +24.4
DJIA 26,548.31 +1.9 +7.0 +33.9
NASDAQ 8,046.53 -0.8 +16.6 +49.5
S&P500 2,913.98 +0.4 +9.0 +30.2
GOLD 1,196.20 -0.9 -8.3 +3.9
SILVER 14.69 +0.8 -13.5 -8.1
OIL            73.56 +5.3 +22.4 +36.9

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The PBR1000 August 2018 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

August 2018 The PBR1000: Another Big Win for the Stock Market Bull

In August 2018 The Stock Market Bull captured his 5th monthly win of the year. As usual, experts are mixed on how long he can keep the trend going.

By Larry C. Paxton

It was another good month for all 3 major US stock market exchanges. Highlights include Apple(PBR4 $AAPL) being the first US company to hit the $1 trillion market capitalization level. Tech stocks had an especially good month as indicated by the NASDAQ having 18+ trading days to only 5- trading days. US economic growth continues to be robust, unemployment remains low, there are more job openings than qualified people to fill them, but there is also a lack of affordable housing inventory and mortgage rates are climbing. It was another victorious month for the Stock Market Bull, who after 8 months in 2018 now has 5 monthly wins to the Stock Market Bear’s 2 months, with June being the only mixed result.

The August 2018 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 23

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 12+/11-; NASDAQ 18+/5-; SPX 14+/9-.

Record Days: DJIA 0, NASDAQ 4, SPX 4

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4 days(08/16-21/18, 08/24-29/18), NASDAQ 8 days(07/31-08/09/18), SPX 4 days(08/02-07/18, 08/16-21/18, 08/24-29/18)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 4 days(08/08-13/18), NASDAQ 2 days(08/10-13/18), SPX 4 days(08/08-13/18)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 3 days(08/02/18(N), 08/16/18(D), 08/27/18(D))

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 1 days(08/15/18(N))

The PBR1000 August 2018 Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 August 2018 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on August 31, 2018, Month % Chg is compared to July 31, 2018 YTD % Chg is compared to December 29, 2017, and the 20 Months % Chg is compared to December 30, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 12 month subscription and automatically download the August 2018 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 27 rankings and the bonus The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +53% to -58%603 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 2.08%, the median was a gain of 1.53%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
08/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
Vitamin Shoppe
995 VSI 12.80 +53 +191 -46
Core-Mark
177 CORE 35.77 +48 +13 -17
UNISYS
747 UIS 18.60 +45 +128 +24
Revlon
757 REV 21.75 +39 -0 -25
Endo Intl
645 ENDP 17.15 +38 +121 +4

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +268% to -75%575 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 4.70%, the median was a gain of 3.40%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
08/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
BlueLinx
891 BXC 35.93 +5 +268 +381
Fossil
739 FOSL 22.67 -13 +192 -12
Vitamin Shoppe 995 VSI 12.80 +53 +191 -46
Square
840 SQ 88.64 +37 +156 +550
AMD 488 AMD 25.17 +37 +145 +122

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

Table 3 Summary: The range was +554% to -92%690 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 24.85%. The median was a gain of 16.25%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
08/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
Weight Watchers 974 WTW 74.90 -16 +69 +554
Square 840 SQ 88.64 +37 +156 +550
RH 801 RH 159.00 +17 +84 +418
BlueLinx 891 BXC 35.93 +5 +268 +381
Systemax 980 SYX 36.50 -18 +10 +316

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $1,090 billion to $0.04 billion. The average is $27.8 billionmedian is $8.3 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
08/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
Apple
4 AAPL 1,090 +17 +25 +76
Amazon
8 AMZN 977 +13 +76 +174
Alphabet
21 GOOG 867 +2 +19 +63
Microsoft 22 MSFT 858 +6 +30 +78
Berkshire Hathaway 3 BRKB 519 +5 +6 +29
The PBR1000
  27,798 +3 +7 +28

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
08/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 90,023.93 +2.1 +4.7 +24.9
DJIA 25,964.82 +2.2 +5.0 +31.4
NASDAQ 8,109.54 +5.7 +17.5 +50.7
S&P500 2,901.52 +3.0 +8.5 +29.6
GOLD 1,206.90 -2.1 -7.5 +4.8
SILVER 14.58 -6.2 -14.2 -8.9
OIL            69.88 +2.1 +16.3 +30.1

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(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actionsThe PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

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Copyright © 2018 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, Tucson, AZ  85704, www.PBRMarketTools.com, Sales@PBRMarketTools.com

The PBR1000 August 2018 Breaking News Recap

The PBR1000 August 2018 Breaking News Items

The US and Mexico agreed in principle to a new trade agreement. Will Canada join them to make it the new NAFTA Trifecta?

By Larry C. Paxton

For the month of August it was mostly about trade issues again. Economic news was mostly good except for home sales. Corporate earnings were good, especially for NASDAQ companies. The Turkey lira crisis had a temporary effect. Elon Musk created a commotion when he said he might take Tesla private, then decided not to. President Trump confidants Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen plead guilty on various charges. Longtime Republican Arizona Senator John McCain dies. A new trade deal between the US and Mexico is agreed to, Canada might be part of it as well.

Here are The PBR1000 corporate and economic related breaking news items of interest with hotlinks to the sources for August 2018, starting with the last active business day

***Friday, August 31:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week and Month Ending 08/31/18:

DJIA ends week at 25,964.82, +.68% from last Friday, +2.16% MTD, +6.98% QTD, +5.04% YTD, -2.45% from record 26,616.71 set 01/26/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 8,109.54, +2.06% from last Friday, +5.71% MTD, +7.98% QTD, +17.47% YTD, +0.00% from record 8,109.69 set 08/29/18.

SPX ends week at 2,901.52, +0.93% from last Friday, +3.03% MTD, +6.74 QTD, +8.52% YTD, -0.43% from record 2,914.04 set 08/29/18.

Weekly Summary:For the week and the month it was all the Stock Market Bull. Summary:

Week 35: The Stock Market Bull wins,
YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 16 weeks
The Stock Market Bear: 12 weeks
Mixed Results: 7 weeks

Month 8: The Stock Market Bull wins,
YTD tally is:
The Stock Market Bull: 5 months
The Stock Market Bear: 2 months
Mixed Results: 1 month

For Week 35 the news was mostly trade issues, especially the NAFTA negotiations, economic data was positive, corporate earnings mixed.

HCA(PBR61) to acquire nonprofit western N Carolina based Mission Health system for $1.5 billion. $HCA PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR82) to acquire 4,000+ retail locations across Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa coffee brand platform Costa Limited from Whitbread PLC for $5.1 billion, to close in 1H19. $KO PR link.

NRG Energy(PBR271) completes sale of its interest in NRG Yield and its Renewables platform to Global Infrastructure Partners, results in $1.348 billion in cash proceeds to NRG, removes $6.7 billion of debt from its balance sheet. $NRG PR link.

JM Smucker(PBR372) completes $375 million sale of its US baking business to Brynwood Partners, includes Pillsbury®, Martha White®, Hungry Jack®, White Lily®, and Jim Dandy® brands, which generated $370 million net sales in 12 months ending 04/30/18. $SJM PR link.

Markel(PBR449) to acquire $12 billion in managed assets global insurance-linked securities manager Nephila, will continue to operate as a separate business unit, to close 4Q18, terms not disclosed. $MKL PR link.

Hess(PBR481) completes $400 million cash sale of its 50% joint venture interests in the Uticashale play in eastern Ohio to Ascent Resources – Utica$HES PR link.

CNX Resources(PBR959) completes $400 million net cash sale of its Ohio Utica 50% joint venture assets to Ascent Resources-Utica$CNX PR link.

Hub Group(PBR583) sells its agent-based transportation solutions provider Mode Transportation subsidiary to York Capital Management affiliate for $238.5 million, does not include the Temstar business. $HUBG PR link.

Guess?(PBR807) and short-form video platform TikTok have partnered to launch TikTok’s first branded content in the USA and first fashion branded content globally starting 09/01/18. $GES PR link.

Marriott Vacations(PBR868) completes $4.6 billion cash/stock acquisition of ILG(NASDAQ: ILG), results in an upper-upscale and luxury vacation ownership and exchange company with 100+ vacation properties worldwide and around 650,000 owners, $2.9 billion in annual revenues. $VAC PR link.

Sanmina(PBR396) CEO Bob Eulau resigns, board member since 2013 Michael Clarke unanimously elected CEO, effective 10/01/18, Executive Chairman Jure Sola to lead company during interim. $SANM PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says that on 08/30/18the US National Debt Held by the Public was $15.734 trillion, Intragovernmental Holdingswere $5.709 trillion, Total National Debt is $21.443 trillion, +0.6% from 07/31/18, +4.6% YTD, +8.1% from 08/31/17US Treasury PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says US 7th District Preliminary July 2018 Midwest Economy Index is at +0.46, June 2018 was +0.42, May 2018 +0.58, July 2017 +0.11. ChiFed PR link.

The MNI Chicago August 2018 Business Barometer(>50 is Gaining) is at 63.6, July 2018 was 65.5, June 2018 64.1, August 201758.9. MNI/ISM-Chicago PR link.

The U of Michigan US Final August 2018 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 96.2, July 2018 was 97.9, June 2018 98.2, August 201796.8. UMichigan PR link.

The American Automobile Assn says the US Average Price Per Gallon or Regular Gas was at $2.838, -0.9% from 07/31/18, +15.9% from 08/31/17AAA PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury 08/31/18 10 Year Note Yield closed at 2.86%, 07/31/18 was 2.96%, 06/29/18 2.85%, 08/31/17 2.12%. US Treasury PR link.

The European Union Euro/US$ Exchange Rate at the 08/31/18 close was $1.1604, -0.8% from 07/31/18, -2.7% from 08/31/17Euro PR link.

The Gold(GCZ8 12/18) 08/31/18 closing price was $1,206.90, -2.1% from 07/31/18, -7.5% from 12/31/17, -9.0% from 08/31/17Gold PR link.

***Thursday, August 30:

Happy Birthday to the “Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett, Chairman/CEO of Berkshire Hathaway(PBR3)!

ExxonMobil(PBR2) adds 9th oil field discovery offshore Guyana, now estimates over 4 billion barrels of oil reserves available. $XOM PR link.

Microsoft(PBR31) over next 12 months to work with its US suppliers with more than 50 employees to provide those employees a minimum of 12 weeks paid parental leave for birth/adoption of a child, up to $1,000 per week. $MSFT PR link.

Intel(PBR45) to provide its next-generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors for the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) Frontera supercomputer at The University of Texas at Austin, to be in production in summer 2019, will be 5th fastest supercomputer in the world, 3rd largest in US, largest at a any university. $INTC PR link.

Pfizer(PBR55) terminates two domagrozumab (PF-06252616) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) studies, not meeting endpoints. $PFE PR link.

Merck(PBR73) gets US FDA approval for DELSTRIGO™ (doravirine / lamivudine / tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), a once-daily fixed-dose combination tablet as a complete regimen and PIFELTRO™ (doravirine), an NNRTI, both for the treatment of HIV-1 in appropriate patients. $MRK PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR232) anticipates settling the proposed class-action litigation, In Re Dental Supplies, expects to record a charge of $38.5 million, denies any wrongdoing. $HSIC PR link.

Stryker Corp(PBR233) to acquire nearly $300 million in annual sales complex spine and minimally invasive solutions for surgeons provider K2M Group Holdings(NASDAQ: KTWO) for $27.50/share, total equity value of about $1.4 billion. $SYK PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR269) CityCentre venture with Infinity World Development completes sale of Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas and adjacent retail parcels for $214 million cash. $MGM PR link.

