The PBR1000 February 2017 Breaking News Recap

February 2017: Business As Unusual

ID-10094980 Order Chaos Buttons-Stuart Miles

Maybe the Green Button Should Be a Lot Larger.

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The highlight for February was President Trump’s speech the evening of the last day of the month to a joint session of the US Congress. During that speech he briefly addressed hot topics like illegal immigration, refugees, healthcare, infrastructure projects, personal and corporate income tax reforms, international trade, military preparedness, and a few other topics that could have a significant impact not only on people and businesses in the US, but worldwide. During his first full month President Trump has generated a lot of executive orders, made some interesting and often controversial appointees, and the Republican Congress has started introducing legislation based on Trump’s directives. These should not be surprising since he is doing what he promised during the presidential campaign. Now there is some not unexpected organized resistance building. Predictions are all over the place. Make yours, but also guard your wallet! One thing for sure, there will be changes in the way businesses are run.

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

Mergers & Acquisitions: 24 deals worth at least $1 billion initiated, closed, or updated. Total transaction value was $136 billion.

Spinoffs: 2 completed or announced.

Share Repurchase Programs: 28 announced, total $36.6 billion.

Bankruptcies: 2 actions

CEO Changes: 14 announced.

Jobs: Modest growth.

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

Federal Reserve Federal Funds Rate Changes: 0, remains 0.50-0.75%, increases anticipated in 2017.

International: Brexit, oil price fluctuations, Middle East conflicts, refugee crisis, N Korea nuclear/missile tests, upcoming European elections, climate change, US President Trump actions continue to be the headliners.

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

***Tuesday, February 28:

The PBRMarketTools February 2017 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends February at 20,812.24, -0.05% from last Friday, +4.77% MTD, +5.31% QTD/YTD, -0.12% from record 20,837.44 set 02/27/17.
NASDAQ ends February at 5,825.44, -0.34% from last Friday, +3.75% MTD, +8.22% QTD/YTD, -0.69% from record 5,865.95 set 02/21/17.
SPX ends February at 2,363.64, -0.16% from last Friday, +3.72% MTD, +5.57% QTD/YTD, -0.26% from record 2,369.75 set 02/27/17.

Target(PBR40) committing over $7 billion to enhance digital shopping, reimagine 600 stores, opening 130 small format stores by 2019, add 12 new exclusive brands. $TGT PR link.

Avnet(PBR100) adds $500 million to share repurchase program. $AVT PR link.

Staples(PBR122) keeps 15% equity in sale of $1.9 billion/yr European business to Cerberus Capital Management. $SPLS PR link.

Parker-Hannifin(PBR218) completes $83/share, $4.3 billion cash acquisition of filtration company CLARCOR(PBR983 $CLC). $PH PR link.

Ross Stores(PBR253) authorizes new 2 year $1.75 billion stock repurchase program. $ROST PR link.

Hershey(PBR354) strategy for future growth includes reducing global primarily hourly workforce outside of US by around 15%. $HSY PR link.

Oshkosh(PBR368) plans several activities and celebrations for it founding in 1917 and 100th year in business. $OSK PR link.

Charles Schwab(PBR409) lowers online equity/ETF trade commissions rate from $6.95 to $4.95/trade plus $0.65/option. $SCHW PR link.

LINN Energy(PBR484) emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with $730 million in liquidity, debt reduced from $5 billion to $962 million. $LINEQ PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires retail insurance broker Ace IRM Broking Group in Beenleigh, Queensland, Australia. $AJG PR link.

Orbital ATK(PBR655) authorizes additional $200 milllion share buyback, balance is $450 million, expires 03/31/18. $OA PR link.

TD Ameritrade(PBR662) reducing online equity & ETF trade commissions from $9.99 to $6.95, options pricing is $0.75/trade. $AMTD PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR988) reports 2,621,100 subscribers at end of 2016, up 9.7% from 2015. $WTW PR link.

Waste Management(PBR206) elects board member Brad Anderson to chairman, succeeds deceased Bob Reum; VP Devina Rankin promoted to SVP/CFO. $WM PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce in 2nd estimate say US 4Q16 GDP Annual Rate remained at +1.9%, $18.856 trillion, +1.0% from 3Q16, +3.5% from 4Q15. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says 02/27/17 US National Debt at $19.931 trillion, -0.03% from 01/31/17, -0.23% YTD, +4.21% from 02/29/16. Treasury PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) US February Outlook examines how the US economy could be affected by which direction inflation goes. $FMCC PR link.

The Conference Board US February Consumer Confidence Index at 114.8(1985=100), January was 111.6, February 2016 94.0. TCB PR link.

The February MNI Chicago Business Barometer at 57.4, January was 50.3, February 2016 47.6(50=Neutral). MNI/ISM PR link.

The S&P Case-Shiller US December National Home Price Index is at 185.54(01/2000=100), November was 185.16, December 2015 175.29. Case-Shiller PR link.

AAA says 02/28/17 US Regular Gas Average Price/Gallon is $2.289, +0.7% from 01/31/17, +30.9% from 02/29/16. AAA PR link.

Gold(Electronic GCJ7 04/17) price at 02/28/17 close was $1,243. 40, +2.9% from 01/31/17, -0.1% from 02/29/17. GOLD PR link.

The Euro Price at the close of 02/28/17 was $1.0556, -2.2% from 01/31/17, -3.0% from 02/29/16. EURO PR link.

***Monday, February 27:

AT&T(PBR12) introduces new Unlimited Plus wireless and entertainment deals. $T PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) completes $4.325 billion cash acquisition of Abbott Labs(PBR134 $ABT)’s Medical Optics vision care unit. $JNJ PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR95) customers with 2 lines or more get 3rd line free, or 3 lines for $100/month, starts 03/01/17. $TMUS PR link.

Avnet(PBR100) completes $2.6 billion cash/stock sale of global IT distributor Technology Solutions unit to Tech Data(PBR99 $TECD). $AVT PR link.

Spectra Energy(PBR422) $28 billion acquisition by Enbridge(NYSE: ENB) has been completed. $SE PR link.

Windstream(PBR426) completes $1.1 billion for 51% ownership of network services provider EarthLink(NASDAQ: ELNK). $WIN PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) selling muscular sclerosis drug Tysabri® royalty stream to affiliate of Royalty Pharma for $2.2 billion cash plus up to $650 million based on future sales. $PRGO PR link.

SunPower(PBR680) starts construction on 56 megawatts Gala Solar Power Plant in Crook County, OR, to be largest operating solar facility in OR at end of 2017. $SPWR PR link.

Northrop Grumman(PBR113) promotes Janis Pamiljans to corporate VP & president, Aerospace Systems, effective 04/01/17, succeeds retiring Thomas Vice. $NOC PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) VP/Investor Relations Lisa DeFrancesco to leave for other opportunities after successor found. $AGN PR link.

M&T Bank(PBR504) president/COO Mark Czarnecki dies after extended illness. $MTB PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) EVP/Business Operations/CFO Judy Brown leaving 04/01/17, SVP Ron Winowiecki appointed interim CFO; Svend Andersen promoted to EVP/president of Consumer Healthcare International unit. $PRGO PR link.

Olin Corp(PBR838) chairman Joseph Rupp to retire 04/27/17, president/CEO John Fischer to then add chairman role. $OLN PR link.

Kimco Realty(PBR982) promotes Ross Cooper to president & David Jamieson to COO. $KIM PR link.

***Friday, February 24:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 02/24/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,821.76, +0.96% from last Friday, +4.82% MTD, +5.36% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 20,821.76 set 02/24/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,845.31, +0.12% from last Friday, +4.11% MTD, +8.59 QTD/YTD, -0.35% from record 5,865.95 set 02/21/17.
SPX ends week at 2,367.34, +0.69% from last Friday, +3.88% MTD, +5.74% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 2,367.34 set 02/24/17.

AES Corp(PBR171) and Alberta Investment Management Corp to acquire largest independent owner, operator, and developer of utility solar scale assets in the US( 1,274 MW) FTP Power from Fir Tree Partners for $853 million cash plus assumption of $724 million debt. $AES PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) has net profit for 1st time since 2010, to close 2 distribution centers, 130-140 stores in next few months, offering early retirement to 6,000 eligible employees. $JCP PR link.

Hilton Worldwide(PBR262) authorizes up to $1 billion share repurchase program. $HLT PR link.

Wabash Natl(PBR917) authorizes an additional up to $100 million share repurchase program, balance is $115 million, expires in 2 years. $WNC PR link.

SunTrust Banks(PBR307) appoints 4 key executives to new roles, effective 04/03/17, in streamlining push. $STI PR link.

Flowserve(PBR492) EVP/CFO Karyn Ovelmen has left, VP/Investor Relations/Treasurer Jay Roueche III assumes interim CFO role during search for new CFO. $FLS PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR553) promotes Spencer Maurer to SVP/Supply Chain. $GPK PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce/HUD estimates US January New Family Home Sales/For Sale Annual Rate at 555,000 units, Median Price $312,900, -1.0% from December, +7.5% from January 2016. HUD PR link.

The U of Michigan says US Final February Consumer Sentiment Index at 96.3, January was 98.5, February 2016 was 91.7. UMich PR link.

***Thursday, February 23:

Merck(PBR70) to take $2.9 billion asset impairment charge in 2016 for Hepatitis Cuprifosbuvir study. $MRK PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) and Puerto Rico based 300 employee, 309 locations Open Mobile doing Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands joint venture. $S PR link.

Capital One(PBR116) in 10-K report says it withdrew its application for acquisition of Cabela’s(PBR606) credit card business due to regulatory issues, will re-apply when resolved. $COF PR link.

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR249) completes $725 million cash sale of majority Of Its Mechanical Security businesses to dormakaba. $SWK PR link.

Herbalife(PBR354) & Tianjin, China, 1,000+ patents, 18,000+ worldwide employees traditional Chinese medicine health products/services provider Tasly Holding Group to form joint venture within next 60 days. $HLF PR link.

LabCorp(PBR413) to acquire Spokane, WA, based 8 states lab services provider Pathology Associates Medical Laboratory from Providence Health & Catholic Health Initiatives, terms not disclosed. $LH PR link.

Spectra Energy(PBR422) $28 billion acquisition by Enbridge(NYSE: ENB) set to close 02/27/17. $SE PR link.

Rent A Center(PBR657) receives from key shareholder Engaged Capital a list of 5 nominees for 3 available board positions at next annual meeting. $RCII PR link.

Carter’s(PBR699) acquires global children’s products producer Skip Hop Holdings for $140 million cash & future performance payments up to $10 million. $CRI PR link.

Synopsys(PBR879) initiates $100 million accelerated share repurchase agreement by 05/27/17 with Wells Fargo(PBR30), follows $100 million ASR settled 02/16/17. $SNPS PR link.

Restoration Hardware(PBR915) authorizes up to $300 million share repurchase program, no expiration date. $RH PR link.

Hillenbrand(PBR962) adds $100 million to existing share repurchase program, balance is $129 million. $HI PR link.

Cigna(PBR85) promotes Christopher Hocevar to president/Strategy, Segments and Solutions; Michael Triplett to president/US Markets; Chief Medical Officer Alan Muney joins executive team; Eric Palmer to Deputy CFO, who will become CFO upon retirement of Thomas McCarthy this summer. $CI PR link.

Marathon Oil(PBR250) hires Dane Whitehead as EVP/CFO, starting around 03/06/17, interim CFO Patrick Wagner returns to SVP/Corporate Development & Strategy. $MRO PR link.

Celgene(PBR347) president/COO Jacqualyn Fouse, PhD, to retire on 06/30/17, Scott Smith being promoted to president/COO on 04/01/17. $CELG PR link.

Hershey(PBR354) incoming president/CEO Michele Buck names 8 person executive leadership team. $HSY PR link.

Wynn Resorts(PBR427) hires Craig Billings to be CFO starting 03/01/17, succeeds leaving Stephen Cootey. $WYNN PR link.

TeleFlex()PBR923) CEO Benson Smith to retire on 12/31/17, successor is president/COO Liam Kelly. $TFX PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US 02/18/17 Total 4-Week Moving Average Unemployment Claims at 2,069,000, -1.1% from January, -7.7% from last year. USDOL PR link.

The US Energy Information Administration says US 02/17/17 Crude Oil Stocks were at 518.7 million barrels, +6.2% from 01/20/17, +8.9% from 02/19/16. EIA PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago US January National Activity Index estimated at -0.05, December was +0.18, January 2016 was +0.12. ChiFed PR link.

Freddie Mac(PBR41) says US Average 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate on 02/23/17 is 4.16% with 0.5 points/fees, 01/26/17 was 4.19%, 02/29/16 was 3.62%. $FMCC PR link.

***Wednesday, February 22:

ExxonMobil(PBR2) reports 20 billion oil-equivalent barrels of proven reserves at the end of 2016. $XOM PR link.

Aetna(PBR49) to do $3.3 billion accelerated share repurchase program of 20.8 million shares through two dealers. $AET PR link.

TJX Cos(PBR96) plans $1.3-1.8 billion in share repurchases by 02/03/18, has done $18 billion since 1997. $TJX PR link.

Dollar General(PBR151) to build its 16th distribution center, a 750,000 sf facility, in Amsterdam, NY, to employ 430 when completed in Fall 2018. $DG PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) joint venture in China orders 2 new cruise ships to be built in China with option to order 4 more ships. $CCL PR link.

DISH(PBR196) reports 2016 revenues of $15.09 billion, ended with 13.671 million Pay-TV subscribers. $DISH PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR270) Medical unit gets exclusive distributor agreement for Rijuven’s CardioSleeve digital diagnostic device for use by medical practitioners. $HSIC PR link.

AMD(PBR446) taking pre-orders for its high performance 8 core AMD Ryzen™ 7 desktop processors, to be available 03/02/17. $AMD PR link.

Greenbrier Cos(PBR846) manufactures its 100,000th intermodal double stack railcar unit at its Gunderson facility in Portland, OR. $GBX PR link.

TeleFlex(PBR923) gets FDA 510(k) clearance for US commercialization of TrapLiner Catheter for vascular therapies. $TFX PR link.

Community Health Systems(PBR125) president of Financial Services/CFO W Larry Cash to retire 05/16/17, SVP/Finance Thomas Aaron to be CFO successor. $CYH PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) Paramount Pictures unit chairman/CEO Brad Grey to step down, search starts. $VIA PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) CFO Jason Wheeler leaving in 04/17 for public policy position, 1st CFO Deepak Ahuja returns to Tesla and CFO role in 03/17. $TSLA PR link.

The Federal Reserve issues the Federal Open Market Committee report from its 01/31-02/01/17 meeting, says labor market strengthening, economic activity expanding at a moderate rate, still below 2% goal. FOMC PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says US January Existing Home Sales Annual Rate was at 5.69 million, +3.3% from December, +3.8% from January 2016. NAR PR link.

Harris Poll releases its 2017 Reputation Quotient Ratings of 100 companies, Amazon(PBR29 $AMZN) is #1 with RQ of 86.27. Harris PR link.

***Tuesday, February 21:

Verizon(PBR15) acquisition of Yahoo!(PBR519) reduced by $350 million to $4.48 billion cash, will share liabilities related to Yahoo breaches, expects to close in 2Q17. $VZ PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) launches up to 1 hour restaurant delivery service for Prime members in Las Vegas area, over 100 restaurants taking part. $AMZN PR link.

UPS(PBR47) to start 6 day ground service, rolling out delivery & pickup services on Saturdays in major metropolitan areas. $UPS PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) names 3 new independent directors per conversations with investor JANA Corp, authorizes $2 billion accelerated share repurchase program through 2Q17. $BMY PR link.

PNC Financial(PBR189) to acquire the $1.1 billion US portfolio of commercial & vendor finance business of ECN Capital. $PNC PR link.

KKR(PBR332) to acquire up to 40% stake in Europe & the Americas 16,000 towers telecom infrastructure owner & service provider Telxius. $KKR PR link.

Terex(PBR357) authorizes up to $350 million share repurchase program, to start when current $70 million balance is used. $TEX PR link.

Ashland(PBR407) eliminates 2 executive positions and consolidates leadership in anticipation of spinoff of Valvoline this spring. $ASH PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Madison, WI, retirement plan/wealth management firm Kelly Financial. $AJG PR link.

Thor Ind(PBR616) subsidiary Heartland to expand recreational vehicle products manufacturing & pre-delivery inspection by 500,000 sf across 3 facilities by 2017 end. $THO PR link.

TSYS(PBR790) to provide its PRIME platform to International Bank of Qatar for Visa/MasterCard & debit card issuing, and ATM acquiring business. $TSS PR link.

Vail Resorts(PBR908) makes first acquisition on the East Coast, Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont, for $50 million. $MTN PR link.

Tronox(PBR946) to acquire the TiO2 business of private global mining company Cristal for $1.673 billion cash/stock. $TROX PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR948), in preliminary 2016 report, says it had 22.0 million visitors, looking at a debt refinancing transaction. $SEAS PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) CEO transition scheduled for 03/23/17, president Jeff Gennette to become CEO, Terry Lundgren keeps executive chairman role. $M PR link.

CSX(PBR226) Chairman/CEO Michael Ward & President Clarence Gooden to retire 05/31/17, Fredrik Eliasson appointed President. $CSX PR link.

JetBlue(PBR429) promotes Steve Priest to EVP/CFO. $JBLU PR link.

Navient(PBR443) hires Christian Lown to be EVP/CFO starting 03/27/17, succeeds Somsak Chivavibul who becomes EVP/Chief Decision Management Officer. $NAVI PR link.

E*Trade(PBR930) study of self-directed investors with at least a $10,000 account balance shows that nearly seven out of ten conservatives surveyed believe the new administration will benefit their retirement portfolio, compared to only three out of ten liberals. $ETFC PR link.

***Monday, February 20:

***US Stock Markets Closed.
***Federal Holiday: Presidents’ Day

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) provides update on PT Freeport Indonesian operations, unable to reach a new agreement with government, to reduce investment and workforce. $FCX PR link.

Kraft Heinz(PBR156) amicably agrees to withdraw its $143 billion acquisition proposal for Unilever plc/NV in joint statement. $KHC PR link.

Cincinnati Bell(PBR981) acquires Troy, MI, based regional network security, data connectivity, and unified communications provider SunTel Services. $CBB PR link.

Brown-Forman(PBR563) hires Rachel Barrie as Whisky Maker for BenRiach, The GlenDronach, and Glenglassaugh distilleries. $BFB PR link.

***Friday, February 17:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 02/17/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,624.05, +1.75% from last Friday, +3.83% MTD, +4.36% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 20,624.05 set 02/17/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,838.58, +1.82% from last Friday, +3.99% MTD, +8.46 QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 5,838.58 set 02/17/17.
SPX ends week at 2,351.16, +1.51% from last Friday, +3.17% MTD, +5.02% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 2,351.16 set 02/17/17.

Aetna(PBR49) adds $4 billion to share repurchases program, balance is $5.1 billion. $AET PR link.

AbbVie(PBR136) authorizes an additional $5 billion for its share repurchase program, no time limit. $ABBV PR link.

Kraft Heinz(PBR156 $KHC) proposes $49.61/share, $143 billion acquisition of Unilever plc/NV, which issues statement saying offer is undervalued. Unilever PR link.

Nordstrom(PBR214) authorizes new $500 million share repurchase program through 08/31/18, current authorization has $529 million balance, expires 03/31/17. $JWN PR link.

Bloomin’ Brands(PBR536) 4Q16 revenues down 4.3%, plans to close 43 underperforming restaurants. $BLMN PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) gets FDA approval for Hydrocodone Bitartrate and Homatropine Methylbromide Oral Solution(syrup) for symptomatic relief of cough. $PRGO PR link.

TeleFlex(PBR923) completes $56.00/share, $1 billion cash acquisition of medical devices developer Vascular Solutions(NASDAQ: VASC). $TFX PR link.

Aerojet Rocketdyne(PBR969) promotes Jerry Tarnacki to SVP of newly formed Space Business Unit. $AJRD PR link.

The Conference Board US January Leading Economic Index at 125.5(2010=100), +0.6% from December, which was +0.5% from November, which was +0.2% from October. TCB PR link.

***Thursday, February 16:

AT&T(PBR12) expands access to unlimited data, 4 lines for $180/month. $T PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) announces 4 line unlimited talk, text and data family plan for $90/month, includes $0/month for 18 months iPhone7 upgrade. $S PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) gets FDA approval for Freezor® Xtra Cryoablation Catheter for abnormal heart rhythm treatment. $MDT PR link.

Penske Automotive(PBR170) completes acquisition of UK‘s 5 locations $340 million/year used vehicles retailer CarShop. $PAG PR link.

BB&T(PBR277) breaks ground in Mauldin, SC, on $30 million 140,000 sf mortgage servicing center, to have 600 employees. $BBT PR link.

Live Nation(PBR366)’s TicketMaster unit acquires 1 million tickets sold/year Poland/Czech Republic based TicketPro. $LYV PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) acquires majority stake in UK based global cloud enabler Cloudreach, serves mid-market & large enterprises. $BX PR link.

Spectra Energy(PBR422) gets FTC approval for $28 billion acquisition by Enbridge(NYSE: ENB), expects to close in 1Q17. $SE PR link.

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

SunPower(PBR680) to supply 64.4 megawatts of solar power panels for 7 La Compagnie du Vent France based solar power plants. $SPW PR link.

Tempur Sealy(PBR687) adds $200 million to share repurchase program, balance is $227 million. $TPX PR link.

Universal American(PBR882) shareholders agree to $10/share, $600 million cash acquisition by Wellcare Health Plans(PBR221 $WCG), expects to close in 2Q17. $UAM PR link.

Verisk Analytics(PBR943) acquires UK based Healix Intl automated medical risk assessment for the travel industry subsidiary Healix Risk Rating. $VRSK PR link.

Cree(PBR964) terminates $850 million cash sale of Wolfspeed Power and RF division to Infineon Technologies AG(FSE: IFX) due to regulatory national security issues. $CREE PR link.

Kate Spade(PBR970) reports 4Q16 &2016 results, no forward looking guidance because reviewing strategic alternatives. $KATE PR link.

Avnet(PBR100) president/Electronics Marketing Gerry Fay leaving; in reorganization regional presidents to report to CEO. $AVT PR link.

Ralph Lauren(PBR349) hires Jonathon Bottomley to newly created role of Chief Marketing Officer and Tom Mendenhall to new position of Brand President, Men’s Polo, Purple Label, and Double RL. $RL PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) hires Charu Jain as VP/Chief Information Officer, promotes Chris Berry to VP/Finance & Controller. $ALK PR link.

Diebold Nixdorf(PBR676) promotes Dr. Juergen Wunram to COO; president Eckard Heidloff resigning effective 03/31/17. $DBD PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US January Housing Permits Issued Annual Rate at 1,285,000 units, +4.6% from December, +8.2% from January 2016. USDOC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia February Manufacturing General Activity Indicator is 43.6, January was 23.6, December 19.7. PhillyFed PR link.

Fannie Mae(PBR17) February Economic Forecast: Policy Uncertainty Remains at the Center of 2017 Modest Growth Expectations. $FNMA PR link.

***Wednesday, February 15:

Walmart(PBR1) acquires ecommerce outdoor retailer 400 brands Michigan based Moosejaw for $51 million. $WMT PR link.

Boeing(PBR27) S Carolina employees vote by 74% to not unionize. $BA PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) to commence $280/share, $30 billion cash tender offer for Swiss based pharmaceutical company Actelion(SIX: ATLN) on 03/03/17, expires 03/30/17, may be extended. $JNJ PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37 $JNJ) to sell Codman Neurosurgery business to Integra LifeSciences for $1.045 billion cash. $IART PR link.

Anthem(PBR38) files suit against Cigna(PBR85 $CI) seeking a temporary restraining order to enjoin Cigna from terminating the $48 billion merger agreement. $ANTM PR link.

Time Warner(PBR103) shareholders approve $107.50/share, $85.4 billion cash/stock acquisition by AT&T(PBR12 $T), close planned by 2017 end. $TWX PR link.

Manpower(PBR132) acquires Ciber(NYSE: CBR) Spain unit. $MAN PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) closes on $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of secured notes, to be used in reorganization and emerging from bankruptcy. $BTUUQ PR link.

NVR(PBR533) authorizes $300 million share repurchase program. $NVR PR link.

Groupon(PBR652) adds 5.2 million net new customers in N America, has 31.1 million N America active users, 52.7 million globally, at end of 2016. $GRPN PR link.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances(PBR666) in 2016 report says it will reduce workforce by 5%, around 350 employees. $IFF PR link.

Hologic(PBR767) gets FDA PMA approval for Aptima® Hepatitis C Quant Dx Assay therapy. $HOLX PR link.

Carlisle Cos(PBR650) hires Bob Roche as VP/CFO. $CSL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US January Consumer Price Index was +0.6%, December was +0.3%, +2.5% from January 2016. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US January Average Currently Weekly Earnings at $894.40, +0.1% from December, +1.9% from January 2016. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US December Manufacturing/Retail/Wholesaler Sales were $1.356 trillion, +2.0% from November, +5.2% from December 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce Advance Estimate of US January Total Retail Sales were $472.1 billion, +0.3% from December, +5.5% from January 2016. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board estimates US January Industrial Production % of Capacity at 75.3%, December was 75.6%, January 2016 75.7%. FRB PR link.

The New York Federal Reserve Bank says February Empire State Manufacturing General Business Conditions Index at 18.7, +12.2 from January, +33.2 from February 2016. NYFRB PR link.

The Natl Assn of Home Builders says US February Composite Housing Market Index is 65, January was 67, February 2016 was 58. NAHB PR link.

***Tuesday, February 14:

Amazon(PBR29) Web Services announces Amazon Chime online video/audio/chat/screen sharing meetings service. $AMZN PR link.

Proctor & Gamble(PBR33) gets SEC notification that The Vanguard Group owns 6.62% of outstanding stock. $PG PR link.

AIG(PBR46) authorizes additional up to $3.5 billion in share repurchase program, balance is now $4.7 billion. $AIG PR link.

Aetna(PBR49) to pay Humana(PBR58 $HUM) $1 billion in mutual agreement to terminate $37 billion stock/cash acquisition. $AET PR link.

Humana(PBR58) authorizes $2 billion share buyback program for 2017, $1.5 billion in 1Q17. $HUM PR link.

Cigna(PBR85) terminates $48 billion acquisition by Anthem(PBR38 $ANTM), seeks $1.85 billion reverse termination fee plus $13+ billion in damages, expands share repurchase program to $3.7 billion. $CI PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR95) has 2.1 million customer net adds in 4Q17, has 71.5 million customers. $TMUS PR link.

CenturyLink(PBR160) gets first regulatory approvals for $66.50/share, $34 billion acquisition of Level 3 Communications(PBR375 $LVLT) from Ohio & Utah; special stockholders meeting scheduled for 03/16/17; close planned for 3Q17. $CTL PR link.

CSX(PBR226) calls special meeting for 03/16/17 to seek shareholder guidance on certain extraordinary requests by investor Mantle Ridge & CEO candidate Hunter Harrison and his $300 million compensation package. $CSX PR link.

Air Products(PBR267) sends public letter of concern to Hong Kong based Yingde Gases board in response to recent public disclosures by Yingde. $APD PR link.

Dover(PBR343) completes $150 million sale of its Performance Motorsports International unit to Race Winning Brands. $DOV PR link.

Mattel(PBR412) to promote toys, learning resources & educational content to China’s Alibaba(NYSE: BABA) 440 million active e-commerce Chinese buyers. $MAT PR link.

