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The PBR1000 June 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

July 24, 2016 by admin

June 2016: 1st Half & Brexit Surprise

What Are The Implications of Brexit?

By Larry C. Paxton

June 2016 ended the 1st half of the year with a lot of drama in the closing days.

On June 23rd the British voters quite unexpectedly elected to leave the European Union, and the word “Brexit” became a recognized worldwide term. Initially stocks plummeted on the uncertainty of what this would mean for the UK, Europe, the US, and the world. After a couple of days of significant losses a recovery started after most investors realized that there would be a smooth transition in the UK leadership, that Brexit would take a while to accomplish, and even though the economics are uncertain, there was no need to panic.

In terms of US stock exchanges most days in the month fluctuated between -0.50% to +0.50% from the previous day. NASDAQ had 10 of 22 trading days in that range, overall had 11 up days and 11 down days and was the most affected by Brexit, with 2 days having a loss of more than 2.00%, and then 2 days with a gain of over 1.50%. NASDAQ was the only loser for the month.

As you can see from the tables below The PBR1000 companies in The Top 5 Tables are spread across a wide variety of industries, a good sign.

At this time it appears that the Federal Reserve will not increase funds rates for some time due to the uncertainties of the markets worldwide and modest at best growth of the US economy.

Now the 2nd half of 2016 starts, it’s anybody’s guess about how it will unfold, and opinions are all over the place. We look forward to yours!

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

The following partial tables are excerpts from The PBR1000 June Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on June 30th, Month % Chg is compared to May 31st, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 18 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +92.50% to -40.00%. 469 out of 1,009 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 46.48% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 0.67%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 06/30/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
Aeropostale	931	ARO	0.08	+92.50	-72.50	-96.68
iHeartMedia	377	IHRT	0.92	+41.30	+44.44	-82.31
Axiall	599	AXLL	32.61	+40.02	+111.75	-23.22
LinkedIn	655	LNKD	189.25	+38.64	-15.92	-17.61
Peabody Energy	415	BTUUQ	1.37	+35.64	-82.16	-98.82

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +258.86% to -97.25%. 618 out of 1,009 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 61.25% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 5.62%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 06/30/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources	842	CLF	4.28	+32.48	+258.86	-20.59
Quad/Graphics	478	QUAD	19.21	+21.24	+150.43	+1.44
Newmont Mining	320	NEM	32.41	+20.70	+117.45	+106.98
Axiall	599	AXLL	23.29	+40.02	+111.75	-23.22
US Steel	228	X	14.47	+16.52	+111.28	-36.95

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +134.46% to -99.28%. 441 out of 1,002 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 44.01% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 4.17%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 06/30/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
NVIDIA	454	NVDA	47.01	+0.62	+42.63	+134.46
Amazon	18	AMZN	715.62	-0.99	+5.88	+130.58
Insperity	722	NSP	77.23	+7.31	+60.39	+127.88
Newmont Mining	320	NEM	39.12	+20.70	+117.45	+106.98
Skywest	635	SKYW	26.46	+12.12	+39.12	+99.25

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $523.64 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $20.41 billion, median is $6.19 billion, out of 1,007 companies tracked.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 06/30/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
Apple	3	AAPL	523.64	-4.27	-10.77	-19.12
Alphabet	35	GOOG	475.16	-5.93	-8.96	+33.06
Microsoft	25	MSFT	402.22	-3.45	-9.24	+5.05
ExxonMobil	2	XOM	388.70	+5.30	+19.78	-0.72
Berkshire Hathaway	4	BRK.B	350.05	+0.64	+7.55	-3.19
The PBR1000			20,549.26	+0.08	+1.97	-0.14

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

Company	Price 06/30/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	18 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	69,483.46	-0.18	+3.51	-1.36
DJIA	17,929.99	+0.80	+2.90	+0.60
NASDAQ	4,842.67	-2.13	-3.29	+2.25
S&P500	2,098.86	+0.09	+2.69	+1.94
Gold	1,337.80	+9.88	+26.18	+12.90
Silver	19.32	+20.83	+40.00	+23.85
Oil	48.45	-1.32	+30.80	-9.05

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

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

(The PBR1000 provides astute investors and business professionals with the data, news, and analysis for taking higher probability of success actions. The PBR1000 covers over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administrative headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to Subscribers of The PBR1000. Subscribers include C-level executives, entrepreneurs, sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisers, business professors/students, career counselors/job seekers, to name just a few. To order your annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

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

The PBR1000 May 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

July 4, 2016 by admin

May 2016: Oil Prices & Funds Rates

ID-100235617 Stock Market Chart-cooldesign

May 2016: A Quiet Month Compared To Its Reputation.

By Larry C. Paxton

May 2016 stock prices were a story of two halves. The first half fluctuated based on oil prices. In the second half this gave way to anticipation of what the Federal Reserve would do with the funds rate with a wide variety of opinions expressed.

Stock exchanges volatility were pretty consistent, most days fluctuating between -0.50% to +0.50% from the previous day. The DJIA and S&P500 both had 10 up days and 11 down days. NASDAQ had 9 down days and 12 up days, with a string of 5 up days to close out May.

As shown in Table 1 below, at the end of the month nearly 59% of The PBR1000 stocks were up for the month, with the Top 5 Gainers from across a variety of industry sectors, a contrast to April when the gainers were in oil related businesses.

In summary, May 2016 did not live up to its historical notorious reputation of being a downward trend month.

Let’s see what happens in June as we close out the first half of 2016.

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

The following partial tables are excerpts from The PBR1000 May Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on May 31st, Month % Chg is compared to April 29th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 17 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +84.24% to -73.53%. 588 out of 1,002 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 58.68% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 1.22%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 05/31/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
Cenveo	892	CVO	0.96	+84.24	+9.90	-54.40
Quad/Graphics	480	QUAD	19.21	+53.07	+106.56	-16.33
CSC	220	CSC	49.20	+48.51	+50.55	-21.97
Tutor Perini	464	TPC	22.62	+42.98	+35.13	-6.02
Insperity	723	NSP	71.97	+36.38	+49.47	+112.36

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +170.89% to -96.86%. 642 out of 1,002 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 64.07% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 5.75%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 05/31/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources	840	CLF	4.28	-18.79	+170.89	-40.06
Quad/Graphics	480	QUAD	19.21	+53.07	+106.56	-16.33
Denbury Resources	973	DNR	4.01	+3.89	+98.51	-50.68
CONSOL Energy	632	CNX	15.36	+2.06	+94.43	-54.57
Southwestern Energy	629	SWN	13.67	+1.79	+92.26	-49.91

Table 3(S13): The PBR1000 Top 5 17 Months Stock Price % Gainers

Table 3 Summary: Range was +133.02% to -99.18%. 448 out of 999 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 44.84% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of -3.66%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 05/31/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
NVIDIA	456	NVDA	46.72	+31.49	+41.75	+133.02
Amazon	18	AMZN	722.79	+9.58	+6.94	+132.90
Insperity	723	NSP	71.97	+36.38	+49.47	+112.36
Netflix	346	NFLX	102.57	+13.93	-10.33	+110.18
Activision Blizzard	481	ATVI	39.26	+13.90	+1.42	+94.84

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $546.98 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $20.45 billion, median is $6.27 billion, out of 1,000 companies tracked.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 05/31/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
Apple	3	AAPL	546.98	+5.24	-6.80	-15.51
Alphabet	35	GOOG	505.11	+5.89	-3.22	+41.45
Microsoft	25	MSFT	416.60	+5.62	-6.00	+8.80
ExxonMobil	2	XOM	369.13	+0.55	+13.75	-5.71
Berkshire Hathaway	4	BRK.B	347.83	-3.40	+6.86	-3.81
The PBR1000			20,494.71	+1.30	+1.90	-0.24

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

Company	Price 05/31/16	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	17 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	69,291.59	+1.34	+3.77	-1.55
DJIA	17,787.20	+0.08	+2.08	-0.20
NASDAQ	4,948.05	+3.62	-1.19	+4.48
S&P500	2,096.96	+1.53	+2.59	+1.85
Gold	1,217.50	-5.98	+14.84	+2.75
Silver	15.99	-10.62	+15.87	+2.50
Oil	49.10	+6.76	+32.56	-7.83

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

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

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

The PBR1000 April 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

May 30, 2016 by admin

April 2016: Commodities Lead the Way

Petrochemical Plant-sudakitmod ID-100211349

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

By Larry C. Paxton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo made available by supakitmod, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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

The PBR1000 March 2016 Breaking News Recap

April 8, 2016 by admin

March 2016: Are We Working Together Yet?

It Would Be Boring If Someday We Achieved Working Together As A Perfectly Organized Team.

By Larry C. Paxton

The 1st Quarter of 2016 ended with a lot of unresolved issues and unsure directions.

Most of the breaking news continued to revolve around oil and energy. Prices and supply fluctuated and productivity decisions were left hanging. There is still a lot of confusion around the many facets of this major commodity that has a great effect on the world economically and politically.

Annual earnings reports continued to flow in with mixed results, but mostly down for corporations with international operations.

US economic data continues to show mostly moderate growth, with a feeling of fragility. Jobs reports are encouraging, but wage growth still lags. The Federal Reserve continues to take a cautious approach to federal funds rates increases because of the data, especially because of lower than desired inflation rate.

All these issues are compounded by the international continuing war on ISIS and other extremist groups. The attack in Brussels reminds us of how serious this is, as well as the ongoing large immigration of citizens fleeing from war zones in the Middle East.

Finally, there is the US Presidential election. The turmoil caused by unconventional candidates, the sometimes bizarre caucuses and primary elections processes, continued influx and use of money by the candidates, their superpacks, and by special interest groups would have the Founding Fathers shaking their heads.

The 2nd Quarter is starting, make your predictions and let’s see how it unfolds!

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

Thursday, March 31:

The PBR1000 End of Month US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends March at 17,685.09, +0.97% from last week, +7.08% MTD, +1.49% QTD/YTD, -3.43% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends March at 4,869.85, +2.02% from last week, +6.84 MTD, -2.75% QTD/YTD, -6.69% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends trading week at 2,059.74, +1.17% from last week, +6.60% MTD, +0.77% QTD/YTD, -3.34% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

General Electric(PBR9)’s GE Capital Files Request for Rescission of Status as a Systemically Important Financial Institution. $GE PR link.

Amazon(PBR29)’s Twitch to launch league for popular iOS esports game ‘Vainglory.’ MarketWatch article link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR175) completes $14/share, $1.3 billion cash acquisition of cellular/genetic analysis products provider Affymetrix(NASDAQ: AFFX). $TMO PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR417) reaffirms to merge with Marriott Intl(PBR211 $MAR) for $77.94/share, $13.3 billion after Anbang Insurance consortium withdraws offer. $HOT PR link.

Boise Cascade(PBR610) completes $215 million acquisition of 270 employees Engineered Lumber unit from Georgia-Pacific. $BCC PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782) confirms subpoena, SEC investigation. MarketWatch article link.

Visteon(PBR351) names VP/Corporate Controller William Robertson to interim CFO, succeeds Jeff Stafeil who is leaving. $VC PR link.

Molson Coors(PBR558) hires Mauricio Restrepo as CFO, effective 05/02/16. $TAP PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says on 03/26/16 Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims at 276,000, insured unemployment rate at 1.6%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says 4th Quarter US International Investment Position was Assets $23.2T, Liabilities $30.6T, Bal -$7.4T. USDOC PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says on 03/31/16 Average Weekly 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate was at 4.71% with 0.5 points/fees. $FMCC PR link.

Housing: FreddieMac(PBR41) predicts housing will have its best year in a decade. $FMCC PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says on 03/30/16 the US National Debt for Public at $13.9 trillion, Intragovernmental holdings $5.3 trillion, total $19.2 trillion. Treas PR link.

Jobs Growth-Healthcare: Sick people are keeping job growth healthy MarketWatch article link.

Manufacturing-Chicago PMI: ISM says March Chicago PMI at 53.6, +6.0 from February. ISM article link.

Business: IMF says it’s new business, not smaller ones, that needs cultivation. MarketWatch article link.

Millennials: Why millennials are such tough customers. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, March 30:

IBM(PBR25 $IBM) to buy Salesforce(PBR453 $CRM) consultant Bluewolf Group. MarketWatch article link.

Amazon(PBR29) to open 7th fulfillment center in California in San Bernardino, to create 1,000+ fulltime hourly jobs. $AMZN PR link.

MetLife(PBR39) SIFI ‘to big to fail’ designation rescinded by US District Court, CEO issues statement regarding positive decision. $MET PR link.

No longer ‘too big to fail,’ MetLife(PBR39 $MET) proceeds with breakup plans. MarketWatch article link.

BlackRock(PBR252 $BLK), money-management giant, to cut about 400 jobs. MarketWatch article link.

CBRE(PBR301) to acquire affiliate Atrium AS in Norway, terms not disclosed. $CBG PR link.

Gannet(PBR414) says $12/share, $280 million acquisition of Journal Media Group(NYSE: JMG) delayed, working with Dept of Justice to resolve issues. $GCI PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Farmington, CT, wholesale insurance broker Joseph & Distel, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561 $CMG) is developing a burger chain. MarketWatch PR link.