Salesforce(PBR275) to acquire wind energy 80 MW Bright Stalk Project in Illinois, enough to power 27,000 homes, puts company on track to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2022. $CRM PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR350) to focus portfolio on Campbells Snacks and Campbells Meals and Beverages in N America, pursue divestitures in International (including Arnott’s and the Kelsen Group) and Campbell Fresh to reduce debt. $CPB PR link.

Electronic Arts(PBR500) moves launch date of Battlefield V out to 11/20/18 to continue to make some final adjustments to core gameplay. $EA PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR121) promotes Anne White to SVP and President/Lilly Oncology, effective 09/01/18, succeeds retiring Sue Mahony, PhD. $LLY PR link.

Signet Jewelers(PBR434) CFO Michele Santana will leave in 2019 after successor appointed. $SIG PR link.

Global Payments(PBR660) President/COO David Mangum to leave the company, CEO Jeff Sloan and SrEVP/CFO Cameron Bready extend employment agreement through 08/21, will assume Mangum’s primary responsibilities. $GPN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/BEA says US Preliminary July 2018 Total Personal Income Annual Rate is at $17.617 trillion, +0.3% from June 2018, +7.3% from July 2017July 2018 Personal Savings Rate is at 6.7%, Effective Tax Rate 11.6%. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Total 4 Week Moving Average Initial Jobless Claims Filed for Week Ending 08/25/18 was at 212,250, -2.6% from 07/21/18, -10.4% from 08/26/17US Total 4 Week Moving Average Insured Unemployment for Week Ending 08/17/18 was at 1,731,250, -0.8% from 07/14/18, -11.3% from 08/17US Total Uninsured Rate on 08/18/18was at 1.2%, 07/14/18 was 1.2%, 08/17 was 1.4%. USDOL PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR38) says US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate on 08/30/18 was at 4.52% with 0.5 points/fees, was 4.54% on 07/26/18, 4.55% on 06/28/18, 3.82% on 08/31/17$FMCC PR link.

***Wednesday, August 29:

Apple(PBR4 $AAPL) has acquired Longmont, CO, based startup Akonia Holographics, focus is on making lenses for augmented reality glasses. Reuters PR link.

Facebook(PBR69) Watch video services launched in US 1 year ago now available globally. $FB PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR145) plans $3 billion in capital investment and 1,100 jobs by 2030 to increase memory production at its plant in Manassas, VA$MU PR link.

Avnet(PBR160) increases share repurchase program by $500 million, now has $722 million available for share repurchases. $AVT PR link.

Sears(PBR169) Kmart Pharmacy unit gets 3 year Award of Accreditation from the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation, has also been recognized by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)as the national leader in drugstore customer satisfaction for the second year in a row. $SHLD PR link.

Cognizant(PBR192) opens new 50,000 sf facility in Irving, TX, to create 1,100 new jobs by 2023. $CTSH PR link.

News Corp(PBR340) Move subsidiary, operator of realtor.com®, to acquire Austin, TX, based real estate technology platform that matches qualified home buyers and sellers with real estate professionals in real time provider Opcityfor $210 million. $NWSA PR link.

ARRIS Intl(PBR409) expands share repurchase program from $350 million available on 08/01/18 to $750 million, intends to make 2/3rds of free cash flow available to shareholders through share repurchases in the future. $ARRS PR link.

Western Union(PBR475) expands digital money transfer services to Asia, Latin America and The Middle East, in over 200 countries/territories. $WU PR link.

Raytheon(PBR112) promotes Roy Azevedo to President/Space and Airborne Systems, effective 09/01/18, succeeds Richard R. Yuse who will serve in an advisory role until his retirement on 12/31/18. $RTN PR link.

Tesla(PBR250 $TSLA) Chief People Officer Gabrielle Toledano is on a leave of absence to spend time with family, HR team sharing her responsibilities. MarketWatch PR link.

Netflix(PBR251) hires Vernā Myers to newly created role of VP/Inclusion Strategy. $NFLX PR link.

NCR(PBR414) hires Andre Fernandez as CFO, succeeds retiring Bob Fishman. $NCR PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR547) hires Paul McCann as SVP/Supply Chain. $GPK PR link.

Nordstrom(PBR179) appoints current Board member and Chairman/CEO of Intuit(PBR497), who will become its Executive Chairman on 01/01/19, Brad Smith to Nordstrom Chairman, effective 11/01/18, to succeed Phil Satre, who will remain on the Board. $JWN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says US 2nd Estimate 2Q18 Real Gross Domestic Product Annual Rate is at +4.2%, $20.412 trillion, +1.9% from 1Q18, +5.4% from 2Q17USDOC PR link.

The US Energy Information Administrationsays US Crude Oil Stockpile on 08/24/18 was at 405.8 billion barrels of oil, +0.2% from 07/20/18, -11.4% from 08/25/17EIA PR link.

The US International Trade Commission rules that uncoated groundwood paper from Canadadoes not injure US industry, strikes down tariffs. USITC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce to provide targeted relief from quotas imposed under Section 232 on steel from South Korea, Argentina, and Brazil, and aluminum from Argentina per proclamation signed by President Trump. USDOC PR link.

***Tuesday, August 28:

Amazon(PBR8) Prime Book Box now available to all US Prime Members, subscription delivers curated children’s books every 1, 2, or 3 months, $22.99/box, savings up to 35% from list price. $AMZN PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) and Switzerland based Nestle close deal granting Nestlé the perpetual rights to market Starbucks Consumer Packaged Goods and Foodservice products globally, outside of the company’s coffee shops. $SBUX PR link.

Sears(PBR169) expands its program from 47 stores to nationwide, including Hawaii and Alaska, that provides full-service tire installation and balancing for customers who purchase any brand of tires—including DieHard—on Amazon(PBR8 $AMZN)$SHLD PR link.

PVH(PBR318) enters European market with launch of IZOD brand in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia for Fall 2018. $PVH PR link.

DSW(PBR731) in 2Q18 report says for Canadamarket it will focus on its largest retail banners, Shoe Company, Shoe Warehouse and DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, will exit its full price, mall-based Town Shoes banner, which operates 38 locations, mostly by the end of the fiscal year, expects $215 million in revenues/year from Canadian segment. $DSW PR link.

Vectren(PBR756) shareholders approve $72/share, $6 billion acquisition by CenterPoint Energy(PBR297), to close no later than 1Q19. $VVC PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR765) to acquire Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited(NYSE: AHL) for $42.75/share, $2.6 billion cash, to close 1H19. $APO PR link.

Cleveland-Cliffs(PBR811) completes sale of its Asia Pacific Iron Ore assets to Mineral Resources, results in $230 million contribution to net income, completes multi-year transformation back to its roots as a supplier of high-grade iron units to the Great Lakes steel industry. $CLF PR link.

Marriott Vacations(PBR868) $4.7 billion cash/stock acquisition of ILG(NASDAQ: ILG)approved by shareholders at separate special meetings, to close 09/01/18. $VAC PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR616 $BKS) former CEO Demos Parneros sues, claims he was fired without justification. MarketWatch PR link.

Tailored Brands((PBR674) CEO Doug Ewert to retire on 09/30/18, Non-Executive Chairman Dinesh Lathi appointed Executive Chairman, effective immediately, President/COO Bruce Thorn resigns, effective 08/31/18, to pursue another opportunity. $TLRD PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR108) hires Laura Hamill as EVP/Worldwide Commercial Operations. $GILD PR link.

AutoZone(PBR267) SVP/Supply Chain Rod Halsell to retire on 11/10/18, been with company since 1985. $AZO PR link.

Motorola Solutions(PBR425) EVP/Products & Solutions Bruce Brda to retire, effective 03/31/19, John Molloy made EVP/Products & Solutions, effective immediately, appoints Kelly S. Mark as EVP/Services & Software, appoints Rajan S. Naik as SVP/Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, expands role of Cynthia M. Yazdi to include Regional Marketing worldwide and SVP/Chief of Staff to the Chairman/CEO, Marketing and Communications. $MSI PR link.

Greenbrier(PBR840) EVP/CFO Lorie Tekorius appointed EVP/COO, Adrian Downes promoted to Acting CFO. $GBX PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says US Fifth District August 2018 Manufacturing Index(Annualized) is at 24%, indicating optimism and expecting continued growth in coming months, July 2018 was 20%, June 201821%, August 2017 14%. RichmondFed PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says US Fifth District August 2018 Service Sector Revenue Index(Annualized) is at 31%, indicating optimism and expecting growth to continue in the next six months, July 2018 was 23%, June 2018 19%, August 2017 22%. RichmondFed PR link.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US June 2018 National Home Price Index(01/2000=100)is at 204.48, May 2018 was 202.91, April 2018201.00, June 2017 192.47. Case-Shiller PR link.

The Conference Board says the US Preliminary August 2018 Consumer Confidence Index(1985=100) is at 133.4, Revised July 2018 127.9, highest level since October 2000 (Index, 135.8), suggests solid economic growth for the remainder of 2018. TCB PR link.

Pitney Bowes(PBR632) Parcel Shipping Indexreports that parcel shipping generated USD $279 billion in revenue in 2017, an increase of 11% over 2016, parcel volume globally grew 17% in 2017 to 74.4 billion parcels, up from 63.6 billion in 2016, expects global shipping volume to surpass 100 billion parcels in 2020 in aggregate across the 13 countries reviewed. $PBI PR link.

***Monday, August 27:

Phillips 66(PBR22) in partnership with Ryze Renewables, which will construct plants in Renoand Las Vegas, NV, to manufacture high-cetane renewable diesel fuel from agricultural oils and animal fats using a patented hydrogenation technology that is more efficient than current conversion processes, to supply the plants with feedstock and move 100 percent of the 11,000 barrels/day renewable product from the plants to customers in West Coast markets. $PSX PR link.

Allstate(PBR75) to acquire employee identity protection to more than 1 million employees and their family members at over 1,400 firms, including more than 100 of the Fortune 500 companies provider InfoArmor for $525 million cash by end of 2018. $ALL PR link.

AbbVie(PBR102) gets US FDA approval forIMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) plus rituximab (RITUXAN®) for the treatment of adult patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), a rare and incurable type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL); ninth FDA approval for IMBRUVICA in less than five years since its initial approval. $ABBV PR link.

FirstEnergy(PBR208) has entered into a definitive settlement agreement in the Chapter 11 proceedings of FirstEnergy Solutions (FES), its subsidiaries and FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), that would address all potential claims among the settling parties and other creditors of FES and FENOC. $FE PR link.

Berry Global(PBR386) completes acquisition of $145 million sales/12 months through 07/31/18 380 employees across 5 US manufacturing facilities Laddawn, a manufacturer of blown polyethylene bags and films with a unique-to-industry e-Commerce sales platform. $BERY PR link.

AMD(PBR487) announces the Radeon™ Pro V340 graphics card, a high-performance dual-GPU Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution purpose-built to power and accelerate the most demanding datacenter visualization workloads, including CAD, design, Desktop as a Service (DaaS) and rendering, to be available in 4Q18. $AMD PR link.

ServiceMaster(PBR716) board approves spin-off of FrontDoor, the parent of American Home Shield, to start trading as NASDAQ: FTDR on 10/01/18, ServiceMaster shareholders will own >80%. $SERV PR link.

Weyerhaeuser(PBR382) President/CEO Doyle Simons to retire, SVP/Timberlands Devin Stockfish to become President/CEO on 01/01/19, SVP/Woodlands Adrian Blocker to become SVP/Timberlands, Keith O’Rear to become SVP/Woodlands. $WY PR link.

Performance Food(PBR168) EVP/PFG and President and CEO/Performance Foodservice Dave Flitman leaving, CEO assumes interim responsibilities as successor search starts. $PFGC PR link.

Netflix(PBR251) hires Rachel Whetstone as Chief Communications Officer. $NFLX PR link.