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

Williams Cos(PBR348) hires Micheal Dunn as EVP/COO, effective 02/27/17. $WMB PR link.

General Cable(PBR418) hires Shruti Singhal as SVP/President of Europe, effective 02/27/17. $BGC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US January Producer Price Index was +0.6%, last 12 months +1.6%. USDOL PR link.

CoreLogic estimates US December Housing Serious Delinquency Units at 1,027,000, -0.5% from November, -19.5% from December 2015. CoreLogic PR link.

***Monday, February 13:

Verizon(PBR15) introduces unlimited data, calls, text plans, 1 line $80/mo, 4 lines $45/line, cellphone trade-in options. $VZ PR link.

Delta Air Lines(PBR72) to pay out $1+ billion to employees for third year in a row in profit sharing, on 02/14/17. $DAL PR link.

Delta Air Lines(PBR72) launches cash tender offer to acquire 49% stake in Grupo Aeromexico. $DAL PR link.

Dupont(PBR82) to split with spinoff Chemours a $670.7 million global settlement of 3,500+ personal injury claims arising from environmental releases of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts) from the Washington Works plant in W Virginia. $DD PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR95) announces T-Mobile ONE new pricing, 2 line service for $100/month, includes taxes, compares to Verizon‘s $140/month before taxes. $TMUS PR link.

Dollar General(PBR151) opens 1st store in N Dakota, plans to open 6 more in 2017, now in 44 states. $DG PR link.

Lear Corp(PBR165) increases share repurchase program from $341 million balance to $1 billion, expires 12/31/19. $LEA PR link.

NRG Energy(PBR186) in agreement with 9.4% stakeholders Elliott Management & Bluescape Energy Partners names Lawrence Coben as Chairman, succeeds Howard Cosgrove who has left the board, forms 5 person ad-hoc committee to review business. $NRG PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) to acquire body contouring provider ZELTIQ Aesthetics(NASDAQ: ZLTQ) for $56.50/share, $2.47 billion cash. $AGN PR link.

CBRE(PBR301) acquires US 6 offices nationwide boutique commercial real estate finance and consulting firm Capstone Financial. $CBG PR link.

KKR(PBR332) to acquire TUI AG‘s UK based global high end experiential travel groups specialist Travelopia. $KKR PR link.

Dana(PBR382) to acquire US Manufacturing‘s Warren, MI, axle housing & driveline shaft manufacturing operations for $100 million cash. $DAN PR link.

Sonoco Products(PBR480) announces 10% price increase on expanded polystyrene products because of industry styrene production outages. $SON PR link.

AMC(PBR728) Stubs Reward Program now has over 6 million members, plans 3x growth over 12 months by this summer. $AMC PR link.

Macerich(PBR957) authorizes $500 million share repurchase program. $MAC PR link.

Terex(PBR357) hires John Sheehan as SVP/CFO, starts 02/27/17, succeeds leaving Kevin Bradley. $TEX PR link.

Vornado(PBR738) CFO Stephen Theriot to become CFO of spinoff & its merger with JBG SMITH Properties; Vornado EVP/former CFO Joseph Macnow named interim CFO. $VNO PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) hires Karin-Joyce Tjon as President/COO. $SGMS PR link.

CBL & Assoc(PBR998) promotes Katie Reinsmidt to EVP/Chief Investment Officer. $CBL PR link.

***Friday, February 10:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 02/10/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,269.37, +0.99% from last Friday, +2.04% MTD, +2.56% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 20,269.37 set 02/10/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,734.13, +1.19% from last Friday, +2.13% MTD, +6.52 QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 5,734.13 set 02/10/17.
SPX ends week at 2,316.10, +0.81% from last Friday, +1.63% MTD, +3.45% QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 2,316.10 set 02/10/17.

Ford(PBR10) to invest $1 billion over 5 years in new artificial intelligence company Argo AI in development of autonomous vehicles. $F PR link.

Sears(PBR93) streamlining operations, expects to save $1 billion in 2017, to close 108 KMart & 42 Sears stores, evaluating strategic options for Kenmore & Diehard brands, Sears Home Services, & Sears Auto Centers. $SHLD PR link.

Interpublic(PBR350) announces new up to $300 million share repurchase program. $IPG PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) acquires Aon plc(NYSE: AON)‘s technology-enabled benefits & HR platform unit for $4.3 billion plus up to $500 million based on future performance. $BX PR link.

Mead Johnson(PBR539) agrees to be acquired by global consumer health & hygiene company Reckitt Benckiser Group plc for $90/share, $17.9 billion(includes debt), to close in 3Q17. $MJN PR link.

Owens & Minor(PBR292) Chairman Craig Smith to retire 05/05/17, board intends to name President/CEO P Cody Phipps as Chairman. $OMI PR link.

Insurance Industry: Willis Towers Watson(PBR621) report says major natural catastrophe losses totaled $39.5 billion in 2016, highest since 2012. $WLTW PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US January Receipts FY YTD(4 months) is $1.085 trillion, Outlays $1.242 trillion, Deficit $156.9 billion, January 2016 Deficit was $160.4 trillion. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US January Import Prices Index was +0.4% from December, +3.7% from January 2016, similarly Exports were +0.1%, +2.3%. USDOL PR link.

The U of Michigan US Preliminary February Consumer Sentiment Index is at 95.7, January was 98.5, February 2016 was 91.7. UMich PR link.

***Thursday, February 9:

The PBR1000 January 2017
Top 5 Shares Outstanding
(PBR Rankings by Revenues;
B=billions, M=millions):

1. Bank of America(PBR25), $BAC, 10.5B shares
2. General Electric(PBR16), $GE, 8.8B shares
3. Microsoft(PBR30), $MSFT, 7.7B shares
4. AT&T(PBR11), $T, 6.1B shares
5. Pfizer(PBR56), $PFE, 6.1B shares

Total The PBR1000: 374.4B shares
Range: 10.5B to 1.1M shares
Companies >1B shares: 75/1,002
Average: 373.7M shares
Median: 140.2M shares

Not a The PBR1000 Subscriber? Get the full The PBR1000 big business intelligence service with many more details in 15 insightful snapshots and 22 rankings today with an affordable investment in a 2 month or significantly discounted annual The PBR1000 subscription! Subscribe link.

Amazon(PBR29) to create 2,000 new full-time jobs at two new California fulfillment centers, making 12 in the state. $AMZN PR link.

Anthem(PBR38) comments on blocking of $48 billion acquisition of Cigna(PBR85 $CI) by US District Court, to work aggressively to complete the transaction. $ANTM PR link.

Kellogg(PBR198) US Snacks unit to exit Direct Store Delivery business. $K PR link.

AGCO(PBR280) makes tender offer of $7.03/share, $185 million for Brazil based grain storage & handling equipment manufacturer Kepler Weber SA. $AGCO PR link.

Symantec(PBR385) completes $24/share, $2.3 billion acquisition of LifeLock(NYSE: LOCK), creates world’s largest digital safety platform for consumers. $SYMC PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) reports 447 million Monthly Active Users in 4Q16, authorizes up to $1 billion over 2 years share repurchase program. $ATVI PR link.

Tempur Sealy(PBR687) adopts Stockholder Rights Plan, to expire 02/07/18. $TPX PR link.

Twitter(PBR786) reports 4Q16 Average Monthly Active Users were 319 million, +4% from 4Q15, 67 million from the US. $TWTR PR link.

Hexcel(PBR921) adds $300 million to share repurchase program, balance is $393 million. $HXL PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) EVP/Chief Legal Officer Jim Buda to retire 05/01/17. $CAT PR link.

SunPower(PBR680) promotes Bill Mulligan to EVP/Global Operations, succeeds leaving Marty Neese. $SPWR PR link.

Revlon(PBR900) hires Linda Wells to newly created post of Chief Creative Officer, effective 02/13/17. $REV PR link.

Radian(PBR978) hires Rick Thornberry as CEO, effective 03/06/17, to succeed retiring SA Ibrahim. $RDN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US December Wholesale Sales at $464.9 billion, +2.6% from November, +6.8% from December 2015. USDOC PR link.

***Wednesday, February 8:

Anthem(PBR38)‘s $48 billion purchase of Cigna(PBR85) blocked by judge as anticompetitive. MarketWatch PR link.

Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW), Dupont(PBR82 $DD) tell EU they’ll sell businesses to get greenlight for merger. MarketWatch PR link.

Intel(PBR51) to invest $7 billion to complete Fab 42 semiconductor factory in 3-4 years in Chandler, AZ, to create 10,000 long-term jobs. $INTC PR link.

Energy Transfer Equity(PBR52) Partner’s unit receives Lake Oahe easement notice from US Army to complete 1,172 mile long Dakota Access pipeline. $ETE PR link.

Goodyear Tire(PBR157) spends $500 million for 16.7 million share repurchases in 2016, adds $1 billion to share repurchase program, balance is $2.1 billion. $GT PR link.

Cognizant(PBR272) agrees to replace 3 board members with 3 selected by key investor Elliott Management. $CTSH PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) upsizes term loan from $500 million to $950 million, will have $1.95 billion long-term debt capitalization upon emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. $BTUUQ PR link.

USG Corp(PBR599) celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Sheetrock® brand wallboard. $USG PR link.

W.R. Grace(PBR625) authorizes new $250 million share repurchase program over 24-36 months, starts upon completion of $34 million balance. $GRA PR link.

Regeneron(PBR708) & Sanofi get appeals court stay of permanent injunction against Amgen(PBR135) for cardiovascular disease therapy Repatha/Praluent patent infringement. $REGN PR link.

Deckers Outdoor(PBR929) gets SEC notice that Marcato Capital owns 6.0% of shares. $DECK PR link.

Iron Mountain(PBR663) hires Fidelma Russo as Chief Technology Officer, effective mid 03/17. $IRM PR link.

IDC Technology Forecast: Worldwide IT Spending Forecast to Sustain Growth of More Than 3% Through 2020 Led by Financial Services and Manufacturing Industries. IDC PR link.

***Tuesday, February 7:

Kroger(PBR20) acquires cheese/charcuterie purveyor Murray’s Cheese, in 350 Kroger locations nationwide, terms not disclosed. $KR PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) says 33+ million customers in 170 countries used Amazon Payments in 2016, almost double from 2015, average transaction was $80. $AMZN PR link.

Amgen(PBR135) gets FDA approval for Parsabiv™ (etelcalcetide) for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) in adult patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis. $AMGN PR link.

Priceline(PBR319) to acquire leading European travel meta engine provider Momondo Group for $550 million, will report to KAYAK unit. $PCLN PR link.

ABM Industries(PBR478) agrees to $110 million class action settlement against its former Security Services unit. $ABM PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Visalia, CA, retail insurance broker/employee benefits firm Lewis & Associates. $AJG PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) to add 5 independent directors to board per agreement with 6.7% sharesholder Starboard Value. $PRGO PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565) confirms patent challenge for generic version of acne therapy medication Onexton® Gel. $PRGO PR link.

Dynegy(PBR777) completes $3.3 billion, $378/kW acquisition of ENGIE’s US portfolio of 9,017 megawatts of generation capacity in New England area. $DYN PR link.

Waste Management(PBR206) issues statement on passing this past weekend of non-executive chairman Bob Reum. $WM PR link.

Autodesk(PBR773) CEO Carl Bass steps down as president/CEO, remains on board, interim Office of CEO formed as search begins with SVPs Amar Hanspal & Andrew Anagnost appointed interim co-CEOs. $ADSK PR link.

Greenbrier Cos(PBR846) hires Greg Bretzing as Director, Global Security/Special Projects, reports to CEO. $GBX PR link.

The US Federal Reserve estimates US December Consumer Debt Outstanding is $3.763 trillion, +0.4% from November, +6.4% for 2016. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US December Job Openings at 5.500 million, -0.1% from November, +4.2% from December 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US 2016 Exports were $2.209 trillion, Imports $2.712 trillion, Trade Deficit $502.3 billion. USDOC PR link.

The PurdueU/CME US January Ag Barometer Composite Index at 153, December was 132, January 2016 98. PurdueU PR link.

***Monday, February 6:

Occidental Petroleum(PBR123) says at end of 2016 it had worldwide proven reserves of 2.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent. $OXY PR link.

Lear Corp(PBR165) to acquire France based $324 million/yr 2,273 employee/contract workers in 14 facilities Grupo Antolin‘s automotive seating business for $308 million cash. $LEA PR link.

Avery Dennison(PBR396) to acquire China based $160 million/2016 industrial specialty tapes manufacturer Yongle Tape Company for $190 million plus up to $55 million earnouts. $AVY PR link.

Hasbro(PBR549) gets first year of $5+ billion revenues in 2016, returns $400 million to shareholders. $HAS PR link.

Abercrombie & Fitch(PBR595) to unveil new store concept, first in 15 years, with opening of first of seven stores planned in 2017. $ANF PR link.

Crown Holdings(PBR298) to promote Jerry Gifford to EVP/COO & Didier Sourisseau to President CROWN Europe, effective 04/01/17. $CCK PR link.

Tiffany(PBR551) CEO Frederic Cumenal steps down, chairman/former CEO Michael Kowalski adds interim CEO role. $TIF PR link.

Wolverine Worldwide(PBR722) hires Todd Spaletto as President/Outdoor & Lifestyle Group; promotes Jim Zwiers to EVP/Strategic Initiatives. $WWW PR link.

***Sunday, February 5:

***Super Bowl LI***
The New England Patriots win over The Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in a dramatic come from behind overtime win, with several records being broken. QB Tom Brady wins his 5th Super Bowl, 4th MVP. Lady Gaga is the featured halftime entertainment show.

***Friday, February 3:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 02/03/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,071.46, -0.11% from last Friday, +1.04% MTD, +1.56% QTD/YTD, -0.15% from record 20,100.91 set 01/26/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,666.77, +0.11% from last Friday, +0.93% MTD, +5.27 QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 5,666.77 set 02/03/17.
SPX ends week at 2,297.42, +0.12% from last Friday, +0.81% MTD, +2.62% QTD/YTD, -0.04% from record 2,298.37 set 01/25/17.

Energy Transfer Equity(PBR52) Partner’s unit gets FERC approval for Rover Pipeline Project, will transport 3.25 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from Appalachian supply area to Michigan. 2 phase project to be completed by 11/17. $ETE PR link.

Pfizer(PBR56) gets accelerated $5 billion share repurchase agreement with Citigroup(PBR28)‘s Citibank. $PFE PR link.

Dollar General(PBR151) to create around 10,000 jobs in 2017, plans to open 1,000 new stores, 2 distribution centers. $DG PR link.

Computer Sciences(PBR237) announces board of new company to be formed on 04/03/17 with merger of CSC & Enterprise Services segment of HP Enterprises, will create a $26 billion/yr global IT services company. $CSC PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR348) Partners unit gets FERC approval for nearly $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise 200 mile pipeline project, will transport natural gas from Pennsylvania to Mid-Atlantic/Southeastern states. $WMB PR link.

hhgregg(PBR864) gets listing non-compliance notice from NYSE, market capitalization under $50 million, stock trading under $1/share. $HGG PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates the US January Civilian Non-Farm Employed at 152,081,000 people, -0.02% from December, +1.03% from January 2016. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US December Manufacturers’ New Orders were $464.9 billion, +1.3% from November, +3.6% from December 2015. USDOC PR link.

The Markit US January Composite PMI Output Index is 55.8, December was 54.1, November 54.9. Markit PR link.

The ISM US January Non-Manufacturing Index(NMI) is at 56.5%, December was 57.2%, January 2016 53.5%. ISM PR link.

***Thursday, February 2:

Dow Chemical(PBR48) agrees to divest its global Ethylene Acrylic Acid (EAA) copolymers and ionomers business to SK Global Chemical upon its merger with DuPont(PBR82 $DD) as part of regulatory requirement. $DOW PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) gets FDA approval for emergency use for first whole blood molecular test for Zika virus. $ABT PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) gets FDA approval for Opdivo (nivolumab) as a bladder cancer therapy . $BMY PR link.

CBS(PBR210) to merge Radio unit with Entercom Communications(NYSE: ETM) in stock deal, create $1.7 billion/year 244 stations company. $CBS PR link.

L Brands(PBR247) authorizes new $250 million share repurchase program, repurchased $438 million in 2016. $LB PR link.

Dana(PBR382) completes 80% acquisition of 2,300 employee, $419 million/2015 power-transmission, fluid power businesses of Europe’s Brevini Group SpA, to buy remaining 20% by 2020. $DAN PR link.

Amkor Technology(PBR659) to acquire Portugal based 550 employees $40 million/2016 wafer-level fan-out (WLFO) semiconductor packaging manufacturer NANIUM. $AMKR PR link.

Dynegy(PBR777)/Energy Capital Partners gets FERC okay to complete $3.3 billion, $378/KW acquisition of ENGIE‘s US portfolio of 9,017 megawatts of generation capacity in New England area. $DYN PR link.

Dynegy(PBR777) indirect wholly owned subsidiary Illinois Power Generating Co emerges from Chapter 11 restructuring. $DYN PR link.

Carpenter Technology(PBR856) to acquire all assets of W Virginia based titanium powders producer Puris for $35 million. $CRS PR link.

La-Z-Boy(PBR918) to build new $26 million, 70,000 sf Innovation Center at its 1.2 million sf Dayton, TN, campus, its largest US manufacturing location with 1,400 employees. $LZB PR link.

MDC Holdings(PBR952), parent of Richmond American, celebrates 40 years of building single family homes, has built 190,000. $MDC PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR180) CEO Mark Durcan to retire upon appointment of new CEO, search committee formed. $MU PR link.

Tenneco(PBR321) chairman/CEO Gregg Sherrill to become executive chairman on 05/17/17, COO Brian Kesseler to become CEO. $TEN PR link.

Ralph Lauren(PBR349) president/CEO Stefan Larsson leaving on 05/01/17 because of creative differences. $RL PR link.

Ingredion(PBR415) EVP/CFO Jack Fortnum to retire on 06/30/17 after 33 years with company, successor will be Jim Gray. $INGR PR link.

Boston Beer(PBR1004) CEO Martin Roper to retire in 2018 after 17+ years, successor search starts. $SAM PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US 4Q16 Business Sector Productivity Output was +2.0%, +0.3% for 2016. USDOL PR link.

***Wednesday, February 1:

The PBR1000 January/YTD Snapshot 11
Top 5 Stock Price Gainers Summary:

1. Republic Airways(PBR955), $RJETQ, +333%
2. Aeropostale(PBR921), $AROPQ, +261%
3. Allegheny Technology(PBR559), $ATI, +36%
4. NRG Energy(PBR179), $NRG, +35%
5. Alcoa(PBR116), $AA, +30%

Range: +333% to -62%
Companies >+0%: 610/1,004
Average: +1.88%
Median: +1.28%

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

Apple(PBR5) reclaims top spot over Samsung in 2016 for smartphone shipments says IDC, shipped 78.3 million iPhones in 4Q16, +4.7% over 4Q15. IDC PR link.

Verizon(PBR15) completes $1.8 billion purchase of XO Communications’ fiber-optic network business. $VZ PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) gets FDA approval for Assurity MRI-TM Pacemaker, worlds smallest longest lasting wireless MRI compatible pacemaker. $ABT PR link.

HollyFrontier(PBR140) completes $845 million acquisition of Suncor Energy‘s 15,600 barrels/day Group III base oils Petro-Canada Lubricants business. $HFC PR link.

Parker-Hannifin(PBR218) acquires Enumclaw, WA, based $75 million/2016 300 employees helical rotary actuators manufacturer Helac. $PH PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) completes $2.9 billion acquisition of Acelity LP‘s regenerative medicine company LifeCell Corporation. $AGN PR link.

ONEOK(PBR236) to acquire all remaining common stock it does not already own in ONEOK Partners(NYSE: OKS) for $9.3 billion in all stock deal. $OKE PR link.

BlackRock(PBR252) acquires energy infrastructure franchise from First Reserve, has has $3.7 billion in committed capital. $BLK PR link.

Biogen(PBR282) completes spinoff of global hemophilia business Bioverativ(NASDAQ: BIVV). $BIIB PR link.

Tenneco(PBR321) authorizes new $400 million shares repurchase program over 3 years. $TEN PR link.

Celanese(PBR369) to expand global nylon solutions presence with acquisition of Nilit‘s nylon compounding Plastics division, terms not disclosed. $CE PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) to offer up to $1.0 billion of senior secured notes to be used to fund a portion of distribution to creditors upon approval of reorganization plan. $BTUUQ PR link.

FIS(PBR394) completes $850 million sale of SunGard Public Sector and Education businesses to Vista Equity Partners. $FIS PR link.

Coty(PBR524) completes $600 million acquisition of 60% stake in online peer-to-peer social selling platform in beauty provider Younique. $COTY PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) creates new Consumer Products Division, hires Tim Kilpin as its CEO & president. $ATVI PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) changes name from Tesla Motors, Inc to Tesla, Inc. $TSLA PR link.

Citrix(PBR658) completes $65.31/share, $1.8 billion spin-off and merger deal of GoTo family of service offerings with LogMeIn(NASDAQ: LOGM). $CTXS PR link.

Apollo Education(PBR681) $1.14 billion acquisition by investor group lead by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906 $APO) is completed. $APOL PR link.

WABCO(PBR704) extends longterm agreement to provide advanced braking systems to Russia’s largest heavy duty vehicle manufacturer KAZAM. $WBC PR link.

Chemtura(PBR849) stockholders approve $33.50/share, $2.5 billion cash acquisition by Germany based global specialty chemicals company LANXESS AG, to close mid 2017. $CHMT PR link.

Berry Plastics(PBR488) promotes president/COO Tom Salmon to CEO, effective 02/03/17, succeeds Jon Rich who remains Executive Chairman. $BERY PR link.

Triumph Group(PBR578) hires Gary Tenison as VP/Business Development, effective 02/13/17. $TGI PR link.

Abercrombie & Fitch(PBR595) promotes president/Chief Merchandising Officer Fran Horowitz to CEO. EVP/CFO Joanne Crevoiserat adds COO role. $ANF PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US December New Construction Spending Annual Rate at $1.182 trillion, -0.3% from November, +4.94% from December 2015. USDOC PR link.

ADP(PBR235) says US January Change In Employment was +247,000, 46,000 from Goods Producing Sector, 201,000 from Services Sector. $ADP PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board releases its FOMC statement from the 01/31-02/01/17 meeting, notes labor market continues to strengthen, economy growing at a moderate pace, will keep federal funds rate at 0.50-0.75%. FRB PR link.

The Conference Board says US January New Online Help Wanted Ads were 2,248,702, +4.3% from December, -11.9% from January 2016. TCB PR link.

The ISM US January PMI was 56.0%, December was 54.5%, January 2015 was 48.2%. ISM PR link.

The Markit US January Manufacturing PMI was 55.0, December was 54.3, November 54.1. Markit PR link.

TrueCar estimates US January New Auto Sales were at $37 billion, +1.6% from January 2015, Average Transaction Price at $33,127, +1.4% YoY. $TRUE PR link.

Automotive News says US January New Auto Sales were 1,142,568 units, -32.3% from December, -1.9% from January 2016. AutoNews PR link.

(The PBR1000 is the premiere business intelligence service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users worldwide include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisors, business professors/students, human resources/career counselors/job seekers, federal/state/local government agencies, social causes organizations, to name just a few. To order your monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Subscribe page.)

(Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Copyright © 2017 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, Tucson, AZ, USA, All Rights Reserved.

The PBR1000 January 2017 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

January 2017: How Much More Bull Is Left In The Trump Bump?

Bull Growth Trend-hywards ID-100395863

It’s One Month Into 2017. How Long Can The Trump Bull Keep Climbing?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

While a good month overall, January was a particularly good month for the NASDAQ as key technology players made some big advances. Perhaps the upswing for the US stock exchanges is the anticipation of the Trump administration dropping barriers to business by eliminating some particular distasteful regulations like Dodd-Frank. Perhaps it’s the promise of lowering corporate taxes to be more competitive with the rest of the world and hopefully bring back trillions of dollars to the US parked in foreign markets.   Or maybe it’s the trade agreements currently in place, or in the process of being approved, which are now potentially on the chopping block.

At the same time the economy keeps plugging along at a modest rate for most of the country.

So, for stocks and commodities, the question remains about the potential continued gain in the markets, and the concern that this level of growth can’t be sustained for much longer. There is the sentiment that many key stocks are close, if not already, to being overvalued, and there will have to be a major adjustment.  On the otherhand, if President Trump can get his way, the bulls might still have room to run, and we are in an interesting ride as the year continues to unfold in unpredictable ways.

Here are some January summaries on the US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 20

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 8+, 12-; NASDAQ 14+, 6-; SPX 10+, 10-.

Record Days: DJIA 2, NASDAQ 9, SPX 3

Longest Gain Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3, NASDAQ 7, SPX 2

Longest Loss Streak(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3, NASDAQ 1, SPX 4

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): None

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): None

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 January Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on January 31, Month % Chg is compared to December 30, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2016, and the 13 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015. The PBR Rank is by annual revenues.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 13 month subscription and automatically download the December 2016 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +333% to -62%. 609 out of 1,003 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 1.9%, the median was a gain of 1.27%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
01/31/17
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
Republic Airways
955 RJETQ 0.26 +333 +333 -93
Aeropostale
921 AROPQ 0.07 +261 +261 -74
Allegheny Technologies
559 ATI 21.73 +36 +36 +93
NRG Energy
179 NRG 16.54 +35 +35 +41
Alcoa
116 AA 36.45 +30 +30 +23

 

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +333% to -62%. 609 out of 1,003 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 1.9%, the median was a gain of 1.27%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
01/31/17
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
Republic Airways
955 RJETQ 0.26 +333 +333 -93
Aeropostale
921 AROPQ 0.07 +261 +261 -74
Allegheny Technologies
559 ATI 21.73 +36 +36 +93
NRG Energy
179 NRG 16.54 +35 +35 +41
Alcoa
116 AA 36.45 +30 +30 +23

 

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +455% to -85%. 747 out of 998 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 14.2%. The median was a gain of 16.3%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
01/31/17
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
831 CLF 8.77 +4 +4 +455
US Steel
230 X 32.71 -1 -1 +310
AMD 536 AMD
10.37 -9 -9 +261
AK Steel
355 AKS 8.08 -21 -21 +261
Titan Intl
944 TWI 13.29 +19 +19 +237

 

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $647.08 billion to $0.01 billion. The average is $22.22 billion, median is $7.03 billion, out of 1,002 companies.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
01/31//17
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
Apple
3 AAPL 647.08 +4.8 +4.8 +10.3
Alphabet
33 GOOG 550.82 +3.5 +3.5 +5.5
Microsoft
30 MSFT 499.58 +3.4 +3.4 +12.7
Berkshire Hathaway
4 BRK 405.94 +0.1 +0.1 +24.7
Amazon 20 AMZN 391.29 +9.8 +9.8 +23.50
The PBR1000
  22,288.55 +1.7 +1.7 +10.5

 

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

Company Price
01/31/17
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
13 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000     75,839.49 +1.9 +1.9 +14.2
DJIA     19,864.09 +0.5 +0.5 +14.0
NASDAQ        5,614.79 +4.3 +4.3 +12.1
S&P500        2,278.87 +1.8 +1.8 +11.5
GOLD        1,209.00 +5.0 +5.0 +14.0
SILVER              17.47 +9.3 +9.3 +26.6
OIL              52.74 -1.8 -1.8 +42.4

 

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

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Copyright © 2017 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, Tucson, AZ, USA, All Rights Reserved.