Sandridge Energy(PBR975 $SDOC) warns of possible bankruptcy filing. MarketWatch PR link.

PepsiCo(PBR43 $PEP) Frito-Lay N America CEO Tom Greco leaves, Al Carey promoted to CEO of consolidated 3 N America Divisions. MarketWatch article link.

Biogen(PBR282) hires Michel Vounatsos as EVP/Chief Commercial Officer, effective 04/18/16, reports to CEO. $BIIB PR link.

CEO of SunEdison(PBR782 $SUNE)’s two spinoffs abruptly leaves. MarketWatch article link.

Donaldson Co(PBR783) promotes Jeffrey Spethmann to SVP/Industrial Products, effective 04/04/16, reports to president/CEO. $DCI PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) promotes Tim McIntyre to EVP/Communications, Investor Relations & Legislative Affairs, succeeds retiring Lynn Liddle, effective early May, reports to CEO. $DPZ PR link.

The US Energy Info Administration says on 03/25/16 the Average Regular Gasoline Price was $2.066/gal, Diesel $2.121, Heating Oil $2.131, Propane $2.008. EIA PR link.

ADP(PBR235) says March Employment up 200,000, 86,000 from small businesses, 75,000 midsized, 39,000 large. $ADP article link.

Venture Capital: Venture-capital firms raising money at highest rate in more than 15 years. MarketWatch article link.

Personal Finance: When it comes to saving money, millennials are killing it. MarketWatch article link.

Economy: Why cheaper imports aren’t giving Americans much relief. MarketWatch article link.

Economy: Here’s why the Fed doesn’t know if inflation is a problem. MarketWatch article link.

Minimum Wage-Opinion: A higher minimum wage is no way to solve the problem of poverty. MarketWatch article link.

Investing: The emotional and psychological risks of investing. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, March 29:

Boeing(PBR27) to cut more than 4,500 jobs by June in accelerated cost cutting. MarketWatch article link.

Comcast(PBR42)’s NBC Olympics Surpasses $1 Billion In National Advertising Sales For Rio 2016. $CMSCA article link.

Ross Stores(PBR253) opens 28 new locations, on track to open 90 in 2016. $ROST article link.

Diebold(PBR676) reaches minimum tender condition for $1.8 billion acquisition of Wincor Nixdorf, transaction close expected summer 2016. $DBD PR link.

International Game Technology(PBR878) signs 7 year contract with Virginia Lottery to provide new lottery technologies and services. $IGT PR link.

Investing: The U.S. IPO market is looking like 2009. MarketWatch PR link.

Unions: Supreme Court’s 4-4 decision preserves compulsory union dues MarketWatch article link.

Consumer Survey: Consumer confidence rebounds in March – Conference Board. MarketWatch article link.

Investing: The 3 most valuable indicators for do-it-yourself investors. MarketWatch article link.

Monday, March 28:

Avon(PBR303) & 3% stakeholder group led by Barington Capital Group reach agreement, avoid proxy contest. $AVP PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) reaffirms commitment to acquire Starwood Hotels(PBR417 $HOT), says longterm value is $92.36-$103.46/share. $MAR PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR417) says revised $88.66/share cash proposal from Anbang Insurance led investor consortium is superior, working on details. $HOT PR link.

Colgate-Palmolive(PBR168) promotes Justin Skala, Noel Wallace to COO posts, Franck Moison to vice chairman. $CL PR link.

HCP(PBR831) EVP/CFO Timothy Schoen leaving to be president of BioMed Realty, effective 05/22/16, CFO seach initiated. $HCP PR link.

Revlon(PBR900) hires Fabian Garcia as president/CEO, effective 04/15/16. $REV PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says February US Personal Income Annual Rate at $15.7 trillion, +0.2% from January, Personal Savings at 5.4%, +0.1% from January. USDOC article link.

Economy: Consumer spending off to weak start in 2016. MarketWatch article link.

US Manufacturing: U.S. manufacturing dead? Output has doubled in three decades. MarketWatch article link.

Transportation Stocks: Dow transports on track for worst losing streak since August swoon. MarketWatch article link.

International Economy-China: China’s identity crisis: Is it supply or demand? MarketWatch article link.

Friday, March 25:

***Good Friday Observed.***
***US Stock Markets Closed.***

Citigroup(PBR28 $C)’s new Costco(PBR18 $COST) cards coming in May with more benefits. MarketWatch news link.

VF Corp(PBR232) exploring strategic alternatives for its supplies, apparel, and fanware Licensed Sports Group. $VFC PR link.

RR Donnelley(PBR243) announces CEOs/boards for planned separation in 10/2016 into 3 independent public companies. $RRD PR link.

Cameron Intl(PBR269) $66.86/share, $14.8 billion cash/stock acquisition by Schlumberger(NYSE: SLB) to close on 04/01/16, has received Chinese antitrust approval. $CAM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce in 3rd Est says 4th Quarter Gross Domestic Product was at a +1.4% annual rate. 2015 GDP was +2.4%. USDOC PR link.

Corporate Financial Results: Corporate profits fall in 2015 for first time since Great Recession. MarketWatch article link.

Thursday, March 24:

The PBR1000 End of Trading Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends trading week at 17,515.73, -0.49% from last week, +6.05% MTD, +0.52% QTD/YTD, -4.35% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends trading week at 4,773.50, -0.46% from last week, +4.73 MTD, -4.67% QTD/YTD, -8.53% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends trading week at 2,035.94, -0.67% from last week, +5.37% MTD, -0.39% QTD/YTD, -4.45% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Amazon(PBR29) to open 800,000 sf fulfillment center in Edgerton, KS, will create 1,000 fulltime hourly jobs plus managers. $AMZN letter link.

American Airlines(PBR69) files SEC 8-K announcing 6% pay increase for mainline flight attendants effective 04/01/16. $AAL letter link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) is sent letter by investor Starboard Value expressing concerns and nominating 9 candidates for board. Starboard letter link.

Netflix(PBR447) admits throttling itself on AT&T(PBR12), Verizon(PBR15) wireless networks. MarketWatch news link.

Wednesday, March 23:

American Airlines(PBR69) announces new profit sharing program. $AAL PR link.

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

Terex(PBR357) in negotiations with Zoomlion to be acquired for $31.00/share cash. $TEX PR link.

Fifth Third Bancorp(PBR387) creates 100 new tech jobs with salary packages worth more than $100,000 each. $FITB PR link.

TeamHealth(PBR498) now 8.0% owned by JANA Partners per agreement. $TMH PR link.

KeyCorp(PBR544) & First Niagara Financial(PBR980 $FNFG) shareholders approve $4.1 billion merger, expects to close in 3Q2016. $KEY PR link.

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

Pinnacle Foods(PBR751) CEO Robert Gamgort leaving by 04/30/16 to become CEO of Keurig(PBR507 $GMCR). $PF PR link.

The US Dept of HUD says February New Family Home Sales at a 512,000 annual rate, +2.0% from January, -6.1% from February 2015. HUD PR link.

Tuesday, March 22:

How GE(PBR9) Exorcised the Ghost of Jack Welch to Become a 124-Year-Old Startup. Bloomberg Business article link.

Southern Co(PBR155) gets California regulators approval for $12 billion acquisition of AGL Resources(PBR452 $GAS), still expected to close 2H2016. $SO PR link.

AutoZone(PBR290) authorizes additional $750 million for ongoing share repurchase program. $AZO PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1061) resolves California Air Resources Board inquiry. $LL PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) promotes Eric Evans to president, Hospital Operations, succeeds leaving Britt Reynolds. $THC PR link.

Newell rubbermaid(PBR434) hires Russ Torres to new position of Chief Transformation Officer. $NWL PR link.

Human Resources: Below the Surface – Emerging Global Motivators & Job Search Preferences. Manpower(PBR132) article link.

Monday, March 21:

Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) announces iPhone SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, lower watch prices MarketWatch PR link.

Anthem(PBR38) files suit against Express Scripts(PBR22 $ESRX) to recover damages for pricing & operations issues. $ANTM PR link.

Cisco(PBR60) completes $1.4 billion acquisition of private IoT services platform provider Jasper Technologies. $CSCO PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) to acquire Starwood Hotels(PBR417 $HOT) for $79.53/share, $13.6 billion, in revised agreement. $MAR PR link.

Sherwin-Williams(PBR251) to acquire Valspar(PBR526 $VAL) for $113.00/share, $11.3 billion. $SHW PR link.

EMCOR(PBR392) to acquire electrical/instrumentation services providers Ardent Services and Rabalais Constructors for $205 million cash. $EME PR link.

Western Union(PBR441) to be first to offer Cubans & other worldwide citizens remittances services to Cuba in 2H2016. $WU PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) to acquire global insurance management operations of Kane Group, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) to acquire 10,000 clients board portal solution Boardvantage for $200 million. $NDAQ PR link.

Olin Corp(PBR838) to reduce chlor alkali production. $OLN PR link.

Red Robin(PBR1046) acquires 13 franchised restaurants with almost 800 employees in Texas. $RRGB PR link.

Visteon(PBR351) hires Markus Schupfner as Chief Technology Officer, effective 04/01/16. $VC PR link.

General Cable(PBR418) EVP/CFO Brian Robinson to leave pending identification of successor and transition period. $BGC PR link.

Griffon Corp(PBR890) Telephonics subsidiary president Joseph Battaglia to retire 09/30/16, COO Kevin McSweeney to become president. $GFF PR link.

Mattress Firm(PBR932) president Ken Murphy adds CEO title, Steve Stagner becomes Executive Chairman. $MFRM PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors says February Existing Home Sales at a 5.08 million annual rate, -7.1% from January, +2.2% from February 2015. NAR PR link.

Battery Technologies: Big battery breakthroughs are coming, thanks to taxpayers’ investments. MarketWatch article link.

Friday, March 18:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 17,602.30, +2.26% from last week, +6.57% MTD, +1.02% QTD/YTD, -3.88% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,795.65, +0.99% from last week, +5.22 MTD, -4.23% QTD/YTD, -8.11% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 2,049.58, +1.35% from last week, +6.07% MTD, +0.28% QTD/YTD, -3.81% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Bank of America(PBR24) adds $800 million to $4.0 billion share repurchase program authorized in 2015. $BAC PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36) exercises warrants to purchase $1.17 billion & 14.97% of AmerisourceBergen(PBR16 $ABC) common shares. $WBA PR link.

Staples(PBR122) & Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) send letter to customers regarding the upcoming hearing in US District Court per lawsuit by FTC regarding the proposed merger. $SPLS PR link.

US Steel(PBR167) to idle plants, lay off workers. $X PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR273) & partner Infinity World to sell their Las Vegas CityCenter The Shops at Crystals mall to Invesco & Simon Property(PBR494) for $1.1 billion. $MGM PR link.

Airbus plans defense-unit sale to KKR(PBR332) for $1.2 billion. $KKR PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR417) determines Anbang Insurance & partners $76/share offer is superior to the Marriott Intl(PBR211 $MAR) offer & to terminate that agreement. $HOT PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR417) gives details for spin-off completion & merger of its vacation ownership business. $HOT PR link.

ON Semiconductor(PBR656) extends $20.00/share, $2.4 billion cash tender offer for Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000 $FCS) to 03/31/16. $ON PR link.

Thursday, March 17:

McKesson(PBR6) to cut 1,600 jobs in US. $MCK PR link.

JPMorgan Chase(PBR21) authorizes $1.88 billion increase to $6.4 billion equity repurchase program. $JPM PR link.

Ingram Micro(PBR62) to acquire $125 million/yr unified communications/collaboration value added distributor NETXUSA. $IM PR link.

Newell Rubbermaid(PBR434) to sell its Levolor & Kirsch window coverings business to Hunter Douglas for $270 million. $NWL PR link.

IDEX(PBR861) completes $224.2 million cash acquisition of $120 million/yr safety/emergency response equipment manufacturer Akron Brass. $IEX PR link.

Aeropostale(PBR924) in 10-K report says evaluating strategic alternatives, including sale or restructuring of company. $ARO PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR1013) announces last generation of orcas in its care. $SEAS PR link.

American Capital Agency(PBR992) promotes Gary Kain to CEO, Alvin Puryear as non-executive chair. $AGNCP PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says that January Job Openings were at a historical high of 5.541 million, Hires 5.030 million, Separations 4.903 million. USDOL PR link.

Technology/Wearables: Apple(PBR5) will lead surge in #wearable shipments through 2020. MarketWatch PR link.

Wednesday, March 16:

Peabody Energy(PBR372) in 2015 10-K report indicates it may have to file for bankruptcy. $BTU PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561 $CMG) is giving away millions of free burritos to lure back wary customers. MarketWatch article link.

SunEdison(PBR782) delays filing of 10-K report, has identified material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting. $SUNE PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) promotes Mary Ellen Adcock to Group VP-Retail Operations, effective 05/16/16, succeeds retiring Marnette Perry. $KR PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says February Average Employee Current Earnings at $25.35/hour, -0.12% from January, +2.2% from February 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says February Consumer Price Index was -0.2% from January, +1.0 over last 12 mos. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of HUD says February Privately-Owned Housing Units Building Permits were at a 1,167,000 annual rate, -3.1% from January, +6.3% from February 2015. HUD PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says February US Total Industrial Production was -0.5% from January, -1.0% from February 2015. FRB PR link.