AMD(PBR487) promotes Saeid Moshkelani to SVP/General Manager, Client Compute Group, succeeds leaving Jim Anderson. $AMD PR link.

Kennametal(PBR857) hires Dr. Carlonda Reilly, PhD, as VP/Chief Technology Officer, effective 09/06/18, succeeds Dr. Robert Clemens who is retiring in 01/19. $KMT PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says US Preliminary July 2018 Natl Activity Indexis at +0.13, indicates moderate economic growth, June 2018 was +0.48, May 2018 -0.46, July 2017 -0.18. ChiFed PR link.

The US Dept of Agriculture provides details of $4.7 billion, $3.26 billion for soybeans, to be paid to US farmers impacted by unjustified trade retaliation. USDA PR link.

***Friday, August 24:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/24/18:

DJIA ends week at 25,790.35, +0.47% from last Friday, +1.48% MTD, +6.26% QTD, +4.33% YTD, -3.10% from record 26,616.71 set 01/26/18.

NASDAQ ends week at record 7,945.98, +1.66% from last Friday, +3.57% MTD, +5.80% QTD, +15.10% YTD, +0.00% from record 7,945.98 set 08/24/18.

SPX ends week at record 2,874.69, +0.86% from last Friday, +2.07% MTD, +5.75 QTD, +7.52% YTD, +0.00% from record 2,874.69 set 08/24/18.

Weekly Summary: After 2 weeks of mixed results the Stock Market Bull wins Week 34outright and now leads the Stock Market Bearwith 15 to 12 weekly wins, with 7 weeks being mixed results. Monday and Tuesday were all Stock Market Bull as corporate earnings reports were strong, there was optimism as the US & China negotiated on trade, and there were limited economic updates. Then late Tuesdaypresidential confidants Paul Manafort was found guilty on multiple charges and Michael Cohenadmitted guilt to financial mismanagement charges. On Wednesday the Stock Market Bear appeared amid the resulting political chaos, existing home sales were disappointing, and the FOMC minutes showed that while the economy is robust, trade issues could cause a problem. Thursday the Fed started its Jackson Hole meeting with some uncertainty, energy & financial stocks took a hit, the US/China trade negotiations ended with no results, Hurricane Lane was bearing down on Hawaii, so it was another Stock Market Bear day. The week could go either way, depending on what happened on Friday. Fed chairman Jerome Powell gave some convincing reassurances about the economy and planned actions. Both the NASDAQ and S&P500 responded by establishing new record highs, the DJIA had a very good day, and at the end of the dramatic week the Stock Market Bull stood tall, proud, and victorious.

Cigna(PBR66) $96.18/share equivalent, $67 billion cash/stock deal, includes $15 billion debt, acquisition of Express Scripts(PBR25) gets approval by shareholders at both companies. $CI PR link, $ESRX PR link.

United Continental(PBR77) transferring its stock exchange listing to The Nasdaq Global Select Market(NASDAQ) from The New York Stock Exchange(NYSE) starting 09/07/18, keeps ticker symbol UAL$UAL PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) independent directors say Elon Musk, after considering all factors, believes the better path is to no longer pursue a transaction for taking Tesla private, after Special Committeediscussions committee has been dissolved, and Board is fully supportive of Elon. TSLA$UAL PR link.

Univar(PBR337) and Ireland, based public global Kerry Ingredients & Flavors launch taste agreement to distribute its taste portfolio in the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal$UNVR PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR699) and Caesars Entertainment(PBR518 $CZR) launch sports betting in newly regulated Mississippi$SGMS PR link.

Enbridge Energy Partners(PBR798) major stockholder Enbridge, Inc(NYSE $ENB) to acquire Spectra Energy Partners(NYSE: SEP)for $3.3 billion all stock, to close 4Q18. $SEP PR link.

Roper Technologies(PBR530) COO Neil Hunn to become President/CEO, effective 09/01/18, succeeds Brian Jellison who remains Executive Chairman. $ROP PR link.

Sprint(PBR87) promotes Deeanne King to Chief Human Resources Officer, succeeds leaving Ismat Aziz. $S PR link.

The Federal Reserve transcript from Chairman Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole meeting speech regarding “Monetary Policy in a Changing Economy.” TheFED PR link.

***Thursday, August 23:

Kroger(PBR17) to phase out single-use plastic bags and transition to reusable bags across its Family of Stores by 2025, Seattle based QFCretail division to be first, to do phase out by end of 2019. $KR PR link.

Cognizant(PBR192) to acquire privately held one of the largest independent Salesforce(PBR275) Platinum consulting partners in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region with operations across Australia and India, having implemented over 1,500 Salesforce projects, SaaSfocus, terms not disclosed. $CTSH PR link.

Conagra Brands(PBR346) $68/share, $10.9 billion cash/stock, includes net debt, acquisition of Pinnacle Foods(PBR694) says the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act has passed, still need Pinnacle Foods stockholders approval, to close by end of 2018. $CAG PR link.

Fortune Brands(PBR491) to acquire 475 employees $200 million in revenues/2017 Meridian, ID, based manufacturer of outdoor performance materials used primarily in decking, railing and fencing products Fiberon for about $470 million. $FBHS PR link.

Penn Natl Gaming(PBR691) gets Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approval for $32.47/share, $2.8 billion cash/stock acquisition of owner/operator of 16 gaming and entertainment facilities Pinnacle Entertainment(NASDAQ:PNK), 12th approval, expects to close transaction in early 4Q18. $PENN PR link.

BOK Financial(PBR926) has all regulatory approvals for $23.02/share, $977 million stock/cash acquisition of Denver based with operations in Colorado and Arizona, $3.8 billion in assets CoBiz Financial(NASDAQ:COBZ), CoBiz stockholders to vote on acquisition on 09/27/18, to close in 4Q18. $BOKF PR link.

Intuit(PBR497) Chairman/President/CEO Brad Smith to step down as CEO at end of 2018, become Executive Chairman, EVP/General Manager-Small Business/Self-Employed Group Sasan Goodarzi to become CEO on 01/01/19; Chief Technology Officer Tayloe Stansbury to step down 01/01/19, to be succeeded by Marianna Tessel, SVP/Chief product Development Officer-Small Business and Self-Employed Group. $INTU PR link.

MEDNAX(PBR648) hires Stephen D. Farber as EVP, effective 08/27/18, will also become CFO in 11/18, to succeed retiring Vivian Lopez-Blanco. $MD PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says US Preliminary July 2018 Total New Family Homes Sold Annual Rate is at 627,000, -1.7% from June 2018, +12.8% from July 2017July 2018 Median Sales Price is at $328,700, +6.0% from June 2018, +1.8% from July 2017July 2018 Houses Available at 309,000, +2.0% from June 2018, +12.0% from July 2017July 2018 Months Supply Available at 5.9. HUD PR link.

***Wednesday, August 22:

Walmart(PBR1) and Rakuten Kobo launch Walmart eBooks, including an audiobook subscription for $9.99/mo. $WMT PR link.

AT&T(PBR9) completes acquisition of privately held San Mateo, CA, based cybersecurity threat intelligence provider AlienVault, terms not disclosed. $T PR link.

AT&T(PBR9) WarnerMedia’s Turner Sportsunit secures worldwide media distribution rights for pay-per-view $9 million winner- take-all golf match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, “The Match” to be held over Thanksgiving weekend, hosted by MGM Resorts(PBR269) in Las Vegas, NV, at Shadow Creek$T PR link.

Fannie Mae(PBR20 $FNMA) and FreddieMac(PBR38 $FMCC) to conclude single-family rental pilot programs for investors per the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)FHFA PR link.

Comcast(PBR33) extends its $19.30/share, $34 billion tender offer for UK based Sky plc to 09/12/18, 1PM London time, currently at 0.21% shares acceptance level. $CMCSA PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR40) to close all 99 Orchard Supply Hardware stores, which are located in California, Oregon and Florida, as well as the distribution facility that services those stores by the end of fiscal 2018. $LOW PR link.

Delta(PBR68) expanding its number and locations of trans-Atlantic flights for summer 2019. $DAL PR link.

Hartford Financial(PBR167) to acquire Stamford, CT, based 30 locations 820 employees globally The Navigators Group(NASDAQ:NAVG), a global specialty underwriter, for $70/share, $2.1 billion cash, to close 1H19. $HIG PR link.

Nordstrom(PBR179) authorizes new up to $1.5 billion share repurchase program, no expiration date, replaces existing program which has $327 million balance. $JWN PR link.

Darden Restaurants(PBR342)’s Olive Gardenunit offering 8 weeks and 52 weeks Never Ending Pasta Pass for $100 and $300, limited amounts available, signup is 08/23/18 2PM Eastern. $AAL PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR699) gets 5 year extension plus 5 1 year optional extensions of its Louisiana Lottery Instant Games contract. $SGMS PR link.

Prologis(PBR763) completes $8.4 billion stock-for-stock deal, includes debt, of logistics real estate company DCT Industrial Trust(NYSE: DCT)$PLD PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR40) hires as David M. Denton as EVP/CFO, to join in 2H18 after CVS Health(PBR7), where he is currently EVP/CFO, completes acquisition of Aetna(PBR48), will succeed retiring Marshall A. Croom. $LOW PR link.

Lockheed(PBR57) promotes Michele Evans to EVP/Aeronautics, effective 10/01/18, succeeds retiring Orlando Carvalho. $LMT PR link.

United Continental(PBR77) acting CFO Gerry Laderman now officially EVP/CFO. $UAL PR link.

PG&E(PBR163) announces interim organizational change while conducting a new COO search, personnel changes announced. $PCG PR link.

Tutor Perini(PBR521) hires Wendy Hallgren as EVP/General Counsel. $TPC PR link.

Worthington Industries(PBR633)President/COO Mark Russell is retiring, CFO Andy Rose to add President role, Geoff Gilmore named VP/COO. $WOR PR link.

The Federal Open Market Committee releases minutes from its 07/31-08/01/18 meeting, discussions show that members view economy as strong, concern for international trade tensions, indicate probable funds rate increase at 09/18 meeting, wait-and-see for future rate changes. FOMC PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says US July 2018 Total Existing Home Sales Annual Rate is at 5,340,000, -0.7% from June 2018, -1.5% from July 2017; July 2018 Median Price is $269,600, -2.6% from June 2018, +4.5% from July 2017NAR PR link.

***Tuesday, August 21:

JPMorgan Chase(PBR26 $JPM) to launch a free stock trading service next week.MarketWatch PR link.

American Airlines(PBR64) expands Europeanfootprint and modifies Asia service. $AAL PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR120) merging Starwood Preferred Guest rewards system into its Marriott Rewards, which includes Ritz-Carlton Rewards, will have one rewards system for all 29 brands and 6,700 hotels, expands benefits. $MAR PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR149) in strategic partnership with Authentic Brands Group for its Nine Westfootwear, handbags and outerwear, and will debut a new women’s apparel collection, oriented towards women and millenials, scheduled for 07/19. $KSS PR link.

Allergan(PBR174) gets US FDA Complete Response Letter for ulipristal acetate (UPA)for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding in women with uterine fibroids, requesting additional information, cited safety concerns regarding ESMYA post-marketing reports outside the US. $AGN PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR175)’s Old Navy unit to bring its online Plus sizes collection into 75 stores; customers can now order the Plus line from any store and receive free shipping. $GPS PR link.

WABCO(PBR675) opens new main 124,000 sf research and development center in Hanover, Germany, to employ 420+. $WBC PR link.

Annaly Capital(PBR784) gets regulatory approvals to acquire MTGE Investment Corp(Nasdaq:MTGE), plans to close transaction on 09/07/18. $NLY PR link.

Alliance One Intl(PBR915) shareholders approve name change to Pyxus International, to start using name 09/12/18, new stock symbol NYSE: PYX, President/CEO Pieter Sikkel adds Chairman role, succeeds Mark Kehaya, who remains on the board. $AOI PR link.