The PBR1000 January 2017 Breaking News Recap

January 2017: The Big Ball Gets Rolling

Business Sphere ID-100278111-Stuart Miles

Which way will the Big Ball roll? How will it overcome the inevitable obstacles?

By Larry C. Paxton

January’s focus by the US and the world was clearly on US President-Elect Trump and he did not disappoint. On January 20th he officially became President and came charging out of the gate with many controversial executive orders, ongoing nominations of accomplished people with strong opinions, and continuing to baffle everyone through his use of social media, especially Twitter. So the Big Ball is now rolling. Let’s see how it handles the dips, hills, water hazards, and unanticipated obstacles as it rolls through its first term knowing that it will definitely not be in a straight line.

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

US Presidency:  Donald J. Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on Friday, January 20, 2017. Cabinet appointees are being confirmed, being announced, heavy emphasis on business experience, major policy changes expected in healthcare, immigration, infrastructure programs, and international trade.

Mergers & Acquisitions: 32 deals worth at least $1 billion initiated, closed, or updated. Total transaction value is $234 billion.

Spinoffs: 4 completed or announced.

Share Repurchase Programs: 16 announced, total $27.8 billion.

Bankruptcies: 4 actions

CEO Changes: 7 announced.

Jobs: Modest growth.

US Economy: Modest/moderate growth continues, stable but fragile, significant growth in eCommerce, retail outlets down.

Federal Reserve Federal Funds Rate Changes: 0, remains 0.50-0.75%, increases anticipated in 2017.

International: Brexit, oil price fluctuations, Middle East conflicts, refugee crisis, N Korea nuclear/missile tests, upcoming European elections, climate change, US President Trump actions continue to be the headliners.

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

Tuesday, January 31:

The PBRMarketTools January 2017 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends January at 19,864.09, -1.14% from last Friday, +0.51% MTD/QTD/YTD, -1.18% from record 20,100.91 set 01/26/17.
NASDAQ ends January at 5,614.79, -0.81% from last Friday, +4.30% MTD/QTD/YTD, -0.81% from record 5,660.78 set 01/27/17.
SPX ends January at 2,278.87, -0.69% from last Friday, +1.79% MTD/QTD/YTD, -0.85% fromrecord 2,298.37 set 01/25/17.

Amazon(PBR29) to create 2,000 jobs at new air cargo hub in Hebron, KY. $AMZN PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) to establish global headquarters with 300 employees in more accessible, strategic location Chicago, most employees to remain in Peoria, IL. $CAT PR link.

Merck(PBR70) gets European Commission approval for lung cancer therapy KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab). $MRK PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) reports 1,694,000 wireless net additions in 2016, 59,515,000 total platform connections. $S PR link.

DISH(PBR196) acquires DBS and OTT assets from EchoStar(PBR622) in exchange for 80% economic interest in Hughes Retail Group. $DISH PR link.

Harley-Davidson(PBR400) in 4Q16 report says 262,221 motorcycles shipped in 2016, -1.6% from 2015. $HOG PR link.

Dr Pepper Snapple(PBR406) completes $1.7 billion cash acquisition of antioxidant infused beverages provider Bai Brand. $DPS PR link.

JM Smucker(PBR437) to build additional Smucker’s® Uncrustables® Sandwiches manufacturing facility in Longmont, CO, $340 million investment, will employ up to 500 in 2019. $SJM PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Salt Lake City, UT, based retail insurance broker The Presidio Group. $AJG PR link.

Hologic(PBR767) completes divestiture of blood screening business to partner Grifols(NASDAQ: GRFS) for $1.85 million cash.$HOLX PR link.

Invacare(PBR984) to reduce workforce by 100 from continued restructuring. $IVC PR link.

PharMerica(PBR911) hires Bob Dries as EVP/CFO. $PMC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago says the December Midwest Economy Index was +0.06, November was -0.02, slightly higher than national growth rate. ChiFed PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) Multifamily 2017 Outlook: Commentary and analysis on apartments; rental demand expecting to grow at a more moderate rate. $FMCC PR link.

Monday, January 30:

Citigroup(PBR28) to exit US mortgage servicing operations by end of 2018, will focus on originations. $C PR link.

Archer-Daniels-Midland(PBR34) selling Crop Risk Services business to Validus Holdings(NYSE: VR) for $127.5 million. $AMD PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36) to acquire Rite Aid(PBR105 $RAD) for amended $6.50-7.00/share, to divest 1,200 Rite Aid stores to meet regulatory approval, moves acquisition by date from 01/27/17 to 07/31/17. $WBA PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) sells ownership of Frango chocolates to Garrett Brands, terms not disclosed, will continue to be sold at Macy’s stores and online. $M PR link.

Whirlpool(PBR138) secures 4-year appliances renewal with Meritage Homes(PBR858 $MTH). $WHR PR link.

American Electric Power(PBR174) completes $2.1 billion sale of 4 power plants totaling 5,200 MW to Blackstone(PBR352 $BX)/ArcLight joint venture. $AEP PR link.

Starbucks(PBR178) chairman/CEO Howard Schultz in partners message says Starbucks will hire 10,000 refugees over 5 years worldwide, will start in US. $SBUX PR link.

PNC Financial(PBR189) adds $300 million to share repurchase plan, balance is now $2.3 billion, expires 06/30/17. $PNC PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) gets FDA approval for sNDA for AVYCAZ® (ceftazidime and avibactam) for patients with complicated urinary tract infections. $AGN PR link.

Jacobs Engineering(PBR225) acquires Australia based integrated project services provider, 220 employees, Aquenta Consulting, terms not disclosed. $JEC PR link.

BlackRock(PBR252 $BLK) discloses 6% stake in GoPro(PBR903). $GPRO PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) wins US District Court ruling related to Copaxone® 40 mg/mL patents, serves $3.3 billion/year US market. $MYL PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Syracuse, NY, regional retail insurance broker Eagle Insurance Agency, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

Keysight Technologies(PBR660) to acquire networks services provider Ixia(NASDAQ: XXIA) for $19.65/share, $1.6 billion cash. $KEYS PR link.

Varian Medical(PBR678) completes spinoff of independent public company Varex Imaging(NASDAQ: VREX), receives $200 million cash transfer. $VAR PR link.

Tempur Sealy(PBR687) and Mattress Firm unable to come to new agreement, contracts terminated, to be effective by 1Q17 end. $TPX PR link.

Endo Intl(PBR700) gets FDA approval of new Ephedrine Sulfate Injection, for $177 million/year US marketplace. $ENDP PR link.

HB Fuller(PBR870) acquires $100 million/2016 Wisdom Worldwide Adhesives for $122 million. $FUL PR link.

Fitbit(PBR870) preliminarily says 6.5 million devices sold in 4Q16, lower than expected, reorganizing, to reduce workforce by 6%, 110 employees. $FIT PR link.

Woodward(PBR888) authorizes up to $500 million share repurchase program, expires 11/30/19. $WWD PR link.

Intel(PBR51) promotes Steven Rogers to EVP/General Counsel, Aicha Evans to SVP/GM Communications & Devices Group, Leslie Gulbertson to SVP/Human Resources. $INTC PR link.

Office Depot(PBR182) hires Gerry Smith as CEO, effective 02/27/17, to succeed retiring Roland Smith. $ODP PR link.

Cincinnati Financial(PBR490) lists promotions & new appointments of subsidiary companies directors, officers & general counsel. $CINF PR link.

Synopsys(PBR879) EVP/Business Operations & Chief Administrative Officer Brian Beattie to retire on 12/22/17. $SNPS PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US December Personal Income Annual Rate at $16.290 trillion, +0.3% from November, +3.5% from December 2015.
USDOC PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) January Outlook: An interesting read with comments about uncertainties regarding new fiscal policies, foreign US real estate investments, and the mortgage market. $FMCC PR link.

President Trump: A summary with hotlinks on President Trump’s many actions in his 1st week in office. WhiteHouse PR link.

Friday, January 27:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 01/27/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 20,093.78, +1.34% from last Friday, +1.68% MTD/QTD/YTD, -0.04% from record 20,100.91 set 01/26/17.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,660.78, +1.90% from last Friday, +5.16% MTD/QTD/YTD, +0.00% from record 5,660.78 set 01/27/17.
SPX ends week at 2,294.69, +1.03% from last Friday, +2.50% MTD/QTD/YTD, -0.16% fromrecord 2,298.37 set 01/25/17.

Lowe’s(PBR50) authorizes additional $5 billion for share repurchase program, balance is $5.627 billion, no expiration set. $LOW PR link.

American Airlines(PBR69) approves new $2.0 billion share repurchase program, expires 12/31/18. $AAL PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR101 $MCD): Private-equity pioneer Guy Hands buys Nordic McDonald’s 435 restaurants. MarketWatch PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) gets US Bankruptcy Court approval for disclosure statement, plan support, private placement and backstop commitment agreements, creditors vote to be held no later than 03/03/17. $BTUUQ PR link.

Ulta Salon(PBR646) implementing a holding company reorganization, named Ulta Beauty, effective 01/29/17, no other changes. $ULTA PR link.

Celanese(PBR369) hires Peter Edwards as General Counsel, succeeds leaving Gjon Nivica. $CE PR link.

Knowles Corp(PBR990) hires Helmut Vogler SVP/Global Sales. $KN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates 4Q16 GDP Annual Rate(Advance Report) at +1.9%, $18.861 trillion, +1.0% from 3Q16, +3.50% from 4Q15. USDOC PR link.

The University of Michigan Final January Consumer Sentiment Index is at 98.5, December was 98.2, January 2016 92.0. UMich PR link.

Thursday, January 26:

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) to acquire Swiss based pharmaceutical company Actelion(SIX: ATLN) for $280/share, $30 billion cash. $JNJ PR link.

Comcast(PBR42) increases stock repurchase program to $12 billion, to use $5 billion in 2017, to do 2:1 stock split payable 02/17/17. $CMCSA PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) gets FDA approval for 72 mcg dose of LINZESS® (linaclotide) for adults with Chronic Idiopathic Constipation. $AGN PR link.

Sherwin-Williams(PBR251) to divest under $650 million/year revenues to gain FTC approval on $11.3 billion acquisition of Valspar(PBR526), expects to close within 90 days. $SHW PR link.

Celgene(PBR347) to acquire autoimmune disease therapies developer Delinia for $300 million plus up to $475 million in contigent payments. $CELG PR link.

Endo Intl(PBR700) initiates restructuring US corporate & branded R&D functions, to reduce fulltime workforce by 90. $ENDP PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says Total Insured Unemployment on 01/14/17 was 2,100,000, +2.4% from December, -6.2% from January 2016. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US December New Family Homes Sold Annual Rate was 536,000, -10.4% from November, -0.4% from December 2015. USDOCPR link.

The US Energy Information Administration says 01/20/17 US Crude Oil Reserves at 488.3 million barrels, +0.5% from 12/23/16, +5.3% from 01/22/16. EIAPR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago shows the December Chicago Fed National Activity Index at 0.14, November was -0.33, December 2015 -0.17. ChiFed PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says 30 Year Fixed Rate Housing Mortgage averaged 4.19% for week ending 01/26/17, 12/29/16 was 4.32%, 01/28/16 was 3.79%. $FMCC PR link.

The Conference Board estimates US December Leading Economic Index at 124.6(2010=100), +0.5% from November. TCB PR link.

Wednesday, January 25:

McKesson(PBR6) to acquire private healthcare electronic prior authorization systems developer CoverMyMeds for $1.1 billion. $MCK PR link.

AT&T(PBR12) wireless net adds was 9.5 million in 2016, 6.2 million from the US, 3.3 million from Mexico. $T PR link.

JP Morgan Chase(PBR21 $JPM) to become custodian for $1 trillion in BlackRock(PBR252 $BLK) transfer of assets from State Street(PBR260 $STT). MarketWatch PR link.

United Technologies(PBR45) 2017 plans include share repurchases of $3.5 billion, $1-2 billion for acquisitions. $UTX PR link.

Cisco(PBR60) to acquire private application performance monitoring developer AppDynamics for $3.7 billion. $CSCO PR link.

INTL FCStone(PBR88) gets #1 ranking by Bloomberg for dollar value traded OTC and for around 2,500 securities. $INTL PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) extends Ideology activewear brand to men with ID Ideology, in 250 stores, online, $25-$70 retail. $M PR link.

Textron(PBR207) to acquire ATV/snowmobiles & accessories manufacturer Arctic Cat(NASDAQ: ACAT) for $247 million plus debt; authorizes a new up to 25 million shares repurchase program. $TXTPR link.

United Rentals(PBR438) to acquire Chicago based 1,100 employee, 73 branches, $369 million/2016 general rental equipment company NES Rentals for $965 million cash. $URIPR link.

WGL Holdings(PBR717) to be acquired by Canadian based energy infrastructure provider AltaGas(TSX: ALA) for $88.25/share, $6.4 billion cash. $WGLPR link.

Dynegy(PBR777) indirect wholly owned subsidiary Illinois Power Generating Co to emerge from Chapter 11 per confirmation of plan by US Bankruptcy Court. $DYNPR link.

BlueLinx(PBR892) completes sale/15 year leaseback of Tampa distribution facility, looks to do more sale/leaseback deals. $BXC PR link.

Chevron(PBR3) names Mike Wirth as Vice Chairman, effective 02/01/17. $CVX PR link.

FirstEnergy(PBR195) promotes Ebony Yeboah-Amankwah VP, State and Federal Regulatory Legal Affairs. $FE PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR377) promotes Bill Newlands to EVP & newly created role of COO. $STZ PR link.

Asbury Automotive(PBR424) CFO Keith Style leaving 03/07/17, William Stax to then be interim Principal Financial Officer. $ABG PR link.

The Natl Retail Federation poll shows American consumers will spend an average of $75 each for a total of $14.1 billion as an estimated 188.5 million watch Super Bowl LI on 02/05/17. NRF PR link.

Tuesday, January 24:

Verizon(PBR15) ends 2016 with 114.2 million retail connections, +1.9% from 2015. 2016 revenues almost $126.0 billion, -4.3% from 2015. $VZ PR link.

Assurant(PBR268) to restructure into 4 reporting segments, starting with 4Q2016 results. $AIZ PR link.

Core-Mark(PBR271) supply agreement with 680 stores Kroger Convenience to expire in 04/17. Core-Mark serves 44,000 locations. $CORE PR link.

WestRock(PBR278) to acquire $1.6 billion/2016 Multi Packaging Solutions(NYSE: MPSX) for $18.00/share, $2.28 billion, includes $873 million net debt. $WRK PR link.

Concho Resources(PBR734) to net $800 million in $1.215 billion sale of the Alpha Crude Connector System to Plains All American Pipeline(PBR66). $CXO PR link.

Popular(PBR886) approves common stock repurchases of up to $75 million. $BPOP PR link.

Bob Evans(PBR954) to sell Bob Evans Restaurants unit for around $605 million to Golden Gate Capital; to acquire potato products producer Pineland Farms Potato Co for $115 million; Mike Downsley to be President/CEO upon completion of transactions expected late 04/17. $BOBE PR link.

Buffalo Wild Wings(PBR981) expands share repurchase program by $400 million, balance is now $900 million. $BWLD PR link.

Ford(PBR10) hires Musa Tariq as VP/Chief Brand Officer, effective 01/30/17. $F PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) promotes Jerry Clontz to President/Mid-Atlantic Division, effective 02/10/17, succeeds retiring Joe Fey. $KR PR link.

Microsoft(PBR31) names Kevin Scott to newly created role of Chief Technology Officer. $MSFT PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) evaluating potential strategic options for its Diabetes Care Companies. $JNJ PR link.

DuPont(PBR82) merger with Dow Chemical(PBR48 $DOW) re-planned for 1H2017. $DD PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) hires Néstor Cano for newly created position of COO. $S PR link.

Kimberly-Clark(PBR141) plans to repurchase $800 million to $1 billion in shares in 2017. $KMB PR link.

Gap Inc(PBR179) Banana Republic Brand President Andi Owen to depart in late 02/17. $GPS PR link.

Texas Instruments(PBR220) promotes Brian Crutcher to COO. $TXN PR link.

Celanese(PBR369) General Counsel Gjon Nivica to leave during 1Q2017. $CE PR link.

Ciena Corp(PBR829) SVP/COO François Locoh-Donou to step down 03/23/17. $CIEN PR link.

MGIC Investment(PBR993) subsidiary Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp promotes James Hughes to EVP-Sales & Business Development and Salvatore Miosi to EVP-Business Strategy & Operations, 4 other VP promotions also named. $MTG PR link.

President Trump signs executive orders to proceed with the building of the Keystone and Dakota pipelines using US built materials. WhiteHouse PR link.

The Natl Assn of Realtors says December Existing Home Sales at a 5,490,000 annual rate, -2.8% from November, +0.7% from December 2015. NAR PR link.

Monday, January 23:

Ford(PBR10) to sell parts for Ford & non-Ford vehicle brands at Ford dealerships through new Omicraft service. $F PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) to fill 10,000 permanent positions in its family of stores in 2017, hired 12,000+ in 2016. $KR PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to open first fulfillment center in Colorado, to be in Aurora, will have 1,000+ full-time employees. $AMZN PR link.

US District Court blocks Aetna(PBR49)’s acquisition of Humana(PBR58), says it would stifle competition. USDOJ PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) to acquire 33% stake in music artist Jay Z’s 42.5 million song catalog, 140,000 videos TIDAL artist content service. $S PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) extends Stockholder Rights Plan for additional 3 years to protect $2.6 billion net operating loss carryforwards tax benefits. $JCP PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR270) enters S America animal healthcare market with 51% stake acquisition in Brazil based private 130 employees, 5,000 customers, $24 million/2016 animal health products distributor Tecnew. $HSIC PR link.

WestRock(PBR278) to sell Home, Health and Beauty business to Silgan(PBR576 $SLGN) for $1.025 billion. $WRK PR link.

Avis Budget(PBR316) adopts short-term stockholder rights plan while in discussions with 9.7% voting rights investor SRS Investment Management. $CAR PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) $4.83 billion cash acquisition by Verizon(PBR15) being moved from 1Q17 to 2Q17 because of integration issues. $YHOO PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) completes $8 billion acquisition of Formula 1. $LMCA PR link.

Endo Intl(PBR700) resolves certain patent issues with the FTC, no admission of wrongdoing, no monetary payments involved. $ENDP PR link.

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

SunEdison(PBR782 $SUNEQ) spinoff TerraForm(NASDAQ: $TERP) gets Memorandum of Understanding outlining potential separate settlements of claims in connection with the SunEdison Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. $TERP PR link.

Edwards Lifesciences(PBR819) completes $340 million plus up to $350 million over 10 years acquisition of Israel based private Valtech Cardio. $EW PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR50) promotes Jocelyn Wong to Chief Marketing Officer, succeeds Marci Grebstein. $LOW PR link.

HCP(PBR834) hires Peter Scott as EVP/CFO, effective 02/13/17, succeeds Tom Herzog who is now CEO. $HCP PR link.

Minerals Tech(PBR949) hires Matthew Garth as SVP/Finance & Treasury, CFO. $MTX PR link.

Legg Mason(PBR709) Forecast: Global Economic Growth Will Be “Sturdy but Unspectacular,” Potentially Enhanced by U.S. Boost Under Trump Administration. $LM PR link.

Friday, January 20:

***Donald J Trump is inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States.***

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 01/20/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 19,827.25, -0.29% from last Friday, +0.33% MTD, QTD, & YTD, -0.74% from record 19,974.62 set 12/20/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,555.33, -0.34% from last Friday, +3.20% MTD, QTD, & YTD, -0.34% from record 5,574.12 set 01/13/17.
SPX ends week at 2,271.31, -0.15% from last Friday, +1.45% MTD, QTD, & YTD, -0.25% fromrecord 2,276.98 set 01/06/17.

Ford(PBR10) expects 2016 pension plans to be underfunded by $8.9 billion, OPEB by $5.9 billion. $F PR link.

AT&T(PBR12) to record $1 billion loss from annual remeasurement of pension & postemployment benefit plans; reports 900,000 branded net adds of domestic wireless subscribers. $T PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) Ethicon Endo-Surgery unit acquires private electrosurgical tools developer Megadyne Medical Products, terms not disclosed. $JNJ PR link.

AIG(PBR46) to pay Berkshire Hathaway(PBR4 $BRKA) subsidiary National Indemnity Company $9.8 billion for reinsurance agreement. $AIG PR link.

Merck(PBR70) to pay $625 million plus continuing royalties to Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) and Ono Pharmaceutical to resolve PD-1 antibody Keytruda patent litigation. $BMY PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR106) says $1 billion lawsuit filed by Apple(PBR5) claiming monopolistic practices is baseless. $QCOM PR link.

PG&E(PBR172) submits $253 million 7 projects proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission to expand support for electric vehicles. $PCG PR link.

Air Products(PBR267) proposes to buy Hong Kong based Yingde Gases for $7.09/share, $13.4 billion. $APD PR link.

AutoZone(PBR290) to hire 12,000+ new part-time, full-time employees nationwide through April for its 5,300 stores. $AZO PR link.

Berry Plastics(PBR488) completes $765 million cash/stock acquisition of flexible plastic packaging films manufacturer AEP Industries(NASDAQ: $AEPI). $BERY PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) Costa Group CEO Michael Thamm now also CEO of Carnival Asia. $CCL PR link.

Thursday, January 19:

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) to not accelerate regulatory pathway for the combination of Opdivo plus Yervoy in first-line lung cancer in the US. $BMY PR link.

FirstEnergy(PBR195) to sell 4 Pennsylvania natural gas generating plants & a portion of a Virginia hydroelectric power station to LS Power Equity Partners for $925 million cash. $FE PR link.

YUM!(PBR217 $YUM)’s Pizza Hut unit plans to fill 11,000 jobs in the US. MarketWatch PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) gets FDA approval of RHOFADE™ 1% cream for the topical treatment of persistent facial redness(Rosacea) in adults. $AGN PR link.

Western Union(PBR441) to pay federal government $582 million for misconduct of agents & 3rd parties from 2004 to 2012. Funds to be reimbursed to fraud victim consumers. $WU PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Denver based wholesale insurance broker Adco General Corporation, terms not disclosed. $AJG PR link.

CA Technologies(PBR550) completes around $640 million acquisition of Austria based 600 employees business automation software provider Automic. $CA PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) selects agencies Venables Bell & Partners for advertising responsibilities and MullenLowe Mediahub for media planning & buying. $CMG PR link.

Total System(PBR790) renews long-term payments services agreement with BBVA Compass Bank. $TSS PR link.

Domino’s(PBR889) corporate locations throughout New York City to hire 200 new Team Members. $DPZ PR link.

Macerich(PBR957) sells Burlington, WA, and San Rafael, CA, malls for $170 million, nets $100 million. $MAC PR link.

Target(PBR40) promotes Rick Gomez to EVP/Chief Marketing Officer, effective 01/29/17. $TGT PR link.

PPG Industries(PBR190) promotes Vincent Morales to SVP/CFO, effective 03/01/17, succeeds retiring Frank Sklarsky. $PPG PR link.

HNI Corp(PBR841) SVP/CFO Kurt Tjaden appointed President/HNI International, retains SVP corporate title, succeeds retiring Marco Molinari; Marshall Bridges promoted to VP/CFO. $HNI PR link.

Allscripts(PBR944) hires Lisa Khorey as Chief Client Delivery Officer, Alan Fowles as President-International. $MDRX PR link.

Minerals Tech(PBR949) promotes Brett Argirakis to VP/GM Minteq International & member of executive team. $MTX PR link.

The US Dept of HUD estimates US December Private Housing Permits Issued Annual Rate at 1,210,000, -0.2% from November, +0.75% from December 2015. HUD PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia says the January Philadelphia Manufacturing General Activity Index at 23.6, December was 19.7, January 2016 -5.3. PhillyFed PR link.

Wednesday, January 18:

GE(PBR9) gets >$1.4 billion in power generation orders with Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity. $GE PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to open 9th fulfillment center in Texas, 6th in DFW metroplex; robotics site will employ 1,000+ full-time jobs. $AMZN PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to open 3rd fulfillment center in Maryland, 1.2 million sf, will create 700 new full-time jobs. $AMZN PR link.

Mondelez(PBR87) selling Australian VEGEMITE & other iconic brands to Bega Cheese(ASX: BGA) for $361 million. $MDLZ PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR142) to acquire pain management for migraine developer CoLucid(NASD: CLCD) for $46.50/share, $960 million cash. $LLY PR link.

Netflix(PBR447) letter to shareholders says ended 2016 with 93.8 million subscribers, includes 19.0 million net additions, 7.05 million in 4Q16. $NFLX PR link.

Salesforce(PBR453) opens new Engineering & Innovation Hub in Bellevue, WA, to double workforce to 500. $CRM PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) gets Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile(FIA) approval for $8 billion acquisition of Formula 1, now expected to close by 01/31/17. $LMCA PR link.

KB Home(PBR802) recognized by EPA for building Its 100,000th ENERGY STAR® certified home. $KBH PR link.

La Quinta(PBR998) considering separating into two public companies, one being owned real estate assets. $LQ PR link.

Community Health Systems(PBR125) EVP/Secretary & General Counsel Rachel Seifert to retire at 1Q17 end. $CYH PR link.

SuperValue(PBR164) hires Anne Dament as SVP of Retail, Merchandising and Marketing. $SVU PR link.

Host Hotels(PBR455) promotes Nathan Tyrrell to EVP/Investments, Bret McLeod to SVP/Corporate Strategy & Investor Relations, SVP Sourav Ghosh to head new enterprise analytics group. $HST PR link.

NVIDIA(PBR510) hires Tim Teter as SVP/General Counsel & Company Secretary, succeeds retiring David Shannon. $NVDA PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584) hires Jaime Irick as President-Fitness Division, succeeds leaving Christopher Clawson. $BC PR link.

New York Times(PBR971) promotes David Perpich to President/General Manager of The Wirecutter. $NYT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US December Consumer Price Index was +0.3% from November, +2.1% from December 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US December Average Current Weekly Earnings at $891.80, +0.4% from November, +2.3% from December 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve estimates US December Total Industry % of Capacity was 75.5%, +0.4% from December 2015. USFRB PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank Beige Book for data through 01/09/17 indicates continued modest economic growth, generally tightening of the job market. USFRB PR link.

ADP(PBR235) Workforce Vitality Index-4Q16 at 112.4(3Q13=100), indicates wages were +4.0% from 4Q15. $ADP PR link.

The Natl Assn of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo US January Housing Market Index at 67, December was 69, January 2015 61. NAHB PR link.

Commercial Real Estate Market: Jones Lang LaSalle(PBR449) says 2017 Commercial Real Estate Global Investment to reach $700 billion, was $650 billion in 2016. $JLL PR link.

Tuesday, January 17:

Walmart(PBR1) to open 59 US stores in 2017, will support 34,000 new retail & construction jobs, planning $6.8 billion of US capital investments. $WMT PR link.

ExxonMobil(PBR2) to acquire companies doubling Permian Basin resource to 6 billion barrels of oil, to be purchased with $5.6 billion in shares upfront. $XOM PR link.

McKesson(PBR6) agrees to $150 million settlement with US Dept of Justice & US Drug Enforcement Agency for suspicious controlled substances orders reporting dating back to 2009. $MCK PR link.

General Motors(PBR8) to add 7,000 US jobs, invest additional $1 billion in manufacturing facilities, move axle production from Mexico to the US. $GM PR link.

Morgan Stanley(PBR79)‘s 15,763 Wealth Managers annualized average was $1+ million in fees per rep in 4Q16. $MS PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR106) says FTC complaint of business practices in violation of competition law is based on flawed legal theory. $QCOM PR link.