The US Federal Reserve in March meeting maintains 0.25-0.50 federal funds rate at this time. FRB PR link.

Gambling: This is how much Americans will spend betting on March Madness games. MarketWatch article link.

Global Economy: 59% of fund managers see an economy in its final innings — highest percent since 2008. MarketWatch article link.

Housing: FreddieMac(PBR41) survey shows more than half of renters plan to continue renting. $FMCC PR link.

Tuesday, March 15:

UPS(PBR47) to invest $100 million in compressed natural gas, CNG vehicles, & related infrastructure. $UPS PR link.

Alcoa(PBR115) precision engineering/advanced manufacturing public spinoff to be named Arconic, separation planned for 2H2016. $AA PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Oklanoma based retail insurance broker Bomford, Couch & Wilson, terms not disclosed. $AA PR link.

CME Group(PBR664) to sell Aurora, IL, data center to CyrusOne(NASDAQ: CONE) for $130 million, then do 15 year lease back. $CME PR link.

Eastman Kodak(PBR871) talking to prospective buyers of its PROSPER Inkjet busness. $KODK PR link.

CBRE(PBR301) Global Investors CEO Matt Khourie to be CEO of Trammell Crow Co unit, succeeds Danny Queenan who remains COO Global Investors; CEO CBRE Clarion Securities Ritson Ferguson to add CEO Global Investors title. $CBG PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says February Total Producer Price Index for Final Demand at -0.2%, with Goods at -0.6%, Services 0.0%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says January Total Trade Sales & Mfrs Shipments were at $1.296 trillion, -0.4% from December, -1.1% from January 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says February Total US Retail & Food Services Sales were $447.3 billion, -0.1% from January, +3.1% from February 2015 USDOC PR link.

Monday, March 14:

International Paper(PBR117) to sell Asia based 18 factories, 3,000 employees, corrugated packaging business for $150 million. $IP PR link.

Avon(PBR303) to reduce workforce worldwide by 2,500 under 3 year plan, 1,700 in 2016. $AVP PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR417) receives unsolicited $76.00/share cash offer, has $63.74/share agreement with Marriott Intl(PBR211 $MAR). $HOT PR link.

Fresh Market(PBR942) to be acquired by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906) for $28.50/share, $1.36 billion cash. $TFM PR link.

Cabot Corp(PBR607) President/CEO Patrick Prevost resigns for health reasons, remains on board. EVP Sean Keohane promoted to president/CEO. $CBT PR link.

New York Times(PBR971) Andy Rosenthal steps down as Editorial Page Editor, to be a columnist, James Bennet rejoins to succeed him. $NYT PR link.

Auto Loans: Auto sales at risk as defaults of subprime loans rise. MarketWatch PR link.

Economy: Morgan Stanley(PBR79) cuts S&P 500 target as recession fears rise. MarketWatch PR link.

Jobs: There’s little slack left in the jobs market, former Obama adviser says. MarketWatch PR link.

World Economy: Chinese economic data paint a gloomy picture. MarketWatch PR link.

Oil: OPEC stands pat on 2016 global oil demand estimate. MarketWatch PR link.

Friday, March 11:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 17,213.31, +1.21% from last week, +4.22% MTD, -1.22% QTD/YTD, -6.00% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,748.47, +0.67% from last week, +4.18 MTD, -5.17% QTD/YTD, -9.01% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 2,022.19, +1.11% from last week, +4.66% MTD, -1.06% QTD/YTD, -5.10% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Ford(PBR10) forms Ford Smart Mobility LLC subsidiary to develop, invest in mobility services, Jim Hackett is chairman. $F PR link.

HARMAN Intl(PBR456) completes acquisition of global automotive cyber security provider TowerSec, terms not disclosed. $HAR PR link.

Armstrong World(PBR772) to spin-off $1.2 billion/2015 Armstrong Flooring as separate public company with 04/01/16 distribution date. $AWI PR link.

IGT(PBR878) signs 10+ year agreement with N. Carolina Education Lottery to provide lottery technologies & services. $IGT PR link.

Boeing(PBR27) CTO/SVP Engineering John Tracy to retire late summer; Colbert, Fancher, Hyslop, Shanahan named to new SVP roles. $BA PR link.

Polaris Industries(PBR531) hires Robert Mack as SVP-Corporate Development/Strategy & president, Adjacent Markets, effective 04/01/16. $PII PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782) hires Ilan Daskal as CFO Designee, by 04/04/16. $SUNE PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says February Import Prices Index was -0.3% from January, -6.1% between February 2015 & February 2016. USDOL PR link.

Thursday, March 10:

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Arlington Hts, IL, Midwest retail insurance broker Vincent L Braband Insurance, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) Sports unit partners with NHL to bring fans free, live out-of-market games & on-demand premium content. $YHOO PR link.

Iron Mountain(PBR663) acquires Baltics’ leading doc storage/archiving company Archyyvu Sistemos, terms not disclosed. $IRM PR link.

PolyOne(PBR586) promotes Michael Garratt as SVP/Chief Commercial Officer & Donald Wiseman SVP & president, Performance Products & Solutions. $POL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says Total 4th Quarter US Domestic Nonfinancial Debt was at $45.1 trillion, with $14.1 trillion from Household Debt, $12.8 trillion from Business Debt, & $18.1 trillion from Government Debt. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says February Receipts at $169.1 billion, Outlays $361.8 billion, Deficit $192.6 billion, fiscal YTD(5 mos) Deficit $353.0 billion. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says December Employee Costs for Employee Compensation averaged Wages $23.06/hr, Benefits $10.52/hr, Total $33.58/hr. USDOL PR link.

Personal Finance: Consumers Are Still Lagging in Savings Despite Cheaper Gas and Lower Mortgage Rates. MainStreet article link.

Housing: Another 1 million homes regained positive equity in 2015, CoreLogic says. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, March 9:

Amazon(PBR29 $AMZN) to be provided air cargo services by Air Transport Services Group. $ATSG PR link.

Pfizer(PBR56) commences $5 billion accelerated share repurchase program. $PFE PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) to acquire International Securities Exchange from Deutsche Borse Group for $1.1 billion. $NDAQ PR link.

ADT(PBR627) acquisition by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906 $APO) affiliate expected to close before June 2016. $ADT PR link.

Tailored Brands(PBR643) to close around 250 Jos Banks/Mens Wearhouse stores during fiscal year 2016. $TLRD PR link.

Visteon(PBR351) hires Brett Pynnonen as VP & General Counsel, effective 03/14/16, succeeds leaving Peter Ziparo. $VC PR link.

Dana Holding(PBR382) hires Jonathan Collins as CFO, effective 03/28/16. $DAN PR link.

Darden Restaurants(PBR398) appoints Ricardo Cardenas to CFO, replaces Jeffrey Davis who has left. $DRI PR link.

Crown Castle(PBR603) hires Daniel Schlanger as SVP, to be CFO on 06/01/16. $CCI PR link.

American Eagle Outfitters(PBR640) Chief Financial & Admin Officer Mary Boland to retire on 04/01/16. $AEO PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says January Wholesale Sales were at $433.1 billion, -1.3% from December, -3.1% from January 2015. USDOC PR link.

Advertising Industry: Advertisers taking money out of TV, moving more to digital in 2017 MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, March 8:

Intel(PBR51) acquires Israeli virtual reality startup Replay Technologies for immersive sports, terms not disclosed. $INTC PR link.

Lockheed Martin(PBR64) Aeronautics unit announces voluntary layoff program to reduce employment by 1,000 positions in the US. $LMT PR link.

Whole Foods Market(PBR203 $WFM) and NRG(PBR186) to plan large scale commercial solar project portfolio with 84 stores. $NRG PR link.

CarMax(PBR202) hiring more than 1,600 positions nationwide. $KMX PR link.

AutoZone(PBR290) is hiring 10,000 full-time/part-time AutoZoners for its 5,100+ stores. $AZO PR link.

Intuit(PBR529 $INTU) sheds QuickBase in plan to pare down. MarketWatch article link.

Cerner(PBR628) authorizes up to $300 million share repurchase program, no time limit. $CERN PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782 $SUNE) sent letter by Vivant Solar(NYSE: VSLR) terminating merger agreement, plans to seek legal remedies for willful breach. $VSLR PR link.

Calpine Corp(PBR330) hires Charlie Gates as EVP-Power Operations, effective 04/01/16. $CPN PR link.

American Axle & Mfg(PBR602) VP-Driveline Product Engineering Philip Guys now also Chief Technology Officer. $AAM PR link.

Mortgages: Equifax(PBR795) says January Total Balance of First Mortgages was $8.3 trillion, +2.1% from January 2015. $EFX PR link.

Corporate Finance: U.S. companies have enough liquidity for next 12 months, but face risk after that. MarketWatch PR link.

Employment: Manpower(PBR132) releases Q2 2016 hiring outlook. $MAN infographic link.

Housing/Foreclosures: 38,000 completed foreclosures in January, down 16.2% YOY. CoreLogic article link.

Monday, March 7:

US Supreme Court turns away Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) appeal in e-books antitrust case, expected to pay $450 million as part of settlement. MarketWatch PR link.

United Continental(PBR77) president/CEO Oscar Munoz to return to duties full time on 03/14/16 after heart transplant recovery. $UAL PR link.

Southern Co(PBR155) Power subsidiary acquires 120 megawatt East Pecos Solar Facility, terms not disclosed. $SO PR link.

Pepco(PBR493 $POM) and Exelon(PBR102) revise filing to provide several pathways to secure merger’s significant benefits for Pepco customers. $EXC PR link.

AMC Networks(PBR851) announces up to $500 million share repurchase program, no deadline set. $AMCX PR link.

JM Smucker(PBR437) to promote Mark Smucker to President/CEO on 05/01/16, Richard Smucker to be Executive Chairman, Timothy Smucker to be Chairman Emeritus. $SJM PR link.

United Rentals(PBR438) hires Chris Hummel as SVP-Chief Marketing Officer. $URI PR link.

Xylem(PBR575) hires Mark Rajkowski to be SVP-CFO starting 03/28/16. $XYL PR link.

CME Group(PBR664) announces 4 Managing Director promotions. $CME PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says January Consumer Debt is at $3.533 trillion, +0.30% from December, +6.48% from January 2015. FRB PR link.

Inflation: Fed’s Fischer and Brainard disagree on inflation threat. MarketWatch article link.

Wages/Jobs: ‘Silver tsunami’ is holding down wage growth, says Fed study. MarketWatch article link.

Friday, March 4:

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 17,006.77, +2.20% from last week, +2.97% MTD, -2.40% QTD/YTD, -7.13% from record 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ ends week at 4,717.02, +2.76% from last week, +3.49 MTD, -5.80% QTD/YTD, -9.62% from record 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX ends week at 1,999.99, +2.67% from last week, +3.51% MTD, -2.15% QTD/YTD, -6.14% from record 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Intuit(PBR529) selling its Quicken unit to HIG Capital, expected to close in April, terms not disclosed. $INTU PR link.

Manitowoc(PBR579) completes spinoff of independent public company Manitowoc Foodservices(NYSE: MFS). $MTW PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782) & TerraForm Power settle & terminate Latin America Power acquisition. $SUNE PR link.

Republic Airways(PBR1015) VP-Finance & Treasurer Jason Secore has resigned effective 03/24/16, taking position at AAR Corp(PBR883). $RJET PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says 158.9 million people employed in February, 7.816 million unemployed, 4.9% unemployment rate. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says January Exports were $176.5 billion, Imports $222.1 billion, for Deficit of $45.6 billion, Deficit was $44.7 billion in December. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, March 3:

AT&T(PBR12) plans to sell linear TV ads using Web-like methods. MarketWatch article link.

Verizon(PBR15 $VZ) & Hearst Corp form joint venture Verizon Hearst Media Partners to create new digital video content brands for mobile obsessed millenials. MarketWatch article link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR408) to open 4 new stores in fiscal year 2017 using a new concept. $BKS PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR451) authorizes $250 million Class A shares repurchase program. $LAD PR link.

Fiserv(PBR474) completes $200 million cash acquisition of ACI Worldwide(NASDAQ: ACIW)‘s digital banking/electronics payments provider unit Community Financial Services. $FISV PR link.

Herbalife(PBR487) files SEC Form 8-K, corrects ‘Active New Member’ metrics for 2015. $HLF PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR728) to acquire Carmike Cinemas(NASDAQ: CKEC) for $30/share, $1.1 billion cash, creates largest movie theater chain in the US & world. $AMC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says 4Q2015 Business Sector Labor Productivity changed at a -2.2% annual rate, output +1.0%, hrs worked +3.2%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says January New Orders-Manufactured Durable Goods at $237.1 million, Non-Durable at $226.8 million, total $463.9 million, +1.6% from December. USDOC PR link.

Wednesday, March 2:

ExxonMobil(PBR2) adjusts capital expenditures to $23 billion in 2016, down 25% from 2015. $XOM PR link.

McKesson(PBR6) to acquire Canada based 8,600 employees 470+ retail pharmacies Rexall Health from Katz Group for $2.2 billion. $MCK PR link.

AT&T(PBR12 $T) prepping DirecTV unit to enter crowded online video marketplace. MarketWatch article link.

