Mooncoin (MOON) Reaches One Day Volume of $1,730.00

Mooncoin (CURRENCY:MOON) traded up 5% against the US dollar during the 1 day period ending at 21:00 PM E.T. on July 22nd. In the last week, Mooncoin has traded 26.2% higher against the US dollar. One Mooncoin coin can now be bought for approximately $0.0000 or 0.00000001 BTC on major exchanges. Mooncoin has a market capitalization of $10.08 million and $1,730.00 worth of Mooncoin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.

Here’s how other cryptocurrencies have performed in the last 24 hours:

Get Mooncoin alerts: Litecoin (LTC) traded down 0.9% against the dollar and now trades at $83.62 or 0.01122220 BTC. Dogecoin (DOGE) traded 2.4% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.0035 or 0.00000047 BTC. Bytom (BTM) traded 0.5% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.35 or 0.00004721 BTC. Verge (XVG) traded down 2% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0228 or 0.00000307 BTC. Polymath (POLY) traded 2.7% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.37 or 0.00004988 BTC. CyberMiles (CMT) traded down 4.4% against the dollar and now trades at $0.14 or 0.00001936 BTC. Syscoin (SYS) traded 0.2% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.15 or 0.00002003 BTC. Matrix AI Network (MAN) traded down 1.1% against the dollar and now trades at $0.40 or 0.00005406 BTC. BridgeCoin (BCO) traded down 4.9% against the dollar and now trades at $1.22 or 0.00016409 BTC. GameCredits (GAME) traded 2.4% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.49 or 0.00006520 BTC.

Mooncoin Coin Profile

Mooncoin (MOON) is a proof-of-work (PoW) coin that uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm. Its launch date was December 30th, 2013. Mooncoin’s total supply is 224,483,383,703 coins. The official website for Mooncoin is www.mooncoin.eco. Mooncoin’s official Twitter account is @mooncoinitalia. The Reddit community for Mooncoin is /r/MoonCoin and the currency’s Github account can be viewed here.

Mooncoin Coin Trading

Mooncoin can be traded on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: CoinExchange. It is usually not possible to purchase alternative cryptocurrencies such as Mooncoin directly using U.S. dollars. Investors seeking to acquire Mooncoin should first purchase Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in U.S. dollars such as Changelly, GDAX or Coinbase. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to purchase Mooncoin using one of the aforementioned exchanges.

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Apple's Very Long Road to $1 Trillion

Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) strong earnings led to more conversation about its chances to be the first public company to reach a market cap of $1 trillion. The chances it can get there are long, and getting longer.

At $196, Apple’s shares are at an all-time high. Its market cap is $935 billion, which means if the stock rises 7% it will reach $1 trillion. There is a strong case that, because its stock is up 27% in the past year, and new earnings have only moved it slightly higher, strong earnings news was not enough to convince investors that the sharp share increase deserves another push. As investors sometimes say, all the good news is already out.

And the good news is out, for at least another quarter. The earnings improvement had two legs, one of which is in jeopardy. Revenue from Apple’s services business rose 31% to $9.5 billion. It has become Apple’s second largest business after the iPhone. The growth of this business shows signs of more improvement. The other leg of Apple’s strength was iPhone revenue, which rose 20% to $30 billion. However, iPhone unit sales were only up 1%, so Apple has relied on a higher price per phone to make up the improvement.

iPhone prices are risky to rely on for more revenue. They are already the highest in the industry. Consumers may have reached their limit in terms of what they will pay for a single smartphone. Certainly, the price per iPhone cannot move higher by much more before it reaches $1,000. On the other hand, the market is filled with well-featured smartphones that cost less.

The stock market, and particularly the tech segment, has become a graveyard for investors. Apple may be unable to resist the sector’s share price struggles as Wall Street turns against the belief that a very few huge tech companies can continue to dominate the industry. The assumption has been aggressively questioned by investors in Facebook. Even Amazon’s share price has flattened in recent weeks, despite good earnings.

Finally, the stock market itself could cut the surge of high-flying shares. The large indexes have moved sideways this year. More and more, analysts believe there will be a correction that could be caused by, among other things, a trade war or the growing belief that stock prices have flattened because they cannot be supported by earnings expectations for the balance of the year.