Altria(PBR110) acquires N Carolina based private super-premium cigarettes & premium cigars manufacturer Sherman Group Holdings, terms not disclosed. $MO PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) to open 500 sf Nike(PBR98 $NKE) brand shops in 600+ retail stores. $JCP PR link.

Huntsman Corp(PBR244) to spinoff Pigments & Additives business as Venator Materials Corp(NYSE: VNTR) in 2Q17, excludes Textile Effects business. $HUN PR link.

Henry Schein(PBR270) completes acquisition of majority interest in Brazil’s dental supplies/equipment distributor $145 million/year Dental Cremer. $HSIC PR link.

Biogen(PBR282) agrees to settlement & licensing agreement with Forward Pharma, to pay $1.25 billion cash, plus future royalties on muscular sclerosis therapy. $BIIB PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314), Caesars Entertainment Operating Co get US Bankruptcy Court confirmation of CEOC’s Plan of Reorganization. $CZR PR link.

Reynolds American(PBR317) accepts $59.64/share, $49 billion cash/stock offer by British American Petroleum(BSE: BAT) to acquire 57.8% of stock it doesn’t own. $RAI PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) stockholders approve $8 billion acquisition of Formula 1 Racing, expected to close by end of 1Q17. $LMCA PR link.

FMC Technologies(PBR334) & France based Technip(EUROnext: TEC) complete $13 billion merger, now called TechnipFMC plc(NYSE: FTI), registered in England, headquarters in Houston, London, Paris. $FTI PR link.

Adobe Systems(PBR557) authorizes new up to $2.5 billion share repurchase program through end of FY 2019. $ADBE PR link.

Crown Castle(PBR603) completes $1.5 billion cash acquisition of NextEra Energy(PBR178)‘s fiber services provider FPL FiberNet. $CCI PR link.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances(PBR666) completes acquisition of $75 million/year private specialty fine fragances developer Fragrance Resources, terms not disclosed. $IFF PR link.

Werner(PBR862) celebrates 25,000th truck driving apprenticeship program veteran hire since partnership with US Dept of Labor & Dept of Veterans Affairs in 2006. $WERN PR link.

Revlon(PBR900) reorganizing into 4 brands structure, 5 regions, reorganizing corporate support functions. $REV PR link.

Lowe’s(PBR50) promotes Marshall Croom to CFO, succeeds retiring Robert Hull, Jr. $LOW PR link.

US Bancorp(PBR129) president/COO Andy Cecere to become CEO 04/18/17, succeeds Richard Davis who will be exedutive chairman. $USB PR link.

Mattel(PBR412) hires Margo Georgiadis as CEO, effective 02/08/17, succeeds Christopher Sinclair who will be executive chairman. $MAT PR link.

Zimmer Biomet(PBR512) promotes Rob Delp to President, Americas, succeeds retiring Stuart Kleopfer. $ZBH PR link.

Tiffany(PBR551) appoints Reed Krakoff to the newly created role of Chief Artistic Officer. $TIF PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank of New York says the January General Business Conditions Index at 6.5, -1.1 from December, +23.3 from January 2016. NYFed PR link.

Monday, January 16:
***US Stock Markets Closed.
***Federal Holiday: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observed.

Noble Energy(PBR471) to acquire Clayton Williams Energy(NYSE: CWEI) for $2.7 billion cash/stock. Includes 71,000 net contiguous acres in the Delaware Basin & 100,000 acres in the Permian Basin. $NBL PR link.

The Andersons(PBR525) to exit retail business, affects 1,050 people in Ohio, 75% part-timers. $ANDE PR link.

Aerojet Rocketdyne(PBR969) delivers 2,500th PAC-3 CRI Missile(aka Patriot) and 500,000th PAC-3 ACM. $AJRD PR link.

CF Industries(PBR502) hires Martin Jarosick as VP/Investor Relations. $CF PR link.

Diebold Nixdorf(PBR676) hires Devora Henderson as VP Retail-Americas. $DBD PR link.

Friday, January 13:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 01/13/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 19,885.73, -0.39% from last Friday, +0.62% MTD, QTD, & YTD, -0.45% from record 19,974.62 set 12/20/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,574.12, +0.96% from last Friday, +3.55% MTD, QTD, & YTD, +0.00% from record 5,574.12 set 01/13/17.
SPX ends week at 2,274.64, -0.10% from last Friday, +1.60% MTD, QTD, & YTD, -0.10% fromrecord 2,276.98 set 01/06/17.

Boeing(PBR27) gets order for up to 205 airplanes from low cost carrier SpiceJet. $BA PR link.

NextEra Energy(PBR173) Florida Power & Light unit completes installation of 3 74.5 MW solar power plants, 4 more planned for 2017. $NEE PR link.

BlackRock(PBR252) authorizes up to an additional 6 million share buyback program, balance is 9 million. $BLK PR link.

KKR(PBR332) to acquire Japan based power tool/life sciences equipment manufacturer Hitachi Koki through $1.28 billion tender offer. $KKR PR link.

Newell Brands(PBR434) completes $100 million acquisition of WoodWick Candle; to sell $70 million/year Rubbermaid consumer storage business to United Solutions; puts up for sale Pine Mountain fire starters & Diamond matches related units, which generate $87 million/year. $NWL PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires N Carolina based employee benefits consulting firm Hill, Chesson, & Woody. $AJM PR link.

Moody’s(PBR636) to pay $863.8 million in fines to US DOJ, 21 states, & DC to resolve civil claims related to credit ratings assigned during financial crisis era. $MCO PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) involuntarily separates 34 year employee Chief Growth Officer Peter Sachse, effective 01/30/17, includes $2.7 million lump sum payment, other benefits under Executive Severance Plan. $M PR link.

HollyFrontier(PBR140) promotes Richard Voliva III to EVP/CFO effective 03/01/17, Mark Plake to become president of Petro-Canada Lubricants business upon completion of acquisition. $HFC PR link.

Kellogg(PBR198) hires Fareed Khan as CFO, effective 02/17/17, succeeds retiring Ron Dissinger. $K PR link.

Host Hotels(PBR455) EVP Asset Management Minaz Abji to retire on 04/30/17. $HST PR link.

CNO Financial(PBR559) promotes Doug Williams to VP, Finance & Administration. $CNO PR link.

Cinemark(PBR739) promotes Phillip Couch to EVP/Food & Beverage. $CNK PR link.

Conn’s(PBR986) hires Coleman R Gaines as president/COO of Retail, Casey Chung VP of Logistics, & David Hutchinson VP of Service. $CONN PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US December Producer Price Index Total Demand was +0.3%, November was +0.4%, October +0.0%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US November Total Manufacturing, Retail, Wholesale Sales at $1.327 trillion, +0.12% from October, +2.28% from November 2015 USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce advance estimate of US December Retail Sales is $469.1 billion, +0.6% from November, +4.1% from December 2015. USDOC PR link.

Natl Retail Federation says US Holiday Sales were +4% over 2015, $658.3 billion, exceeded expectations, includes non-store sales. NRF PR link.

The University of Michigan preliminary US January Consumer Sentiment Index at 98.1, December was 98.2, November 93.8. UMich PR link.

International Trade: China Raises Anti-Dumping, Anti-Subsidy Taxes on U.S.-Made Animal Feed. Caixin Global PR link.

Thursday, January 12:

CVS Health(PBR11) announces lowest cash price Epineprine auto-injector now available, $109.99 for a 2 pack. $CVS PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to create more than 100,000 new, full-time, full-benefit jobs across the U.S. over the next 18 months. $AMZN PR link.

Sears(PBR93 $SHLD) is ‘one sick puppy,’ and there may be no remedy. MarketWatch PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR142) gets US Court of Appeals favorable ruling on Alimta vitamin regimen patent. $LLY PR link.

PG&E(PBR172) to eliminate 8 officers positions, 390 support services jobs, 800 non-employee contractors, and not fill 500 non-critical positions in streamlining effort. $PCG PR link.

Hess(PBR248) announces Payara-1 new oil discovery offshore Guyana. $HES PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) & 50/50 partner Sanchez Energy(NYSE: SN) to acquire 318,000 gross oil/gas acreage in Western Eagle Ford for $2.3 billion from Anadarko(PBR154 $APC). $BX PR link.

TeamHealth(PBR498) stockholders approve $43.50/share, $6.1 billion cash acquisition by funds affiliated with Blackstone(PBR352 $BX). $TMH PR link.

Zimmer Biomet(PBR512) to pay $30.5 million penalty to DOJ and SEC regarding previously disclosed legacy Biomet FCPA matters. $ZBH PR link.

WPX Energy(PBR619) to add to Permian & Delaware oil/gas assets with $775 million cash buy of 19,000 net acres. $WPX PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) describes new national supercharging network plan. $TSLA PR link.

Cincinnati Bell(PBR1027) adding 300+ local call center agents. $CBB PR link.

Marathon Petroleum(PBR23) hires Dave Sauber as VP of Human Resources and Labor Relations, effective 02/01/17. $MPC PR link.

Salesforce(PBR453) hires Monica Langley as EVP/Global Strategic Affairs. $CRM PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) promotes Jim Durkin, Jr, from president to chairman, employee benefits division, Bill Ziebell becomes president. $AJM PR link.

Universal Corp(PBR833) CFO David Moore taking temporary medical leave of absence, other executive officers to cover position. $UVV PR link.

Brown & Brown(PBR972) promotes Julie Ryan to Chief People Officer. $BRO PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US Government December Receipts YTD(3 months) at $740.8 billion, Outlays $949.1 billion, Deficit $208.4 billion. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US December Year-over-Year Import Prices were +1.8%, Exports +1.1%. USDOL PR link.

Wednesday, January 11:

Amazon(PBR29) and JPMorgan Chase(PBR21 $JPM) introduce new Prime Rewards Visa Card with 5% back on all Amazon.com purchases and rewards everywhere else you shop. $AMZN PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36 $WBA) to offer FedEx(PBR65 $FDX) dropoff and pickup at Walgreens locations nationwide. MarketWatch PR link.

Penske Automotive(PBR170) completes acquisition 5 l ofocations $350 million/year Pennsylvania based used vehicles retailer CarSense. $PAG PR link.

JM Smucker(PBR437) announces 6% average increases on Folger’s, Dunkin Donuts, Cafe Bustelo retail coffee brands. $SJM PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184)’s Cruise Lines unit hires Sean Kenny as SVP/Chief Information Officer, reports to CFO James Heaney. $CCL PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) promotes David Lynn to president/CEO of Viacom International Media Networks. $VIA PR link.

KKR Outlook for 2017: Paradigm Shift. $KKR PR link.

Tuesday, January 10:

General Motors(PBR8) adds $5 billion to share repurchase program, balance is $14 billion, no expiration date. $GM PR link.

Archer-Daniels-Midland(PBR34) to acquire Kansas based 5 facilities 300 employees pet food producer Crosswind Industries. $ADM PR link.

Kellogg(PBR198) to launch 50+ new products across morning foods, snacks, and frozen items. $K PR link.

Visteon(PBR351) announces new up to $400 million share repurchase authorization through 03/18. $VC PR link.

Dana(PBR382) to provide Navistar(PBR258) driveline components in multi-year commercial sales agreement. $DAN PR link.

Coty(PBR524) to acquire 60% stake for $600 million in online peer-to-peer social selling platform in beauty provider Younique. $COTY PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) authorizes additional $100 million for share repurchase program, current remaining authorization is $200 million. $CMG PR link.

Werner(PBR862) celebrates 35,000th truck driver apprenticeship program enrollee. $WERN PR link.

Teleflex(PBR923) receives FDA 510(k) clearance for its Arrow® VPS Rhythm™ Device with Optional TipTracker™ Technology. $TFX PR link.

Dun & Bradstreet(PBR957) acquires $60 million/2016 OneSource maker Avention for $150 million. $DNBPR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US November New Hires at 5.219 million, +1.1% from October, -0.7% from November 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US November Wholesale Sales at $452.6 billion, +0.4% from October, +3.4% from November 2015. USDOC PR link.

US EIA estimates 2017 WTI oil price/barrel to average $52.50, 2018 $55.18, 2016 was $43.33. EIA PR link.

PurdueU/CME US Dec Ag Barometer at 132, Nov was 116, Oct 92. PurdueU/CME PR link.

FannieMae(PBR17) says US December Home Purchase Sentiment Index at 80.7, November was 81.2, December 2015 83.2. $FNMA PR link.

CoreLogic estimates US November Housing in Serious Delinquency at 1,004,000, -2.3% from October, -22.0% from November 2015. CoreLogic PR link.

Monday, January 9:

UnitedHealthGrp(PBR14) Optum unit to acquire Surgical Care Affiliates(NASDAQ: SCAI) for $57.00/share, $2.3 billion. $UNH PR link.

Cardinal Health(PBR26) agrees to pay $20 million to W Virginia in distribution of controlled substances lawsuit. $CAH PR link.

McDonald’s(PBR101) selling China/Hong Kong 20 year master franchise rights to CITIC Ltd, CITIC Capital, Carlyle Group(PBR581), McDonald’s partnership for up to $2.08 billion. $MCD PR link.

Southern Co(PBR155) Power subsidiary acquires 276 MW 120 wind turbines Texas based Bethel Wind Energy Center from Invenergy Services. $SO PR link.

Entergy(PBR227), NY State agree to close 1,000 employee Indian Point Energy Center in 2020-2021 for economic reasons. $ETR PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) to acquire Cold-EEZE® brand to further expand OTC business. $MYL PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR348) to convert economic general partner interest in Williams Partners(NYSE: WPZ) into 289 million non-economic units in $11.4 billion transaction, will then have 660 million common units, 72% of total outstanding. $WMB PR link.

Noble Energy(PBR471) completes $300 million acquisition of 7,200 net acres in the Reeves Cty, TX, S Delaware Basin. $NBL PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Maryland based national construction industry retail insurance broker Construction Risk Solutions. $AJG PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) at close of sale to Verizon(PBR15) to become Altaba, be an investment company. $YHOO PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) acquires NE region insulation distributor Eco Insulation Supply of Stamford, CT. $BECN PR link.

ResMed(PBR977) gets FDA approval for world’s smallest CPAP machine, the AirMini, to be launched later in 2017. $RMD PR link.

American Airlines(PBR69) promotes VP/Flight Service Hector Adler to SVP/Product & Service Delivery, being succeeded by Jill Surdek. $AAL PR link.

WellCare Health Plans(PBR221) hires Tim Trodden as SVP/Chief Human Resources Officer. $WCG PR link.

Rent A Center(PBR657) CEO Robert Davis resigns, chairman/founder/former CEO Mark Speese named interim CEO. $RCII PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Bank estimates US November Consumer Credit Outstanding at $3.750 trillion, +0.7% from October, +6.1% YTD. FRB PR link.

FannieMae(PBR17) says US December Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) at 80.7, -0.5 from November. $FNMA PR link.

Friday, January 6:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 01/06/17 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 19,963.80, +1.02% from last Friday, MTD, QTD, & YTD, -0.05% from record 19,974.62 on 12/20/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,521.06, +2.56% from last Friday, MTD, QTD, & YTD, +0.00% from record 5,521.06 on 01/06/17.
SPX ends week at 2,276.98, +1.70% from last Friday, MTD, QTD, & YTD, +0.00% from record 2,276.98 on 01/06/17.

Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) cuts CEO Tim Cook’s 2016 pay to $8.75 million from 2015’s $10.28 million, missed targeted revenue by 3.7%. MarketWatch PR link.

Penske Automotive(PBR170) to acquire UK’s 5 locations $340 million/year used vehicles retailer CarShop. $PAG PR link.

Pilgrim’s Pride(PBR310) completes $350 million cash acquisition of Upper Midwest premium branded chicken products GNP Company. $PPC PR link.

Insight(PBR460) completes $258 million acquisition of $771 million/year 570 employee IT services firm DataLink(NASDAQ: DTLK). $NSIT PR link.

Citrix(PBR658) GoTo business spinoff scheduled for 01/20/18, its merger with LogMein(NASDAQ: LOGM) on 01/31/17 in $65.31/share, $1.8 billion deal. $CTXS PR link.

Alexion Pharmaceutical(PBR840) gets FDA grant of Orphan Drug Designation for ALXN1210 for treatment of ultra rare blood disorder Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH). $ALXN PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US December Employment at 152.1 million, +0.04% from November, +1.4% from December 2015, Unemployment Rate 4.7% USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US December Factory New Orders at $458.4 billion, -2.4% from November, -0.3% from December 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US Total Exports Through November(11 months) at $2.022 trillion, Imports $2.476 trillion, Deficit $454 billion. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, January 5:

The PBR1000 December Snapshot 12
Top 5 Stock Price Gainers in 2016 Summary:

1. Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR830), $CLF +432%
2. AK Steel(PBR353), $AKS, +356%
3. US Steel(PBR229), $X, +314%
4. AMD(PBR533), $AMD, +295%
5. Navistar(PBR264), $NAV, +255%

Range: +432% to -80%
Companies >+0%: 730/1,000
Average: +12.1%
Median: +14.3%

Get the full Snapshot 12 list with more details and the 14 other analytical snapshots with a 2 month or significantly reduced annual The PBR1000 subscription today! Subscribe link.

Apple(PBR5) AppStore developers earned $20+ billion in 2016, +40% from 2015. $AAPL PR link.

T-Mobile(PBR95) has 8.2 million net adds in 2016, has 71.5 million subscribers at end of 2016. $TMUS PR link.

Amgen(PBR135) gets permanent injunction by courts against Sanofi & Regeneron(PBR708 $REGN) for cardiovascular disease therapy Repatha patent infringement, may be appealed. $AMGN PR link.

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

Iron Mountain(PBR663) acquires controlling interest in Dubai based 4 facilities records/information management company Endless DSS. $IRM PR link.

Gartner(PBR885) to acquire talent management insights provider CEB(NYSE: CEB) for $77.25/share, $2.6 billion stock/cash. $IT PR link.

Cenveo(PBR899) now in full compliance with NYSE listing standards, taken off watch list. $CVO PR link.

Staples(PBR122) hires Jeff Hall to newly created role of Chief Administration Officer and Vice Chairman. $SPLS PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR142) president/CEO is now David Ricks, Christi Shaw hired as SVP/Bio-Medicines effective 04/03/17, organizational changes made. $LLY PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) names Sarah Levy COO of its Global Entertainment Group. $VIA PR link.

Davita Healthcare(PBR302) hires Joel Ackerman as CFO effective 03/01/17. $DVA PR link.

Dollar Tree(PBR309) promotes Gary Philbin to Enterprise President; Duncan Mac Naughton hired as president/COO of Family Dollar unit, reports to Philbin. $DLTR PR link.

Fifth Third Bancorp(PBR387) hires Jelena Williams as Chief Legal Officer/Corporate Secretary. $FITB PR link.

General Cable(PBR418) hires Juan Picon as SVP & president/North America. $BGC PR link.

Calumet Specialty(PBR431) hires D. West Griffin as EVP/CFO. $CLMT PR link.

Graphic Packaging(PBR553) promotes Joe Yost to SVP & president/Americas. $GPK PR link.

ITT Corp(PBR735) promotes Luca Savi to new COO role; Industrial Process president Aris Chicles leaving. $ITT PR link.

Zions Bancorp(PBR813) promotes Terry Shirey to president/CEO of Nevada State Bank, Dallas Haun remains chairman. $ZION PR link.

Griffon Corp(PBR890) promotes Mike Sarrica to SVP/Operations, Mark Traylor succeeds Sarrica as president/The AMES Co. $GFF PR link.

Markit US December Composite PMI at 54.1, November was 54.9, October 54.9. Markit PR link.

ISM US December NMI Index at 57.2%, November also 57.2%, December 2015 55.8%. ISM PR link.

ADP estimates US December Non-Farm Employment Services Jobs +169,000 from November, Manufacturing -16,000, 153,000 net gain. $ADP PR link.

Wednesday, January 4:

Apple(PBR5) to invest $1 billion in Softbank Vision Fund. MarketWatch PR link.

Ford(PBR10) leads US automakers with sales of 2,614,697 vehicles sold in 2016, best in 10 years. $F PR link.

AT&T(PBR12) announces 5G Evolution plans for 2017, includes 1Gbps speeds. $T PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) delivered record 2+ billion items for sellers worldwide in 2016. $AMZN PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) opening 2nd Jacksonville, FL, fulfillment center, to add 1,000+ full time jobs. $AMZN PR link.

Alphabet(PBR44 $GOOGL) Google unit being sued by US Dept of Labor for refusing to provide requested compensation data. USDOL PR link.

Sears Holdings(PBR93) obtains $500 million loan facility, $321 million secured by 46 real properties. $SHLD PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) to close 68 of its 730 stores, eliminate 6,200 positions in 2017 in streamlining/efficiency effort. $M PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) completes $25 billion cash/stock acquisition of cardiovascular medical devices developer St Jude Medical(PBR440 $STJ). $ABT PR link.

AutoNation(PBR148) holding 1 day hiring event on 01/10/17 in 15 cities, new hires start 01/23/17. $AN PR link.

Assurant(PBR268) to acquire housing protection products provider Green Tree Insurance for $125 million plus up to $25 million earn out. $AIZ PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) to acquire only US based leading music rights organization SESAC. $BX PR link.

Terex(PBR357) completes $1.9 billion sale of Material Handling and Port Solutions Business to Finland based Konecranes. $TEX PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Chicago-based HR/benefits technology solutions provider Gruppo Marcucci. $AJG PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) & Panasonic begin mass production of lithium-ion batteries at Reno, NV, Gigafactory. $TSLA PR link.

Iron Mountain(PBR663) Crozier Fine Arts unit acquires arts/antiques storage provider Cirkers Williamsburg. $IRM PR link.

CME Group(PBR664) reached record average daily volume of 15.6 million contracts in 2016, up 12% from 2015. $CME PR link.

Albemarle(PBR792) receives final approval to expand lithium operations in Chile, 27 year agreement. $ALB PR link.

ResMed(PBR977) reaches historic one billionth night of sleep monitored. $RMD PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR988) ranked #1 in four best diet categories by U.S. News & World Report. $WTW PR link.

TDS(PBR482) hires Dr. Daniel DeWitt as SVP/Human Resources effective 01/23/17, succeeds retiring Ted Herbert. $TDS PR link.

Coach(PBR496) hires Kevin Wills as CFO no later than 03/17. $COH PR link.

T Rowe Price(PBR570) CFO Kenneth Moreland to retire In 2017. $TROW PR link.

Hologic(PBR767) names Jan Verstreken as Regional President for Europe/EMEA/Canada. $HOLX PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR1013) hires Denise Godreau as Chief Marketing Officer. $SEAS PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board releases FOMC minutes from 12/13-14/16 meeting, continued modest/moderate economic growth FRB PR link.

The Conference Board says US December New Help Wanted Online Jobs were 2.171 million, +2.5% from November, -9.7% from December 2015. TCB PR link.

Automotive News says US December New Auto Sales at 1,688,368, +22.5% from November, +3.0% from December 2015, Annual Rate at 18.38 million. Automotive News PR link.

Tuesday, January 3:

The PBR1000 December Snapshot 11
Top 5 Stock Price Gainers Summary:

1. Fred’s(PBR800), $Fred, +86%
2. Pier 1 Imports(PBR847), $PIR, +53%
3. Tailored Brands(PBR580), $TLRD, +36%
4. Bristow Group(PBR887), $BRS, +31%
5. Alliance One Intl(PBR843), $AOI, +30%

Range: +86% to -85%
Companies >+0%: 609/1,000
Average: +0.9%
Median: +1.35%

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

Ford(PBR10) adding electrified F-150, Mustang, Transit by 2020; Expanded US plant to add 700 jobs to make electrified vehicles, autonomous cars; cancels $1.6 billion Mexico plant investment. $F PR link.

AIG(PBR46) completes $3.4 billion sale of private mortgage insurance unit United Guaranty Corporation to Arch Capital Group(NASDAQ: ACGL). $AIG PR link.

Intel(PBR51) to acquire 15% ownership of Netherlands based digital mapping for luxury brand autonomous vehicles/IoT services provider HERE. $INTC PR link.

Community Health Systems(PBR125) completes $128 million sale of majority interest in Home Health division to Almost Family((NASDAQ: AFAM). $CYH PR link.

Eli Lilly(PBR142) Elanco Animal Health unit completes $885 million acquisition of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica‘s US feline, canine and rabies vaccines portfolio. $LLY PR link.

Xerox(PBR144) completes separation of independent public business process outsourcing firm Conduent, now focused on digital print technology. $XRX PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) increases tender offer for Federal-Mogul from $9.25/share to $10.00/share, expires 01/17/17. $IEP PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) gets FDA approval of NATRELLE INSPIRA® SoftTouch Breast Implants. $AGN PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) sells 45 acre Plano, TX, home office campus for $353 million, will lease back 65% of the office building. $JCP PR link.

Air Products(PBR267) completes $3.8 billion Performance Materials Division sale to Germany based Evonik. $APD PR link.

Blackstone(PBR352) to acquire largest US outsourced skilled craftsman workforce provider, Tradesmen International, from Wellspring Capital Management. $BX PR link.

Ingredion(PBR415) completes $400 million acquisition of TIC Gums. $INGR PR link.

Alliance Data(PBR462) authorizes up to $500 million new share repurchase program for 2017. $ADS PR link.

Arthur J. Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Brisbane, Australia, financial services advisory firm Complete Financial Balance Pty Ltd. $AJG PR link.

Brunswick(PBR584)’s Mercury Marine announces exclusive Southeast Asia distribution agreement with Singapore based Supratechnic. $BC PR link.

H&R Block(PBR669) opens 10,000 offices nationwide for tax season. $HRB PR link.

Hologic(PBR767) gets FDA PMA approval for Aptima® HIV-1 Quant Assay. $HOLX PR link.

Albemarle(PBR792) completes $145 million acquisition of lithium salts production assets in China. $ALB PR link.

Southwest Gas(PBR867) completes holding company reorganization, now Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc, stock symbol stays SWX. $SWX PR link.

American Axle & Mfg(PBR602) promotes Donald E. Wright to VP/CIO. $AXL PR link.

Welltower(PBR635) extends CEO contract through 04/20, announces new organization structure, eliminates investment officer & COO positions. $HCN PR link.

HCP(PBR834) promotes CFO Tom Herzog to CEO, Justin Hutchens to president, CFO search starts. $HCP PR link.

IDEX(PBR861) promotes William Grogan to CFO. $IEX PR link.

hhgregg(PBR864) hires Aaron Trahan as Chief Merchandising Officer. $HGG PR link.

On Assignment(PBR918) promotes Ted Hanson to President. $ASGN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US November Construction Spending Annual Rate at $1.182 trillion, +0.9% from October, +5.8% from November 2015. USDOC PR link.

Markit US December Final PMI at 54.3, November was 54.1, October 53.4. Markit PR link.

ISM US December PMI Index at 54.7%, November was 53.2%, October 51.9%. ISM PR link.

Monday, January 2:
***US Stock Markets Closed.
***Federal Holiday: New Year’s Day Observed.

Sunday, January 1:
***Happy New Year!***

(The PBR1000 is the premiere business intelligence service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users worldwide include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisors, business professors/students, human resources/career counselors/job seekers, federal/state/local government agencies, social causes organizations, to name just a few. To order your monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Subscribe page.)

(Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Copyright © 2017 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, Tucson, AZ, USA, All Rights Reserved.

The PBR1000 December 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

December 2016: Ending On A High Note, Now What?

 

Welcome to 2017! What it means today is a little uncertain!