Target(PBR40 $TGT) partners with Finnish design house Marimekko for next ‘capsule collection,’ 200 items available 04/17/16. MarketWatch article link.

Prudential Financial(PBR55) completes $529 million purchase from partner ILC for 40% ownership stake in Chile based retirement services provider AFP Habitat. $PRU PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) launches new experience dedicated to esports, names Yahoo Esports leadership team. $YHOO PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782 $SUNE) buyout of Vivint Solar in jeopardy. MarketWatch article link.

Sprint(PBR86) hires Robert Hackl to be Chief Experience Officer/President-National Sales on 04/01/16. $S PR link.

Chesapeake Energy(PBR131 $CHK) former CEO Aubrey McClendon, shale pioneer, dead after car crash. MarketWatch article link.

Huntsman Corp(PBR244) promotes Scott Wright to president, Advanced Materials division, effective 06/01/16, succeeds James Huntsman. $HUN PR link.

Hess Corp(PBR248) elects James Quigley as chairman, succeeds Mark Williams who has retired for health reasons. $HES PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases Beige Book, says business contacts generally optimistic about future economic growth. FRB PR link.

Jobs: ADP(PBR235)’s February National Employment Report says small businesses added 76,000 jobs, midsized 62,000, large 76,000, total 214,000. $ADP article link.

Economy Opinion: 7 big risks are now plaguing the U.S. and global economies. MarketWatch article link.

Energy Opinion: Why OPEC will never cut production again. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, March 1:

Cisco(PBR60) to expand data center portfolio technologies with acquisition of private CliQr for $260 million cash, to close in 3Q2016. $CSCO PR link.

Honeywell(PBR74) no longer pursuing combination with United Technologies(PBR45 $UTX). $HON PR link.

EMC Corp(PBR111 $EMC) $59 billion acquisition by Dell is on track, says Michael Dell. http://on.mktw.net/1Y0h31HMarketWatch article link.

Anadarko Petroleum(PBR154) to cut capital expenditures by almost 50%, sell $3 billion in assets in 2016. $APC PR link.

Assurant(PBR268) completes $940 million sale of employee benefits business to Canada’s Sun Life Financial. $AIZ PR link.

Avon(PBR303) gets $435 million investment from Cerberus Capital Management for 16.6% stake; N American business split off as a separate private company. $AVP PR link.

McGraw Hill(PBR477) selling 2 assets from S&P Global Market Intelligence division, SPSE & CMA, to Intercontinental Exchange(PBR556 $ICE), terms not disclosed. $MHFI PR link.

NextEra Energy(PBR173) promotes John Ketchum to EVP/Finance & CFO, succeeds retiring Moray Dewhurst. $NEE PR link.

CF Industries(PBR502) hires Tom Grooms as Chief Information Officer. $CF PR link.

Brinker Intl(PBR697) hires John Cywinski as EVP-Strategic Innovation. $EAT PR link.

Barnes Group(PBR1030) hires Michael Beck as company SVP & president of Aerospace unit. $B PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says January Construction Spending Annual Rate at $1.141 trillion, +1.5% from December, +10.4% from January 2015. USDOC PR link.

Auto Industry: Automakers to see $44 billion in revenue on solid new vehicle sales growth in February. TrueCar PR link.

Auto Industry: February Auto Sales were at 1,343,922 units, +6.8% from February 2015. Automotive News PR link.

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

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Feelart.)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: acquisitions, Business, business news, Economy, Leadership, mergers, Personal Finance, Rankings, Research, Stock Market, The PBR1000

The PBR1000 February 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

March 12, 2016 by admin

February 2016: Which Direction Are The Markets Heading?

Increase Decrease Chart-hywards ID-100395866

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

By Larry C. Paxton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo made available through hywards, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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

The PBR1000 January 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

February 22, 2016 by admin

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

Who Invited The Bear?

By Larry C. Paxton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo made available through ddpavumba, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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

The PBR1000 January 2016 Breaking News Recap

February 1, 2016 by admin

ID-10035635 Statue of Liberty Storm-Damian Brandon

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

January 2016: A Stormy Start

By Larry C. Paxton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

General Electric(PBR9 $GE) to cut 6,500 jobs in Europe at ex-Alstom units. MarketWatch article link.

General Electric(PBR9) to move headquarters from Fairfield, CT, to Boston, MA, to be completed by end of 2018. $GE PR link.

World’s #1 golfer Jordan Spieth signs multi-year partnership deal with Coca-Cola(PBR63). $KO PR link.

Reynolds American(PBR317) completes $5.0 billion sale of Natural American Spirit international businesses. $RAI PR link.

TreeHouse Foods(PBR690) to hire additional Omaha-based ConAgra(PBR166 $CAG) Private Brands employees. $THS PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) hires Stacey Sher to be co-president with Nick van Dyk of television/films Studios unit. $ATVI PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) promotes Josh Hirsberg to EVP/CFO & treasurer, Steve Thompson to EVP-Operations, Nevada, & corporate procurement, admin, & slot operations, & Ted Bogich to EVP-Operations Midwest/South/Peninsula, & corporate marketing, design, & construction. $BYD PR link.

HCP(PBR831) promotes Troy McHenry to EVP-General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, succeeds retiring Jim Mercer. $HCP PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US FY(3 mos) YTD Receipts through December were $765.645 billion, Outlays $981.190 billion, Deficit $215.546 billion. Treasury PR link.

The US Federal Reserve releases Beige Book. 12 Districts report overall flat to moderate growth since last release . FRB PR link.

Economy: So many jobs, so little growth. What gives? MarketWatch article link.

Auto Industry: Auto execs shrug off fears for global car sales. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, January 12:
Ford(PBR10) sells 1.3 million vehicles in Europe in 2015, +11% from 2014. $F PR link.

MetLife(PBR39) to pursue spinoff of US Retail Business into separate public company. $MET PR link.

Visteon(PBR351) to acquire India based 140 employee automotive multimedia systems supplier AllGo Systems. $VC PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR553) to acquire Australian based 3 locations folding carton manufacturer Colorpak(ASX: CKL) in 2Q2016. $GPK PR link.

W.R. Grace(PBR625) approves separation of GCP Applied Technologies, to be completed 02/03/16, to trade as NYSE: GCP. $GRA PR link.

Aeropostale(PBR924) has new cost reduction program, to eliminate 100 corporate positions. $ARO PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) Fred Meyer president Lynn Gust retiring, Jeff Burt promoted, takes over 01/31/16. $KR PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) 40 year employee EVP/Chief Business Development Officer Bob Boughner retiring this summer, will remain on board. $BYD PR link.

FTI Consulting(PBR941) CFO David Johnson leaving 02/29/16, joining an NGO. $FCN PR link.

The Dept of Labor says November Job Openings at 5.432 million, was 5.349 million in October, was 4.886 million in November 2014. USDOL PR link.

2016 Outlook: KKR(PBR332) releases its global Outlook 2016: Adult Swim Only. $KKR article link.

Computer Industry: 4Q2015 worldwide PC shipments were 75.7 million units, -8.3% from 4Q2014. Gartner article link.

CoreLogic says November Houses in Foreclosure at 448,000, 1.2% of all mortgages, -21.8% from November 2014. Corelogic article link.

Monday, January 11:
Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36) turning over ownership of the 56 Chicago-land area health care retail clinics to operator Advocate Health Care. $WBA article link.

Alcoa(PBR115) gets longterm $1.5 billion contract to supply jet engine components to General Electric(PBR9) Aviation unit. $AA article link.

Apollo Education(PBR681) to explore strategic alternatives, including change of ownership. $APOL article link.

Arch Coal(PBR691) files for Chapter 11 reorganization, to restructure $1.9 billion of debt, will stay open. $ACI article link.

DENTSPLY(PBR694) and Sirona Dental(NASDAQ: SIRO) shareholders approve $13 billion merger, to close 1Q2016. $XRAY article link.

Celgene(PBR347) Bob Hugin to be Executive Chairman, Pres/COO Mark Alles to be CEO, CFO Jacqualyn Fouse to be Pres/COO. $CELG article link.

Acxiom(PBR1062) promotes Dennis Self to president/general manager of Marketing Services. $ACXM article link.

Sports: Alabama wins the national college football championship 45-40 over Clemson. USA Today article link.

Friday, January 8:
The PBR1000 Weekly US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 16,346.45, -6.19% from last week & MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 18,312.39 on 05/19/15.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,643.63, -7.26% from last week & MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 5,218.86 on 07/20/15.
SPX closes week at 1,922.03, -5.96% from last week & MTD/QTD/YTD. Record: 2,130.82 on 05/21/15.

Ford(PBR10) sets annual sales record in China, more than 1.1 million vehicles sold in 2015. $F PR link.

FedEx(PBR65) gets unconditional European Union approval for its $4.8 billion acquisition of Netherlands based TNT Express, to close in 1st half 2016. $FDX PR link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR175) to acquire cellular/genetic analysis products provider Affymetrix(NASDAQ: $AFFX) for $14.00/share, $1.3 billion cash. $TMO PR link.

Charter Communications(PBR297) gets NY approval for $78.7 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable(PBR119). $CHTR PR link.

Dollar Tree(PBR309) announces departure of Howard R. Levine, CEO of acquired Family Dollar. $DLTR PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says December Civilian Workforce at 157.8 million available, 149.9 million employed, 7.9 million unemployed for 5.0% unemployment rate. USDOL PR link.

The Federal Reserve says December Total Consumer Credit is at $3.526 trillion, +0.40% from November, +6.29% from December 2014. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says November US Wholesale Sales at $442.8 billion, -1.0% from October, -4.6% from November 2014. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, January 7:
Ford(PBR10) Adopts Mark-to-Market for Pension and OPEB Plans; Improves Transparency of Automotive Operating Performance. $F PR link.

Boeing(PBR27) delivers record 762 airplanes in 2015, 768 net orders booked. $BA PR link.

Alcoa(PBR115) to close Indiana based Warrick Smelter and curtail remaining capacity at Pt. Comfort refinery in Texas. $AA PR link.

SuperValu(PBR164) files Form 10 for possible spin-off of its Save-A-Lot unit into a separate, publicly traded company. $SVU PR link.

Penske Automotive(PBR170) acquires 49% interest in interest in Japan based BMW/MINI/Rolls-Royce/Ferrari luxury dealerships Nicole Group. $PAG PR link.

Omnicon(PBR192) division BBDO Worldwide acquires majority stake in fashion/luxury brands creative agency 100+ employees Wednesday Agency Group. $OMC PR link.

Dover(PBR343) completes $465 million acquisition of dispenser & system businesses from France based Tokheim Group. $DOV PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR377) To Build New 10 Million Hectoliter Brewery In Mexicali, Mexico And Further Expand Its Nava Brewery. $STZ PR link.

NCR(PBR383) to sell Interactive Printer Solutions Division to Atlas Holdings LLC, terms not disclosed. $NCR PR link.

Meredith Corp(PBR994) proposes amended $20+/share “merger of equals” with Media General(NYSE: MEG). $MDP PR link.

Charles River Labs(PBR1025) to acquire biopharma/ag/industrial chemicals CDMO company WIL Research for $585 million cash. $CRL PR link.

United Continental(PBR77) CEO Oscar Munoz recovering from heart transplant, expects to return late 1st/early 2nd quarter. $UAL PR link.

Time Warner(PBR103) extends chairman/CEO Jeff Bewkes contract through 2020. $TWX PR link.

Northrop Grumman(PBR113) promotes Lisa R. Davis to Corporate VP, Communications, effective 02/29/16; Darryl M. Fraser to retire. $NOC PR link.

Lincoln National(PBR213) promotes Ken Solon to SVP, Chief Information Officer, reports to president/CEO. $LNC PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) CFO John Sheehan to retire on 04/01/16. $MYL PR link.

EMCOR(PBR392) promotes Maxine Lum Mauricio general counsel, succeeds Sheldon Cammaker who is now vice chairman. $EME PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) COO & a corporate VP to retire, positions to be eliminated. $ANDE PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) promotes Eric Anderson to EVP-International Operations, reports to International unit president in the Netherlands. $DPZ PR link.

Verisk Analytics(PBR943) promotes Bill Churney to president of its catastropic modeling unit AIR Worldwide. $VRSK PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says 2015 US Jobless Claims finish at lowest level since 1973. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, January 6:
T-Mobile US(PBR95) has 63.3 million subscribers with net 8.3 million added in 2015. $TMUS PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) to reduce expenses by $400 million, eliminate 3,000 jobs, close 40 of 770 stores. $M PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) to launch 4 new ships in 2016. $CCL PR link.

Monsanto(PBR187 $MON) to eliminate 1,000 more jobs on top of 2,600 annunced earlier. MarketWatch article link.

Facebook(PBR228) Oculus unit blogs that Oculus Rift pre-orders now open, $599 price, first shipments 03/28/16. $FB article link.

Netflix(PBR447) claims global presence after launching in 130 new countries. MarketWatch article link.

Alliance Data(PBR462) authorizes $500 million stock repurchase program for 2016. $ADS PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) receives letter from major stockholder Starboard Value suggesting management changes, new strategic directions. Starboard letter link.

Chipotle(PBR561) files SEC 8-K form regarding effects of recent health incidents on 4th quarter earnings & receipt of Federal Grand Jury Subpoena. $CMG PR link.