AIG(PBR58) hires John Repko as EVP/Chief Information Officer, effective 09/04/18, succeeds leaving Martha Gallo. $AIG PR link.

Coty(PBR364) EVP/Global CFO Patrice de Talhouët leaving to pursue another opportunity, will stay through mid 09/18 and assist with transition thereafter, new CFO search starts. $COTY PR link.

***Monday, August 20:

Walmart(PBR1) to phase out paint removal products with the chemicals methylene chloride and N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) from its stores in the US, Canada, Mexico, Central America and www.walmart.com by 02/19. $WMT PR link.

Walmart(PBR1) completes $16 billion for an initial stake of approximately 77% in India e-commerce provider Flipkart, includes $2 billion of new equity funding. $WMT PR link.

Anthem(PBR30) in arrangement with Walmart(1 $WMT) to launch in 01/19 for consumers who are enrolled in Anthem’s affiliated Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to use OTC plan allowances to purchase OTC medications and health-related items, such as first aid supplies, support braces, and pain relievers at Walmart’s 4,700 stores and on Walmart.com. $ANTM PR link.

PepsiCo(PBR44) to acquire #1 sparkling water brand in volume in the world and the leading manufacturer and distributor of sparkling water makers SodaStream Internationa(NASDAQ / TLV: SODA) for $144.00/share cash, a 30% premium on 30 day weighted average, $3.2 billion cash, to close by 01/19. $PEP PR link.

Merck(PBR73) gets US FDA approval for an expanded label for KEYTRUDA®, its anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with pemetrexed (ALIMTA®) and platinum chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). $MRK PR link.

Tyson Foods(PBR76) to acquire West Chester, PA, based 11,000 employees, $2.5 billion in revenues/year global chicken, beef, fish and pork supplier Keystone Foods from Marfrig Global Foods for $2.16 billion cash, to close mid FY 2019. $TSN PR link.

ConocoPhillips(PBR86) gets settlement agreement with Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, to recover approximately $2 billion, the full amount awarded to ConocoPhillips by an arbitral tribunal constituted under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), plus interest through the payment period, $500 million in 90 days, balance in quarterly payments over 4.5 years. $COP PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR141) completes sale of Aspen Healthcare Ltd., which operates nine healthcare facilities in the UK, to NMC Healthcare UK, no longer has facilities in the UK. $THC PR link.

JCPenney(PBR229) expands partnership with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal in an all-new, exclusive big & tall brand, Shaquille O’Neal XLG, available in 350 stores and online at JCPenney.com on 09/13/18. $JCP PR link.

Brookdale Senior Living(PBR522) to sell its Manhattan, NY, neighborhood Brookdale Battery Park independent living community for approximately $194 million to Ventas(PBR635 $VTR), to manage the community under a separate management agreement. $BKD PR link.

ServiceMaster(PBR716) completes $1 billion in financial transactions prior to Frontdoor spin-off. $SERV PR link.

Annaly Capital(PBR784) extends exchange offer of $19.65/share cash and stock, $900 million, to acquire MTGE Investment Corp(Nasdaq:MTGE), new date is 09/07/18, 7:00AM Eastern time, extended to allow the parties to satisfy the remaining conditions. $BMY PR link.

Greenbrier(PBR840) and Watco to discontinue their GBW Railcar Services (GBW) railcar repair joint venture formed in 2014, was intended to address booming demand for tank cars in oil by rail service, including tank car retrofits, a market that never fully materialized, 12 shops return to Greenbrier. $GBX PR link.

TEGNA(PBR876) to acquire the local stations WTOL, the CBS affiliate in Toledo, OH, and KWES, the NBC affiliate in Odessa-Midland, TX, for $105 million in cash from Gray Television$TGNA PR link.

Fitbit(PBR931) launches Charge 3, features an elevated, premium swimproof design with a touchscreen display, 15+ goal-based exercise modes, smart features to stay connected to what matters most, up to 7 days of battery life, and its most advanced sensor and algorithm technology in a tracker, available for presale at Fitbit.com for $149.95 USD, with global retail availability starting 10/18. $FIT PR link.

SL Green Realty(PBR950) sells its 48.9% interest in 753,000 sf 3 Columbus Circle in NYC to 51.1% owner The Moinian Group, to net $223 million for SLG, to close 4Q18. $SLG PR link.

Parker Hannifin(PBR245) Asia Pacific Group President Kurt A. Keller to retire after 38 years with company, to promote Michael Wee as successor on 09/01/18. $PH PR link.

Cincinnati Financial(PBR466) lead subsidiary Cincinnati Insurance Chief Insurance Officer and EVP Jacob F. Scherer, Jr, to retire in 08/19, 3 leadership changes announced to be effective 01/01/19. $CINF PR link.

Murphy Oil(PBR833) restructures management team, Eric M. Hambly elected EVP/Onshore, Tom Mireles elected SVP/Technical Services, Mike McFadyen to transition to EVP/Offshore, Gene Coleman to transition to EVP/Exploration & Business Development, Maria Martinez elected VP/Human Resources & Administration. $MUR PR link.

***Friday, August 17:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/17/18:

DJIA ends week at 25,669.32, +1.41% from last Friday, +1.00% MTD, +5.76% QTD, +3.84% YTD, -3.56% from record 26,616.71 set 01/26/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 7,816.33, -0.29% from last Friday, +1.88% MTD, +4.07% QTD, +13.22% YTD, -1.46% from record 7,932.24 set 07/25/18.

SPX ends week at 2,850.13, +0.59% from last Friday, +1.20% MTD, +4.85 QTD, +6.60% YTD, -0.79% from record 2,872.87 set 01/26/18.

Weekly Summary: The week started out like the previous week ended, with continued drama about the decline of the Turkish lira and concerns about possible international impacts, which triggered a downturn in the financial sector. This was compounded by continued US trade tensions. The Stock Market Bear was pretty pleased about himself on Wednesday afternoon. But as the week progressed some key companies had better than expected quarterly reportseconomic data was mostly positive, and at the end of the week China had sent a low level delegation to Washington DC to discuss reopening trade talks, so the Stock Market Bull prevailed on the last two days of the week. It was not enough, however, to overcome losses in the NASDAQ, so the week ends with a Stock Market Bull 2-1 mixed finish. Through Week 33 the Stock Market Bull continues to hold a slight edge with 14 weekly wins, the Stock Market Bear has 12, and 7 weeks have been mixed results.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR139) gets US FDA approval for Opdivo® (nivolumab) as first new medication in nearly 20 years for certain patients with previously treated small cell lung cancer. $BMY PR link.

CBRE(PBR202) to reorganize into 3 global businesses effective 01/01/19: Advisory Services, to be headed by Mike Lafitte as Global CEO; Global Workplace Solutions, William Concannon to continue to serve as Global CEO; and Real Estate Investments, to be headed by Daniel Queenan as Global CEO, other executives named to report to Global CEOs. $CBRE PR link.

Regeneron(PBR459) gets US FDA approval for EYLEA® (aflibercept) Injection in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration. $REGN PR link.

Skyworks(PBR620) completes $405 million plus up to $20 million for milestone achievements over next 12 months acquisition of private fabless semiconductor smart interface supplier Avnera$SWKS PR link.

Briggs & Stratton(PBR900) to consolidate warehouses into two new US distribution centers in Germantown, WI(700,000 sf) and Auburn, AL(400,000 sf), both to be operational in spring 2019. $BGG PR link.

Tesla(PBR250 $TSLA) Chairman/CEO Elon Musk says past year has been ‘excruciating.’ NY Times PR link.

Southern Co(PBR119) promotes Jim Hudson to EVP/Chief External and Public Affairs Officer and Jeff Peoples to EVP/Chief Administrative Officer. $SO PR link.

Anadarko(PBR246) EVP/ Law and Chief Administrative Officer Robert K. Reeves to retire by 12/31/18. $APC PR link.

The Conference Board says the US Preliminary July 2018 Leading Economic Index(2016=100) is at 110.7, suggests the US economy will continue expanding at a solid pace for the remainder of this year, June 2018 was 110.0, May 2018 109.4. TCB PR link.

The U of Michigan US Preliminary August 2018 Consumer Sentiment Index is at 95.3(“dominating weakness reflected much less favorable assessments of buying conditions, mainly due to less favorable perceptions of market prices.”), July 2018 was 97.9, June 201898.2, August 2017 96.8. UMichigan PR link.

***Thursday, August 16:

Kroger(PBR17) and Nuro announce Scottsdale, AZ, as the city for the self-driving grocery delivery pilot, $5.95 delivery fee, no minimum, Nuro to use self-driving Toyota Priusfleet and will introduce its custom R1 driverless vehicle this fall. $KR PR link.

Boeing(PBR29) to acquire El Segundo, CA, based 260 employees, agile, flight-proven small-satellite solutions provider Millennium Space Systems, to close 3Q18, terms not disclosed. $BA PR link.

CBRE(PBR202) acquires San Antonio, TX, commercial real estate operations of Peloton, combined manage/lease 20+ million sf of commercial space in San Antonio. $CBRE PR link.

Celanese(PBR442) increases prices for engineered materials polymer products due to continued increases in raw material costs globally as well as the US Trade Representative’s implementation of a 25% tariff on PBT and PET products imported into the US from China$CE PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR504) now has 260,000+ AMC Stubs A-List members since start 7 weeks ago, 1,000,000+ theatre attendance. $AMC PR link.

CACI Intl(PBR558) completes $84 million acquisition of the Systems Engineering and Acquisition Support Services Business Unitsupporting the US Navy from General Dynamics(PBR90) managed affiliate CSRA$CACI PR link.

Cenveo(PBR927) gets US Bankruptcy Courtchapter 11 plan of reorganization approval, debt to be restructured from $1.1 billion to $325 million, will emerge as privately held company in a few weeks. $CVOVQ PR link.

Wendy’s(PBR985) sells its 12.3% ownership interest in Inspire Brands (owner of Arby’s®, Buffalo Wild Wings®, and R Taco®) for $450 million, a 38% premium on previous valuation, authorizes new up to $100 million share repurchase program, expires 12/27/19, is in addition to previous $175 million authorization which has a $93 million balance. $WEN PR link.

Hershey(PBR368) SVP/CFO Patricia Little to retire in spring 2019, CFO since 2015, search for new CFO starts. $HSY PR link.

Regions Financial(PBR446) promotes Kate Danella as EVP/Strategic Planning and Corporate Development. $RF PR link.

Symantec(PBR585) receives 5 nominees for board from investor Starboard Value, board nominating committee evaluating nominations, 2018 annual meeting date not yet established. $SYMC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD says US Preliminary July 2018 Private Housing Building Permits Annual Rate is at 1,311,000, +1.5% from June 2018, +4.2% from July 2017USDOC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphiasays the US 3rd District August 2018 Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey Indicator is at 11.9, all the broad indicators remained positive but fell from their readings in July and expectations for the next six months remained optimistic, July 2018 was at 25.7, June 2018 19.9, August 2017 22.1. PhillyFed PR link.

***Wednesday, August 15:

Walmart(PBR1) and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres partner on new fashion line, EV1, focus on denim, over 60 items, $30 or less, available at Walmart.com on 09/10/18, to be in 2,300+ stores. $WMT PR link.

Best Buy(PBR65) to acquire provider of connected health and personal emergency response services to the aging population, with more than 900,000 paying subscribers $300+ million in profitable annual revenues GreatCallfor $800 million cash. $BBY PR link.

Kimberly-Clark(PBR155) to increase net selling prices in the mid-to-high single digits on average across a majority of its North America consumer products businesses in 4Q18 & 1Q19 to help offset significant commodity cost inflation. $KMB PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR175) expands its This Way Aheadjob opportunities program for 16-24 year olds from low income communities, to go from from 15 cities to 53 cities globally, includes new national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America$GPS PR link.