Welcome to 2017! What it means today as we take it on is a little uncertain. Let’s do our best!

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The Trump Bump continued its rise throughout December, expressing the relief of the end of a rather bizarre US Presidential campaign with the election being decided by the Electoral College. But hopefully it also reflected the hope and optimism that there will be positive changes in the new government.

All 3 major US stock exchanges hit record highs in December. The DJIA almost hit the 20,000 mark, but in the last 3 trading days all major US stock exchanges backed down by 1% or more to finish a year that ended up much higher than predicted at the beginning of 2016.

2016 ended on a high note but there is much confusion about what direction stocks and commodities will take in 2017. Trading can be expected to be volatile as the Trump administration gets settled in, the world gets used to a much different American style of dealing with important issues, and new policies start to be(or not to be) implemented. These actions will be further impacted by unpredictable international influences like energy production and prices, Brexit, regional wars, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and innovative new technologies, to name just a few in no particular order.  We start 2017 anticipating an interesting ride into the unknown that will carry risks and some intended and unintended consequences from decisions made and actions taken, but also will provide some significant opportunities for alert leaders and investors. We wish you the best and look forward to The PBR1000 contributing to your success in 2017!

Here are some December summaries on the US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 21

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 13+, 8-; NASDAQ 12+, 9-; SPX 12+, 9-.

Record Days: DJIA 9, NASDAQ 5, SPX 2

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

Loss Streaks(Consecutive Days): DJIA 3, NASDAQ 3, SPX 3

Big Swing Up Days(>1.00%): 12/07/16(DJIA, NASDAQ, SPX)

Big Swing Down Days(<-1.00%): 12/01/16(NASDAQ)

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 December Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on December 30th, Month % Chg is compared to November 30th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 24 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 13 month subscription and automatically download the December 2016 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +86% to -85%. 609 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 0.9%, the median was a gain of 1.35%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
12/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
Fred’s
800 FRED 18.56 +86 +13 +7
Pier 1 Imports
847 PIR 8.54 +53 +68 -45
Tailored Brands
580 TLRD 25.55 +36 +74 -42
Bristow Group
887 BRS 20.48 +31 -21 -69
Alliance One Intl
843 AOI 19.20 +30 +67 +22

 

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +432% to -80%. 730 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 12.1%. The median was a gain of 14.3%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
12/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
830 CLF 8.41 -5 +432 +18
AK Steel
353 AKS 10.21 +12 +356 +72
US Steel
229 X 33.01 +2 +314 +23
AMD
533 AMD 11.34 +27 +295 +325
Navistar
264 NAV 31.37 +2 +255 -6

 

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +432% to -90%. 574 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 6.2%. The median was a gain of 6.4%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
12/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
NVIDIA
452 NVDA 106.74 +16 +224 +432
AMD 533 AMD 11.34 +27 +295 +325
SkyWest 634 SKYW
36.45 -1 +92 +174
McDermott Intl
635 MDR 7.39 +7 +121 +154
Netflix
350 NFLX 123.80 +6 +8 +154

 

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $617.59 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $21.77 billion, median is $6.92 billion, out of 1,000 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
12/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
Apple
3 AAPL 617.59 +4.8 +5.2 -4.6
Alphabet
34 GOOG 531.97 +1.8 +1.9 +49.0
Microsoft
31 MSFT 483.16 +3.1 +9.0 +26.2
Berkshire Hathaway
4 BRK 402.11 +3.4 +23.5 +11.2
ExxonMobil 2 XOM 374.28 +3.4 +15.3 -4.4
The PBR1000
  21,773.35 +1.8 +8.6 +6.5

 

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

Company Price
12/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
24 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 73,918.58 +0.9 +12.1 +6.2
DJIA 19,762.60 +3.3 +13.4 +10.9
NASDAQ 5,383.12 +1.1 +7.5 +13.7
S&P500 2,238.83 +1.8 +9.5 +8.7
GOLD 1,151.70 -1.9 +8.6 -2.8
SILVER 15.99 -3.0 +15.9 +2.5
OIL 53.72 +8.7 +45.0 +0.8

 

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

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

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

(Photo made available by FreeDigitalPhotos.net, Idea go.)

Copyright © 2017 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, Tucson, AZ, USA, All Rights Reserved.

The PBR1000 December 2016 Breaking News Recap

December 2016: A Nice End, Let 2017 Start!

2017 and Smartphone-StuartMiles ID-100129443

There are a lot of puzzle pieces to put together as we start 2017. Be alert for Trump Tweets!

 

By Larry C. Paxton

2016 finished on mostly a high note.  The US stock markets registered new highs that were no where close to what prognosticators had predicted at the start of the year, mostly due to what most people called The Trump Bump. This was probably a reflection that the country had completed a long, controversial, mean-spirited, unconventional, and tumultuous presidential election. But the transfer of power will proceed in an orderly manner, there is a sense of relief, and hopeful optimism by a large segment of a somewhat disenchanted populace that felt traditional politics had failed them and this was a chance to make much needed changes.  The President-Elect is an unpredictable person and there are still a lot of the traditionalists left, so fireworks can be expected. It will be an interesting show for the whole world.

After a long wait, the Federal Reserve Board finally increased the federal funds rate by a quarter point and signaled there will be more increases in 2017 if the economy continues its modest/moderate growth.

Here’s a quick December 2016 summary on key activities that relate to The PBR1000:

US Presidency:  Donald J. Trump is the US President-Elect, to be inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States on Friday, January 20, 2017. Cabinet appointees being announced, heavy emphasis on business experience, major policy changes expected in healthcare, immigration, infrastructure programs, and international trade.

Mergers & Acquisitions: 28 deals worth at least $1 billion initiated, closed, or updated. Total transaction value is $157 billion.

Restructurings/Spinoffs: 6

Share Repurchase Programs: 9 announced, total $17 billion.

Bankruptcies: 0

CEO Changes: 20 announced.

Jobs: Modest growth.

US Economy: Modest/moderate growth continues, stable but fragile, significant growth in eCommerce, retail outlets down.

Federal Reserve Federal Funds Rate Changes: 1, increased 0.25% to 0.50-0.75%, more increases anticipated in 2017.

International: Brexit, oil price fluctuations, Middle East conflicts, refugee crisis, N Korea nuclear/missile tests, upcoming European elections, climate change, new US president continue to be the headliners.

For more details here are The PBR1000 corporate and economic related breaking news items of interest with hotlinks to the sources for December 2016, starting with the last active business day.

Friday, December 30:

The PBRMarketTools Year Ending 12/30/16 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends 2016 at 19,762.60, -0.86% from last Friday, +3.34% MTD, +7.94% QTD, +13.42% YTD, -1.06% from record 19,974.62 on 12/20/16.
NASDAQ ends 2016 at 5,383.12, -1.46% from last Friday, +1.12% MTD, +1.34% QTD, +7.50% YTD, -1.90% from record 5,487.44 on 12/27/16.
SPX ends 2016 at 2,238.83, -1.10% from last Friday, +1.82% MTD, +3.25% QTD, +9.54% YTD, -1.45% from record 2,271.72 on 12/13/16.

Freeport_McMoRan(PBR128) completes $592 million cash sale of onshore California properties to Sentinel Peak Resources California. $FCX PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) to complete $25 billion cash/stock acquisition of cardiovasular medical devices developer St Jude Medical(PBR440) on 01/04/17. $ABT PR link.

Southern Co(PBR155) Power subsidiary to do joint development with Renewable Energy Systems Americas for 3,000 MW across 10 projects. $SO PR link.

Huntsman Corp(PBR244) completes sale of European surfactants business to Innospec(NASDAQ: IOSP) for $225 million. $HUN PR link.

SPX(PBR506) completes sale of European Power Generation business. $SPXC PR link.

Cabela’s(PBR606) and Bass Pro Shops receive request for additional info from FTC regarding $5.5 billion merger. $CAB PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago November Midwest Economic Index at -0.01, relative MEI +0.20. ChicagoFed PR link.

MNI December Chicago Business Barometer at 54.6, Nov was 57.6, Dec 2015 was 42.9. ISM/MNI PR link.

Thursday, December 29:

Sears Holdings(PBR93) announces secured standby Letter Of Credit facility for $200 million, can be expanded by $300 million. $SHLD PR link.

General Cable(PBR418) resolves ongoing SEC and DOJ investigations, agrees to $82.3 million in fines. $BGC PR link.

Welltower(PBR635) completes sale of 28 long-term/post-acute care facilities to Cindat/Union Life joint venture, retains 25% stake. $HCN PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US 3Q16 Net International Position at Assets $24.861 trillion, Liabilities $32.642 trillion, Deficit $7.781 trillion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US 12/17/16 Total Insured Unemployment 4 Week Moving Average at 2.042 million, +0.9% from previous month, -7.6% previous year. USDOL PR link.

The US Energy Information Agency says 12/23/16 US Crude Oil Reserves at 486.1 million barrels, -0.4% from 11/25/16, +6.8% from 12/25/15. EIA PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) says US 30 Yr Fixed Mortgage Rate Average at 4.32%, 11/23/16 was 4.03%, 12/31/15 4.01%. $FMCC PR link.

Tech Trends: Intel(PBR51) experts share insights on tech trends for 2017 and beyond. $INTC PR link.

Consumer Electronics Show: The 5 tech trends that will dominate CES and 2017. MarketWatch PR link.

Wednesday, December 28:

McKesson(PBR6) completes $2.1 billion acquisition of Canada based 8,600 employees 470+ retail pharmacies Rexall Health from Katz Group; appoints Domenic Pilla as CEO McKesson Canada. $MCK PR link.

Sprint(PBR86) commits to create or bring back to the US 5,000 jobs. $S PR link.

Roper Technologies(PBR614) completes $2.8 billion cash acquisition of 22,000 clients global project management software/information solutions provider Deltek. $ROP PR link.

Southwest Gas(PBR867) to become a holding company on 01/01/17, keep SWX trading symbol. $SWX PR link.

PSEG(PBR257) Power unit president/CEO Bill Levis to retire 3Q17. $PEG PR link.

Personal Finance: Americans use debit cards twice as much as credit cards. MarketWatch PR link.

Real Estate: As home prices rise, house-flippers stage comeback. MarketWatch PR link.

Tuesday, December 27:

Amazon(PBR29) ships over 1 billion items for Prime and FulFillment subscribers during the 2016 holiday season. $AMZN PR link.

UPS(PBR47) forecasts 1.3 million packages back to retailers for 01/05/17, National Returns Day, 5.8 million during first full week of 01/17. $UPS PR link.

Qualcomm(PBR106) to appeal $865 million fine for unfair business practices from Korea Fair Trade Commission. $QCOM PR link.

Panasonic to invest $260M in a solar cell plant that will supply Tesla(PBR651 $TSLA). MarketWatch PR link.

Vornado(PBR738) announces final disposition of Skyline Properties recognizing $486 million gain. $VNO PR link.

Fred’s(PBR897) adopts shareholder rights plan, to close 40 underperforming stores in 1H2017. $FRED PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond says US 5th District December Manufacturing Annualized Index at 8%, November was 4%, October -4%. RichmondFed PR link.

The Conference Board US December Consumer Confidence Index at 113.7, November was 109.4, December 2015 96.3(1985=100). TCB PR link.

The Case-Shiller US October Home Price Index at 185.06, September was 184.65, October 2015 175.23(01/2000=100). C-S PR link.

Passive investing, a winner in 2016, shows no sign of stopping. MarketWatch PR link.

Monday, December 26:

***US Stock Markets Closed.
***Christmas Holiday Observed.

Friday, December 23:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 12/23/16 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 19,933.91, +0.46% from last Friday, +4.24% MTD, +8.88% QTD, +14.40% YTD, -0.20% from record 19,974.62 on 12/20/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,462.69, +0.47% from last Friday, +2.61% MTD, +2.84% QTD, +9.09% YTD, -0.39% from record 5,483.94 on 12/20/16.
SPX ends week at 2,263.79, +0.25% from last Friday, +2.96% MTD, +4.41% QTD, +10.76% YTD, -0.35% from record 2,271.72 on 12/13/16.

Cardinal Health(PBR26) settles nationwide civil suit for $44 million with US Dept of Justice for 2012 administrative settlement with US DEA. $CAH PR link.

Halliburton(PBR90) settles for $100 million a class action suit filed in 2002 regarding longterm projects accounting & asbestos liability disclosures. $HAL PR link.

Biogen(PBR282) gets US FDA approval for SPINRAZA™ (nusinersen), first treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. $BIIB PR link.

Pinnacle West(PBR620) subsidiary APS contracts for 565 megawatts for 6 years starting 06/01/20 from Arlington Valley cycle power plant. $PNW PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) promotes Tom Pellette to group president/Energy & Transportation, Bob De Lange group president/Construction Industries, Billy Ainsworth to SVP & Strategic Advisor. $CAT PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) president/CEO Kent Adams of Caterpillar Financial Services Division to retire; VP Financial Services Division Mike DeWalt to retire, succeeded by Joe Creed; Zack Kauk promoted to VP/Excavation Division. $CAT PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US November New Houses Sold/For Sale Annual Rate at 592,000, +5.5% from October, +16.5 from November 2015. USDOC PR link.

University of Michigan says US December Final Consumer Sentiment Index at 98.2, November was 93.8, October 87.2. UMich PR link.

Thursday, December 22:

The PBR1000 November Snapshot 15
#101-105 By Market Capitalization Summary
(PBR Rankings are by Revenues):

101. Kinder Morgan(PBR184), $KMI, $49.6B
102. Ford Motor(PBR9), $F, $47.5B
103. Exress Scripts(PBR22), $ESRX, $46.8B
104. Dominion Resources(PBR226), $D, $45.9B
105. Aetna(PBR45), $AET, $45.9B

Total The PBR1000 Market Capitalization: $21.5 trillion

Range: $589.3B to $0.0B
Average: $21.5B
Median: $6.9B

Get the full Snapshot 15 list with more details and the 14 other analytical snapshots with a 2 month or significantly discounted annual The PBR1000 subscription today! Subscribe link.

Nokia expands patents legal fight with Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) to 9 countries. MarketWatch PR link.

Boeing(PBR27) delivers 500th 787 Dreamliner. $BA PR link.

Community Health System(PBR125) completes sale of ten medical office buildings across 5 states to HCP(PBR834 $HCP) for $163 million, doing leasebacks. $CYH PR link.

Southern Co(PBR155) subsidiary acquires two wind projects in Texas totaling 300 megawatts. $SO PR link.

Biogen(PBR282) gets SEC approval to spinoff Bioverativ(NASDAQ: BIVV), to be effective 02/01/17. $BIIB PR link.

Davita Healthcare(PBR302) HealthCare Partners Nevada unit to acquire 3,000 Nevada providers network WellHealth Quality Care. $DVA PR link.

KKR(PBR332 $KKR) seeks buyer for public utilities water venture. MarketWatch PR link.

Peabody Energy(PBR372) files plan of reorganization and disclosure statement to emerge from Chapter 11, hearing set for 01/26/17. $BTUUQ PR link.

Varian Medical(PBR678) to acquire PerkinElmer(PBR839 $PKI)’s Medical Imaging business for $276 million, will be included in spinoff Varex Imaging. $VAR PR link.

Reinsurance Group of America(PBR256) to promote president Anna Manning to CEO on 01/01/17, succeeds retiring Greig Woodring. $RGA PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce revises US 3Q16 GDP Annual Rate from 3.2% to 3.5%, $18.675 trillion, +1.2% from 2Q16, +2.9% from 3Q15. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US November Total Personal Income Annual Rate at $16.234 trillion, +0.01% from October, +3.50% from November 2015. USDOC PR link.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago estimates US November National Activity Index at -0.27, October was -0.05, September -0.11. ChicagoFed PR link.

The Conference Board US Preliminary November Leading Economic Index at 124.6(2010=100), Coincident 114.6, Lagging 123.2. TCB PR link.

Wednesday, December 21:

Coca-Cola(PBR63) to acquire Anheuser-Busch InBev(NYSE: BUD)‘s 54.5% equity stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa for $3.15 billion. $KO PR link.

Delta Air Lines(PBR72) & Aeromexico get US Dept of Transportation approval to establish largest transboarder alliance between US & Mexico. $DAL PR link.

Goldman Sachs(PBR76 $GS) gets fined $120 million by CFTC for manipulating interest rate products 2007-2012. MarketWatch PR link.

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR249) to sell majority Of Its Mechanical Security businesses to dormakaba For $725 million cash. $SWK PR link.

FMC Technologies(PBR334) & France based Technip(EUROnext: TEC) $13 billion merger to close 01/16/17. $FTI PR link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb(PBR185) elects Giovanni Caforio, MD, chairman, effective 05/02/16, succeeds retiring Lamberto Andreotti. $BMY PR link.

BB&T(PBR277) COO Chris Henson now also president. $BBT PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314) interim chief marketing officer Ruben Sigala now officially CMO. $CZR PR link.

Hershey(PBR354) EVP/COO Michele Buck to become president/CEO on 03/01/17, succeeds retiring John Bilbrey who will remain non-executive chairman. $HSY PR link.

Twitter(PBR786 $TWTR) is teetering after two more executive departures. MarketWatch PR link.

Allison Transmission(PBR865) chairman/CEO Lawrence Dewey to retire in 05/18. $ALSN PR link.

Red Hat(PBR936) CFO Frank Calderoni leaving in 01/17, VP Finance Eric Shander is acting CFO. $RHT PR link.

Natl Assn of Realtors says US November Existing Home Median Price at $234,900, +1.2% from October, +6.8% from November 2015. NAR PR link.

Bitcoin surpasses $800 for the first time in 3 years. MarketWatch PR link.

Executive Management: The Rising Risk of Being CFO. CFO Magazine PR link.

Tuesday, December 20:

Bank of America(PBR24) to sell UK consumer credit card $10 billion portfolio business MBNA Ltd to Lloyds Banking Group for $2.4 billion. $BAC PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) to expand again in Illinois with two more fulfillment centers and 1,000 full-time jobs. $AMZN PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36) and Rite Aid(PBR105 $RAD) reach agreement to sell 865 Rite Aid Stores to Fred’s(PBR897 $FRED) Pharmacy for $950 million cash. $WBA PR link.

Chesapeake Energy(PBR131) to sell second Haynesville shale acreage position for $465 million. $CHK PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) to acquire Acelity L.P. Inc.’s regenerative medicine company LifeCell Corporation for $2.9 billion. $AGN PR link.

Praxair(PBR233) & Germany based Linde AG(Xetra: LIN) to merge as $30 billion/year Linde in 50/50 stock ownership deal. $PX PR link.

Biogen(PBR282) completes Bioverativ(NASDAQ: BIVV) spinoff, declares special dividend distribution of Bioverativ stock. $BIIB PR link.

Ingredion(PBR415) to acquire TIC Gums for $400 million cash; expands customer base, specialty portfolio & texture expertise. $INGR PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Metairie, LA, employee benefits insurance provider Group Insurance Associates. $AJG PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) completes $230 million cash acquisition Of Las Vegas assets Of Cannery Casino Resorts. $BYD PR link.

AMC Entertainment(PBR728 $AMC) required to divest movie theatres, reduce NCM ownership and complete screen transfers in order to complete $1.2 billion acquisition of Carmike Cinemas(NASDAQ: $CKEC) per US Dept of Justice. USDOJ PR link.

ABM Industries(PBR478) EVP/General Counsel & Corporate Secretary Sarah Hlavinka McConnell is leaving mid 01/17. $ABM PR link.

Hasbro(PBR549) Chairman, President/CEO Brian Goldner gets contract extension through 2020. $HAS PR link.

Endo Intl(PBR700) interim CFO Blaise Coleman is now officially CFO. $ENDP PR link.

Twitter(PBR786 $TWTR) chief technology officer Adam Messinger to leave the company. MarketWatch PR link.

ResMed(PBR977) hires Carlos Nunez, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. $RMD PR link.

Monday, December 19:

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147) to sell American Railcar Leasing unit to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp subsidiary for $3.36 billion cash. $IEP PR link.

Estée Lauder(PBR255) completes $1.45 billion acquisition of prestige makeup millennials emphasis brand Too Faced. $EL PR link.

The Mosaic Co(PBR300) to acquire Brazil based Vale Fertilizantes for $2.5 billion. $MOS PR link.

LKQ(PBR376) to sell OEM glass manufacturing business to Mexico based Vitro SAB for $310 million. $LKQ PR link.

Constellation Brands(PBR377) completes $784.5 million sale of Canadian wine business to Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. $STZ PR link.

Adobe Systems(PBR557) completes $14/share, $540 million acquisition of video advertising platform developer TubeMogul(NASDAQ: TUBE). $ADBE PR link.

Legg Mason(PBR709) to get at least $500 million investment from Shandra Group, will have 15% stake, provide 2 directors. $LM PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) hires Cheryl Heinonen as EVP/Corporate Communications, effective 01/09/17. $M PR link.

Staples(PBR122) promotes Faisal Masud to Chief Technology Officer. $SPLS PR link.

Biogen(PBR282) promotes EVP/Chief Commercial Officer Michel Vounatsos to CEO effective 01/06/17, succeeds George Scangos, PhD, who is stepping down. $BIO PR link.

Lands’ End(PBR976) hires Jerome Griffith as CEO starting 03/06/17. $LE PR link.

Friday, December 16:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 12/16/16 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 19,843.41, +0.44% from last Friday, +3.76% MTD, +8.39% QTD, +13.88% YTD, -0.34% from record 19,911.21 on 12/13/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,437.16, -0.13% from last Friday, +2.13% MTD, +2.36% QTD, +8.58% YTD, -0.49% from record 5,463.83 on 12/13/16.
SPX ends week at 2,258.07, -0.06% from last Friday, +2.70% MTD, +4.14% QTD, +10.48% YTD, -0.60% from record 2,271.72 on 12/13/16.

Express Scripts(PBR22) authorizes an additional 65 million shares for share repurchase program, balance is 330 million shares. $ESRX PR link.

Pfizer(PBR56) gets FDA approval for removal of boxed warning regarding serious neuropsychiatric events from CHANTIX® (varenicline) smoking cessation treatment labeling. $PFE PR link.

Cummins(PBR146) authorizes new up to $1 billion share repurchase program, takes effect after completion of 2015 $1 billion plan. $CMI PR link.

Omnicom(PBR192) confirms 2 subsidiaries received subpoenas from the US Dept of Justice Antitrust Division concerning investigation of advertising industry video production/post-production practices. $OMC PR link.

Arthur J. Gallagher(PBR515) expands affinity business, acquires errors & omissions insurance provider National Ethics Association. $AJG PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) gets antitrust regulators approval for $8 billion acquisition of Formula 1, special stockholders meeting set for 01/17/17. $LMCA PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) elects 4 new board members to help re-establish fast food industry leadership. $CMG PR link.

Mylan(PBR346) launches first generic EpiPen Auto-Injector, wholesales at $300/2 pack. $MYL PR link.

Beacon Roofing(PBR818) acquires BJ Supply of Bristol, Pa. $BECN PR link.

Clearwater Paper(PBR898) acquires 170 employees 5 manufacturing plants Manchester Industries for $68.25 million. $CLW PR link.

Restoration Hardware(PBR915) changing name to RH starting 01/01/17. $RH PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) gets 6-10 yr contract with Kansas Lottery. $SGMS PR link.

Viacom(PBR224) annual meeting proxy statement says Chairman Emeritus Sumner Redstone to attend board meetings, but have no vote, starting in 02/17. $VIA PR link.

The US Dept of HUD estimates US November Housing Permits Annual Rate at 1,201,000, -4.7% from October, -6.6% from November 2015 HUD PR link.

Japan surpasses China as the U.S.’s largest creditor. MarketWatch PR link.

Thursday, December 15:

Comcast(PBR42 $CMCSA)’s NBC bets viewers will watch Olympics year-round. MarketWatch PR link.

Merck(PBR70) subsidiary Idenix Pharmaceutical awarded $2.54 billion from Gilead Sciences(PBR107 $GILD) for infringement of a Hepatitis C drug patent. $MRK PR link.

21st Century Fox(PBR91) to acquire European entertainment 30,000 employee Sky plc for $14.8 billion cash. $FOX PR link.

3M(PBR92) expands parental leave benefits to 10 paid weeks for moms and dads. $MMM PR link.

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) completes $2.0 billion sale of Deepwater Gulf of Mexico properties to Anadarko Petroleum(PBR154 $APC). $FCX PR link.

Nucor(PBR130) to purchase Republic Conduit for $335 million. $NUE PR link.

Core-Mark(PBR271) gets 3 year 5 western states snacks/candies supply deal for 530 Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) stores. $CORE PR link.

Spectra Energy(PBR422) shareholders approve $28 billion merger into Enbridge(NYSE ENB), to close in 1Q17. $SE PR link.

GNC(PBR743) to close stores 12/28/16, re-open 12/29/16 with launch of One New GNC unified format. $GNC PR link.

Armstrong World(PBR772) to acquire accoustical ceiling, wall & structural solutions manufacturer Ohio-based Tectum, terms not disclosed. $AWI PR link.

McCormick(PBR552) completes $127 million acquisition of Italian $56 million/yr flavor manufacturer Enrico Giotti SpA. $MKC PR link.

DeVry Education(PBR905) settles litigation with FTC, to pay $49.4 million, to forgive $50.6 million of student loans. $DV PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR988) new Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) Watch Series 2 subscription plan provides members plan information and notifications. $WTW PR link.

Franklin Resources(PBR315) co-president Vijay Advani leaving, Jennifer Johnson to continue as president. $BEN PR link.

Priceline(PBR319) promotes EVP Glenn Fogel to CEO, effective 01/01/17; interim CEO Jeff Boyd to become executive chairman. $PCLN PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says the US November Consumer Price Index at +0.2%, annual rate +1.7%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US November Average Earnings/Week at $890.62, -0.1% from Oct, +2.2% from Nov 2015. USDOL PR link.

The NY Federal Reserve Bank says the December General Business Conditions Index at 9.0, November was 1.5, October -6.8. NYFed PR link.

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank says the December Manufacturing General Activity Index at 21.5, November was 7.6, October 9.7. PhillyFed PR link.

The Natl Assn of Homebuilders estimates US December Housing Market Index at 70, November was 63, October 63. NAHB PR link.

Wednesday, December 14:

The PBR1000 November Snapshot 13
Top 5 Stock Price Gainers since 12/31/14 Summary:

1. NVIDEA(PBR452), $NVDA, +360%
2. AMD(PBR533), $AMD, +234%
3. Skywest(PBR633), $SKYW, +177%
4. Amazon(PBR20), $AMZN, +142%
5. Netflix(PBR351), $NFLX, +140%

Range: +360% to -90%
Companies >+0%: 555/1,000
Average: +5.2%
Median: +4.1%

Get the full Snapshot 13 list with more details and the 14 other analytical snapshots with a 2 month or significantly discounted annual The PBR1000 subscription today! Subscribe link.

GE(PBR9 $GE) to sell Industrial Solutions & GE Water businesses to raise $4 billion. MarketWatch PR link.

Amazon(PBR29) Prime Video service now available in over 200 countries/territories. $AMZN PR link.

Dupont(PBR82) to sell global food safety diagnostics business to Hygiena, terms not disclosed. $DD PR link.

Arrow Electronics(PBR120) authorizes additional $400 million share repurchase program. $ARW PR link.

KKR(PBR332) to sell advanced oral dosage delivery developer Capsugel to pharma/biotech Swiss based firm Lonza for $5.5 billion. $KKR PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) completes $4.0 billion cash acquisition of Virgin America, now 5th largest US airline. $ALK PR link.