Amkor Technology(PBR659) now has 100% ownership in auto market OSAT $832 million/year J-Devices. $AMKR PR link.

Blackhawk Network(PBR998) acquires GiftCards.com & OmniCard.com for $120 million. $HAWK PR link.

Oshkosh(PBR368) Defense segment president John Urias retiring for health reasons, effective 02/06/16. $OSK PR link.

NetApp(PBR405) restructures, promotes Jeffrey Bergmann to interim CFO, succeeds leaving Nick Noviello. $NTAP PR link.

Clean Harbors(PBR629) promotes Michael Battles to EVP/CFO. $CLH PR link.

Fresh Market(PBR942) hires Pamela Kohn as EVP/Chief Merchandising Officer. $TFM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says Total US Exports YTD(11 months) were at $2.049 trillion, Imports $2.537 trillion, Balance -$0.488 trillion. USDOC article link.

The US Dept of Commerce says November New Orders of Manufactured Goods was $472.2 billion, -0.2% from October, -3.2% from November 2014. USDOC article link.

The Federal Reserve releases the December Meeting Open Market Committee Minutes. FOMC article link.

Healthcare: Here’s how much government healthcare spending has ballooned over two decades. MarketWatch article link.

World Bank forecasts modest 2.9% global growth in 2016, up from 2.4% in 2015, advanced economies to gain speed. WB article link.

Tuesday, January 5:
Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) scaling back iPhone production. MarketWatch article link.

Ford(PBR10) tripling its fleet of Fusion Hybrid autonomous research vehicles, largest such fleet among all automakers. $F PR link.

Netflix(PBR447) and DreamWorks($DWA) are making the leap to global markets. $NFLX PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) says revised unsolicited $21.70 from China Resources is superior offer. $FCS PR link.

NVR(PBR533) promotes Jeffrey Martchek to president, Homebuilding Operations. $NVR PR link.

Magellan Health(PBR592) hires Srini Koushik as Chief Technology Officer. $MGLN PR link.

2015 US Auto Sales set record with 17.5 million sold, +5.7% from 2014. Auto News article link.

December US Auto Sales at $57.9 billion, average unit price was $34,081. TrueCar article link.

RealEstate: Median price for Manhattan apartment is at a record $1.15 million, +17.3% from 2014. MarketWatch article link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) Flurry Analytics unit in State of Mobile study says mobile use grew by 58% in 2015. $YHOO article link.

Monday, January 4:
General Motors(PBR8) to invest $500 million in ridesharing service Lyft. $GM article link.

Baylor Scott & White Health and Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) Complete Joint Venture to Own Five North Texas Hospitals. $THC article link.

CBRE Group(PBR301) acquires 100+ employee Memphis, TN, affiliate. $CBG article link.

LifePoint Hospitals(PBR463) completes acquisition of 376 bed, 2,800 employees, 300 physicians St. Francis Hospital. $LPNT PR link.

LifePoint Hospital(PBR463) Duke unit joined by former Tenet Healthcare(PBR161 $THC) NC based 137 bed Central Carolina Hospital & 355 bed Frye Regional, includes 19 regional physician practices. $LPNT PR link.

NVIDIA(PBR510) Boosts IQ of Self-Driving Cars With World’s First In-Car Artificial Intelligence Supercomputer. $NVDA PR link.

Polaris Industries(PBR531) acquires private aftermarket snowmobile helmets & goggles provider 509, terms not disclosed. $PII PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) acquires esports live streaming gaming & competitive leagues developer Major League Gaming. $ATVI PR link.

Brink’s(PBR613) to add 3 directors per agreement with 12.3% stakeholder Starboard Value; Chairman/President/CEO to retire by 2016 annual meeting. $BCO PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) leads exchanges with 275 new listings in 2015. $NDAQ PR link.

General Motors(PBR8) CEO Mary Barra adds Chairman title. $GM PR link.

Target(PBR40) promotes Janna Potts to EVP, Chief Stores Officer, oversees 1,805 US stores, reports to COO. $TGT PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR180) president Mark Adams resigns for personal health reasons effective 02/01/16. $MU PR link.

Pitney Bowes(PBR588) hires Bob Guidotti as EVP & president, Software Solutions. Mark Wright now EVP, Strategic Growth Initiatives. $PBI PR link.

Analog Devices(PBR701) hires Jean Philibert as SVP-Human Resources. $ADI PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) hires Judy Werthauser as EVP-Chief People Officer. $DPZ PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says November Construction Spending is estimated at a $1.123 trillion annual rate, -0.4% from October, +10.5% from November 2014. USDOC PR link.

Economy: Here’s how the government miscalculated a decade’s worth of construction data. MarketWatch article link.

Opinion: Blackstone(PBR352)‘s Byron Wien Announces Predictions for Ten Surprises for 2016. $BX PR link.

Friday, January 1:
***Happy, Blessed, Peaceful, and Prosperous New Year!***
(Stock Markets Closed.)

Click here for The PBR1000 December 2015 Monthly Breaking News Recap.

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

Click here to follow The PBR1000 on Twitter!

(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Damian Brandon.)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: acquisitions, Business, business news, Commodities, DJIA, Economy, Investing, Leadership, mergers, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, Research, S&P 500, Stock Market, The PBR1000

The PBR1000 December 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

January 23, 2016 by admin

ID-10094980 Order Chaos Buttons-Stuart Miles

When Did the ‘Chaos’ Button
Start Appearing,
and Who Pushed It?

December 2015: What’s Up, or Perhaps More Appropriate, What’s Not Down?

By Larry C. Paxton

December 2015 ended the year on a disappointing note with the major stock market indices dropping dramatically. These results did not offer much confidence as 2016 started. For the primary reasons we encourage you to read The PBR1000 December 2015 Breaking News Recap.

It is interesting to review how the indices behaved in December 2015. For example, for the 22 trading days the Dow Jones Industrial Average(DJIA) was up 10 days, down 12 days, and 9 of those days were up or down by at least 1%.

As we already know, January is showing similar characteristics, and there is a sense of chaos by many traders.

Sooner or later the markets will calm down, hopefully sooner. Then perhaps there will be a sense of order, or at least the stocks and commodities markets version of that.

Current The PBR1000 Subscribers should have already received the MS Excel workbook. If you are not a current Subscriber just click here to get your 13 month subscription and automatically download the December 2015 edition of The PBR1000 Snapshots. You will notice that we are offering a Happy New Year Special that extends the subscription to 19 months.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on December 31st, Month % Chg is compared to November 30th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 24 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +71.72% to -62.54%. 284 out of 1,036 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 27.41% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 4.03%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 12/31/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
Keurig Green Mountain	515	GMCR	89.98	+71.72	-32.04	+19.12
SunEdison	769	SUNE	5.09	+59.56	-73.91	-61.00
SunPower	680	SPWR	30.01	+25.25	+16.18	+0.67
Jarden	324	JAH	57.12	+22.37	+19.30	+39.66
A-Mark Precious Metals	419	AMRK	18.85	+21.61	+89.07	n/a

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +134.39% to -99.44%. 384 out of 1,032 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 37.21% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 7.38%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 12/31/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
Netflix	439	NFLX	114.38	-7.26	+134.39	+117.45
Amazon.com	31	AMZN	675.89	+1.67	+117.78	+69.49
Activision Blizzard	527	ATVI	38.71	+2.79	+92.11	+117.11
A-Mark Precious Metals	402	AMRK	18.85	+21.61	+89.07	n/a
Pep Boys	853	PBY	18.41	+18.54	+87.47	+51.65

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +266.87% to -99.93%. 511 out of 1,026 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 49.81% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of -0.13%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 12/31/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
Hawaiian Holdings	802	HA	35.33	-2.40	+35.62	+266.87
Electronic Arts	516	EA	68.72	+1.37	+46.17	+199.56
Skechers USA	791	SKX	30.21	+0.03	+64.01	+173.64
JetBlue	422	JBLU	22.65	-8.45	+42.81	+165.22
Edwards Lifesciences	801	EW	78.98	-3.09	+24.01	+140.21

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $586.86 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $19.66 billion, median is $5.86 billion, out of 1,036 companies tracked.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 12/31/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
Apple	3	AAPL	586.86	-11.02	-9.35	+16.26
Alphabet	44	GOOGL	521.90	+2.19	+46.15	+39.40
Microsoft	27	MSFT	443.17	+2.08	+15.74	+41.91
Berkshire Hathaway	5	BRK.B	325.49	-1.53	-9.99	+11.09
ExxonMobil	2	XOM	324.50	-4.54	-17.11	-26.60
The PBR1000			20,364.13	-2.08	-2.06	+6.86

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

Company	Price 12/31/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	24 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	68,441.34	-3.72	-5.01	+4.75
DJIA	17,425.03	-1.66	-2.23	+5.12
NASDAQ	5,007.41	-1.98	+5.73	+19.89
S&P500	2,043.94	-1.75	-0.73	+10.58
Gold	1,060.20	-0.48	-10.52	-11.82
Silver	13.80	-2.06	-11.54	-28.76
Oil	37.04	-11.07	-30.47	-59.39

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

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

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

(Photo made available through Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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

The PBR1000 December 2015 Breaking News Recap

January 3, 2016 by admin

December 2015: The End of a Volatile Year,
the Start of a _________ Year???

ID-100212664 Oil Refinery Night-Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee

The Oil industry had a big impact on us in 2015.
How will it affect 2016?

By Larry C. Paxton

The end of December 2015 finally came to an end and for many it was with a big sigh of relief. For everyone it left with big question marks about what lies ahead in 2016.

Economic indices showed moderate growth at best. But the Federal Reserve finally took the big step in December 2015 of doing its first minimal interest rate hike in several years. Now the big questions are what metrics will the Fed use in 2016, how many interest rate hikes are anticipated? Oil prices plummeted, but the OPEC nations plan to maintain production. After 40 years the U.S. ban on oil exports ended, and the first shipment left on the last day of the year. Predictions on oil in 2016 are all over the place. Which logic will prevail? U.S. car drivers have benefited from lower prices at the pump, but the expected increase in spending in other areas does not appear to have materialized. Will it in 2016? Because growth was moderate many companies found it necessary to either acquire or be acquired. Mergers and acquisitions were at a record level. Will this continue in 2016? A lot of leadership changes are scheduled for the beginning of 2016. What directions will we see from this new blood in 2016? Internationally results were mixed as well. China is experiencing less robust growth. The European economy was stagnant. The recent climate change treaty has implications for all countries involved, but what will be the level of follow up and what will be the real results? Most experts predict a rather flat year for 2016 internationally, with continued volatility. Are the assumptions used realistic or are they just being extra cautious? With 2015 behind us, there are an endless number of variables to consider when trying to make predictions for 2016. It is in our human nature, especially the competitive part of us, to publicly make projections, and get some recognition, especially if we have been right a few times in the past. It makes good press, but sometimes it does seem like a futile exercise in wishful thinking. As for me, I will keep my predictions private, hope for the best, but if you are more brave, let us know how you fill in the blank for yourself.

Happy New Year, let 2016 begin, let’s do our best, be optimistic, and let’s see how the year unfolds!

Following are The PBR1000 and economic related news items of note for December 2015, starting with the last active day.

Thursday, December 31:
The PBR1000 End of 2015 US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes 2015 at 17,425.03, -0.72% from last Friday, -1.66% MTD, +7.00% QTD, -2.23% YTD.
NASDAQ closes 2015 at 5,007.41, -0.81% from last Friday, -1.98% MTD, +8.38% QTD, +5.73% YTD.
SPX closes 2015 at 2,043.94, -0.83% from last Friday, -1.75% MTD, +6.45% QTD, -0.73% YTD.

EMC Corp(PBR111 $EMC) $850 million/year cost reduction plan includes job cuts, most by end of 1Q2016 at $250 million cost. SEC filing link.

The US Dept of Labor says 12/26/15 Initial Unemployment Claims was 287,000, +20,000 from previous week, insured unemployment rate at 1.6% USDOL PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates on 12/31/15 averaged 4.01%, +0.05% from previous week, 0.6 points/fees. $FMCC PR link.

NuStar(PBR673) & ConocoPhillips(PBR53 $COP) exporting US oil shipment from Corpus Christi, TX, first since 40 year ban lifted on 12/18/15. $NS PR link.

Housing: Why first-time home buyers are staying on the sidelines. MarketWatch article link.

Economy: December Chicago PMI falls to 42.9, -5.8 from November. MNI/ISM Chicago article link.

Entertainment: ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Jurassic World’ push box office to record-breaking year. MarketWatch article link.

Investing: 2015 year in review: The S&P 500’s winners and losers. MarketWatch article link.

Energy: 2015 Gas Prices Second-Cheapest in a Decade, ends year at $2.00/gal. AAA Year-End Gas Price Report. AAA article link.

Wednesday, December 30:
Icahn Enterprises(PBR147 $IEP) files SEC Form 8 regarding its planned acquisition of Pep Boys(PBR872 $PBY) for $18.50/share. SEC filing link.

Facebook(PBR228) Oculus unit blogs that every Oculus Rift will ship with VR adventure game Lucky’s Tale. $FB filing link.

Range Resources(PBR726) completes $865 million sale of its southwest Virginia 3,500 wells, 460,000 acres, Nora assets. $RRC PR link.