Apple’s shares only have to rise 7% for its market cap to reach $1 trillion, but that may be a very long way to go.

ALSO READ: 5 Huge Contrarian Analyst Calls With Big Upside Potential

Best Bank Stocks To Own Right Now

tags:HSBA,FCF,CM,AP,WFC,

The European Central Bank is urging lenders to prepare for the end of key interbank lending benchmarks and accused them of being complacent until regulators stepped up the pressure.

Banks have narrowed down their options for a new system that’s protected from the kind of rigging that discredited benchmarks such as Libor and Euribor. At stake for investors, central bankers and consumers is trust in the data that’s used to value financial assets and make the ECB’s monetary policy work in practice.

Rate Manipulation

European banks have paid hefty fines for rigging interbank interest benchmarks

Source: Company filings

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“Banks have been too complacent for a long time, so I’m very happy to see how engaged they are,” said Cornelia Holthausen, an ECB official who sits in on the meetings where bankers talk about how to replace the existing overnight lending rate, called Eonia. “Sometimes you need some pressure.”

Best Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBA)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  HSBC (LON:HSBA) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Citigroup from GBX 810 ($10.78) to GBX 800 ($10.65) in a report released on Tuesday. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Citigroup’s price target points to a potential upside of 9.59% from the stock’s previous close.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  HSBC (LON:HSBA) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Shore Capital from GBX 721 ($9.60) to GBX 625 ($8.32) in a report issued on Tuesday. The brokerage presently has a “sell” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Shore Capital’s price objective indicates a potential downside of 14.71% from the company’s previous close.

Best Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: First Commonwealth Financial Corporation(FCF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Barclays PLC increased its holdings in First Commonwealth Financial (NYSE:FCF) by 24.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,717 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 6,593 shares during the period. Barclays PLC’s holdings in First Commonwealth Financial were worth $476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on First Commonwealth Financial (FCF)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

Best Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce(CM)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (TSE:CM) (NYSE:CM) – Analysts at Desjardins reduced their Q2 2018 earnings per share estimates for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, May 2nd. Desjardins analyst D. Young now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.85 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.86.

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE: CM) and Foreign Trade Bank of Latin America (NYSE:BLX) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and valuation.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp boosted its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM) (TSE:CM) by 54.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 911,300 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 320,800 shares during the quarter. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce comprises approximately 1.0% of Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta as represented by Alberta Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce were worth $103,633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• [By Garrett Baldwin]

  We're about to reveal a little wealth secret that could unlock the trade of a lifetime.�Money Morning�Special Situation Strategist Tim Melvin takes you inside what could easily be a 10-bagger for investors in the weeks ahead.�Read more right here.

  The Top Stock Market Stories for Tuesday The Euro has plunged to its lowest point against the U.S. dollar in 2018 thanks to political problems in Europe. The breakdown of power in Italy has raised new concerns about the nation��s ability to repay its debts, as the spread between German and Italian bonds has widened. Market instability has also spread to Spain where the nation��s parliament is preparing to vote on whether to oust Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his party. Oil prices slid one news that OPEC and Russia will consider hikes in production during a meeting in Vienna, Austria on June 22nd. The news accompanied reports that U.S. production is expected to rise throughout the summer. The price of WTI oil sat at $67.20 per barrel. The Brent crude oil price recovered this morning, adding 1% to hit $76.12. Canadian banks are under pressure this morning over a major breach by cyber criminals. The Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO) and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE: CM) �� the two largest banking institutions in the country �� announced that roughly 90,000 customers�� data may have been stolen. This would be the first major cybersecurity event to happen in Canada involving financial firms. Three Stocks to Watch Today: CRM, SBUX, MOMO com (NYSE: CRM) will lead a busy day of earnings reports on Wall Street. The cloud computing giant is set to report fiscal first quarter 2019 numbers after the bell on Tuesday. The average analyst projection calls for a 46% jump in EPS of $0.46 on top of a 23% gain in revenue to $2.94 billion. Starbucks�� Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX) will temporarily close about 8,000 locations on Tuesday to train roughly 175,000 employees on racial bias. The training sessions were

Best Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation(AP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  The all-new Hyundai 2018 Kona, a subcompact crossover. (Photo: AP)

  When it comes to standard features, the Kona generally outpaces the EcoSport. Most items typically found on rivals are available on both SUVs, but the EcoSport requires that you add them as options or step up to the next trim level. The Kona widens its features lead by offering more advanced safety features (forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist and a driver attention monitor), a head-up display and a wireless charging pad. These are not available for any EcoSport.