Arthur J Gallagher(PBR515) acquires Phoenix, AZ, based employee benefits/human resources consulting firm MW Bagnall Co. $AJG PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) releases statement regarding 1 billion user data security breach in 2013. $YHOO PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) announces agreements with 3rd party investors to invest $1.55 billion to support Formula 1 acquisition. $LMCA PR link.

Hologic(PBR767) to divest blood screening business to partner Grifols for $1.85 billion. $HOLX PR link.

Albemarle(PBR792) completes $3.2 billion sale of Chemetall Surface Treatment business. $ALB PR link.

ExxonMobil(PBR2) chairman/CEO Rex Tillerson to retire 12/31/16, president Darren Woods is successor. $XOM PR link.

Host Hotels(PBR455) president/CEO W Edward Walter to retire 12/31/16, EVP James Risoleo to be successor. $HST PR link.

Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR518) appoints Kelly Tompkins as EVP/COO, Tim Flanagan EVP/CFO, treasurer, and chief accounting officer. $CLF PR link.

Pitney Bowes(PBR588) hires Stan Sutula III as EVP/CFO, succeeds Mike Monahan who remains COO. $PBI PR link.

Lincoln Electric(PBR710) EVP/General Counsel Fred Steuber to retire in 04/17, Jennifer Ansbury to be successor. $LECO PR link.

A. Schulman(PBR791) hires Gary Phillips as Chief Commercial Officer. $SHLM PR link.

SemGroup(PBR866) chairman John Chlebowski to retire 12/31/16, director Thomas McDaniel elected chairman starting 01/01/17. $SEMG PR link.

Pier 1 Imports(PBR916) president/CEO Alex Smith leaving effective 12/31/16, chairman Terry Loudon adds interim president/CEO role. $PIR PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board releases FOMC statement, raising federal funds rate 0.25% to 0.50%-0.75%. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US November Producer Price Index at +0.4%, October was +0.0%, last 12 months(Unadjusted) +1.3%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US October MTIS Total Sales at $1.327 trillion, +0.8% from September, +0.8% from October 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US November Total Retail Sales at $465.5 billion, +0.1% from October, +3.7% from November 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board estimates US November Industrial Production Total Index(2012=100) was 103.9, October 104.3, November 2015 104.5. FRB PR link.

Prime Lending Rate: As a result of the Federal Reserve Board raising the Federal Funds Interest Rate to 0.50-0.75%, many banks raise their Prime Lending Rate from 3.50% to 3.75%.

Tuesday, December 13:

IBM(PBR25 $IBM) to hire 25,000 over 4 years in ‘new collar’ jobs says CEO Ginni Rometty in USA Today opinion piece. USAToday PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) announces it has ended discussions with Actelion Pharmaceuticals. $JNJ PR link.

Alphabet(PBR44) is spinning out its driverless car company into new unit called Waymo. $GOOG PR link.

Monsanto(PBR187) shareholders approve $128/share, $66 billion cash acquisition by Germany’s Bayer AG, to close by end of 2017. $MON PR link.

Wynn Resorts(PBR427) to get $472 million and have 50.1% ownership in joint venture with Crown Acquisitions to develop & operate retail offerings at Wynn Las Vegas. $WYNN PR link.

JetBlue(PBR429) increases share buyback plan to $500 million, expires 12/31/19. $JBLU PR link.

Intuitive Surgical(PBR863) increases share repurchase program to up to $3.0 billion. $ISRG PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR1013) announces partnership with real estate developer Miral to develop SeaWorld Abu Dhabi by 2022. $SEAS PR link.

Facebook(PBR228) shakes up virtual-reality efforts with Oculus CEO stepping down. MarketWatch PR link.

Hertz(PBR259) hires Kathy Marinello as president/CEO starting 01/03/17, succeeds retiring John Tague. $HTZ PR link.

KBR(PBR395) hires Mark Sopp as CFO, effective in 1Q17, succeeds retiring Brian Ferraioli. $KBR PR link.

Barnes & Noble(PBR408) relieves Jaime Carey from president, development & restaurant responsibilities, has resigned. $BKS PR link.

CIT Group(PBR608) hires Gina Proia as EVP/Chief Marketing Officer & Communications Officer. $CIT PR link.

TimeInc(PBR631) Chief Revenue Officer Mark Ford to step down, assume new role of EVP/Senior Strategic Sales Advisor starting 01/09/17, Brad Elders is successor; president/COO, Sales & Marketing Mark Ellis, to leave effective 03/01/17. $TIME PR link.

Tailored Brands(PBR643) hires Jack Calandra as CFO starting 01/03/17. $TLRD PR link.

Kennametal(PBR706) promotes Michelle R. Keating to VP, Secretary & General Counsel. $KMT PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) hires Kevin Morris as EVP/General Counsel. $DPZ PR link.

Minerals Tech(PBR949) elects Doug Dietrich as CEO. $MTX PR link.

Och-Ziff Capital(PBR978) hires Alesia Haas as CFO, succeeds retiring Joel Frank; David Levine hired as Chief Legal Officer, succeeds retiring David Becker. $OZM PR link.

Red Robin(PBR1046) hires Guy Constant as EVP/CFO. $RRGB PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US November Import Prices Year-over-Year were -0.1%, Export Prices -0.3%. USDOL PR link.

Manpower(PBR132) releases US 1Q2017 Employment Outlook survey, 19% to increase staff, 73% no change. $MAN PR link.

CoreLogic says US October Foreclosure Housing Inventory at 328,000, -31.5% from Oct 2015, 0.8% of all US mortgaged homes. CoreLogic PR link.

Monday, December 12:

Boeing(PBR27) gets 80 airplanes, $16 billion order from Iran Air, will support nearly 100,000 US jobs. $BA PR link.

Dover(PBR343) completes $780 million cash acquisition of Austin, TX, based global provider of fuel dispensing, payment, systems and aftermarket services for retail and commercial fuel stations Wayne Fueling Systems. $DOV PR link.

Quest Diagnostics(PBR353) announces partial data security breach of 34,000 individual records. $DGX PR link.

Newell Brands(PBR434) to acquire New Zealand based food storage containers provider Sistema Plastics for $470 million; to acquire home fragrances provider Smith Mountain Industries, brand name WoodWick Candle, for $100 million. $NWL PR link.

Patterson-UTI Energy(PBR654) to acquire Seventy Seven Energy in mostly stock deal valued at $1.76 billion. $PTEN PR link.

SunPower(PBR680) sells majority interest in 2 Kern County, CA, solar projects, 67.4 MW each, will operate & maintain facilities. $SPWR PR link.

Scotts Miracle-Gro(PBR705) acquires smart water controllers maker Blossom & soil sensors/smart water valve systems provider PlantLink, terms not disclosed. $SMG PR link.

Viacom(PBR224) interim CEO Bob Bakish now president/CEO; terminates exploring merger with CBS(PBR210). $VIA PR link.

Ball Corp(PBR312) promotes Daniel Fisher to corporate SVP & COO/global beverage packaging, succeeds leaving Erik Bouts. $BLL PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) founder/chairman now also sole CEO, Monty Moran has stepped down as co-CEO & member of the board. $CMG PR link.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals(PBR840) CEO David Hallal resigns, board member David Brennan appointed interim CEO; David Anderson hired as CFO. $ALXN PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says 2 Month YTD(Nov) Receipts at $421.6 billion, Outlays $602.4 billion, Deficit $180.8 billion. 2015 Deficit was $201.1 billion Treasury PR link.

Friday, December 9:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 12/09/16 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 19,756.85, +3.06% from last Friday, +3.31% MTD, +7.91% QTD, +13.38% YTD, -0.00% from record 19,756.85 on 12/09/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,444.50, +3.59% from last Friday, +2.27% MTD, +2.49% QTD, +8.73% YTD, -0.00% from record 5,444.50 on 12/09/16.
SPX ends week at 2,259.53, +3.08% from last Friday, +2.76% MTD, +4.21% QTD, +10.55% YTD, -0.00% from record 2,259.53 on 12/09/16.

Apollo Education(PBR681 $APOL) $1.14 billion acquisition by investor group lead by Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906 $APO) dependent on posting $385 million letter of credit per US Dept of Education. MarketWatch PR link.

HB Fuller(PBR870) to eliminate/relocate 220 positions globally in accelerated restructuring program. $FUL PR link.

Ferro Corp(PBR1054) completes $54 million acquisition of Belgium based Cappelle Pigments. $FOE PR link.

Coca-Cola(PBR63) president/COO James Quincey to succeed Muhtar Kent as CEO on 05/01/17, Kent to continue as chairman. $KO PR link.

Ascena Retail(PBR499) president/CEO David Jaffe now also chairman. $ASNA PR link.

CME Group(PBR664) promotes Julie Winkler to chief commercial officer, Kim Taylor to president-Clearing/Post-Trade Services. $CME PR link.

Panera Bread(PBR768) promotes Blaine Hurst to president, succeeds Drew Madsen who has resigned. $PNRA PR link.

Titan Intl(PBR910) president Paul Reitz to add CEO role on 01/01/17. $TWI PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US October Wholesale Sales at $452.2 billion, +1.4% from September, +2.2% from October 2015. USDOC PR link.

The University of Michigan preliminary survey says US December Consumer Sentiment Index at 98.0, November was 93.8, December 2015 92.6. UMich PR link.

Thursday, December 8:

The PBR1000 November Snapshot 12
Top 5 Stock Price Gainers YTD Summary:

1. Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR832), $CLF, +458%
2. AK Steel(PBR354), $AKS, +308%
3. US Steel(PBR227), $X, +305%
4. Navistar(PBR264), $NAV, +248%
5. SunCoke Energy(PBR950), $SXC, +229%

Range: +458% to -80%
Companies >+0%: 715/1,000
Average: +11.0%
Median: +12.2%

Get the full Snapshot 12 list with more details and the 14 other analytical snapshots with a 2 month or significantly discounted annual The PBR1000 subscription today! Subscribe link.

Ford(PBR10) tops automotive industry for patents granted in 2016 with 3,200, 1,500 to employees YTD. $F PR link.

3M(PBR92) to sell 450 employees $215 million/yr identity management business to global digital security company Gemalto for $850 million. $MMM PR link.

LinkedIn(PBR843) $26.2 billion acquisition by Microsoft(PBR31) is completed per Jeff Weiner blog post. $LNKD PR link.

MDC Holdings(PBR952)’s Richmond American opens seven new communities In Denver-metro area. $MDC PR link.

UNUM(PBR261) non-executive chairman Thomas Watjen to not run for re-election at 05/17 annual meeting, lead independent director Kevin Kabat to be recommended to shareholders. $UNM PR link.

Great Plains Energy(PBR757) announces leadership team when acquisition of Westar Energy(PBR747 $WR) is completed in spring 2017. $GXP PR link.

KB Home(PBR802) promotes Chris Apostolopoulos to Regional President of Its California operations. $KBH PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906) hires Gary Parr as senior managing director & co-chairman of the Management Operating Committee. $APO PR link.

Titan Intl(PBR910) interim CFO James Froisland transitions to CFO. $TWI PR link.

The US Federal Reserve says US 3Q16 Households Networth at $90.196 trillion, +1.3% from 2Q16, +6.0% from 3Q15. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US September Average Employee Cost/Hr was $23.42 wages/salaries, $10.73 benefits, total $34.15, +2.4% from September 2015. USDOL PR link.

Wednesday, December 7:

Comcast(PBR42) is Official Partner of US Olympic Committee through 2020; NBCUniversal unit has broadcast rights through 2032. $CMCSA PR link.

Staples(PBR122) to keep 15% equity in $1.9 billion/yr European business in sale to Cerberus Capital Management. $SPLS PR link.

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

Starbucks(PBR178) announces 5 year plan, to open 12,000 more stores globally by 2021, will have 37,000 stores total. $SBUX PR link.

Corning(PBR281) authorizes new $4.0 billion share repurchase program. $GLW PR link.

Royal Caribbean(PBR329) gets Cuban government approval for cruises to Cuba, to announce Florida-Cuba cruises soon. $RCL PR link.

FIS(PBR394) to sell SunGard Public Sector and Education businesses to Vista Equity Partners for $850 million. $FIS PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) settles consumer lawsuit, to close $4.0 billion cash acquisition of Virgin America soon. $ALK PR link.

Triumph Group(PBR578) selling Triumph Air Repair-Asia & Triumph Engines units, combined revenues of $81 million/yr, to The Gores Group. $TGI PR link.

Varian Medical(PBR678) spinoff of independent public company Varex Imaging to be completed by 01/31/17, includes $200 million cash transfer to Varian. $VAR PR link.

SunPower(PBR680) announces restructuring program, to lay off 25%(2,500) of global workforce. $SPWR PR link.

Curtiss-Wright(PBR837) expands share repurchase program to $200 million. $CW PR link.

Fitbit(PBR870) has acquired key smartwatch developer Pebbles personnel & intellectual property related to software/firmware, excludes hardware. $FIT PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) opens first store in Sweden in Malmo, delivery/dine-in. $DPZ PR link.

Nu Skin(PBR756) president/CEO Truman Hunt to leave mid-2017 for leadership position in Mormon church; CFO Ritch Wood to be CEO, Ryan Napierski president. $NUS PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US October Job Openings at 5.534 million, -1.7% from September, +2.1% from October 2015. USDOL PR link.

The US Federal Reserve Board estimates US October Consumer Credit at $3.727 trillion, +0.4% from September, +5.4% YTD, +6.1% from October 2015. FRB PR link.

Tuesday, December 6:

Phillips 66(PBR7) sets world record 11.84% for organic solar cell efficiency, for future thin film lightweight low cost manufacturing applications. $PSX PR link.

Ingram Micro(PBR62) $38.90/share, $6.0 billion acquisition by China based Tianjin Tianhai is completed. $IM PR link.

Nucor(PBR130) to acquire Southland Tube for $130 million. $NUE PR link.

Micron Technology(PBR180) completes $4.0 billion acquisition of Inotera Memories of Taiwan. $MU PR link.

KKR(PBR332) to acquire 100% equity in UK’s gas & electric smartmeters provider Calvin Capital, has contracts for 8+ million smartmeters. $KKR PR link.

Genesco(PBR702) selling its SureGrip Footwear subsidiary to Shoes for Crews, terms not disclosed. $GCO PR link.

Equinix(PBR793) to acquire 24 Verizon(PBR15 $VZ) data centers in North/South America for $3.6 billion cash. $EQIX PR link.

MasterCard(PBR291) authorizes new $4.0 billion share repurchase program, to start upon completion of current $4.0 billion program. $MA PR link.

Alaska Air(PBR454) gets Justice Department approval for $4.0 billion acquisition of Virgin America. $ALK PR link.

Roper Technologies(PBR614) to acquire 22,000 clients global project management software/information solutions provider Deltek for $2.8 billion cash. $ROP PR link.

Kroger(PBR20) group VP/Chief Digital Officer Kevin Dougherty retiring on 01/27/17, Yael Cosset hired as successor. $KR PR link.

Avnet(PBR100) hires Kevin Summers as chief information officer. $AVT PR link.

American Electric Power(PBR174) announces organizational and several executive leadership changes to be effective 01/01/17. $AEP PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US October Exports YTD at $1.836 trillion, Imports $2.245 trillion, Deficit $409 billion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US October Manufacturing New Orders at $469.5 billion, +2.8% from September, +1.3% from October 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US 3Q16 Labor Productivity was +3.5% annual rate from 2Q16, 2Q16 was -0.4%, 3Q15 +2.3%. USDOL PR link.

PurdueU/CME US Nov Ag Barometer Composite Index at 116, October was 92, November 2015 97. PurdueU PR link.

Monday, December 5:

Chesapeake Energy(PBR131) to sell first of two Haynesville shale acreage positions for $450 million; $2 billion in divestitures in 2016. $CHK PR link.

Energy Transfer Partners & Sunoco Logistics(PBR158 $SON) respond to US Army’s Dakota Access Pipeline decision to not allow easement. $ETP PR link.

General Mills(PBR162) to reorganize into 4 global business groups, leadership announced, starts 01/01/17. $GIS PR link.

SuperValu(PBR164) completes $1.365 billion sale of Save-A-Lot business to Canada’s Onex Corp(TSX: OCX). $SVU PR link.

Centene(PBR177) Health-Net members get access to Tenet Healthcare(PBR161) services in 18 states in 3 year deal. $THC PR link.

Hilton Worldwide(PBR262) to spin-off of Park Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Grand Vacations as independent public companies; 1:3 reverse stock split scheduled for 01/03/17. $HLT PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314), Caesars Entertainment Operating Co get 90% approval vote by creditors, confirmation hearing scheduled for 01/17/17. $CZR PR link.

FMC Technologies(PBR334) & France based Technip(EUROnext: TEC) shareholders approve $13 billion merger, to close early 2017. $FTI PR link.

Under Armour(PBR668) gets its first professional league uniform deal with exclusive 10 year partnership with Fanatics & Major League Baseball, starts in 2020. $UA PR link.

WABCO(PBR704) authorizes new $600 million share buyback program. $WBC PR link.

Vornado(PBR Realty Trust(PBR738) completes $400 million refinancing of 350 Park Avenue realizing $111 million of net proceeds. $VNO PR link.

Domino’s Pizza(PBR889) 59 Phoenix area stores to hire 300 new team members. $DPZ PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) promotes Tom Gorke to EVP/Content Distribution, succeeds leaving Denise Denson. $VIA PR link.

LPL Financial(PBR543) president Dan Arnold to also be CEO upon retirement of Mark Casady on 01/03/17. $LPLA PR link.

Fortune Brands(PBR569) hires Tracey Belcourt as SVP/Global Growth & Development. $FBHS PR link.

ISM US November Non-Manufacturing Index at 57.2%, October was 54.8%, September 57.1%. ISM PR link.

Markit US November Final Composite PMI Output Index at 54.9, October was 54.9, September 52.3. Markit PR link.

Wearables Market: IDC says fitness trackers in the lead as wearables market grows 3.1% to 23 million shipped units in 3Q2016, Fitbit(PBR870 $FIT) leads with 5.3 million. IDC PR link.

Friday, December 2:

The PBRMarketTools Week Ending 12/02/16 US Stock Exchanges Recap:
DJIA ends week at 19,170.42, +0.10% from last Friday, +0.24% MTD, +4.71% QTD, +10.02% YTD, -0.11% from record 19,191.93 on 12/01/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,255.65, -2.65% from last Friday, -1.28% MTD, -1.06% QTD, +4.96% YTD, -2.65% from record 5,398.92 on 11/25/16.
SPX ends week at 2,191.95, -0.97% from last Friday, -0.31% MTD, +1.09% QTD, +7.24% YTD, -0.97% from record 2,213.35 on 11/25/16.

Allergan(PBR219)‘s ulcerative colitis therapy DELZICOL® (mesalamine) patent to expire 04/13/20 per settlement agreement. $AGN PR link.

Teleflex(PBR923) to acquire medical devices developer Vascular Solutions(NASDAQ: VASC) for 56.00/share, $1 billion cash. $TFX PR link.

Delta Air Lines(PBR72) announces Ned Walker returning as Chief Communications Officer, succeeds leaving Kevin Shinkle. $DALPR link.

Xerox(PBR144) hires Bill Osborne as CFO starting 12/05/16 after spinoff of Conduent, succeeds retiring Leslie Varon. $XRX PR link.

Stanley Black & Decker(PBR249) appoints lead independent director George Buckley board chairman starting 01/01/17, succeeds retiring John Lundgren. $SWK PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US November Number People Employed at 152.085 million, +160,000 from October, +2.641 million from November 2015. USDOL PR link.

Thursday, December 1:

The PBR1000 November Snapshot 11
Top 5 Stock Price Gainers Summary:

1. FreddieMac(PBR43), $FMCC, +175%
2. FannieMae(PBR18), $FNMA, +164%
3. AK Steel(PBR354), $AKS, +76%
4. US Steel(PBR227), $X, +67%
5. Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR832), $CLF, +60%

Range: +175% to -41%
Companies >+0%: 764/1,000
Average: +6.45%
Median: +7.42%

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

Penske Automotive(PBR170) to acquire 5 locations $350 million/year Pennsylvania based used vehicles retailer CarSense. $PAG PR link.

Parker-Hannifin(PBR218) to acquire filtration company CLARCOR(PBR983 $CLC) for $83.00/share, $4.3 billion cash, includes debt. $PH PR link.

PVH(PBR328) forms joint venture with Grupo Axo for additional brands distribution in Mexico. $PVH PR link.

Calpine Corp(PBR330) completes $900 million acquisition of largest US independent power suppier to commercial/industrial retail customers Noble Americas Energy Solutions. $CPN PR link.

Weyerhauser(PBR355) completes $2.2 billion cash sale of Cellulose Fibers pulp mills to International Paper(PBR117 $IP). $WY PR link.

Celanese(PBR369) completes acquisition of Italy based 550 employees independent global thermoplastics compounder S.O.F.TER Group. $CE PR link.

CA Technologies(PBR550) to acquire Austria based 600 employees business automation software provider Automic for around $640 million. $CA PR link.

Danaher(PBR137) promotes Rainer Blair to EVP/Life Sciences, starts 01/01/17. $DHR PR link.

Progressive Corp(PBR145) promotes Lori Niederst to Chief Human Resources Officer, succeeds retiring Valerie Krasowski. $PGR PR link.

Starbucks(PBR178) chairman/CEO Howard Schultz to become executive chairman on 04/03/17, president/COO Kevin Johnson to be president/CEO. $SBUX PR link.

Texas Instruments(PBR220) promotes Rafael Lizardi to CFO starting 02/01/17, succeeds retiring Kevin March. $TXN PR link.

Avon Products(PBR303) hires Jamie Wilson as EVP/CFO starting 01/01/17, COO/CFO James Scully to remain COO. $AVP PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US October Total Construction Spending Annual Rate at $1.173 trillion, +0.5% from September, +4.4% from October 2015. USDOC PR link.

The November Manufacturing ISM Report on Business PMI Index at 53.2%, October was 51.9%, September 51.5%. ISM PR link.

The November Markit US Manufacturing PMI at 54.1, October was 53.4, September 51.5. Markit PR link.

TrueCar says November New Auto Average Transaction Price at $32,667, -1.9% from November 2015. TrueCar PR link.

Automotive News says US November New Auto Sales Units at 1,378,635, +3.6% from November 2015, Annual Rate at 17.83M. Automotive News PR link.

(The PBR1000 is the premiere business intelligence service covering over 1,000 of the largest publicly held companies with principle or administration headquarters in the US. These companies generate nearly $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users worldwide include C-level executives, entrepreneurs,  sales/marketing/advertising professionals, investors/investment advisors, business professors/students, human resources/career counselors/job seekers, federal/state/local government agencies, social causes organizations, to name just a few. To order your monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just go to the PBRMarketTools.com Subscribe page.)

(Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Copyright © 2017 by Pax Business Resources, LLC, Tucson, AZ, USA, All Rights Reserved.

The PBR1000 November 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

November 2016: The Surprise Trump Bump

ID-100106700 Christmas Stock Market-imagerymajestic

The Trump Bump has been a nice Christmas gift for stock investors.

By Larry C. Paxton

The first part of November continued the downward trend of the last week of October for the US stock exchanges. The US presidential race was taking its toll on the public and investors with two very unpopular candidates leading the charge by lobbing huge questionable accusations at each other and making seemingly impossible promises. 

As if in a sigh of relief that it was about to be over all 3 major US stock exchanges recorded a 2+% gain the day before the election. The day of the election there was a .4-.5% gain. As polls closed and results tallied the improbable path to victory for Donald J Trump became a reality, and we now have elected our 45th US President. The next day there was another upward spike of over 1%, then mostly positive and record days during the rest of the month.

Here are some November summaries on the US stock exchanges:

Number of Trading Days: 21

Number of Gain(+)/Loss(-) Days: DJIA 14+, 7-; NASDAQ 15+, 6-; SPX 11+, 10-.

Record Days: DJIA 8, NASDAQ 3, SPX 4

Gain Streaks: DJIA 7, NASDAQ 3, SPX 4

Loss Streaks: DJIA 7(includes 3 days from October), NASDAQ 9(includes 5 from October), SPX 9(includes 5 from October)

Big Swing Up Days: 11/07/16(day before election), 11/09/16(day after election)

Big Swing Down Days: Streak of 7-9 down days in late October/early November before the election, 11/28/16(Monday after Thanksgiving Weekend with Black Friday shopping day)

The following are Top 5 partial tables excerpts from The PBR1000 November Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on November 30th, Month % Chg is compared to October 31st, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 23 Months % Chg is compared to December 31, 2014.

To get the complete The PBR1000 Snapshots  just click here to get your 2 month or significantly discounted 13 month subscription and automatically download the November 2016 edition with the complete 15 Snapshots.

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

Table 1 Summary: The range was +175% to -41%. 764 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 6.45%, the median was a gain of 7.42%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
11/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
FreddieMac
43 FMCC 4.40 +175 +172 +114
FannieMae
18 FNMA 4.49 +164 +174 +118
AK Steel
353 AKS 9.13 +76 +308 +54
US Steel
229 X 32.34 +67 +305 +21
Cliffs Natural Resources
830 CLF 8.81 +60 +458 +23

 

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +458% to -80%. 715 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 11.0%. The median was a gain of 12.2%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
11/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
830 CLF 8.81 +60 +458 +23
AK Steel
353 AKS 9.13 +76 +308 +54
US Steel
229 X 32.34 +67 +305 +21
Navistar
264 NAV 30.76 +38 +248 -8
SunCoke Energy
949 SXC 11.42 +12 +229 -41

 

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +360% to -90%. 555 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 5.2%. The median was a gain of 4.1%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
11/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
NVIDIA
452 NVDA 92.20 +30 +180 +360
AMD 533 AMD 8.91 +23 +210 +234
SkyWest 634 SKYW
36.85 +22 +94 +177
Amazon 20 AMZN 750.57 -5 +11 +142
Netflix
350 NFLX 117.00 -6 +2 +140

 

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $589.33 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $21.46 billion, median is $6.90 billion, out of 1,000 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
11/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
Apple
3 AAPL 589.33 -2.7 +0.4 -8.8
Alphabet
34 GOOG 522.47 -3.4 +0.1 +46.3
Microsoft
31 MSFT 468.54 +0.6 +5.7 +22.4
Berkshire Hathaway
148 BRK 388.83 +9.5 +19.5 +7.5
ExxonMobil 20 XOM 362.01 +4.8 +4.8 -7.5
The PBR1000
  21,459.34 +3.9 +6.8 +4.6

 

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

Company Price
11/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
23 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 73,677.40 +6.5 +11.0 +5.2
DJIA 19,123.58 +5.4 +9.8 +7.3
NASDAQ 5,323.68 +2.6 +6.3 +12.4
S&P500 2,198.81 +3.4 +7.6 +6.8
GOLD 1,173.90 -8.1 +10.7 -0.9
SILVER 16.48 -8.0 +19.4 +5.6
OIL 49.44 +5.3 +33.5 -7.2

 

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

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

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

(Photo made available by FreeDigitalPhotos.net, imagerymajestic.)

The PBR1000 October 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

October 2016: Who Will Be President?

businessmen-voting-sira-anamwong-id-100459607

Voting in a Free Democratic Society, a Great Privilege.