Opinion: And the award for the worst forecast of 2015 goes to… MarketWatch article link.

2016 predictions: The six tech trends that will rule. MarketWatch article link.

IMF head Lagarde warns of disappointing growth in 2016. MarketWatch article link.

Tuesday, December 29:
DuPont(PBR82) to cut 1,700 jobs in Delaware ahead of spinoffs. $DD PR link.

QUALCOMM(PBR106) signs 3G/4G Chinese patent agreements with Tianyu & Haier. $QCOM PR link. $QCOM PR link.

Community Health System(PBR125) to acquire 80% interest in Indiana University Health 227 bed & 50 bed hospitals. $CYH PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540 $ATVI) named big winner this holiday, as ‘Call of Duty’ sales soar. MarketWatch PR link.

Tesla(PBR651 $TSLA) plans to hire thousands more as competition heats up. MarketWatch article link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) to acquire Denver based residential/commercial roofing supplies company Statewide Wholesale, terms not disclosed. $BECN PR link.

Japanese based Bridgestone says it will not counter Icahn Engerprises(PBR147) $18.50/share bid for Pep Boys(PBR872). Bridgestone PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) receives unsolicited $21.70/share offer from unnamed source, counters On Semiconductor $20.00/share bid. $FCS PR link.

Sysco(PBR61) promotes Tom Bené to president/COO effective 01/01/16. $SYY PR link.

Triumph Group(PBR578) hires Daniel Crowley as president/CEO, effective 01/04/16. Succeeds founder Richard Ill. $TGI PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the 3Q2015 US Net International Investment Position was $23.312 trillion in assets, $30.582 trillion in liabilities, for a -$7.270 trillion balance. USDOC PR link.

Sentier Research says November Median Household Income at $56,746, 1st time exceeds pre-recession level of December 2007. Sentier article link.

Consumer Confidence Improves Nearly Four Points to 96.5 in December. Conference Board article link.

S&P/Case-Shiller says the October US National Home Price Index was at 175.65, was 175.47 in September. S&P/C-S article link.

Opinion: 10 dividend stocks for safe income as interest rates rise in 2016. MarketWatch article link.

Monday, December 28:
Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) on track to to deliver about 75 million iPhones in 1Q2016. MarketWatch article link.

General Electric(PBR9 $GE) to acquire private precision cooling hole manufacturing NJ based company Metem, terms not disclosed, to close 1Q2016. MarketWatch article link.

Amazon(PBR29) says 3 million new Prime subscribers in 3rd week of December, other holiday records set. $AMZN PR link.

Intel(PBR51) completes $54/share, $16.7 billion acquisition of field-programmable gate array technology company Altera(PBR903 $ALTR). $INTC PR link.

Walt Disney(PBR57 $DIS)‘s ‘Star Wars’ the fastest to earn $1 billion at box office. MarketWatch PR link.

Willis Tower Watson to replace Fossil Group(PBR617 $FOSL) on S&P 500 on 01/04/16. MarketWatch PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) gets new $18.50/share bid from Icahn Enterprises(PBR147). $PBY PR link.

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) Chairman/Co-Founder James Moffett stepping down, named Chairman Emeritus, director Gerald J Ford elected Non-Executive Chairman. $FCX PR link.

Manitowoc(PBR579) hires Barry Pennypacker as president/CEO of soon to be public spinoff Manitowoc Cranes. $MTW PR link.

MasterCard(PBR291) says US holiday retail sales rose 7.9%, eCommerce up 20% over 2014. $MA PR link.

Dealogic data shows 2015 M&A volume surpasses $5 trillion. PRNewswire PR link.

Friday, December 25:
***Christmas Day***
Let there be Peace on Earth.
Stock Markets Closed.

Thursday, December 24:
***Christmas Eve***
US Stock Markets close early for the week at 1PM Eastern.

The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,552.17, +2.47% from last Friday, -0.95% MTD, +7.78% QTD, -1.52% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,048.49, +2.55% from last Friday, -1.18% MTD, +9.27% QTD, +6.60% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,060.99, +2.77% from last Friday, -0.93% MTD, +7.34% QTD, +0.10% YTD.

Nike(PBR98) 2:1 stock split in effect.

Pep Boys(PBR872) gets new $17/share offer from Japan’s Bridgestone, regarded as superior to Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) bid. MarketWatch article link.

Apparel retailers saw online sales spike on >strong>’Manic Monday.’ MarketWatch article link.

3 reasons U.S. oil is trading at premium to global benchmark MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, December 23:
Norfolk Southern(PBR242) board unanimously rejects revised merger proposal from Canadian Pacific. $NSC PR link

BB&T(PBR277) receives federal regulatory approvals for $1.8 billion acquisition of National Penn Bancshares. To close in next few months. $BBT PR link

Salesforce(PBR453) to acquire quote-to-cash platform software developer SteelBrick for $360 million. http://1.usa.gov/1Ogjs5B$CRM SEC filing link

Hubbell(PBR632) shareholders approve consolidation of Class A & B stocks into one common stock, symbol now HUBB. $HUBB PR link

The US Housing and Urban Development estimates that November Sales of New Single-Family Houses were at a 490,000 annual rate, +4.3% from October, +9.1% from November, 2014. HUD PR link

The US Dept of Commerce says November Total Personal Income was at a $15.618 trillion annual rate, +0.3% from October, Personal Savings Rate was at 5.5%, -0.1% from October. USDOC PR link

Jobs/Housing: 15 cities with the best job and housing prospects. MarketWatch article link

The U of Michigan says the Final December Index of Consumer Sentiment was at 92.6, the highest level since July. UMich PR link.

Tuesday, December 22:
Cisco(PBR60) completes $452.5 million acquisition of private network security company Lancope. $CSCO PR link.

Celgene(PBR347) settles cancer treatment drug REVLIMID® patent litigation. $CELG PR link.

Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR518) completes sale of remaining N American coal business for $268 million. $CLF PR link.

Vornado Realty Trust(PBR738) sells leasehold interest in 473,000 sf Manhattan office building 20 Broad St for $200 million aggregate consideration. $VNO PR link.

Vornado Realty Trust(PBR738) completes $450 million financing of St. Regis Fifth Avenue Retail. $VNO PR link.

Penn Natl Gaming(PBR750) gets agreement with Scientific Games(PBR937 $SMGS) subsidiary Bally Gaming to provide Prairie State Gaming customers next-generation video gaming terminals and exclusive new game content. $PENN PR link.

Hillenbrand(PBR962) to acquire highly-engineered valves for water, power, & mining developer/manufacturer Red Valve for $131.9 million cash. $HI PR link.

Meredith Corp(PBR994) gets new 10 year licensing agreement for Martha Stewart Media Brands. $MDP PR link.

CF Industries(PBR502) promotes Terry Huch to VP-Supply Chain, succeeds Christopher Bonn who is now SVP-Manufacturing. $CF PR link.

Abercrombie & Fitch(PBR595) promotes Fran Horowitz to new position of President/Chief Merchandising Officer. $ANF PR link.

Under Armour(PBR668) hires Chip Molloy as CFO, effective 01/19/16. $UA PR link.

Bright Horizons(PBR1018) promotes chief development officer Stephen Kramer to president, effective 01/01/16. Other executive promotions announced. $BFAM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the 3rd Quarter Gross Domestic Product 3rd Estimate was at a 2.0% annual rate, $18.060 trillion. USDOC PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors says November Existing Home Sales were at a 4.760 million annual rate, -10.5% from October, median price $220,300. NAR PR link.

Freddie Mac(PBR41) in its December Insight & Outlook forecasts 2016 2.5% GDP, drop in value of family mortgage originations. $FMCC PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) will account for more than half of 2015 e-commerce growth, says Macquarie. MarketWatch PR link.

Monday, December 21:
Apple(PBR5) CEO Tim Cook is interviewed on CBS’ 60 Minutes by Charlie Rose. CBS article/video link.

Walt Disney(PBR57) crosses $5 billion in global box office for 2015 as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” posts record $529 million global, $248 million domestic debut. $DIS PR link.

Ingram Micro(PBR62) completes $175 million acquisition of the e-commerce fulfillment business of public Netherlands based DOCdata. $IM PR link.

Staples(PBR122) offers $1.25 billion in divestitures for Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) acquisition, rejected by FTC, litigation being pursued to get deal. $SPLS PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147 $IEP) raises offer for Pep Boys(PBR872 $PBY) to $16.50/share after Bridgestone matches previous $15.50/share bid. MarketWatch article link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) announces closing of $500 million construction loan for 2 million sq ft, 1,500 room Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center, to create 12,000 construction and hotel jobs. $MAR PR link.

NetApp(PBR405) to acquire SolidFire for $870 million cash, accelerates adoption of all-flash data centers. $NTAP PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR451) acquires Spokane, WA, based $50 million/year Barton Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Alpha Fiat. $LAD PR link.

CF Industries(PBR502) & Netherlands’ based OCI change jurisdiction of new company of $8 billion merger from the UK to the Netherlands. Close planned for mid 2016. $CF PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Midwest retail insurance provider Peoria, IL, based The Hawk Agency. $AJG PR link.

International Economy: China reveals focus of its 2016 economic plan. MarketWatch article link.

Money: Here’s all the money in the world, in one chart. MarketWatch article link.

Corporate Deals 2015: 10 most remarkable corporate deals of 2015. MarketWatch article link.

Friday, December 18:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,128.45, -0.79% from last Friday, -3.34% MTD, +5.18% QTD, -3.90% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,923.08, -0.21% from last Friday, -3.63% MTD, +6.56% QTD, +3.95% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,005.52, -0.34% from last Friday, -3.60% MTD, +4.45% QTD, -2.59% YTD.

Wells Fargo(PBR30) to sell crop insurance businesses to US subsidiary of Zurich Insurance for up to $1.05 billion. $WFC PR link.

Southern Co(PBR155) to acquire controlling interest in Kern County, CA, 200 megawatt solar facility from Canadian Solar subsidiary. $SO PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) to provide healthcare services to Aetna(PBR49 $AET)‘s 8.5 million members in new 4 year agreement. $THC PR link.

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

Air Products(PBR267) files initial SEC Form 10 for spinoff of Materials Technologies business as Versum Materials, scheduled for 09/16. $APD PR link.

Darden Restaurants(PBR398) authorizes new $500 million share repurchase program, increases dividend 14%. $DRI PR link.

Windstream(PBR426) begins ultra-fast 1 Gbps service in Lexington, KY, to launch in 5 markets in 1H2016. $WIN PR link.

Windstream(PBR426) completes $575 million cash sale of its data center business to TierPoint. $WIN PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Atlanta, GA, based Managed Healthcare Solutions. $AJG PR link.

Arthur J Gallgher(PBR515) acquires midwest retail insurance broker Brown Hobbs & McMurray. $AJG PR link.

Diebold(PBR676) forms new joint venture with China IT firm Inspur to provide ATMs & kiosks in Chinese market. $DBD PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) acquires 20 branch residential/commercial distributor Dallas based Roofing & Insulation Supply. $BECN PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) hires Therace Risch as EVP-Chief Information Officer, effective immediately. $JCP PR link.

Allison Transmission(PBR865) global sales, marketing & services SVP Mike Headly retiring, effective 03/31/16. $ALSN PR link.

Red Robin(PBR1046) hires Jonathan Muhtar as SVP-Chief Marketing Officer, reports to EVP-Chief Concept Officer Denny Marie Post. $RRGB PR link.

Thursday, December 17:

Cameron Intl(PBR269) stockholders approve $14.8 billion acquisition by Schlumberger, expected to close 1Q2016. $CAM PR link.

Avon(PBR303) gets $605 million equity investment from Cerberus, Avon North America to become separate private entity, quarterly dividends suspended. $AVP PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Australia based Strathearn Insurance Brokers. $AJG PR link.

Boston Properties(PBR803) completes sale of 26 acre, San Jose, CA, 4 office buildings Innovation Place for $207 million. $BXP PR link.

Corrections Corp(965) gets 10 year, 2 5 year renewable options, $25 million/year award for Red Rock, AZ, corrections center. $CCA PR link.

Apple(PBR5) promotes Jeff Williams to COO, Johny Srouji SVP-Hardware Technologies; Tor Myhren to join as VP Marketing Communications in 1Q2016. $AAPL PR link.

DeVry(PBR905) hires Joe Mozden as VP-Workforce Solutions. $DV PR link.

Society: 5 key takeaways about parenting in changing times. Pew Research article link.

Wednesday, December 16:
AIG(PBR46) adds $3.0 billion to share buyback program, balance now $4.3 billion. $AIG PR link.

Coca-Cola Enterprises(PBR327) files SEC registration to combine CCE, CCIP, & CCEAG into Coca-Cola European Partners, to close by 2Q2016. $CCE PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) completes acquisition of leading global tier 1 engine component manufacturer MB Aerospace. $BX PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) to acquire 7,400 controlled lots, 280 homes in backlog, from from John Wieland Homes for up to $450 million. $PHM PR link.

Albemarle(PBR792) to sell its Mineral Flame Retardants and Specialty Chemicals businesses to Huber Engineered Materials. $ALB PR link.

AMSURG(PBR945) has acquired Atlanta area 60 physicians Northside Anesthesiology Consultants. $AMSG PR link.