First Data(PBR243) and Wells Fargo(PBR27)extend their merchant services joint venture agreement to 12/31/24. $FDC PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR334) to acquire $4 billion in stock resulting in around a 38% ownership stake in Canadian cannabis company Canopy Growth(TSX: WEED, NYSE: CGC)$STZ PR link.

Vail Resorts(PBR874) completes $64 million acquisition of Stevens Pass Resort in Washington from an affiliate of Oz Real Estate$MTN PR link.

Terex(PBR556) President/CEO John Garrison elected to also be Chairman, succeeds David Sachs who now becomes Lead Director. $TEX PR link.

Anadarko(PBR246) promotes Amanda M. McMillian to EVP/General Counsel. $APC PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR547) EVP/Mills Division Al Nichols to retire on 09/15/18 after 29 years with the company, Mike Farrell appointed successor. $GPK PR link.

Tailored Brands(PBR674) hires Richard Hansen as SVP/Strategy & Analytics. $TLRD PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary 2Q18 Business Sector Labor Productivity Ouput/Hour was +3.6%, 1Q18 was +0.6%, 4Q17 -1.1%, 2Q17 +1.6%. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says US Preliminary July 2018 Industrial Production % of Capacity in Use was at 78.1%, June 2018 was 78.1%, May 2018 77.5%, July 2017 76.1%. USFed PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary June 2018 Total Manufacturers/Retail/Wholesale Sales were $1.452 trillion, +0.3% from May 2018, +8.2% from June 2017USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Advance July 2018 Total Retail Sales were $507.5 billion, +0.5% from June 2018, +6.4% from July 2017USDOC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the Empire State August 2018 General Business Conditions Index is at 25.6, July 2018 was 22.6, June 2018 25.0, August 201724.2, firms stepped up their capital spending plans and were fairly optimistic about the six-month outlook. NYFed PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders/Wells Fargo US Preliminary August 2018 Housing Market Composite Index is at 67, July 2018 was 68, June 2018 68, August 2017 67. NAHB/WF PR link.

***Tuesday, August 14:

Kroger(PBR17)‘s new online store introduces Our Brands to international customers, will initially test with select Simple Truth® items through Alibaba and its more than half a billion Chinese consumers$KR PR link.

Intel(PBR45) shares more details and mitigation information on security threats about a recently identified speculative execution side-channel method called L1 Terminal Fault$INTC PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR82) to acquire a minority ownership stake, with path to ownership, in sports performance and hydration drinks provider BODYARMOR which will have access to Coca-Cola bottling system to meet growth of consumer demand, terms not disclosed. $KO PR link.

Capital One(PBR93) introduces newest Savor card, features unlimited 4% cash back on dining and entertainment, 2% at grocery stores, and 1% on all other purchases, $95 annual fee waived in first year. $COF PR link.

Sears(PBR169) CEO Edward Lampert proposes his ESL Investments fund acquire the Kenmore brand for $400 million. $SHLD PR link.

Devon Energy(PBR209) to sell approximately 2,500 oil-equivalent barrels per day 9,600 net acres of non-core Delaware Basin acreage in Ward and Reeves County, TX, to Carrizo Oil and Gas for $215 million, to close 4Q18. $DVN PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) board forms special committee to evaluate potential going private transaction, Chairman/CEO Elon Musk’s previous communications about possibly doing so. $TSLA PR link.

Advance Auto Parts(PBR305) authorizes new $600 million share repurchase program, replaces $500 million program authorized in 2012, had $415 million balance remaining. $AAP PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR336) and China Oceanwide extend merger agreement a sixth time, deadline is now 12/01/18, awaiting regulatory approvals. $GNW PR link.

Allegheny Technologies(PBR640)President/CEO Richard Harshman to be succeeded by EVP Robert S. Wetherbee on 01/01/19, Harshman to be Executive Chairman until his retirement on 05/09/19, Lead Independent Director Diane C. Creel to become Chairman at that time. $ATI PR link.

Gilead Sciences(PBR108) promotes Gregg Alton to the newly created role of Chief Patient Officer, Diana Brainard, MD, promoted to SVP/HIV and Emerging Viral Infections, and Andrew Cheng, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, is leaving. $GILD PR link.

Electronic Arts(PBR500) Chief Design Officer Patrick Söderlund is leaving, effective 10/30/18. $EA PR link.

Kennametal(PBR857) hires Damon Audia as VP/CFO, effective 09/24/18, to succeed retiring Jan Kees van Gaalen. $KMT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary July 2018 Total Imports Prices were +0.0%, June 2018 was -0.1%, May 2018 +0.9%, July 2017 -0.2%; US Preliminary July 2018 Total Export Prices were -0.5%, June 2018 was +0.2%, May 2018 +0.7%, July 2017 +0.5%; July 2018 Total All Imports Year-to-Year is +4.8%, Total All Exports Year-to-Year +4.3%. USDOL PR link.

CoreLogic says US May 2018 Housing Loans 30 Or More Days Delinquent were at 4.2%, lowest in 12 years, areas hit by natural disasters have seen increases, April 2018 was 4.2%, March 2018 4.3%, May 2017 4.5%; May 2018 Percent of Homes in Foreclosure was 0.5%, April 2018 was 0.6%, March 2018 0.6%, May 2017 0.7%. CoreLogic PR link.

The Natl Federation of Independent Businesssays US July 2018 Small Business Optimism Index is at 107.9, second highest in 45 year history, 108.0 record was in July 1983. NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan says, “Expansion continues to be a priority for small businesses who show no signs of slowing as they anticipate more sales and better business conditions.” NFIB PR link.

***Monday, August 13:

Icahn Enterprises(PBR128) Chairman Icahn issues statement saying that in light of the ISSand Glass Lewis recommendations in favor of the Cigna(PBR66 $CI)/Express Scripts(PBR25 $ESRX) transaction and the significant stockholder overlap between the two companies, IEP has informed the SEC that it no longer intends to solicit proxies to vote against the transaction. $IEP PR link.

Mylan(PBR247) gets US FDA approval and 180 days exclusive marketing for Tadalafil TabletsUSP, 20 mg, the first generic of Eli Lilly(PBR121)’s Adcirca®, for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve exercise ability, $510 million market. $MYL PR link.

VF Corp(PBR249) to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies: VF Corporation, a global apparel and footwear powerhouse, and a yet-to-be named company which will hold VF’s Jeans(Wrangler® and Lee® brands) and VF Outlet businesses in the denim category, to be completed in 1H19. $VFC PR link.

Tesla(PBR250)‘s Chairman/CEO Elon Musk provides a blog post to provide an update on taking Tesla private, his conversations with the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund. $TSLA PR link.

Office Depot(PBR281) piloting an integrated coworking space within its Los Gatos, CA, retail location, to provide Tech Services Kiosks in 141 stores across Florida, Georgia and Texasby end of 08/18. $ODP PR link.

NVIDIA(PBR296) launches the NVIDIA Turing™ GPU architecture, features new RT Cores to accelerate ray tracing and new Tensor Cores for AI inferencing which, together for the first time, make real-time ray tracing possible. $NVDA PR link.

Essendant(PBR507) reconfirms it is still in favor of combining with General Parts(PBR191)’s S.P. Richards unit, has not received a proposal from Staples since 08/03/18 signing of confidentiality agreement. $ESND PR link.

Symantec(PBR585) gets compliance notice from NASDAQ for not filing quarterly 10-Q, has also received a notice for not filing annual 10-K, has submitted a plan, must file by 11/26/18 to be in compliance. $SYMC PR link.

Brink’s(PBR669) completes $520 million cash acquisition of Hunt Valley, MD, based 5,400 employees 78 locations Dunbar Armored, the fourth largest US cash management company. $BCO PR link.

KKR(PBR679) to acquire a 60% stake in Mumbai, India, based global management, collection, transport and processing of hazardous, municipal, biomedical and e-waste, as well as the recycling of paper, plastic and chemicals, as well as renewable energy generation provider Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited for $530 million. $KKR PR link.

Netflix(PBR251) CFO David Wells to step down upon appointment of successor. $NFLX PR link.

Advance Auto Parts(PBR305) Interim CFO Jeff Shepherd promoted to EVP/CFO, hires Reuben E. Slone to be EVP/Supply Chain, 10/03/18. $AAP PR link.

Tractor Supply(PBR379) promotes Steve Barbarick to President/COO and Rob Mills to EVP/Chief Technology, Digital Commerce and Strategy Officer. $TSCO PR link.

RH(PBR797) CFO Karen Boone stepping down for family reasons, Ryno Blignaut hired as President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. $RH PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New Yorkreleases its US July 2018 Survey of Consumer Expectations, says US consumers expect higher growth in taxes but lower growth in medical care costs. Wage growth expectations retreated somewhat, and consumers were less optimistic about stock price growth. NYFed PR link.

***Friday, August 10:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/10/18:

DJIA ends week at 25,313.14, -0.59% from last Friday, -0.40% MTD, +4.29% QTD, +2.40% YTD, -4.90% from record 26,616.71 set 01/26/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 7,839.11, +0.35% from last Friday, +2.18% MTD, +4.38% QTD, +13.55% YTD, -1.17% from record 7,932.24 set 07/25/18.

SPX ends week at 2,833.28, -0.25% from last Friday, +0.60% MTD, +4.23 QTD, +5.97% YTD, -1.38% from record 2,872.87 set 01/26/18.

Weekly Summary:Through Wednesday the Stock Market Bull looked like he was going to have a pretty easy week. But then the Stock Market Bear made a quiet appearance on Thursday. On Friday, with the help of the global markets reacting severely to the collapse of the Turkish lira, the Stock Market Bear had a big day, but not enough to overcome the gains in the NASDAQ for the week, resulting in a mixed week overall. At the end of Week 32 the tally stands with the Stock Market Bull at 14 weekly wins, the Stock Market Bear 12, and 6 mixed results weeks.

Microsoft(PBR31) CEO Nadella Satya sells 328,000 of his shares at $109.4396/share, $35.9 million, has a balance of 778,596 shares remaining. $MSFT PR link.

Facebook(PBR69) has new requirements for people who manage Pages with a large US audience, requiring them to secure their account with two-factor authentication and confirm their primary country location, will make it harder for people to administer a Page using a fake or compromised account. $FB PR link.

Newell Brands(PBR194) to sell its $115 million in revenues/2017 manufacturer of hair styling tools and accessories Goody Products to private equity firm ACON Investments, to close within 30 days, terms not disclosed. $NWL PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR343) completes $10.5 billion all stock acquisition of Williams Partners(NYSE: WPZ)$WMB PR link.

YUM!(PBR458) authorizes up to $2 billion in share repurchases, is in addition to $329 million available from previous authorizations. $YUM PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR519) increases share authorization program to $750 million, has used $232 million from previous authorization, has $518 million balance available. $CZR PR link.

Public Storage(PBR752) acquires six newer or remodeled storage locations in Downtown Minneapolis and in nearby popular cities, has added 50 locations in Minnesota in last decade. $PSA PR link.

Marathon Petroleum(PBR37) SVP/Supply, Distribution, and Planning C. Michael Palmer to retire, effective 01/01/19, has been named EVP, assisting in the integration of MPC and Andeavor(PBR82) upon closing of the pending merger. $MPC PR link.

Marathon Petroleum(PBR37) announces additional executives leading combined company after closing Andeavor(PBR82) transaction. $MPC PR link.

DISH(PBR198) SVP/CFO & Principal Financial Officer Steven Swain leaving effective 08/22/18, Paul Orban designated to be Principal Financial Officer on 08/22/18. $DISH PR link.