 

By Larry C. Paxton

During the first part of October stock exchanges were mostly positive. But during the second half of the month there was an increasingly negative tone, mostly related to the US Presidential Race. Out of 21 trading days the DJIA and S&P500 had 7 gain days and 14 loss days. The NASDAQ showed the widest variability with 8 days positive, 13 days negative. October 11 saw a change of -1.54% based on earnings reports and down oil prices. The other extreme was October 24, up 1.00% based on some big merger/acquisition deals. The longest gain streaks for all 3 exchanges was 2 days,  the DJIA longest loss streak was 2 days but both the NASDAQ and S&P500 had 5 day loss streaks that ended the month, caused primarily by the tightening of the US Presidential Race and the increasing uncertainty over who will win.

The PBR1000 companies in The Top 5 Tables had an emphasis on energy related companies, some planning to emerge from bankruptcy soon, and mostly from the 2nd half of The PBR1000.

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 October 2016 15 Snapshots edition.

The following partial tables are excerpts from The PBR1000 October Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on October 31st, Month % Chg is compared to September 30th, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 22 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 +465.52% to -54.25%. 316 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a loss of 3.07%, the median was a loss of 2.74%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
10/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
Peabody Energy
416 BTUUQ 8.75 +465.52 +13.93 n/a
LINN Energy
668 LINEQ 0.22 +290.91 n/a n/a
SunEdison
744 SUNEQ 0.19 +36.61 n/a n/a
TeamHealth
392 TMH 42.85 +31.60 -2.37 -25.52
SunCoke Energy
953 SXC 10.21 +27.31 +194.24 -47.21

 

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +249.37% to -82.42%. 618 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 4.27%. The median was a gain of 6.07%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
10/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
832 CLF 5.52 -5.64 +249.37 -22.69
Cloud Peak Energy 984 CLD 6.16 +13.24 +196.15 -32.90
SunCoke Energy
950 SXC 10.21 +27.31 +194.24 -47.21
Titan International
944 TWI 10.19 +0.69 +158.63 -4.14
Quad/Graphics
478 QUAD 23.76 -11.08 +155.48 +3.48

 

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +254.91% to -90.21%. 445 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a loss of 1.06%. The median was a loss of 3.83%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
10/31/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
NVIDIA
452 NVDA 71.16 +3.85 +115.90 +254.91
AMD 533 AMD 7.23 +4.63 +151.92 +170.79
Netflix 351 NFLX
124.87 +26.71 +9.17 +155.88
Amazon 20 AMZN 789.82 -5.67 +16.86 +154.49
SkyWest
633 SKYW 30.15 +14.16 +58.52 +127.03

 

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $605.43 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $20.66 billion, median is $6.34 billion, out of 1,000 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
10/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
Apple
3 AAPL 605.43 -0.61 +3.16 -6.48
Alphabet
34 GOOG 540.65 +1.21 +3.59 +51.40
Microsoft
31 MSFT 465.90 +3.80 +5.13 +21.68
Facebook
148 FB 376.16 +2.12 +27.09 +72.95
Amazon 20 AMZN 375.30 -5.45 +18.45 +161.17
The PBR1000
  20,662.10 -2.24 +2.81 +0.75

 

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

Company Price
10/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
22 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 69,527.64 -3.07 +4.27 -1.06
DJIA 18,142.42 -0.91 +4.12 +1.79
NASDAQ 5,189.13 -2.31 +3.63 +9.57
S&P500 2,126.15 -1.94 +4.02 +3.27
GOLD 1,277.70 -3.12 +20.51 +7.83
SILVER 17.91 -6.96 +29.78 +14.81
OIL 46.94 -2.31 +26.73 -11.88

 

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 monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo made available by GraphicsStock.com)

The PBR1000 September 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

September 2016: When Will Fed Rates Rise, How Will Stocks Respond?

Wall Street photo_8905_20091020

Wall Street Anxiously Waits. Federal Funds Rates Will Increase, But When?

By Larry C. Paxton

There were some big swings in the major US Stock Exchanges  during September 2016. The NASDAQ showed the most variability with 13 days positive, 8 days negative and had only 9 trading days out of 21 that varied between a -0.50% to +0.50% change. The longest streaks also belonged with the NASDAQ with a 4 day win streak and all 3 had some 2 day loss streaks. September 9th experienced the biggest swing during the month with all 3 exchanges losing over 2% based on concern that the Federal Reserve would raise federal funds interest rates. The ongoing saga of the ups and downs of the oil markets continued to contribute some anxieties throughout the month as well.

It is still uncertain if the UK’s leaving the European Union, Brexit, will be soft or hard, the effect will be more dramatic for the EU countries, but there will also be some impact on the US economy and stocks.

The stock market also seems to also be taking a “wait and see” attitude on the contentious US presidential race as the candidates continue to roll out their economic plans which are then immediately attacked as horrible by both sides.

The PBR1000 companies in The Top 5 Tables continue to be spread across a wide variety of industries.

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 September 2016 15 Snapshots edition.

The following partial tables are excerpts from The PBR1000 September Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on September 30th, Month % Chg is compared to August 31st, YTD % Chg is compared to December 31, 2015, and the 21 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 +63.03% to -42.32%. 491 out of 1,000 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 0.18%, the median was a loss of 0.10%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
09/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
Navistar
264 NAV 22.89 +63.03 +158.94 -31.63
Conn’s
906 CONN 10.32 +51.99 -56.03 -44.78
Scientific Games
688 SGMS 11.27 +36.61 +25.64 -11.47
Liberty Media
472 LMCA 28.65 +33.88 -27.01 -18.77
Cloud Peak Energy
986 CLD 5.44 +31.72 +161.54 -40.74

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +270.25% to -99.01%. 661 out of 999 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 7.58%. The median was a gain of 9.13%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
09/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
832 CLF 5.85 +2.63 +270.25 -18.07
Quad/Graphics 479 QUAD 26.72 -1.37 +187.31 +16.38
Cloud Peak Energy
986 CLD 5.44 +31.72 +161.54 -40.75
Navistar
264 NAV 22.89 +63.03 +158.94 -31.63
Titan International
946 TWI 10.12 +10.12 +156.85 -4.80

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +241.75% to -99.74%. 471 out of 994 stock prices were up 0.00% or more. The average was a gain of 2.07%. The median was a loss of 1.24%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
09/30/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
NVIDIA
453 NVDA 68.52 +11.71 +107.89 +241.75
Amazon 19 AMZN 837.31 +8.86 +23.88 +169.80
AMD 533 AMD 6.91 -6.62 +140.77 +158.80
Activision Blizzard 480 ATVI 44.30 +7.08 +14.44 +119.85
Insperity
718 NSP 72.64 +10.82 +50.86 +114.34

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $609.16 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $21.15 billion, median is $6.40 billion, out of 999 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
09/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
Apple
3 AAPL 609.16 +6.55 +3.80 -5.91
Alphabet
35 GOOG 534.21 +1.34 +2.36 +49.60
Microsoft
25 MSFT 448.85 +0.24 +1.28 +17.22
Amazon
19 AMZN 396.95 +8.86 +25.29 +176.34
Facebook 147 FB 368.35 +1.71 +24.45 +69.36
The PBR1000
  21,132.84 -0.17 +5.16 +3.03

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

Company Price
09/30/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
21 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 71,739.53 +0.18 +7.58 +2.07
DJIA 18,308.15 -0.50 +5.07 +2.72
NASDAQ 5,312.00 +1.89 +6.08 +12.16
S&P500 2,168.77 -0.12 +6.08 +5.31
GOLD 1,318.80 +0.44 +24.39 +11.30
SILVER 19.25 +2.39 +39.49 +23.40
OIL 48.05 +7.02 +29.72 -9.80

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 monthly or significantly discounted annual subscription, just click here to go to the PBRMarketTools.com Order page.)

(Photo made available by GraphicsStock.com)

The PBR1000 September 2016 Breaking News Recap

September  2016: 3rd Quarter Sets The Stage For Year End

ID-10088157 Plan ABC Signpost-Stuart Miles

Will The US Presidential Election Help You Decide Which Plan To Implement?

 

By Larry C. Paxton

The 3rd quarter has come to an end leaving a lot of questions to be resolved in the 4th quarter.

The biggest US event will be the election of the next president. It is an unconventional race and more emotional than usual. We experienced the first presidential debate in late September. In October we will have the opportunity to see a vice-presidential debate followed by the 2 remaining presidential debates, with the election being the climactic event on November 8. Although neither candidate has been president before, it is a very negative campaign, and neither has a positive approval rating,  the question is: Which one will get fired by the American voters?

Here’s a quick September 2016 summary on key activities that relate to The PBR1000:

US Presidential Debates: 1 down, 2 to go, 1 Vice Presidential debate to be held.

Mergers & Acquisitions: 26 deals worth over $1 billion  initiated, closed, or updated. The most prominent is the controversial proposed acquisition of Monsanto(PBR187) by Germany’s Bayer AG for $66 billion.

Reorganizations/Spinoffs: 5

Bankruptcies: 3 indicating they are emerging from their bankruptcy.

CEO Changes: 20 announced.

Jobs: Several retailers announce their plans for holiday/seasonal hiring.

US Economy: Continued modest/moderate growth, stable but fragile, no federal funds rate increase, but will there be one before the end of the year?

International: Deutsche Bank issues, China slowdown, Bank of Japan decision, fluctuating oil prices, OPEC oil production agreement(really?), North Korea missile tests, Middle East conflicts, refugee crisis, climate change, all continue to create uncertainty.

For more details here are The PBR1000 corporate and economic related breaking news items of interest with hotlinks to the sources for September 2016, starting with the last active business day.

Friday, September 30:

The PBR1000 End of September US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends September at 18,308.15, +0.26% from last Friday, -0.50%% MTD, +2.11% QTD, +5.07% YTD, -1.76% from record 18,636.05 on 08/15/16.
NASDAQ ends September at 5,312.00, +0.12% from last Friday, +1.89% MTD, +9.69% QTD, +6.08% YTD, -0.52% from record 5,339.52 on 09/22/16.
SPX ends September at 2,168.27, +0.17% from last Friday, -0.12% MTD, +3.31 QTD, +6.08% YTD, -1.00% from record 2,190.15 on 08/15/16.

Archer-Daniels-Midland(PBR34) acquires Lake Bluff, IL, 60 employees toll manufacturer of specialty gluten-free and high-protein pastas Caterina Foods. $ADM PR link.

C.H. Robinson(PBR215) completes $225 million cash acquisition of New Zealand/Australia $251 million/FY16 freight forwarding/customs brokerage services provider APC Logistics. $CHRW PR link.

Cognizant Technology(PBR272) conducting internal investigation regarding certain possible improper payments in India; DOJ, SEC notified. $CTSH PR link.

Salesforce(PBR453 $CRM) to press regulators to block Microsoft(PBR31 $MSFT)-LinkedIn(PBR843 $LNKD) deal. MarketWatch PR link.

Lexmark(PBR601) receives US regulatory approval to proceed with $40.50/share, $3.6 billion cash acquisition by Apex Technology/PAG Asia Capital, needs China approval, expects to close in 2016. $LXK PR link.

SemGroup(PBR866) completes acquisition of Rose Rock Midstream(NYSE: RRMS). $SEMG PR link.

Cognizant Technology(PBR272) promotes Raj Mehta to company president, succeeds Gordon Coburn who has resigned. $CTSH PR link.

Berry Plastics(PBR488) promotes Tom Salmon to president/COO; chairman/CEO Jon Rich to retire from CEO role in 02/17. $BERY PR link.

Clean Harbors(PBR629) vice-chairman/president Jim Rutledge has retired. $CLH PR link.

Allison Transmission(PBR865) hires John Coll as SVP-Global Marketing, Sales & Service. $ALSN PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says 09/29/16 US Total National Debt at $19.533 trillion, +0.12% from August, +3.76% YTD. Treasury PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US August Total Personal Income Annual Rate at $16.049 trillion, +0.25% from July, +3.87% from August 2015. USDOC PR link.

US Energy Information Adminstration says 09/23/16 Crude Oil Stocks at 502.7 million barrels, -4.4% from 08/26/16, +9.8% from 09/25/15 EIA PR link.

U of Michigan September Consumer Sentiment Index at 91.2, August was 89.8, September 2015 87.2. UMich PR link.

The September MNI Chicago Business Barometer at 54.2, August was 51.5, July 55.8. MNI/ISM Chicago PR link.

Thursday, September 29:

Microsoft(PBR31) creates new AI and Research Group with 5,000 employees, lead by EVP Harry Shum. $MSFT PR link.

Piedmont Natural Gas(PBR993) $6.7 billion acquisition by Duke Energy(PBR114 $DUK) gets NC Utilities Commission approval, to close 10/03/16. $PNY PR link.

Alcoa(PBR115) to separate into two independent public companies, Alcoa & Arconic, on 11/01/16. $AA PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) confirms receipt of letter from 80% voting shareholder National Amusements to explore combination with CBS(PBR210 $CBS). $VIA PR link.

VISA(PBR224) celebrates 1 year anniversary of US chip card launch, lower fraud rates, mobile payments adoption, international acceptance. $V PR link.

Lithia Motors(PBR451) acquires $75 million/year Greiner Ford Lincoln of Casper, WY. Now has 152 stores. $LAD PR link.

Cliffs Natural Resources(PBR518) 2,000 US Steelworkers in Michigan & Minnesota ratify new 3 year labor contract. $CLF PR link.

AECOM(PBR322) names Randall Wotring president, technical/operational services. $ACM PR link.

American Eagle Outfitters(PBR640) hires Bob Madore as EVP/CFO, effective 10/28/16. $AEO PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce 2Q16 3rd Estimate of Real GDP Annual Rate at 1.4%, $18.450 trillion, +0.92% from 1Q16, +2.51% from 2Q15. USDOC PR link.

US Dept of Labor says US Total Unemployment Insurance Claims 4 Week Moving Average at 2,115,250, -1.9% from previous week, -6.1% previous year. USDOL PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41): 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Average at 3.42%, was 3.43% 08/25/16, 3.86% 09/24/15. $FMCC PR link.

Deutsche Bank crisis threatens to roil global markets. MarketWatch PR link.

OPEC reaches agreement on need to cut oil output. MarketWatch PR link.

Wednesday, September 28:

Medtronic(PBR133) gets FDA approval for world’s first hybrid closed loop insulin delivery system for people with Type 1 diabetes. $MDT PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) gets FDA approval for continuous glucose monitoring system Freestyle Libre Pro. $ABT PR link.

Ashland(PBR407) spinoff Valvoline(NYSE: VVV) closes $22/share IPO, 170 million shares owned by Ashland, 34.5 million by public. $ASH PR link.

Bon-Ton Stores(PBR707) to hire 13,000 associates for the holiday season. $BONT PR link.

Chevron(PBR3) promotes Rhonda Morris to Corporate VP/Human Resources, effective 10/01/16. $CVX PR link.

State Street(PBR260) hires Eric Aboaf as EVP in 12/16, also becomes CFO in 03/17. $STT PR link.

Ferrellgas(PBR801) appoints founder/chairman James Ferrell as interim president/CEO, succeeds Stephen Wambold who has stepped down. $FGP PR link.

Tuesday, September 27:

Wells Fargo(PBR30) launches investigation into retail sales practices, CEO John Stumpf to forfeit $41 million in unvested equity awards. $WFC PR link.

American Express(PBR83) authorizes new repurchase program of up to 150 million shares. $AXP PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314), Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. announce key economic terms of proposed consensual restructuring plan for CEOC. $CZR PR link.

Boston Scientific(PBR356) to acquire endoscopy devices developer EndoChoice for $8.00/share, $210 million. $BSX PR link.

NCR(PBR383) creates history with its 100,000th ATM installation in India. $NCR PR link.

Boyd Gaming(PBR727) completes $380 million cash acquisition of Aliante Casino Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas. $BYD PR link.

Apollo Global Mgmt(PBR906) completes $1.6 billion acquisition of Outerwall(PBR824 $OUTR). $APO PR link.

Pier 1 Imports(PBR916) adopts short-term shareholder rights protection agreement. $PIR PR link.

Corrections Corp(PBR965) to reduce corporate headquarters staff by 50-55 in restructuring, has new cost reduction program. $CXW PR link.

SeaWorld(PBR1013) unveils major new attractions for 2017, investing $175 million. $SEAS PR link.

Tupperware(PBR746) promotes Tricia Stitzel to president/COO effective 10/01/16, succeeds Simon Hemus who becomes vice chairman. $TUP PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce says 2Q16 US Net International Investment Position at Assets $24.5 trillion, Liabilities $32.5 trillion, Deficit $8.0 trillion. USDOC PR link.

The Richmond Federal Reserve Bank says 5th District September Annualized Manufacturing Activity Index at -8%, Aug -11%, July +10%. September Annualized Services Activity Index at +13%, Aug +0%, July +8%. RichmondFed PR link.

Jobs: Labor-force participation rate decline is mostly structural, Fed’s Fischer says. MarketWatch PR link.

The Conference Board says the US September Consumer Confidence Index at 104.1, August was 101.8(1985=100). TCB PR link.

July S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index at 183.47(01/2000=100), June 182.25, July 2015 174.66. HPI PR link.

The World Trade Organization says 2016 global trade to grow at slowest pace since financial crisis, +1.7%, revises 2017 forecast. WTO PR link.

Monday, September 26:

General Motors(PBR8 $GM) 3,900 auto workers in Canada ok new 4 year contract. MarketWatch PR link.

Johnson & Johnson(PBR37) Janssen Biotech unit gets FDA approval for STELARA® (ustekinumab) for the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease in adults. $JNJ PR link.

Pfizer(PBR56) decides to remain one company with two distinct and complementary businesses. $PFE PR link.

YUM!(PBR217) to make Yum China a separate public company by 10/31/16; expects to repurchase $1.1 billion in shares by 12/31/16. $YUM PR link.

Ball Corp(PBR312) to sell Baltimore specialty tin plant to US based Independent Can Company for $25 million. $BLL PR link.

Green Plains(PBR649) completes $237 million cash purchase in bankruptcy sale of 3 Abengoa Bioenergy ethanol plants. $GPRE PR link.

Cracker Barrel(PBR729) authorizes up to $25 million share repurchase program. $CBRL PR link.

Great Plains Energy(PBR757) $12.2 billion acquisition of Westar Energy(PBR747 $WR) gets approval by both shareholder groups, on track to close in spring 2017. $GXP PR link.

Granite Construction(PBR831) to get 1/3 of $875 million joint venture design-build transit project in Hawaii. $GVA PR link.

PerkinElmer(PBR839) to reorganize into 2 business segments, Diagnostics and Discovery & Analytical Solutions. $PKI PR link.

Chemtura(PBR849) to be acquired by Germany based global specialty chemicals company LANXESS AG for $33.50/share, $2.5 billion cash. $CHMT PR link.

Staples(PBR122) interim CEO Shira Goodman now president/CEO. $SPLS PR link.

Lands’ End(PBR976) CEO Federica Marchionni steps down, EVPs Joseph Boitano & James Gooch are Co-Interim CEOs, search starts. $LE PR link.

The US Dept of HUD estimates US August New Family Home Sales Annual Rate at 609,000 units, -7.6% from July, +20.6% from August 2015. HUD PR link.

Harvard economics professor Ken Rogoff warns ‘hard landing’ in China poses biggest threat to global economy. MarketWatch PR link.

Friday, September 23:

The PBR1000 Week Ending 09/23/16 US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 18,261.45, +0.76% from last Friday, -0.76% MTD, +1.85% QTD, +4.80% YTD, -2.01% from record 18,636.05 on 08/15/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,305.75, +1.17% from last Friday, +1.77% MTD, +9.56% QTD, +5.96% YTD, -0.63% from record 5,339.52 on 09/22/16.
SPX ends week at 2,164.69, +1.19% from last Friday, -0.29% MTD, +3.14% QTD, +5.91% YTD, -1.16% from record 2,190.15 on 08/15/16.

General Motors(PBR8 $GM) offers buyouts to 400 Cadillac dealers. MarketWatch PR link.

UPS(PBR47) & drone maker CyPhy Works test drone for urgent commercial delivery. $UPS PR link.

Amgen(PBR135) gets FDA approval for biosimilar AMJEVITA™ (Adalimumab-Atto) for treatment of seven inflammatory diseases. $AMGN PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) cruise joint venture in China signs Memorandum of Agreement to order first new cruise ships built in China for the Chinese market. $CCL PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) gets FDA approval of NATRELLE INSPIRA® Cohesive breast implants. $AGN PR link.

Facebook(PBR228 $FB) apologizes for exaggerating video view times. MarketWatch PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR348) & Williams Partners(NYSE: WPZ) complete sale of Canadian businesses to Interline Pipeline(TSX: IPL) for $1.06 billion cash. $WMB PR link.

TransDigm(PBR810) completes acquisition of $75 million/2016 highly engineered valves and actuators manufacturer Young & Franklin, terms not disclosed. $TDG PR link.

hhgregg(PBR864) to hire 500 store associates for its 220 stores in advance of holiday surge. $HGG PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) VP/Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Hauer leaving 11/01/16, successor search starts. $CAT PR link.

USG Corp(PBR599) EVP Jennifer Scanlon to be president/CEO on 10/31/16 with retirement of chairman/president/CEO James Metcalf. $USG PR link.

Alliant Energy(PBR634) SVP/CFO Tom Hanson retiring on 12/31/16, Robert Duran to be VP/CFO/Treasurer on 12/01/16. $LNT PR link.

Tesla(PBR651) hires Eric Branderiz as VP/Corporate Controller & Chief Accounting Officer, effective 10/24/16. $TSLA PR link.

Endo Intl(PBR700) promotes Paul Campanelli to president/CEO, succeeds Rajiv De Silva who has stepped down. $ENDP PR link.

The US Federal Reserve proposes to restrict bank involvement with physical commodities. MarketWatch PR link.

Investing Opinion: How to make more money in the stock market: Put away your computer. MarketWatch PR link.

Thursday, September 22:

Lockheed(PBR64) adds $2.0 billion to share repurchase program, balance is now $4.3 billion. $LMT PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) completes $13.3 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels(PBR417), now has 30 brands, 5,700+ properties. $MAR PR link.

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

Lennar(PBR340) to acquire Florida community developer/luxury homebuilder WCI Communities(NYSE: WCIC) for $23.50/share, equity value $643 million. $LEN PR link.

Ashland(PBR407) to own 85% of common shares of public spinoff Valvoline, to start trading 09/23/16 on NYSE: VVV. $ASH PR link.

Yahoo!(PBR519) confirms some account information stolen on over 500 million users in late 2014, working with law enforcement. $YHOO PR link.

Tesla(PBR651 $TSLA) files lawsuit to sell cars directly to consumers in Michigan. MarketWatch PR link.

Scripps Networks(PBR732) gets multi-year, multi-platform deal with AT&T(PBR12) to continue to provide its live & on demand channels. $SNI PR link.

Jack in the Box(PBR987) adds $300 million stock buyback program, expires 11/18, $150 million remaining from previous programs. $JACK PR link.

Flowserve(PBR492) president/CEO Mark Blinn to retire upon appointment of successor. $FLS PR link.

The Federal Reserve Board of Chicago says the US August National Activity Index at -0.55, July was +0.24, June +0.09%, slow growth indicated. ChicagoFed PR link.

The National Assn of Realtors says US August Existing Home Sale Median Price was $240,200, -1.6% from July, +5.1% from August 2015. NAR PR link.

The Conference Board says US August Leading Economic Indicator at 124.1(2010=100), moderate growth ahead trend. TCB PR link.

The National Retail Federation says Halloween spending to reach $8.4 billion, highest in survey history. NRF PR link.

Wednesday, September 21:

Target(PBR40) authorizes new $5 billion share repurchase program, to go into effect upon completion of current $10 billion plan. $TGT PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) & its dealers to provide $1 billion over 5 years in business, education, & training across Africa. $CAT PR link.

Facebook(PBR228 $FB) founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg & wife Priscilla Chan pledge $3 billion for eradicating diseases through their for profit philanthropic arm, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, LLC. MarketWatch PR link.

WABCO(PBR704) & Mobileye NV(NYSE: MBLY) to introduce Advanced Driver Assistance System(ADAS) functionalities & Road Experience Management™ (REM™) technology for commercial vehicles. $WBC PR link.

Viacom(PBR212) cuts dividend; interim president/CEO Tom Dooley announces he is leaving effective 11/15/16. $VIA PR link.

Nordstrom(PBR214) appoints EVP Ken Worzel to president, Nordstrom.com; co-presidents responsibilities strategically shifted. $JWN PR link.

NCR(PBR383) hires Mark Benjamin as president/COO. $NCR PR link.

Kapstone(PBR826) Executive Chairman/CEO Roger Stone leaving CEO role on 01/01/17, president/COO Matt Kaplan to be president/CEO; other management changes announced. $KS PR link.

The US Federal Reserve votes 7-3 to keep the federal funds rate at 1/4-1/2%, sees improvement in the economy, but inflation still <2% goal. FRB PR link.

Healthcare: Abbott Labs(PBR134) quotes Plos One study that says malnutrition associated with disease adds $15.5 billion to direct US medical costs. $ABT PR link.

Indiana manufacturers, facing shortage of 1 million workers, go back to drawing board. MarketWatch PR link.

China says it will resume U.S. beef imports. MarketWatch PR link.

Tuesday, September 20:

Microsoft(PBR31) to complete current $40 billion share repurchase program by 12/31/16, authorizes new $40 billion program. $MSFT PR link.

Macy’s(PBR97) to hire 83,000 seasonal workers, 15,000 for fulfillment centers, hiring day event is 08/30/16. $M PR link.

Marriott Intl(PBR211) $13.3 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels(PBR417 $HOT) receives antitrust approval in China, deal expected to close on 09/23/16. $MAR PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) to acquire liver therapies developer Tobira Therapeutics(NASDAQ: TBRA) for up to $1.695 billion cash/stock. $AGN PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) has acquired private liver disease therapies biopharma firm Akarna Therapeutics for $50 million. $AGN PR link.

DeVry Education(PBR905) voluntarily lowers its threshold on federal funding to 85%. $DV PR link.

Principal Financial(PBR265) promotes Deanna Strable to EVP, to add CFO title on 02/14/17, to succeed retiring Terry Lillis. $PFG PR link.

LabCorp(PBR413) hires John Ratliff to be CEO of Covance Drug Development on 10/01/16. $LH PR link.

Greenbrier Cos(PBR846) appoints Jim Cowan to new position of president, Greenbrier International. $GBX PR link.

US Dept of HUD estimates US August Private Housing Building Permits Annual Rate at 1.139 million, -0.4% from July, -2.3% from August 2015. HUD PR link.

FreddieMac(PBR41) September Outlook says mortgage originations poised to surge as economy sputters along. $FMCC PR link.

Monday, September 19:

Merck(PBR70 $MRK) being sued in US by Sanofi to defend its patent rights on Lantus® and Lantus® Solostar® insulin products. $SNY PR link.

Avnet(PBR100) to sell its global IT distributor Technology Solutions unit to Tech Data(PBR99 $TECD) for $2.6 billion cash/stock. $AVT PR link.

Community Health System(PBR125) in preliminary exploration of a variety of options and alternatives for its business. $CYH PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR149) hiring 69,000+ seasonal workers for the holidays. $KSS PR link.

Thermo Fisher Scientific(PBR175) completes $107.50/share, $4.2 billion cash acquisition of high performance electron microscopy provider FEI Company(NASDAQ: $FEIC). $TMO PR link.

SunTrust Banks(PBR307) commemorates its 125th anniversary. $STI PR link.

KBR(PBR395) completes $266 million acquisition of the Honeywell(PBR74 $HON) 3,550 employee $600 million/yr government services provider HTSI. $KBR PR link.

ON Semiconductor(PBR656) completes $20/share, $2.4 billion cash acquisition of Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000 $FCS). $ON PR link.