Key Energy(PBR1001) to seek stockholder approval for reverse stock split with ratio exceeding 1:10 to regain NYSE listing requirement. $KEG PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) SVP Heidi Capozzi to succeed retiring Tony Parasida as head of human resources, effective 03/01/16. $CCL PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR287) promotes EVP Kevin Schneider to COO, effective 01/01/16. $GNW PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) promotes Adena Friedman to president/COO, effective immediately. $NDAQ PR link.

Avista Corp(PBR990) promotes Roger Woodworth to president, Avista Development division. $AVA PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board votes 10-0 to a 0.25% increase in discount rate, eff 12/17/15. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the November New Private Housing Building Permits Issued Annual Rate was at 1,289,000, +11.0% from October, +19.5% from November 2014. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says that November Industrial Capacity Utilization was -0.5% to 77.0%, -3.1% from long-run (1972–2014) average. FRB PR link.

Tuesday, December 15:
Halliburton(PBR90) & Baker Hughes(PBR108 $BHI) provide update on merger status, extending closing date to no later than 04/30/16 pending discussions with US Dept of Justice. $HAL PR link.

Expedia(PBR433) completes $3.9 billion acquisition of 1.2 million alternative accommodations space HomeAway. $EXPE PR link.

Ascena Retail(PBR499) authorizes $200 million share repurchase program. $ASNA PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) profits have helped fund 17,500 quality careers for veterans, goal is 25,000 by 2018. $ATVI PR link.

Global Payments(PBR762) to acquire Heartland Payment Systems(PBR821 $HPY) for $100/share, $4.3 billion. $GPN PR link.

Clearwater Paper(PBR898) announces $100 million stock repurchase program. $CLW PR link.

DeVry(PBR905) authorizes 9th share repurchase program, for $100 million through 12/31/17. $DV PR link.

DeVry(PBR905) Brasil has acquired 96.4% of Grupo Ibmec Educacional, has 15,000 students. $DV PR link.

PharMerica(PBR911) completes acquisition of 2 more healthcare companies, achieves 2015 goal of acquisitions with total of over $100 million in revenues. $PMC PR link.

Parker-Hannifin(PBR218) promotes Mark Hart to EVP, Human Resources & External Affairs, effective 01/01/16, succeeds retiring Dan Serbin. $PH PR link.

Starwood Hotels(PBR417) EVP/CFO Thomas Mangas to become CEO effective 12/31/15, Alan Schnaid being promoted to CFO. $HOT PR link.

JM Smucker(PBR437) names new president for Big Heart Pet Food and Snacks, for corporate strategy, expanded role for SVP/CFO. $SJM PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) promotes Michael Quartieri to EVP/CFO & Secretary. $SGMS PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says November Worker Current Earnings averaged $25.25/hr, 34.5 hrs/week, $871.13 weekly pay, -0.13% from October, +2.0% from November 2014. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says that the November All Urban Consumer Price Index was +0.0% from October, +0.5% over the last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

Monday, December 14:
The PBR1000 November Snapshots have been emailed to Subscribers. Not an Annual or Monthly Subscriber yet? Just click here!.

Boeing(PBR27) raises share repurchase authorization to $14 billion, ups dividend 20%. $BA PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR180) to acquire remaining 67% interest in Inotera Memories of Taiwan for $0.92/share, $3.2 billion. $MU PR link.

Newell Rubbermaid(PBR434) to acquire Jarden(PBR324 $JAH) for $60/share cash/stock, to be called Newell Brands, be a $16 billion/year consumer products company, to close 2Q16. $NWL PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Western US retail insurance broker Colorado based Centennial Insurance Agency. $AJG PR link.

IGT(PBR878) gets agreement with Oklahoma’s Kaw Nation to provide casino management systems & games to its two locations. $IGT PR link.

BlueLinx(PBR892) to seek approval at annual stockholders meeting for 1:10 reverse stock split. $BXC PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) declines unsolicited $21.70/share offer, will proceed with $20.00/share buy offer from ON Semiconductor(PBR656 $ON). $FCS PR link.

DuPont(PBR82) announces some executive leadership retirements and promotions/re-assignments. $DD PR link.

Hershey(PBR354) hires Rob Gehrig as Global Chief Sales Officer, effective 01/18/16. $HSY PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR408) hires Bill Wood as Chief Information Officer, reports to CEO Ron Boire. $BKS PR link.

Black Hills(PBR1009) promotes Linn Evans to president/COO, effective 01/01/16. $BKH PR link.

Friday, December 11:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,265.21, -3.26% from last Friday, -2.57% MTD, +6.02% QTD, -3.13% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 4,933.47, -4.06% from last Friday, -3.43% MTD, +6.78% QTD, +4.17% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,012.37, -3.79% from last Friday, -3.27% MTD, +4.81% QTD, -2.26% YTD.

Ford(PBR10) had November European Sales of 101,500 vehicles, +20.5% from October, total Europe market share is 7.9%. $F PR link.

Lockheed Martin(PBR64) delivers 2,500th C-130 Hercules, 1st delivery was 12/09/56. $LMT PR link.

DuPont(PBR82) & Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW) to merge in all stock deal, form DowDuPont, then separate into 3 independent public companies. $DD PR link.

Atmel(PBR1004) confirms receipt of unsolicited $9.00 cash/share offer, already has $4.6 billion cash/stock offer from UK based Dialog Semiconductor. $ATML PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) Resource Industries group president Ed Rapp to retire; will turn his focus to fighting Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). $CAT PR link.

DISH Network(PBR196) announces promotions to president/COO, EVP-Strategic Planning, Chief Accounting Officer, others. $DISH PR link.

Carlisle Cos(PBR650) to promote pres/COO D. Christian Koch to CEO effective 01/01/16; David A. Roberts continues as Chairman. $CSL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the November Producer Price Index Final Demand was +0.3% from October, with Goods at -0.1%, Services +0.5%, & 12 mos at -1.1%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Manufacturing & Trade Sales were $1.318 trillion, September was $1.320 trillion, Oct 2014 was $1.354 trillion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce in Advance report says November Retail/Food Services Sales were at $448.1 billion, October was $447.1 billion, November 2014 was $442.1 billion. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, December 10:
Ford(PBR10) investing additional $4.5 billion by 2020 in electrified vehicle solutions. $F PR link.

Bank of America(PBR24) resubmitted capital plan accepted without objection by the Federal Reserve Board. $BAC PR link.

ConocoPhillips(PBR53) sets $7.7 billion capital expenditure plan for 2016, 25% less than 2015. $COP PR link.

YUM!(PBR217) to return up to $6.2 billion to stockholders before China spinoff as an independent public company. $YUM PR link.

Visteon(PBR351) announces $3.75 billion special cash distribution to shareholders, authorizes $500 million share buyback program. $VC PR link.

Herbalife(PBR487) chairman/CEO Michael Johnson does net transaction exercise involving 280,000 stock appreciation rights. $HLF PR link.

Electronics Arts(PBR527) starts EA Competitive Gaming Division, to be lead by EVP-Chief Competitive Officer Peter Moore. $EA PR link.

T Rowe Price(PBR570) appoints William Stromberg as president/CEO, effective 01/01/16, increases share buyback program to 20.9 million shares. $TROW PR link.

Arch Coal(PBR691) receives non-compliance notice from NYSE, capitlization under $50 million. $ACI PR link.

AIG(PBR46) announces new executive leadership structure, including new CFO. $AIG PR link.

Occidental Petroleum(PBR123) promotes Vicki Hollub to president/COO, to become CEO at 2016 annual meeting. $OXY PR link.

Whole Foods(PBR203) hires Tien Ho for new position of global VP of culinary & hospitality. $WFM PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) CEO Marissa Mayer announces birth of identical twin girls. $YHOO PR link.

Rackspace(PBR935) hires Alex Pinchev as EVP/president of global sales & marketing, effective 01/01/16. $RAX PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says November US Imports Prices were -0.4% from October. November Exports Prices were -0.6% from October. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury reports November Government Receipts of $205.0 billion, Outlays $270.0 billion, Deficit $65.0 billion. Fiscal YTD Deficit(2 months) is $201.1 billion, was $178.5 in November 2014. Treas PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board says in 3rd Quarter Z1 Report that Household Debt was at $14.1 trillion, Business Debt $12.6 trillion, Government Debt $17.5 trillion, Total Nonfinancial Debt $44.2 trillion. FRB PR link.

Analysis: America’s middle class has lost nearly 30% of wealth. MarketWatch article link.

Wednesday, December 9:
Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) suspends dividend program, cutting oil & gas expenses. $FCX PR link.

CSX(PBR226) to move from NYSE to NASDAQ on 12/21/15, to keep CSX symbol. $CSX PR link.

Computer Sciences(PBR237) to acquire UK based commercial insurance industry software developer Xchanging for $720 million. $CSC PR link.

BlackRock(PBR252) Investment Institute releases 2016 Outlook. $BLK PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) suspends plan to spinoff Alibaba holdings, considering transfer of Yahoo! assets & liabilities to a new public company. $YHOO PR link.

Orbital ATK(PBR655) resupply mission Cygnus spacecraft berths with International Space Station. $OA PR link.

SunEdison(PBR782) acquisition of Vivint Solar amended, Blackstone(PBR352 $BX) to be key stakeholder, provide $250 million credit facility. $SUNE PR link.

Curtiss-Wright(PBR837) has new $200 million share repurchase program for 2016. $CW PR link.

Express(PBR860) authorizes up to $100 million for new share repurchase program. $EXPR PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Merchant Wholesalers Sales at $448.0 billion, -0.0% from September, -3.7% from October 2014. USDOC article link.

Tuesday, December 8:
Morgan Stanley(PBR79) to cut 1,200 jobs. MarketWatch article link.

QUALCOMM(PBR106) gets slapped with antitrust charges by the European Union. MarketWatch article link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) & related entities boost stake in Hertz(PBR259) to 14.3%. MarketWatch article link.

Bristol-Myers-Squibb(PBR185) completes up to $2.1 billion acquisition of private biotech company Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals. $BMY PR link.

L-3 Communications(PBR238) selling its National Security Solutions business to CACI Intl(PBR612 $CACI) for $550 million cash. $LLL PR link.

Norfolk Southern(PBR242) says Canadian Pacific’s revised unsolicited $91.62/share offer is less than previous unacceptable offer. $NSC PR link.

MasterCard(PBR291) to start a $4 billion share repurchase program upon completion of $786 million remaining under current plan. $MA PR link.

Wynn Resorts(PBR427) chairman/CEO Stephen Wynn buys 1 million shares on the open market, now holds over 11 million shares. $WYNN PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Mississippi based McPherson Benefits Group, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Interactive Exchange(PBR556) to close $5.2 billion cash/stock deal for Interactive Data Corp on 12/14/15. $ICE PR link.

NASDAQ(PBR618) to acquire alternate trading platform Chi-X Canada, to close 1Q2016, terms not disclosed. $NDAQ PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) determines Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) $15.50/share bid is superior to Bridgestone’s $15.00/share. $PBY PR link.

Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000) receives unsolicited $21.70/share offer, has $20.00/share offer from ON Semiconductor(PBR656 $ON). $FCS PR link.

CIT Group(PBR608) appoints executive leaders for CIT Bank NA, Chief Risk Officer, Business Capital, & Treasurer. $CIT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says October Private Job Openings at 4,887,000, was 5,041,000 in September, 4,440,000 in October 2014. USDOL PR link.

CoreLogic says October Homes in Foreclosure at 463,000, was 589,000 in October 2014. CoreLogic report download.

Manpower(PBR132) in employment outlook forecasts continued optimism for hiring, stable at start of 2016. $MAN article link.

Monday, December 7:
General Electric(PBR9) terminates its $3.3 billion appliances unit sale to Sweden based Electrolux. $GE PR link.

Staples(PBR122) $6.3 billion acquisition of Office Depot(PBR182 $ODP) being blocked by FTC, companies to contest decision. $SPLS PR link.

Omnicom(PBR192 $OMC) wins bulk of Proctor & Gamble(PBR33 $PG)’s North America business. MarketWatch article link.

CBRE Group(PBR301) acquires national services leader for Affordable Housing act, 50+ employee Tax Credit Group. $CBG article link.

Keurig Green Mountain(PBR507) to be acquired by JAB Holding for $92/share, $13.9 billion, expected to close 1Q2016. $GMCR PR link.

Keurig(PBR507)’s buyout turns Coca-Cola(PBR63)’s $1 billion loss into a profit. MarketWatch article link.

Carlyle Group(PBR581) acquires Toronto based displays & store fixtures for global prestige cosmetics industry provider Array, terms not disclosed. $CG article link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) gets $15.50/share offer from Icahn Enterprises(PBR147), already has $15.00/share bid from Japan’s Bridgestone. MarketWatch article link.

HollyFrontier(PBR140) promotes EVP/COO George Damiris to president/CEO effective 01/01/16. CEO Michael Jennings to be executive chairman. $HFC PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) EVP/CFO Carl Berquist to retire 12/31/15, subsidiary Ritz-Carlton CFO Lenny Oberg to become CFO 01/01/16. $MAR PR link.

YUM!(PBR217) CFO Patrick Grismer resigning, effective 02/19/16. $YUM article link.