Brookdale Senior Living(PBR523) hires Steven Swain as EVP/CFO, effective 09/04/18, succeeds Interim CFO Teresa Sparks. $BKD PR link.

GATX(PBR969) announces 6 leadership changes, including EVP/CFO Robert Lyons being EVP & President/Rail North America, and EVP & President/Rail North America becoming EVP/CFO. $GATX PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US July 2018 Total Receipts were $225.3 billion, Total Outlays $302.1, Total Deficit $76.9 billion, July 2017 Total Deficit was $42.9 billion, Total Deficit Fiscal YTD 2018(10 Months) is $684.0 billion, Total Deficit Fiscal YTD 2017(10 Months) was $566.0 billion. U Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US July 2018 Consumer Price Index changed by +0.2%, June 2018 was +0.1%, May 2018 +0.2%, Last 12 Months(Unadjusted) +2.9%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary July 2018 Current Average Earnings Per Houris at $27.05, Average Hours Worked Per Weekat 34.4, for Current Average Earnings Per Week at $933.23, -0.0% from June 2018, +3.0% from July 2017USDOL PR link.

***Thursday, August 9:

The PBR1000 July 2018 Snapshot 15 Summary: The Top 5 By Market Capitalization(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, Market Capitalization on 07/31/18):

1. Apple(PBR4 $AAPL), $933 billion
2. Amazon(PBR8 $AMZN), $868 billion
3. Alphabet(PBR21 $GOOG), $852 billion
4. Microsoft(PBR31 $MSFT), $809 billion
5. Berkshire Hathaway(PBR3 $BRKB), $495 billion

Range: $933 billion to $0.00 billion
Total The PBR1000 Market Capitalization:$27.059 trillion
Average: $27.059 billion
Median: $8.38 billion

Click here to get the full list of The PBR1000!

Humana(PBR54) completes exit of commercial long-term care insurance business in sale of its 29,300 members KMG wholly owned subsidiary to Continental General Insurance Company, to record a net loss of $400 million. $HUM PR link.

Tyson Foods(PBR75) selling its 400+ employees Green Bay, WI, based pizza crust business to a private equity firm Peak Rock Capital affiliate, part of plan to focus on protein business, terms not disclosed. $TSN PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR125) reaches a mutually agreed $93 million licensing settlement with the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission, will also drive certain commercial initiatives in Taiwan over the next five years for the benefit of the mobile and semiconductor ecosystem. $QCOM PR link.

JCPenney(PBR229) to open baby shops in 500 stores on 08/30/18, expanding baby categories and assortment. $JCP PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR348 $CPB) activist investor Dan Loeb’s Third Point has $686.4 million 5.65% stake, says only justifiable outcome of strategic review of options is to sell the company.MarketWatch PR link.

Campbell Soup(PBR348) responds to Dan Loeb’s Third Point 13D filings, says it looks forward to sharing strategic plan at 08/30/18 annual shareholders meeting. $CPB PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR441) acquires Ottawa, Ontario, CAN, based employee benefits and retirement consulting services Leystone Insurance & Financial, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Perrigo(PBR513) to separate its Prescription Pharmaceuticals (Rx) generics business as a spin-off, sale or merger by 2H19, to focus on consumers businesses. $PRGO PR link.

Brunswick(PBR535) completes $910 million cash acquisition of privately held Menomonee Falls, WI, based Power Products – Global Marine & Mobile electrical products business, includes 11 brands, $233 million in annual revenues. $BC PR link.

Chipotle(PBR538) doing limited testing in select US markets of an Applewood Smoked Baconbowl, Build Your Own Nachos, $2 tacos and a drink after 8PM, adding regular sized chips and a fountain drink to an entree order for $3. $CMG PR link.

USG Corp(PBR680) sets 09/26/18 for special stockholders meeting to vote on $44/share, $7.7 billion cash acquisition by Germany based Gebr. Knauf KG, to close in early 2019 if approved. $USG PR link.

Sinclair Broadcast(PBR744) gets termination notice of its $43.50/share, $3.9 billion cash/stock, plus assumption of $2.7 billion of debt Merger Agreement from Tribune Media(NYSE: TRCO), says lawsuit filed by TRCO is without merit, has withdrawn with prejudice its FCC applications to acquire TRCO. $SBGI PR link.

Sinclair Broadcast(PBR744) authorizes an additional up to $1 billion share repurchase program, $89 million still available from previous program, no expiration date. $SBGI PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary July 2018 Total Monthly Final Demand Producer Price Index is at +0.0%, June 2018was +0.3%, May 2018 +0.5%, July 2017 +0.1%, Total Last 12 Months(Unadjusted) +3.3%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary June 2018 Total Wholesale Saleswere at $506.6 billion, -0.1% from May 2018, +10.2% from June 2017June 2018 Total Wholesale Inventories were at $632.4 billion, +0.1% from May 2018, +5.1% from June 2017June 2018 Total Inventory/Sales Ratio was 1.25, May 2018 was 1.25, June 2017 1.31. USDOC PR link.

***Wednesday, August 8:

The July 2018 Snapshot 13 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers since 12/30/16)(19 Months)(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 07/31/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 12/30/16):

1. Weight Watchers(PBR976 $WTW), $89.53, +682%
2. Systemax(PBR982 $SYX), $44.72, +410%
3. Square(PBR835 $SQ), $64.65, +374%
4. BlueLinx(PBR885 $BXC), $34.07, +356%
5. RH(PBR795 $RH), $135.86, +343%

Range: +682% to -99%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:680/995
Average: +22.36%
Median: +14.15%
US Stock Exchanges: DJIA +28.60%, NASDAQ +42.52%, SPX +25.79%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 Top 5 By Market Capitalization.

CVS Health(PBR7) rolls out telehealth app as part of its Minute Clinic service using Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC) for 24/7 access for minor medical conditions. $CVS PR link.

Ford(PBR10) celebrates production of 10,000,000th Mustang, a high-tech, 460 horsepower 2019 Wimbledon White GT V8 six-speed convertible saluting VIN 001 – the first serialized 1964.5 Ford Mustang that featured a 164 horsepower, three-speed V8. $F PR link.

Ford(PBR10) China introduces new mid-size Territory SUV aimed at SUV buyers in emerging, fast-growing cities, to be available in early 2019. $F PR link.

Blackstone(PBR385) completes acquisition of Shiller Park, IL, based 9,000 employees across 1,500 venues and 49 branch offices global events provider PSAV, terms not disclosed. $BX PR link.

GE(PBR18) Capital to sell its GE Energy Financial Services’ Project Finance Debt Business, valued at around $2.6 billion, to Starwood Property Trust$GE PR link.

Rite Aid(PBR132) merger with privately held food store chain Albertson’s has been terminated by mutual agreement, 08/09/18 special meeting cancelled, no termination payments are to be made. $RAD PR link.

Mylan(PBR247)‘s Board feels US public markets continue to underappreciate and undervalue its global diversified business, has formed a strategic review committee and is actively evaluating a wide range of alternatives to unlock the true value of their one-of-a-kind platform, no timetable set. $MYL PR link.

Sempra Energy(PBR261) forms Sempra North American Infrastructure as a new operating group for its North American infrastructure businesses, names Carlos Ruiz Sacristán chairman and CEO of the group. $SRE PR link.

Cinemark(PBR705) Movie Club surpasses 350,000 subscription members representing over 1,000 members per theatre. $CNK PR link.

Greenbrier(PBR839) acquires 68% majority interest in Turkey based railcar manufacturer and provider of railcar repair and parts services Rayvag Vagon Sanayi ve Ticaret, terms not disclosed, Turkish government plans to expand rail lines, proposing to invest more than $23.5 billion toward rail infrastructure projects through 2023. $GBX PR link.

Dun & Bradstreet(PBR907) to be acquired by investor group led by CC Capital, Cannae Holdings and Thomas H. Lee Partners, for $145.00/share, $6.9 billion cash, includes $1.5 billion net debt and net pension obligations, to close within 6 months. $DNB PR link.

Avon Products(PBR467) hires Jose Vicente Marino as EVP and General Manager/Brazil, Avon’s largest business, effective 09/17/18. $AVP PR link.

Carpenter Technology(PBR897) to promote Tim Lain to VP/CFO, effective 09/14/18, succeeds departing Damon Audia. $CRS PR link.

***Tuesday, August 7:

The July 2018 Snapshot 12 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers YTD(7 Months)(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 07/31/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 12/29/17):

1. BlueLinx(PBR885 $BXC), $34.07, +249%
2. Fossil(PBR732 $FOSL), $26.20, +237%
3. Tenet Health(PBR141 $THC), $37.63, +148%
4. Weight Watchers(PBR976 $WTW), $89.53, +102%
5. Genesis Health(PBR484 $GEN), $1.51, +99%

Range: +249% to -96%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:547/1,000
Average: +2.62%
Median: +2.03%
US Stock Exchanges: DJIA +2.82%, NASDAQ +11.13%, SPX +5.34%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers since 12/30/16(19 Months).

AT&T(PBR9) acquires joint venture partner The Chernin Group’s controlling interest in Otter Media, has a global audience of more than 93 million unique monthly consumers, on pace to deliver over 75 billion video views in 2018. $T PR link.

Kroger(PBR17) exploring strategic alternatives, including a potential sale, of its 800 employees Turkey Hill manufacturing/distribution business producing popular iced teas, fruit drinks, milk, frozen dairy treats and a variety of ice creams. $KR PR link.

Cigna(PBR66) reiterates support for $96.18/share equivalent, $67 billion cash/stock deal, includes $15 billion debt, acquisition of Express Scripts(PBR25) in response to letter from minority shareholder Carl Icahn who opposes deal. $CI PR link.

21st Century Fox(PBR101) publishes official $18.30/share it does no already own bid for UKbased Sky plc$FOX PR link.

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR222) to acquire high quality, performance-driven heavy equipment attachment tools for off-highway applications manufacturer International Equipment Solutions Attachments Group for $690 million cash. $SWK PR link.

Tesla(PBR250)‘s Chairman/CEO Elon Musk sends email to employees explaining why he is strongly considering a transition into a private company like his SpaceX venture, to sell shares at $420, a 20% premium, would encourage shareholders and employees to be investors. $TSLA PR link.

CSX(PBR256) transitions from a headquarters-centric to a decentralized by function organization, announces 4 leadership appointments reporting to EVP/Operations. $CSX PR link.

Group 1 Automotive(PBR263) acquires Honda of Slidell in Slidell, LA, and Fernandez Honda in San Antonio, TX, together to generate around $125 million in annual revenues, terms not disclosed. $GPI PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR269) and 50/50 partner sell Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, IL, to Eldorado Resorts for $327.5 million cash, receives $162 million. $MGM PR link.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances(PBR652)$106.25/share, $7.1 billion cash/stock acquisition of global flavors and natural fine ingredients producer with 70,000 products and 30,000+ customers Frutarom (TASE:FRUT), gets Frutarom shareholders approval, to close in 4Q18. $IFF PR link.

Louisiana-Pacific Corp(PBR743) authorizes up to $150 million share repurchase program. $LPX PR link.

Sinclair Broadcast(PBR744) launching a new over-the-top advertising platform exclusively focused on OTT advertising through its CompulseOTT division, will offer advertisers commercials in :15 and :30 second lengths on leading OTT distribution platforms such as Roku, AppleTV, gaming consoles, SmartTV’s and streaming sticks. $SBGI PR link.

Salesforce(PBR275) COO Keith Block promoted to Co-CEO, Marc Benioff is Chairman/Co-CEO. $CRM PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR40) hires Donald E. Frieson as EVP/Supply Chain. $LOW PR link.

Merck(PBR73) hires Steven C. Mizell as Chief Human Relations Officer, effective in 10/18, to succeed Mirian M. Graddick-Weir who retires 11/30/18. $MRK PR link.