TerraForm Power exploring strategic alternatives including merger/acquisition, has confidentiality agreement with SunEdison(PBR782 $SUNEQ). $TERP PR link.

Pier 1 Imports(PBR916) gets SEC 13D filing by Alden Global disclosing it has a 9.5% stake in the company. $PIR PR link.

GoPro(PBR1010) intoduces new line of HERO5 cameras and its Karma drone. $GPRO PR link.

Intel(PBR51) hires Bob Swan as EVP/CFO, effective 10/10/16, succeeds Stacy Smith who is taking on other company roles. $INTC PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) hires Jim Slater as Managing Director-Europe. $CMG PR link.

PolyOne(PBR586) promotes James Sloan to VP/Treasurer, succeeds Scott Leffler who has left for a CFO position. $POL PR link.

Wabash Natl(PBR917) promotes Brent Yeagy to president/COO, effective 10/01/16. $WNC PR link.

The National Assn of Homebuilders says September US National Housing Market Index at 65, August was 59, September 2015 61. NAHB PR link.

Friday, September 16:

The PBR1000 Week Ending 09/16/16 US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 18,123.80, +0.21% from last Friday, -1.51% MTD, +1.08% QTD, +4.01% YTD, -2.75% from record 18,636.05 on 08/15/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,244.57, +2.31% from last Friday, +0.60% MTD, +8.30% QTD, +4.74% YTD, -0.59% from record 5,275.91 on 09/06/16.
SPX ends week at 2,139.16, +0.53% from last Friday, -1.46% MTD, +1.92% QTD, +4.66% YTD, -2.33% from record 2,190.15 on 08/15/16.

Ford(PBR10) to accelerate autonomous vehicle research by moving researchers to new robotics lab at U of Michigan in collaborative effort. $F PR link.

AIG(PBR46) to sell stake in Ascot Lloyd’s Syndicate to Canadian Pension Plan for $1.1 billion, will net $240 million. $AIG PR link.

21st Century Fox(PBR91 $FOX) sues Netflix(PBR447 $NFLX) for poaching employees. MarketWatch PR link.

Abbott Labs(PBR134) to sell its Abbott Medical Optics vision care unit to Johnson & Johnson(PBR37 $JNJ)) for $4.325 billion cash. $ABT PR link.

Range Resources(PBR726) completes $15.75/share, $4.4 billion cash acquisition of N. Louisiana natural gas/oil company Memorial Resource Development Corp(ASDAQ: MRD). $RRC PR link.

Twitter(PBR790 $TWTR) reaches more than 2 million people during first broadcast of NFL’s Thursday Night Football. MarketWatch PR link.

Mattress Firm(PBR932) $64/share, $3.8 billion cash acquistion by S Africa based global integrated retailer Steinhoff is completed. $MFRM PR link.

Molina Healthcare(PBR284) hires Britt Travis as new VP/Medicare Sales. $MOH PR link.

The US Federal Reserve estimates US 2Q16 Households Networth at $89.063 trillion, +1.22% from 1Q16, +3.08% from 2Q15. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US August Consumer Price Index for All Items was +0.2% from July, +1.1% over last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US August Current Average Earnings/Hour at $25.73, +0.12% from July, +2.4% from August 2015. USDOL PR link.

The U of Michigan Preliminary US September Index of Consumer Sentiment at 89.8, August Final was 89.8, September 2015 was 87.2. UMich PR link.

Thursday, September 15:

Amazon(PBR29) announces newest & biggest 253 MW Wind Farm West Texas, to open late 2017, power almost 90,000 homes. $AMZN PR link.

Medtronic(PBR133) hires Mark Ploof as SVP/Global Operations & Business Services, succeeds retiring Gary Ellis. $MDT PR link.

Salesforce(PBR453) hires Tony Prophet to new position of Chief Equality Officer. $CRM PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says August US Producer Price Index unchanged from July, also unchanged for last 12 months. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US Total August Mfr/Retail/Wholesale Sales at $1.304 trillion, -0.2% from July, -0.8% from August 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US August Total Retail Sales at $456.3 billion, -0.3% from July, +1.9% from August 2015. USDOC PR link.

The US Federal Reserve estimates US August Total Industry Capacity at 75.5%, July was 75.9%, +0.4% from Aug 2015 FRB PR link.

The Philadephia Federal Reserve says the September General Activity Indicator is at 12.8, August was 2.0, July -2.9. PhillyFed PR link.

The New York Federal Reserve September Empire State Manufacturing Survey General Business Conditions Index at -1.99, August was -4.21, July +0.55. NYFed PR link.

Wednesday, September 14:

Ford(PBR10) to invest $4.5 billion to introduce 13 new electrified vehicles by 2020, cost competitive autonomous ride-sharing vehicles by 2021. $F PR link.

UPS(PBR47) to hire about 95,000 full/part-time seasonal employees for the holiday season. $UPS PR link.

American Electric Power(PBR174) to sell 4 power plants totaling 5,200 MW to Blackstone(PBR352 $BX)/ArcLight joint venture for $2.17 billion. $AEP PR link.

Monsanto(PBR187) agrees to be acquired by Germany’s Bayer AG for $128.00/share, $66 billion cash. $MON PR link.

Allergan(PBR219) to acquire dermatologic conditions therapies developer Vitae Pharmaceuticals for $21.00/share, $639 million cash. $AGN PR link.

RR Donnelley(PBR243) to spinoff LSC Communications & Donnelley Financial Solutions on 10/01/16, then do 1:3 reverse stock split. $RRD PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) hiring 5,000 people through second-annual national career day on 09/28/16. $CMG PR link.

Skechers USA(PBR808) launches joint venture in Israel. $SKX PR link.

Mattress Firm(PBR932) says Steinhoff has completed tender share acquisition offer, transaction to close soon. $MFRM PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US August Imports Price Index -0.2% from July, Y-to-Y -2.2%, Exports -0.8%, Y-to-Y -2.4%. USDOL PR link.

Tuesday, September 13:

Sprint(PBR86) says pre-orders of Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) iPhone7 & iPhone7 Plus up 375% in first 3 days over last year. $S PR link.

T-Mobile US(PBR95) iPhone7 & iPhone7 Plus by Apple(PBR5 $AAPL) 4 day pre-orders up 4x from next most popular iPhone. $TMUS PR link.

Carlisle Cos(PBR650) adds 4.1 million shares to repurchase program, balance now 5.0 million shares. $CSL PR link.

Intl Flavors & Fragrances(PBR666) to acquire Philadelphia based $85 million/yr flavors developer David Michael. $IFF PR link.

Arch Coal(PBR691) plan of reorganization confirmed by court, expects to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 10/16. $ACIIQ PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) wins new 1,460 POS terminals deal with Germany’s $343 million/FY15 SACHSENLOTTO. $SGMS PR link.

JetBlue(PBR429) EVP/CFO Mark Powers to retire on 11/01/16, SVP/Treasurer Jim Leddy to serve as interim CFO. $JBLU PR link.

Tiffany & Co(PBR551) hires Mark Erceg as EVP/CFO, effective 10/18/16. $TIF PR link.

CIT Group(PBR608) hires Stuart Alderoty as EVP/General Counsel & Corporate Secretary. $CIT PR link.

Ruby Tuesday(PBR1041) president/CEO James Buettgen resigns, director F Lane Cardwell, Jr, appointed interim president/CEO; Sue Briley appointed CFO. $RT PR link.

The Atlanta Federal Bank president Dennis Lockhart to step down 02/28/17 after 10 yrs, successor search starts. AtlFed PR link.

The US Dept of Treasury says US August Receipts were $231.3 billion, Outlays $338.4 billion, Deficit $107.1 billion, FY YTD Deficit $620.8 billion. Treasury PR link.

Manpower(PBR132) says Net Employment Outlook of 18% last seen in Q4 2015, strongest since 2007. $MAN PR link.

CoreLogic estimates US July Homes In Serious Delinquency at 1,150,000, -17.3% from July 2015, 449,000 foreclosures completed in last 12 months. CoreLogic PR link.

Monday, September 12:

HP Inc(PBR19) to acquire Samsung Electronics’ printer business for $1.05 billion, plans to reinvent $55 billion printer business. $HPQ PR link.

Alphabet(PBR44 $GOOG)’s Verily Life Sciences unit & France based Sanofi form joint venture OnDue to develop diabetes management platform. Sanofi PR link.

Freeport-McMoRan(PBR128) selling its Deepwater Gulf of Mexico properties to Anadarko Petroleum(PBR154 $APC) for $2.0 billion cash. $FCX PR link.

Sanmina(PBR401) authorizes $150 million stock repurchase program. $SANM PR link.

Perrigo(PBR565 $PRGO) is sent letter by 4.6% shareholder Starboard Value regarding lack of value growth since rejection of Mylan(PBR346) offer. SV PR link.

Albemarle(PBR792) signs agreement for exclusive exploration and acquisition rights to lithium resource in Argentina. $ALB PR link.

E*Trade(PBR930) completes $725 million acquisition of Aperture New Holdings, parent of $104 million/2015 OptionsHouse; Karl Roessner appointed E*Trade CEO. $ETFC PR link.

Frontier Communications(PBR501) hires R Perley McBride to be EVP/CFO. $FTR PR link.

Amkor Technology(PBR659) promotes Megan Faust to VP/CFO, succeeds leaving Joanne Solomon. $AMKR PR link.

Weight Watchers(PBR988) CEO James Chambers resigning, effective 09/30/16, interim office of CEO formed, new CEO search starts. $WTW PR link.

Sunday, September 11:
*** 9/11 15th Anniversay.
*** Remembering Our Lost Ones,
*** Appreciating Our 1st Responders.

Friday, September 9:

The PBR1000 Week Ending 09/09/16 US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 18,085.45, -2.20% from last Friday, -1.71% MTD, +0.87% QTD, +3.79% YTD, -2.95% from record 18,636.05 on 08/15/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,125.91, -2.36% from last Friday, -1.67% MTD, +5.85% QTD, +2.37% YTD, -2.84% from record 5,275.91 on 09/06/16.
SPX ends week at 2,127.81, -2.39% from last Friday, -1.99% MTD, +1.38% QTD, +4.10% YTD, -2.85% from record 2,190.15 on 08/15/16.

General Motors(PBR8) recalling 3.64 million 2014-17 model year vehicles for potential front airbag non-deployment. $GM PR link.

Ford(PBR10) partnering with global cities on new transportation; Chariot Shuttle to be acquired, Ford GoBike to launch in San Francisco. $F PR link.

Air Products(PBR267) approves separation of Versum Materials as independent public company, to start regular trading on NYSE: VSM on 10/03/16. $APD PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR273) Theater at MGM National Harbor, Maryland, partners exclusively with Live Nation(PBR366 $LYV) for booking/ticketing services. $MGM PR link.

Scientific Games(PBR937) new lottery gaming system goes live in Arizona per 5 year contract won in 07/15. $SGMS PR link.

SandRidge Energy(PBR975) to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy within 30 days per court approval of reorganization. $SDOCQ PR link.

Lumber Liquidators(PBR1061) hires Marty Agard as CFO, Chris Thomsen as SVP/CIO. $LL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US July Total Wholesale Sales at $441.9 billion, -0.45% from June, -1.01% from July 2015. Commerce PR link.

Thursday, September 8:

Ford(PBR10) surpasses 1 million vehicle sales in Asia Pacific YTD after record setting August. $F PR link.

Walgreens Boots Alliance(PBR36) anticipates divesting 500-1,000 stores to acquire Rite Aid(PBR105 $RAD) per discussions with FTC, expects to close $17.2 billion cash deal in 2H2016. $WBA PR link.

Alphabet(PBR44)’s Google to acquire API developer Apigee(NASDAQ: APIC) for $17.40/share, $625 million. $APIC PR link.

Enterprise Products(PBR59) withdraws indication of interest in acquisition of Williams Cos(PBR348 $WMB). $EPD PR link.

AMSURG(PBR945) Sheridan division acquires 2 S California anesthesiology practices with 27 physicians covering 6 independent facilities. $AMSG PR link.

A-Mark Precious Metals(PBR419) EVP/COO Thor Gjerdrum now president with 3 year contract, David Madge now Chief Marketing Officer. $AMRK PR link.

PulteGroup(PBR428) promotes president Ryan Marshall to CEO, succeeds retiring Richard Dugas, Jr, who remains executive chairman. $PHM PR link.

Swift Transportation(PBR547) founder/CEO Jerry Moyes to retire 12/31/16, president/COO Richard Stocking named president/CEO. $SWFT PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US June Total Employee Average Compensation/Hour Costs were $23.35 for wages/salaries, $10.70 for benefits, total $34.05. USDOL PR link.

Wednesday, September 7:

EMC Corp(PBR111) $59 billion acquisition by Dell is completed, creates largest privately controlled tech company. $EMC PR link.

Alcoa(PBR115) announces boards of directors for future Arconic and Alcoa Corp. $AA PR link.

Kohl’s(PBR149) to open 937,000 sf ecommerce fulfillment center in Indianapolis area in 2017 with 300 fulltime & 600 parttime jobs. $KSS PR link.

Apache Corp(PBR208) says its Alpine High acreage in southern Delaware Basin has 75 trillion cubic feet of rich gas & 3 billion barrels of oil. $APA PR link.

Caesars Entertainment(PBR314) to debut Gamblit Gaming skill-based casino games in some CA and NV properties in October. $CZR PR link.

Williams Cos(PBR348) to consolidate from 5 to 3 operating units by early 2017. $WMB PR link.

LabCorp(PBR413) completes $2.40/share, $302 million cash acquisition of women’s health & reproductive genetics provider Sequenom(NASDAQ: SQNM). $LH PR link.

S&P Global(PBR477) completes $1.1 billion sales of J.D. Power unit to investments firm XIO Group. $SPGI PR link.

S&P Global(PBR477) to sell Equity and Fund Research unit to CFRA, terms not disclosed. $SPGI PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) to acquire Formula One racing, $8 billion enterprise value. $LMCA PR link.

A.O. Smith(PBR815) to do 2:1 stock split on 09/21/16. $AOS PR link.

Revlon(PBR900) completes $14/share, $870 million acquisition of global beauty products provider Elizabeth Arden(NASDAQ: $RDEN). $REV PR link.

Cedar Fair(PBR977) reports 20.5 million visitors from 2015 Labor Day weekend through 2016 Labor Day weekend, average per guest capital spending at $46.71. $FUN PR link.

Activision Blizzard(PBR540) hires Pete Vlastelica as president/CEO of its Major League Gaming Division. $ATVI PR link.

Pier 1 Imports(PBR916) CEO Alex Smith to leave by mutual agreement effective 12/31/16, new CEO search starts. $PIR PR link.

The US Federal Reserve BeigeBook for July through late August notes modest growth pace, moderate payroll growth. FRB PR link.

The US Dept of Labor estimates US Total US July Job Openings at 5.871 million, +4.06% from June, +1.42% from July 2015. USDOL PR link.

Tuesday, September 6:

GE(PBR9) to acquire additive manufacturing(3D printing) companies Arcam(Sweden) & SLM(Germany) for $1.4 billion. $GE PR link.

Intel(PBR51) to acquire computer vision & machine intelligence developer Movidius, terms not disclosed. $INTC PR link.

Tesoro(PBR71) to acquire renewable energy biofuels technology developer Virent, terms not disclosed. $TSO PR link.

Danaher(PBR137) to acquire fully automated GeneXpert® systems developer Cepheid(NASDAQ:CPHD) for $53.00/share, about $4 billion cash. $DHR PR link.

Icahn Enterprises(PBR147 $IEP) to acquire outstanding shares it does not own in Federal-Mogul(NASDAQ: $FDML for $9.25/share cash. $FDML PR link.

EOG Resources(PBR159) to acquire private 1.6 million net acres Yates Petroleum in $2.5 billion deal. $EOG PR link.

Carnival Corp(PBR184) orders 3 new cruise ships, first to powered by liquified natural gas. $CCL PR link.

Monsanto(PBR187) confirms receipt of Germany’s Bayer AG new $127.60/share($65 billion) cash bid. $MON PR link.

Spectra Energy(PBR422) to be merged into Enbridge Inc(NYSE: ENB) in $28 billion deal, creates largest energy infrastructure company in N America. $SE PR link.

Chipotle(PBR561) SEC filing says Pershing Square investment group now holds 9.9% of common stock. $CMG PR link.

Arch Coal(PBR691) announces proposed board of directors for when it emerges from bankruptcy. $ACIIQ PR link.

ITT Educational(PBR1078) to cease operations at all ITT Technical Institutes following federal actions, affects 35,000 students. $ESI PR link.

Avnet(PBR100) interim CEO Bill Amelio now officially CEO. $AVT PR link.

Hormel Foods(PBR293) chairman/CEO Jeff Ettinger to retire from CEO role on 10/30/16, president/COO James Snee to become CEO on 10/31/16. $HRL PR link.

Lifepoint Hospital(PBR463) promotes Michael Coggin to CFO, effective 09/30/16, succeeds leaving Leif Murphy. $LPNT PR link.

TeamHealth(PBR498) hires Leif Murphy as president/CEO, succeeds retiring Mike Snow. $TMH PR link.

ISM US August Non-Manufacturing Index at 51.4%, July was 55.5%. ISM PR link.

PurdueU/CME Group US Aug Ag Barometer Future Expectations Index at 102, July was 121, June 107 Purdue/CME PR link.

Monday, September 5:

***US Stock Markets Closed.
***Federal Holiday: Labor Day.

Friday, September 2:

The PBR1000 Week Ending 09/02/16 US Stock Exchanges Snapshot:
DJIA ends week at 18,491.96, +0.50% from last Friday, +0.49% MTD, +3.13% QTD, +6.12% YTD, -0.77% from record 18,636.05 on 08/15/16.
NASDAQ ends week at 5,249.90, +0.59% from last Friday, +0.70% MTD, +8.41% QTD, +4.84% YTD, -0.23% from record 5,262.02 on 08/15/15.
SPX ends week at 2,179.98, +0.50% from last Friday, +0.42% MTD, +3.86% QTD, +6.66% YTD, -0.46% from record 2,190.15 on 08/15/16.

Ireland appeals E.U. ruling to collect billions in taxes from Apple(PBR5 $AAPL). MarketWatch PR link.

Caterpillar(PBR54) contemplates allocation of production from Gosselies, Belgium, to other manufacturing facilities. $CAT PR link.

New PG&E(PBR172) fleet inspects one million homes and businesses using super-sensitive gas-detecting technology. $PCG PR link.

YUM!(PBR217) gets Primavera Capital & Ant Financial to invest $460 million in YUM! China public spinoff on 11/01/16. $YUM PR link.

ON Semiconductor(PBR656) extends $20/share, $2.4 billion cash tender offer for Fairchild Semiconductor(PBR1000 $FCS) to 09/16/16, currently has commitment of 74.0% of shares. $ON PR link.

Republic Airways(PBR1015) files motion with US Bankruptcy Court to approve comprehensive agreement on a long-term relationship with American Airlines(PBR69 $AAL). $RJETQ PR link.

Ferro Corp(PBR1054) promotes Ben Schlater to VP/CFO, succeeds leaving Jeffrey Rutherford; 3 other management changes made. $FOE PR link.

The US Dept of Labor says US August Employed at 151,614,000, +97,000 from July, +2,578,000 from Aug 2015, Unemployment Rate stays at 4.9%. USDOL PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US Total August YTD Exports at $1.271 trillion, Imports $1.561 trillion, Deficit $289 billion. USDOC PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US July Manufacturers Total New Orders at $454.7 billion, +1.86% from June, -3.54% from July 2015. USDOC PR link.

Thursday, September 1:

Walmart(PBR1 $WMT) eliminating 7,000 back-office store positions. MarketWatch PR link.

Proctor & Gamble(PBR33) starts spinoff of its P&G Specialty Beauty Brands, which will merge with Coty(PBR524 $COTY). $PG PR link.

JCPenney(PBR234) debuts first exclusive Fall capsule collection by plus size designer Ashley Nell Tipton. $JCP PR link.

MGM Resorts(PBR273) completes acquisition of 56% ownership stake in MGM China. $MGM PR link.

Calpine Corp(PBR330) to sell 375 MW natural gas fired Mankato Power Plant to Southern Co(PBR155 $SO) subsidiary for $395.5 million. $CPN PR link.

KKR(PBR332) completes acquisition of industry specific enterprise software global provider Epicor. $KKR PR link.

Sonoco Products(PBR480) to sell its 7 facilities with 850 employees rigid plastics blow molding operations to Amcor for $280 million. $SON PR link.

Ventas(PB671) completes $1.5 billion acquisition of Blackstone(PBR352 $BX)’s Wexford Science & Technology unit. $VTR PR link.

Synopsys(PBR879) replenishes stock repurchase authorization to $500 million. $SNPS PR link.

Verizon(PBR15) EVP/CFO Fran Shammo to step down on 11/01/16, SVP/CFO-Operations Matt Ellis to be successor. $VZ PR link.

CarMax(PBR202) president Bill Nash elected CEO, succeeds now non-executive chairman Tom Folliard. $KMX PR link.

Liberty Interactive(PBR263) promotes Mark Carleton to CFO, Chris Shean to Senior Advisor, Albert Rosenthaler to Chief Corporate Development Officer. $QVCA PR link.

Dean Foods(PBR289) EVP/COO Ralph Scozzafava to succeed CEO Gregg Tanner on 01/01/17. $DF PR link.

Fresh Del Monte(PBR528) president/COO Hani El-Naffy to transition out by 02/28/17, to remain member of the board. $FDP PR link.

Liberty Media(PBR534) promotes Mark Carleton to CFO, Chris Shean to Senior Advisor, Albert Rosenthaler to Chief Corporate Development Officer. $LMCA PR link.

Cooper Tire & Rubber(PBR625) new CEO is Bradley Hughes, succeeds retiring Roy Armes. $CTB PR link.

Tower Intl(PBR874) CFO James Gouin promoted to president, to become CEO on 01/01/17, to succeed retiring Mark Malcolm. $TOWR PR link.

Cooper Cos(PBR950) CFO Gregory Matz to retire 10/31/16, Albert White named successor. $COO PR link.

Cincinnati Bell(PBR1027) promotes Leigh Fox to president/COO, Andrew Kaiser to CFO. $CBB PR link.

The US Dept of Commerce estimates US July Total Construction Spending Annual Rate at $1.153 trillion, -0.03% from June, +3.45% from July 2015. USDOC PR link.

FreddieMac says 09/01/16 30 Year Fixed Mortgage Rates averaged 3.46% w/0.5 points, week ago 3.43%, year ago 3.89%. $FMCC PR link.

Manufacturing ISM Report on Business US August PMI Index at 49.4%, July was 52.6%, Aug 2015 51.0%. ISM PR link.

TrueCar estimates Total US August New Vehicle Sales at $50 billion, -1.7% from Aug 2015, average price $32,339, +0.4% from Aug 2015. TrueCar PR link.

Automotive News says Total US August New Auto Unit Sales at 1.511 million, -0.65% from July, -3.54% from Aug 2015. AutoNews PR link.

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

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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 $13 trillion in annual worldwide revenues, more than all other companies in the US combined. These are the key drivers in the US and world economies. On a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis several analytical reports in customizable Microsoft Excel format are provided to The PBR1000 subscribers. Users 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, Stuart Miles)

The PBR1000 August 2016 Stocks/Commodities Snapshots

August 2016: The Waiting Game

beach-reading-marcolm-id-10048276

Hope You Enjoyed A Nice Relaxing Vacation. Was August The Calm Before The Storm?

By Larry C. Paxton

Not much materialized during August 2016 to cause any big swings , though at times there were some signals that something might happen. August 2016 ended up seeming more like a waiting period.

Oil prices fluctuated up and down based on what might be happening with some agreements among the oil producing nations. The US jobs reports and other economic indices were not dramatic, and globally Brexit is still an unknown work in progress. However, during the last week or so there was some growing concern that the stage had been set for the Federal Reserve to raise rates in September.

The major US Stock Exchanges did not show much volatility during August 2016. For example, the S&P500 had 18 trading days out of 23 that varied between a -0.50% to +0.50% change, and all days varied by less than a 1% change either way. The longest streaks for the S&P500 was a 3 day win streak and a 2 day loss streak.

Perhaps the main volatility for August 2016 was between the two major US presidential candidates as they continue to call each other names and question their rival’s qualifications.

The PBR1000 companies in The Top 5 Tables continue to be spread across a wide variety of industries.

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 August 2016 15 Snapshots edition.

The following partial tables are excerpts from The PBR1000 August Snapshots. The stock price is for the close of trading on August 31st, Month % Chg is compared to July 29th, YTD % Chg is compared toDecember 31, 2015, and the 20 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 +169.44% to -58.62%. 516 out of 1,002 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 51.50% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 0.32%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
08/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
Republic Airways
961 RJETQ 0.97 +169.44 -75.32 -93.35
Mattress Firm
731 MFRM 63.95 +114.31 +43.29 +10.11
Ocwen Financial
892 OCN 3.56 +78.00 -48.92 -76.42
Aeropostale
924 AROPQ 0.06 +72.96 -80.36 -97.63
Genworth Financial
298 GNW 4.73 +65.38 +26.81 -44.35

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

Table 2 Summary: The range was +260.76% to -98.94%. 691 out of 1,001 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 69.03% of the companies tracked. The median was a gain of 9.13%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
08/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
Cliffs Natural Resources
836 CLF 5.70 -27.94 +260.76 -20.17
Quad/Graphics 480 QUAD 27.09 +6.82 +191.29 +17.99
AMD 535 AMD 7.40 +7.87 +157.84 +177.15
US Steel
228 X 19.44 -29.28 +143.61 -27.30
Tronox 812 TROX 9.13 +40.68 +133.50 -61.77

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

Table 3 Summary: Range was +205.94% to -99.72%. 475 out of 996 stock prices were up 0.00% or more, or 47.69% of the companies tracked. The median was a loss of 1.24%.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Price
08/31/15
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
NVIDIA
454 NVSA 61.34 +7.43 +86.10 +205.94
AMD 535 AMD 6.86 +7.87 +157.84 +177.15
Amazon 19 AMZN 758.81 +1.36 +13.80 +147.84
SkyWest 634 SKYW 44.00 -1.88 +48.42 +112.58
Activision Blizzard
481 ATVI 78.49 +3.01 +6.87 +105.31

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

Table 4 Summary: Range was $571.71 billion to $0.00 billion. The average is $21.20 billion, median is $6.52 billion, out of 1,001 companies tracked.

Company PBR
Rank
Symbol Market Cap($B)
08/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
Apple
3 AAPL 571.71 +1.72 -2.58 -11.69
Alphabet
35 GOOG 527.17 -0.12 +1.01 +47.63
Microsoft
25 MSFT 447.76 +1.17 +1.04 +16.94
Berkshire Hathaway
4 BRK 370.07 +3.90 +13.70 +2.34
Amazon 18 AMZN 364.64 +1.87 +15.09 +153.75
The PBR1000
  21,223.16 +0.08 +5.38 +3.15

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

Company Price
08/31/16
Mo
% Chg
YTD
% Chg
20 Mos
% Chg
The PBR1000 71,994.13 +0.11 +7.55 +1.95
DJIA 18,400.88 -0.17 +5.60 +3.24
NASDAQ 5,213.22 +0.99 +4.11 +10.08
S&P500 2,170.95 -0.12 +6.21 +5.44
GOLD 1,313.00 -3.31 +23.84 +10.81
SILVER 18.18 -7.80 +36.23 +20.51
OIL 44.90 +8.51 +21.22 -15.71

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.

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

(Photo made available by marcolm, FreeDigitalPhotos.net)