Gannett(PBR414) hires Joanne Lipman to new position of Chief Content Officer & Daniel Bernard to Chief Product Officer, both report to pres/CEO. $GCI article link.

American Axle & Mfg(PBR602) hires Timothy Bowes SVP-Corporate Planning. $AXL article link.

HealthSouth(PBR800) hires Patrick Darby as EVP-General Counsel/Corporate Secretary, effective mid 02/16. $HLS article link.

Energy: Oil settles at lowest levels since early 2009. MarketWatch article link.

The US Federal Reserve says October Consumer Total Credit Outstanding at $3.512 trillion, +0.46% from September, +5.89% YTD. FRB PR link.

Friday, December 4:
The PBR1000 End of Week US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA closes week at 17,847.63, +0.28% from last Friday, +0.72% MTD, +9.60% QTD, +0.14% YTD.
NASDAQ closes week at 5,142.27, +0.29% from last Friday, +0.66% MTD, +11.30% QTD, +8.58% YTD.
SPX closes week at 2,091.69, +0.08% from last Friday, +0.54% MTD, +8.94% QTD, +1.59% YTD.

Norfolk Southern(PBR242) rejects unsolicited, low-premium, highly conditional cash/stock offer from Canadian Pacific. $NSC PR link.

NCR(PBR383) closes $820 million equity investment from Blackstone(PBR352), adds 2 members to the board. $NCR PR link.

Pep Boys(PBR872) shares surge as Carl Icahn(PBR147 $IEP) takes 12.12% stake. MarketWatch article link.

Groupon(PBR652) promotes Jay Sullivan to Chief Product Officer, makes leadership changes in North American segment. $GRPN PR link.

Donaldson Co(PBR783) hires Scott Robinson as VP/CFO. $DCI PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says November Available Workforce at 157.3 million, 149.4 million employed, unemployment rate stays at 5.0%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Total Exports at $184.1 billion, Imports $228.9 billion, deficit $43.9 billion, was $42.4 billion in September. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, December 3:
GE(PBR9) releases statement: 5 Things You Should Know About The GE/Alstom Deal. $GE PR link.

Express Scripts(PBR22) has 265 million shares available for buyback program after additional 60 million authorized. $ESRX PR link.

Anthem(PBR38) shareholders approve $54.2 billion acquisition of Cigna(PBR85), close planned for 2nd half 2016. Cigna shareholders also approve. $ANTM PR link.

Avon(PBR303) is sent letter by Barington Capital Group regarding several concerns about performance. $AVP PR link.

NRG Energy(PBR186) CEO Dave Crane steps down, EVP/COO Mauricio Gutierrez becomes president/CEO. $NRG PR link.

TECO Energy(PBR758) shareholders approve $10.4 billion acquisition by Emera, expected to close mid 2016. $TE PR link.

Windstream(PBR426) promotes Sarah Day to president, Consumer/Small Business, effective 01/01/16, reports to CEO. $WIN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says October Manufacturing New Orders were at $473.9B, +1.5% from September, -7.1% YTD from 2014. USDOC PR link.

Wednesday, December 2:
General Dynamics(PBR94) authorizes 10 million shares for share buyback program. $GD PR link.

AutoNation(PBR148) reports retail new vehicle unit sales of 25,555 in November 2015, -6% from November 2014. $AN PR link.

Genworth Financial(PBR287) completes adjusted $490 million sale of its lifestyle protection insurance business to France based AXA SA. $GNW PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) has $305 million for share buyback program after adding $300 million. $PHM PR link.

Cabela’s(PBR606) announces it is exploring strategic alternatives, including possible sale of company. $CAB PR link.

SuperValu(PBR164) hires Eric Claus as CEO of its Save-A-Lot hard-discount grocery segment. $SVU PR link.

American Financial(PBR435) promotes John Rogers to divisional VP & Chief Information Security Officer. $AFG PR link.

Cabot Corp(PBR607) president/CEO Patrick Prevost to take medical leave of absence for minor stroke, expects to return 01/16. $CBT PR link.

American Eagle Outfitters(PBR640) Exec Chairman Jay Schottenstein also CEO, no longer interim. $AEO PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says 3rd Quarter 2015 Nonfarm Business Labor Productivity grew at a +2.2% annual rate, output +1.8%, hours worked -0.3% USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board releases Beige Book, says economic activity generally increased at a modest rate. FRB PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board chairman Yellen moves Fed to brink of December rate hike. MarketWatch article link.

ADP(PBR235) says US Private Business Sector added 217,000 jobs in November. $ADP PR link.

Equifax(PBR795) says 3rd quarter US Consumer Debt grew to $10.5 trillion, +2.3% from 3rd quarter 2014. $EFX PR link.

Discover Financial(PBR286) says 2015 Holiday Consumer Spending to rise after 2014 dip. $DFS PR link.

Vanguard says bull market will keep sparkling in 2016 MarketWatch article link.

MasterCard(PBR291) says holiday season starting out strong, 4.6% US retail growth in November. $MA PR link.

News: 14 dead and many injured in San Bernardino shooting.

Tuesday, December 1:
Amazon(PBR29) says its Fire TV is #1 best seller streaming media player in US, sales up 6x year over year. $AMZN PR link.

Capital One(PBR116) completes acquisition of General Electric(PBR9) Capital’s Healthcare Financial Services business. $COF PR link.

Goodyear Tire(PBR157) combines N & S America units, names new leaders for American, EMEA regions. $GT PR link.

Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) to sell Atlanta area 5 hospitals, 26 physician clinics to regional network WellStar Health. $THC PR link.

Zuckerberg, wife pledge 99% of Facebook(PBR228 $FB) shares to charity to mark daughter’s birth. MarketWatch article link.

Henry Schein(PBR270) has $425 million share repurchase program balance after $400 million added. $HSIC PR link.

Systemax(PBR623) completes $14 million sale of certain of its North American Technology Group assets, including TigerDirect, to PCM, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCMI). $SYX PR link.

TD Ameritrade(PBR662) to move from NYSE to NASDAQ, effective 12/14/15, keeps AMTD symbol. $AMTD PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) acquires 5 branch residential/commercial distributor RCI Roofing Supply, terms not disclosed. $BECN PR link.

IDEX(PBR861) authorizes additional $300 million for share repurchase program. $IEX PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) gets new contract with West Virginia Lottery to supply its Connexus system to monitor 14,000 gaming machines in 1,350 locations. $SGMS PR link.

Ford(PBR10) announces senior leadership changes for some business units. $F PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) promotes Greg Mays to VP of Labor Relations. $ALK PR link.

Sonoco Products(PBR480) announces senior leadership changes for primary business units. $SON PR link.

Institute for Supply Management says November Manufacturing PMI at 48.6, -1.5 from October, 12 month average is 51.9. ISM article link.

November US New Vehicle Sales: 1,284,735 units, +1.6% from Nov 2014; YTD: 15,485,092 units, +5.4% from 2014. Automotive News article link.

The US Dept of Commerce says the October Annual Construction Spending Rate was at $1,107.4 billion, +1.0% from September, +13.0% from October 2014. USDOC PR link.

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

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(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net, Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee.)

Filed Under: Recaps Tagged With: acquisitions, business news, Commodities, DJIA, Economy, Investing, Leadership, mergers, NASDAQ, Personal Finance, Rankings, S&P 500, Stock Market, Stocks, The PBR1000

The PBR1000 November 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

December 19, 2015 by admin

Wishing You The Best
During the Holiday Season,
and To Getting Your Piece of the Pie
in the New Year!

By Larry C. Paxton

November 2015 was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde kind of month. To understand that it is a good idea to quickly review the end of October. Overall October ended with a very positive result for stocks and commodities. But the reality was that there was a bit of a downturn in the last week. In the first week of November Dr. Jekyll showed up and there was a nice gain. But the second week Mr. Hyde took over and there was a significant downturn. The third week Dr. Jekyll returned and there was a big jump back. In the final week and last day of the month Mr. Hyde reappeared for a dip, not a big one, but a noticeable one.

There seemed to be a lot of reasons for the swings. The economy appears to continue to grow at a modest rate, to the point where it is a foregone conclusion that the Federal Reserve will most likely finally make an almost minimal raise of the short term interest rate. But oil and minerals prices continue to fluctuate, there is uncertainty about global issues like immigration and refugees, much of it related to unrest in the Middle East. Climate change is becoming a bigger issue and getting more attention, and there are no easy answers, other than the fact there will be an unpredictable impact on economies worldwide.

What will happen in December? Once again, there are a lot of questions and very little consensus. For the holiday season what will be the growth of online sales, and what impact will that have on traditional retail storefronts? Will oil prices stabilize? What will it take to bring stability and peace to the Middle East? What will really happen if the Fed raises interest rates? There are a myriad of additional questions and the resulting complexities make just about any prediction both plausible and unlikely.

During this holiday season the staff of PBRMarketTools.com wishes you the very best as you celebrate through the traditions you cherish. May it be a season of peace and hope as we enter what will be an interesting New Year.

In the following tables the stock price is for the close of trading on November 30th, Month % Chg is compared to October 30th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014, and the 23 Mos % Chg is compared to December 31, 2013.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +259.28% to -62.16%. 543 out of 1,041 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 52.16% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 0.25%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 11/30/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	23 Mos % Chg
Education Management	816	EDMC	0.18	+259.28	+9.09	-98.22
Weight Watchers	972	WTW	26.38	+71.52	+6.20	-19.89
Roundy’s	574	RNDY	3.58	+66.51	-26.03	-63.69
Willbros Group	867	WG	2.97	+48.50	-52.63	-68.47
Airgas	455	ARG	138.20	+43.72	+19.99	+23.56

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +152.73% to -99.43%. 439 out of 1,037 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 42.33% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 4.15%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 11/30/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	23 Mos % Chg
Netflix	440	NFLX	123.33	+13.79	+152.73	+134.475
Amazon.com	31	AMZN	664.80	+6.22	+114.21	+66.70
Activision Blizzard	530	ATVI	37.66	+8.34	+86.90	+111.22
Global Payments	706	GPN	70.85	+3.87	+75.50	+118.00
INTL FCStone	88	INTL	35.58	+11.22	+72.97	+92.41

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +275.91% to -99.86%. 574 out of 1,031 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 55.67% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 3.96%.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Price 11/30/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	23 Mos % Chg
Hawaiian Holdings	802	HA	36.20	+4.32	+38.96	+275.91
Electronic Arts	519	EA	67.79	-5.94	+44.19	+195.51
JetBlue	423	EA	24.74	-0.40	+55.99	+189.70
Skechers USA	791	SKX	30.20	-3.21	+63.95	+173.55
Edwards Lifesciences	801	EW	163.00	+3.72	+27.96	+147.87

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $659.56 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $20.02 billion, median is $6.17 billion, out of 1,041 companies tracked.

Company	PBR Rank	Symbol	Market Cap($B) 11/30/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	23 Mos % Chg
Apple	3	AAPL	659.56	-1.07	+1.88	+30.66
Alphabet	44	GOOGL	510.70	+4.48	+43.01	+36.40
Microsoft	27	MSFT	434.14	+3.25	+13.38	+39.01
ExxonMobil	2	XOM	339.95	-1.46	-13.17	-23.11
Berkshire Hathaway	5	BRK.B	330.54	-1.94	-8.59	+12.81
The PBR1000			20,839.69	-0.48	+0.06	+9.19

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

Company	Price 11/30/15	Mo % Chg	YTD % Chg	23 Mos % Chg
The PBR1000	71,450.80	-0.12	-1.24	+8.95
DJIA	17,719.92	+0.32	-0.58	+6.90
NASDAQ	5,108.67	+1.09	+7.87	+22.32
S&P500	2,080.41	+0.05	+1.04	+12.55
Gold	1,065.30	-6.67	-10.09	-11.39
Silver	14.09	-9.51	-9.68	-27.26
Oil	41.65	-10.60	-21.81	-54.33

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

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

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

(Photo made available through cooldesign, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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

The PBR1000 June 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

June 2016: 1st Half & Brexit Surprise

The PBR1000 May 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

May 2016: Oil Prices & Funds Rates

The PBR1000 April 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

April 2016: Commodities Lead the Way

The PBR1000 March 2016 Breaking News Recap

March 2016: Are We Working Together Yet?

The PBR1000 February 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

February 2016: Which Direction Are The Markets Heading?

The PBR1000 January 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

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

The PBR1000 January 2016 Breaking News Recap

January 2016: A Stormy Start

The PBR1000 December 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

December 2015: What’s Up, or Perhaps More Appropriate, What’s Not Down?

The PBR1000 December 2015 Breaking News Recap

December 2015: The End of a Volatile Year,
the Start of a _________ Year???

The PBR1000 November 2015 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

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June 2016: 1st Half & Brexit Surprise

May 2016: Oil Prices & Funds Rates

April 2016: Commodities Lead the Way

March 2016: Are We Working Together Yet?

February 2016: Which Direction Are The Markets Heading?

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

January 2016: A Stormy Start

December 2015: What’s Up, or Perhaps More Appropriate, What’s Not Down?

December 2015: The End of a Volatile Year, the Start of a _________ Year???

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Using The PBR1000 Doubled My Business

Stocks Investment Tool

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December 2015: The End of a Volatile Year,
the Start of a _________ Year???