General Dynamics(PBR90) to promote Christopher Marzilli to be EVP/Information Technology and Mission Systems, effective 01/01/19, succeeds retiring S. Daniel Johnson. $GD PR link.

Travelers Cos(PBR98) EVP/CFO Jay S. Benet to step down, effective 09/01/18, will be Vice Chairman of the Board, successor is Daniel S. Frey. $TRV PR link.

WellTower(PBR405) promotes Shankh Mitra to EVP and Chief Investment Officer, other appointments announced, has new structure for corporate finance and asset management. $WELL PR link.

Crocs(PBR1000), in 2Q18 report, says EVP/CFO Carrie Teffner to resign, effective 04/01/19, becomes EVP/Finance & Strategic Projects on 08/24/18 when Anne Mehlman joins to be successor EVP/CFO. $CROX PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US Preliminary June 2018 Total Job Openings were at 6,663,000, +0.1% from May 2018, +8.8% from June 2017USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says US Preliminary June 2018 Total Consumer Revolving Credit Debt is at $1.039 trillion, Total Consumer Non-Revolving Credit Debt is at $2.869 trillion, Total Consumer Credit Debt is at $3.908 trillion, +0.3% from May 2018, +2.0% from December 2017(6 months), +4.7% from June 2017USFed PR link.

FannieMae(PBR20) says the US July 2018 Home Purchase Sentiment Index is at 86.5, June 2018 was 90.7, May 2018 92.3, July 201786.8, “Fewer Americans think it is a good time to buy/sell a home as home prices and inventory constraints limit trade-up options.” $FNMA PR link.

The PurdueU/CME Group says the US July 2018 Ag Economy Composite Index is at 117, June 2018 was 143, May 2018 141, July 2017139, index falls sharply on price weakness and trade war concerns. PurdueU/CME Group PR link.

KKR(PBR674) releases “China: A Visit to the Epicenter,” a review of China economics, trade issues, especially with the US$KKR PR link.

***Monday, August 6:

The July 2018 Snapshot 11 Summary: The PBR1000 Top 5 Month Stock Performers(Rank, Company, PBR Ranking by Revenues, Stock Symbol, 07/31/18 Stock Price, % Increase from 06/29/18):

1. iHeartRadio(PBR440 $IHRTQ), $0.46, +84%
2. SuperValu(PBR204 $SVU), $32.32, +58%
3. World Fuel(PBR84 $INT), $27.83, +36%
4. Travel Centers of America(PBR450 $TA), $4.65, +33%
5. LifePoint Health(PBR377 $LPNT), $64.80, +33%

Range: +84% to -43%
Number of Companies at 0% or Better:683/1,000
Average: +2.21%
Median: +2.55%

Tomorrow: The PBR1000 Top 5 Stock Performers YTD.

Click here to find out more about The PBR1000!

Cisco(PBR60) to receive $400 million from Arista Networks to resolve all outstanding litigation between the companies. $CSCO PR link.

Facebook(PBR69 $FB) denies seeking financial-transaction data from banks.MarketWatch PR link.

Praxair(PBR254 $PX) acquisition by Germanybased Linde AG may require more divestitures per indications from the US Federal Trade CommissionLinde AG PR link.

Avis Budget(PBR319) in multi-year deal with Lyft to provide cars for Lyft drivers, program to become available in next few months. $MAN PR link.

Regeneron(PBR459) to acquire $100 million in shares at $238.10/share in bluebird bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLUE) for a collaboration to apply their respective technology platforms to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel immune cell therapies for cancer. $REGN PR link.

Bemis(PBR583) to be acquired by Australiabased Amcor Limited (ASX: AMC) in $57.75/share, $6.8 billion all stock transaction, to close 1Q19. $BMS PR link.

Skyworks(PBR621) to acquire private fabless semiconductor smart interface supplier Avnerafor $405 million plus up to $20 million for milestone achievements over next 12 months, to close in 09/18. $SWKS PR link.

Varian Medical(PBR753) acquires privately-held humediQ Global GmbH, the manufacturer of IDENTIFY, an automated patient identification, positioning and motion management system for radiation therapy. $VAR PR link.

Columbia Sportswear(PBR788) adds up to an additional $200 million for share repurchase program, balance is now $259.7 million. $COLM PR link.

Vornado(PBR852) completes sale of its 49.5% interests in the 666 Fifth Avenue Office Condominium to an affiliate of its partner, the Kushner Companies, net proceeds to Vornado will be $120 million, will retain ownership of 666 Fifth Avenue Retail Condominium$VNO PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR984) 2Q18 report says 1H18 attendance up 0.8 million, 8.0% from 1H17, to 9.6 million guests, 1H18 revenues up $49 million, 8.7%, to $609.1 million. $SEAS PR link.

PepsiCo(PBR43) Chairman/CEO Indra Nooyi to step down as CEO effective 10/03/18, remain Chairman until early 2019, President Ramon Laguarta to be CEO successor. $PEP PR link.

Manpower(PBR137) President/COO Darryl Green to retire, effective 08/31/18, for family reasons, no successor planned, Chairman/CEO Jonas Prising to assume responsibilities. $MAN PR link.

Granite Construction(PBR706) hires M. Craig Hall as SVP/General Counsel, Corporate Compliance Officer and Secretary. $GVA PR link.

***Friday, August 3:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Week Ending 08/03/18:

DJIA ends week at 25,462.58, +0.05% from last Friday, +0.19% MTD, +4.91% QTD, +3.01% YTD, -4.34% from record 26,616.71 set 01/26/18.

NASDAQ ends week at 7,812.02, +0.96% from last Friday, +1.83 MTD, +4.02 QTD, +13.16% YTD, -1.52% from record 7,932.24 set 07/25/18.

SPX ends week at 2,840.35, +0.76% from last Friday, +0.85% MTD, +4.49 QTD, +6.24% YTD, -1.13% from record 2,872.87 set 01/26/18.

Weekly Summary: The Stock Market Bear took a big lead at the start of the week, but the Stock Market Bull took over from there and ended up with the win for Week 31, the result of a report of a strong US economy by the Federal Open Market Committeegood earnings reports overall, but balanced by continuing trade tensions and a somewhat mixed jobs report. With the win the Stock Market Bull now has 14 weekly wins, the Stock Market Bear 12, and 5 weeks have had mixed results.

Marathon Petroleum(PBR37)‘s $35.6 billion acquisition of Andeavor(PBR82) to be voted on by shareholders of both organizations on 09/24/18, expects to close on 10/01/18. $MPC PR link.

Manpower(PBR137) authorizes up to 6 million share repurchase program, is in addition to current program which has 1.8 million shares balance remaining. $MAN PR link.

Biogen(PBR237) authorizes new $3.5 billion share repurchase program with no expiration date. $BIIB PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR800) opens sports books at its two Mississippi properties – IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi, and Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Tunica — following the receipt of final approval from the Mississippi Gaming Commission, Boyd Gaming’s first sports books outside of the state of Nevada$BYD PR link.

Adtalem Education(PBR888) moving Ross University School of Medicine medical sciences campus from Hurricane Mariadamaged Dominica to Bridgetown, Barbados, to start with 01/19 semester. $ATGE PR link.

Discover Financial(PBR253) Chairman/CEO David Nelms to step down as CEO on 10/01/18, become Executive Chairman until he retires in early 2019, President/COO Roger Hochschild to be President/CEO effective 10/01/18. $DFS PR link.

GNC(PBR790) board unanimously approves the appointment of CEO Ken Martindale to the additional role of Chairman, effective immediately, succeeds Bob Moran, who will assume the role of Lead Independent Director. $GNC PR link.

Ascena Retail(PBR408) promotes Andrew Clark to President/Loft brand and Julie Rosen to President/Ann Taylor and Lou & Grey brands. $ASNA PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US July 2018 Labor Force Employed was 155,965,000, +389,000 from June 2018, +2,454,000 from July 2017July 2018 Unemployed at 6,280,000, -284,000 from June 2018, -676,000 from July 2017July 2018 Unemployment Rate at 3.9%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says US Preliminary June 2018 Total Exports were $213.8 billion, Total Imports $260.1 billion, Total Deficit $46.3 billion, Total Deficit YTD(6 months) $291.2 billion, Total Deficit YTD June 2017(6 months) was $271.5 billion. USDOC PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says the US July 2018 Non-Manufacturing Index(>50%=Economy Growing) is at 55.7%, represents continued growth in the non-manufacturing sector at a slower rate, June 2018 was 59.1%, May 2018 58.6%, July 201753.9%. ISM PR link.

IHS Markit says the US July 2018 Composite PMI Output Index is at 55.7, a 3 month low but remains strong, June 2018 was 56.2, May 201856.6, July 2017 54.6. IHS Market PR link.

***Thursday, August 2:

Apple(PBR4 $AAPL) closes at $207.39/share, with 4.92 billion outstanding shares closes with a market capitalization of $1.020 trillion, first US company to accomplish that milestone.

Comcast(PBR33) and Amazon(PBR8) to launch Prime Video on Comcast’s Xfinity X1later in 2018. $CMCSA PR link.

Cisco(PBR60) to acquire privately held Ann Arbor, MI, based unified access security and multi-factor authentication delivered through the cloud provider Duo Security for $2.35 billion cash. $CSCO PR link.

Macy’s(PBR113) launches exclusive limited-edition fall capsule, Zoe by Rachel Zoe, , ready-to-wear collection for the multi-hyphenate woman. $M PR link.

Boston Scientific(PBR315) completes $220 million cash up front plus up to $50 million for milestone achievements acquisition of privately held Claret Medical, developer of the Sentinel® Cerebral Embolic Protection System used to protect the brain during certain interventional procedures, predominately in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). $BSX PR link.

YUM!(PBR458)’s Taco Bell unit has opened 3 Urban In-Line and 3 Cantina restaurants in NYC boroughs, plans to add 3 more Cantina restaurants by end of 2018, plans to have 9,000 restaurants globally by 2022, 1,000 of them outside the US. $YUM PR link.

Post Holdings(PBR494) retains 60.5% equity and receives $875 million cash in partnership with Thomas H. Lee Partners in 8th Avenue Food & Provisions which will manage Post’s private brands business, to close in 10/18. $POST PR link.

Sealed Air(PBR540) acquires privately held fabricator of foam, corrugated, molded pulp and wood packaging solutions $125 million in sales/2017 260 employees, Pflugerville, TX,based AFP$SEE PR link.

Global Payments(PBR656) to acquire cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) solutions to small-to-medium sized ambulatory physician practices in the US provider AdvancedMD from Marlin Equity Partners for $700 million cash. $GPN PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR800) and FanDuel Groupenter into strategic partnership to pursue sports betting and online gaming opportunities across the US$BYD PR link.

Nu Skin(PBR821) increases share repurchase program to $500 million, had $92 million balance. $NUS PR link.

Square(PBR835) opens up its hardware to developers for the first time, introduces Square Reader SDK toolkit. $SQ PR link.

Greenbrier(PBR839) announced new orders totaling 5,000 diversified railcar units valued at $425+ million received during the first two months of 4Q18 that began on 06/01/18. $GBX PR link.

Take-Two Interactive(PBR898) in 2Q18 report says its Grand Theft Auto V is approaching 100 million units sold. $TTWO PR link.

ITT Corp(PBR770) President/CEO Denise Ramos to retire on 03/01/19, be an advisor after 12/31/18, Luca Savi named President/COO, will become President/CEO on 01/01/19. $ITT PR link.

Endo Intl(PBR643) hires Laure Park as SVP/Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs. $ENDP PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary June 2018 Total Manufacturers New Durable Goods Orders were $251.5 billion, New Non-Durable Goods Orders$$250.2 billion, Total New Goods Orders$501.7 billion, +0.7% from May 2018, +6.1% from June 2017USDOC PR link.

***Wednesday, August 1:

Wells Fargo(PBR27) to pay $2.09 billion to resolve a previously disclosed investigation by the US Dept of Justice regarding claims related to certain 2005–07 residential mortgage-backed securities activities. $WFC PR link.

Boeing(PBR29) to open the new Boeing Aerospace & Autonomy Center in Cambridge, MA, first major tenant of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) new mixed-use district in Kendall Square, leasing 100,000 sf, focus on designing, building and flying autonomous aircraft and developing enabling technologies. $BAC PR link.

HP Inc(PBR56) to acquire UK based office equipment dealer (OED) and Europe’s largest independent provider of print, outsourced services, and document and process technology Apogee Corporation for around $500 million, to close by 12/31/18. $HPQ PR link.

Facebook(PBR69 $FB) says WhatsApp will start making money next year. MarketWatch PR link.

Energy Transfer Equity(PBR72) to acquire Energy Transfer Partners(NYSE: ETP) in simplification transaction. $ETE PR link.

Sprint(PBR87) reports 57,000 total net wireless additions in 1Q18 ending 06/30/18, 54,567,000 total end of period connections, had 53,698,000 1Q17$S PR link.

Starbucks(PBR124) in partnership with Alibaba(NYSE: BABA) to provide Starbucks online ordering and delivery services in Beijing and Shanghai in 09/18, to expand to 30 Chinese cities and 2,000 stores by end of 2018. $SBUX PR link.

BlackRock(PBR231) completes acquisition of $9 billion in of committed client capital 80+ team members Los Angeles, CA, based Tennenbaum Capital Partners, terms not disclosed. $BLK PR link.

ADP(PBR234) acquires Chicago, IL, based global payroll management services provider Celergo, terms not disclosed. $ADP PR link.

Tesla(PBR250) releases 2Q18 shareholders letter, has achieved 5,000 Model 3production/week, forecasting 50-55,000 units in 3Q18, expects to achieve profitability by year end. $TSLA PR link.

Entergy(PBR264) to sell the subsidiaries that own the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, MA, and the Palisades Power Plant in Covert, MI, after their shutdowns and reactor defuelings, to a Holtec International subsidiary for accelerated decommissioning. $ETR PR link.

Molson Coors(PBR265) Canada and Canadian cannabis producer, The Hydropothecary Corporation (“HEXO”) (TSX: HEXO), to form a joint venture to develop non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused beverages for the Canadian market following legalization. $TAP PR link.

HanesBrands(PBR416) and Target(PBR39) will not renew their contract for an exclusive line of C9 by Champion activewear apparel when the current contract expires at the end of 01/20, did $380 million in last 12 months, HBI says impact will be minimal because of growth in other areas. $HBI PR link.

Citizens Financial(PBR418) completes acquisition of Franklin American Mortgage, triples the size of Citizens’ off-balance sheet mortgage servicing portfolio from $21.6 billion to approximately $65.3 billion, with a total servicing portfolio of approximately $83.1 billion. $CFG PR link.

NVR(PBR426) authorizes $300 million share repurchase program. $NVR PR link.

Chipotle(PBR538) has record digital sales day with its promotion of free guacomole on National Avocado Day, used 700,000 avocados, 200,000 than the average day. $CMG PR link.

CNO Financial(PBR564) Bankers Life unit to cede all of its legacy (prior to 2003) comprehensive and nursing home long-term care policies (with statutory reserves of approximately $2.7 billion) through 100% indemnity coinsurance. to pay $825 million to Wilton Reassurance Company to take policies. $CNO PR link.

Valmont(PBR739) acquires operational assets of Derit Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd., a manufacturing facility in India’s Gujarat state, with production capabilities for steel lattice structures for power transmission, wireless communication, and renewable generation, and a provider of zinc galvanizing services, terms not disclosed. $VMI PR link.

The Cheesecake Factory(PBR827) begins exclusive national delivery agreement with DoorDash$CAKE PR link.

Popular(PBR844) completes $1.7 bill cash acquisition of Wells Fargo(PBR27)’s auto finance business in Puerto Rico$BPOP PR link.

Fitbit(BR931) says new Versa smartwatchoutsold Samsung, Garmin and Fossil(PBR732)smartwatches combined, sold 2.7 million devices in 2Q18 vs 3.4 million in 2Q17. $FIT PR link.

Griffon Corp(PBR948) authorizes an additional $50 million for share repurchases, balance available is $58.3 million. $GFF PR link.

Facebook(PBR69) Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos leaving on 08/17/18, taking teaching and research positions at Stanford. $FB PR link.

Becton Dickinson(PBR241) names Simon Campion as EVP and President/Interventional segment, effective 09/04/18. $BDX PR link.

Juniper Networks(PBR509) hires Pierre-Paul Allard as EVP/Chief Customer Officer. $JNPR PR link.

Aerojet Rocketdyne(PBR878) hires Jim Maser as SVP/Space Business Unit. $AJRD PR link.

Vitamin Shoppe(PBR995) hires David Mock as EVP/Chief Merchandising & Chief Marketing Officer. $VSI PR link.

The Federal Open Market Committee finishes its meeting, issues statement saying economic activity has been rising at a strong rate, keeps federal funds rate at 1.75-2.00% for now. FOMC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/Census says US Preliminary June 2018 Total All Construction Annual Rate is at $1.317 trillion, -1.1% from May 2018, +7.4% from June 2017USDOC PR link.

ADP(PBR234) says US Preliminary July 2018 Change in National Employment was +219,000, +21.0% from June 2018, +7.9% from July 2017Small Businesses were +52,000, Mid-Sized +119,000, Large +48,000; Goods Producing Sector +42,000, Services Sector+177,000. $ADP PR link.

The Institute for Supply Management says US July 2018 Manufacturing PMI Index is at 58.1%, reflects continued expanding business strength, June 2018 was 60.2%, May 201858.7%, July 2017 56.5%. ISM PR link.

The IHS Markit US July 2018 Manufacturing PMI is at 55.3, says business confidence remained strongly positive, June 2018 was 55.4, May 2018 56.4, July 2017 53.3. IHS Markit PR link.

Automotive News says US Estimated July 2018 New Light Vehicles Units Sold was at 1,364,961, -3.7% from July 2017Average Transaction Price was $31,561(JD Power), Average Incentive Outlay $3,754(ALG), Total Light Vehicles Sold YTD at 9,982,617, +1.1% from July 2017Automotive News PR link.

***Tuesday, July 31:

The PBRMarketTools US Stock Exchanges Recap for the Month of July Ending 07/31/18:

DJIA ends July 2018 at 25,415.19, -0.14% from last Friday, +4.71% MTD/QTD, +2.82% YTD, -4.51% from record 26,616.71 set 01/26/18.

NASDAQ ends July 2018 at 7,671.79, -0.85% from last Friday, +2.15% MTD/QTD, +11.13% YTD, -3.28% from record 7,932.24 set 07/25/18.

SPX ends July 2018 at 2,816.29, -0.09% from last Friday, +3.60% MTD/QTD, +5.34% YTD, -1.97% from record 2,872.87 set 01/26/18.

July 2018 Summary: The month was marked by trade tensions and threatened tariffs, but eased down towards the end of the month. The US economy continues to show good strength as indicated by the 4.1% GDP growth rateannounced at the end of the month. However, the technology sector struggled with cybersecurity and identity issues. In the end the Stock Market Bull clearly had a strong month across the major US stock exchanges and now leads the Stock Market Bear 4 months to 2 months with 1 month mixed through July.

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The PBR1000 July 2018 Stocks & Commodities Snapshots

July 2018: A Convincing Win for the Stock Market Bull and The PBR1000

July 2018 was a good ride as the Stock Market Bull easily prevailed in all 3 major US stock exchanges and forecasts indicating a strong economy for the rest of 2018.


By Larry C. Paxton

The second half of 2018 kicked off in a positive way as data and surveys continue to show strong US economic growth and forecasts indicating more of the same through 2018. There appears to be a trend of trade war concerns which are then followed by actions and negotiations that indicate these will be resolved. US stock exchanges had few ongoing up or down swings and no long positive or negative trends. All in all it was a good month, which the Stock Market Bull clearly won and was good for The PBR1000 as well. The overall monthly records are now the Stock Market Bull ahead 4 months to the Stock Market Bear’s 2 months, with June being the only mixed result.

The July 2018 US Major Stock Market Exchanges Summary

Number of Trading Days: 21

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 14+/7-; NASDAQ 11+/10-; SPX 13+/8-.

Record Days: DJIA 0, NASDAQ 4, SPX 0

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 5 days(07/12-18/18), NASDAQ 4 days(07/05-10/18), SPX 4 days(07/05-10/18)

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3 days(07/19-23/18), NASDAQ 3 days(07/18-20/18 & 07/26-30/18), SPX 3 days(07/26-30/18)

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 5 days(07/05/18(N), 07/06/18(N), 07/09/18(D), 07/12/18(N), 07/25/18(N))

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 3 days(07/26/18(N), 07/27/18(N), 07/30/18(N))

The PBR1000 July 2018 Snapshots

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 July 2018 Snapshots. The price for stocks is for the close of trading on July 31, Month % Chg is compared to June 29YTD % Chg is compared to December 29, 2017, and the 19 Months % Chg is compared to December 30, 2016. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 12 month subscription and automatically download the July 2018 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots and 25 rankings and the bonus The PBRMarketTools US Monthly Indices Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +84% to -43%683 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 2.21%, the median was a gain of 2.55%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
07/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
19 Mos
% Chg
iHeartMedia
440 IHRT 0.46 +84 -8 -59
SuperValu
204 SVU 32.32 +58 +50 -1
World Fuel
84 INT 27.83 +36 -1 -39
Travel Centers
450 TA 4.65 +33 +13 -35
LifePoint Health
378 LPNT 64.80 +33 +30 +14

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +249% to -96%547 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 2.62%, the median was a gain of 2.03%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
07/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
19 Mos
% Chg
BlueLinx
886 BXC 34.07 -9 +249 +356
Fossil
734 FOSL 26.20 -2 +237 +1
Tenet Healthcare 141 THC 37.63 +12 +148 +154
Weight Watchers
976 WTW 89.53 -11 +102 +682
Genesis Healthcare 484 GEN 1.51 -34 +99 -64

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 19 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: The range was +682% to -99%680 out of 1,000 stocks were up 0% or more. The average was a gain of 22.36%. The median was a gain of 14.15%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
07/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
19 Mos
% Chg
Weight Watchers 976 WTW 89.53 -11 +102 +682
Systemax 982 SYX 44.72 +30 +34 +410
Square 836 SQ 64.65 +5 +86 +374
BlueLinx 886 BXC 34.07 -9 +249 +356
RH 797 RH 135.86 -3 +58 +343

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

Table 4 Summary: The range was $933 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $27.0 billionmedian is $8.4 billion, out of 1,000 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
07/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
19 Mos
% Chg
Apple
4 AAPL 933 +3 +7 +51
Amazon
8 AMZN 868 +5 +56 +144
Alphabet
21 GOOG 852 +9 +17 +60
Microsoft 31 MSFT 809 +7 +23 +67
Berkshire Hathaway 3 BRKB 495 +7 +1 +23
The PBR1000
  26,981 +3 +4 +24

Table 5: The PBR1000 Index & Primary US Stock Exchanges/Commodities

Company Price
07/31/18
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
19 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 88,134.50 +2.2 +2.6 +22.3
DJIA 25,415.19 +4.7 +2.8 +28.6
NASDAQ 7,671.79 +2.2 +11.1 +42.5
S&P500 2,816.29 +3.6 +5.3 +25.8
GOLD 1,232.50 -1.8 -5.6 +7.0
SILVER 15.53 -4.1 -8.6 -2.9
OIL            68.42 -7.7 +13.8 +27.4

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