• [By ]

  El-Arish, Egypt (AP) -- Egyptian security officials say a roadside bomb has targeted a pickup truck carrying members of the security forces in the turbulent north of the Sinai Peninsula, killing two.

• [By ]

  New York (AP) -- Four more deaths have been linked to a national food poisoning outbreak blamed on tainted lettuce, bringing the total to five.

  Health officials have tied the E. coli outbreak to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona. The growing season there ended six weeks ago, and it's unlikely any tainted lettuce is still in stores or people's homes, given its short shelf life. But there can be a lag in reporting, and reports of illnesses have continued to come in.

Best Bank Stocks To Own Right Now: Wells Fargo & Company(WFC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jordan Wathen]

  Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC) is often described as America's largest community bank, but I don't think most people really understand the accuracy of that descriptor. If you examine it on a branch-by-branch basis, it really is a community bank, size and all.

• [By ]
  Gold. The rise in gold looks solid. I'm currently long the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) . Lackluster Banks. We're seeing disappointing action in the financials. However, I continue to buy them. I'm long Bank of America (BAC) , Citigroup (C) , JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Wells Fargo (WFC) , although I'm shorting Goldman Sachs (GS) .

  Lastly, with S&P 500 closing at 2,706, the downside risk relative to the upside reward seems to argue in favor of maintaining a net-short exposure.

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 35,553,938 shares, an increase of 14.0% from the April 30th total of 31,180,217 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 16,584,785 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

5 Hiring Mistakes I Made Running a Small Business

One of the most difficult tasks facing small-business owners is hiring. When you run a smaller organization, each person you hire impacts your operation more than most individuals would at a larger company.

In many cases, small businesses lack some of the fail-safe systems bigger companies have. You may not have a human resources department or even another senior person to run potential hires by.

Even if that's the case, you should be able to take steps to make sure you maximize your chances of hiring the right person. One way to do that is to avoid making these mistakes that I have made:

Hiring is challenging, but there are some traps you can easily avoid. Image source: Getty Images.

1. Don't skip reference checks

Most reference checks are a waste of time. The people you are calling may not be allowed to talk with you, or they may say nice things because they don't want to stop someone from being hired. Sometimes, though, a person will have something damning to say about the candidate that will make you glad you made the call. (Or, if you skipped the call, make you upset when you learn the horrible truth after it's too late.)

2. Don't ignore your instincts

Once, when I was hiring reporters for a small newspaper, I was sent a resume from someone dramatically overqualified. It looked like his career had been a hill: He had worked his way up to bigger newspapers and back down to smaller ones.

I asked him about it during the interview, and he talked about having family ties in our area. That sort of made sense, so I overlooked the fact that he had entered the interview drinking from a can of soda he had brought with him.

That seemed odd, but his work was good, and I hired him. It took maybe two days for people to mention to me that his ever-present soda can smelled of booze. And his actions quickly confirmed that he was drinking on the job.

3. Don't hire as a favor

When I worked as the general manager of a large toy and hobby store, the owner would often suggest people for me to hire. He was (and is) a compassionate man who liked to give second chances to people who needed them.

In most cases, these people did not work out. Sometimes they lacked the skills needed for the jobs we had. And a few times they were overqualified, which left them bitter at their lot in life. Helping these folks seemed like a good idea. But in reality, we weren't doing anything for them, and we were hurting our business.

4. Don't skip background checks

It's easy to do a background check online. It takes a few days and costs under $50 in most cases. They can turn up whether potential hires have something big in their past -- like a criminal conviction -- that they neglected to mention. (My mistake here led to hiring someone for a job that potentially involved driving, when the person legally could not drive.)

5. Don't be a stickler

Again, back in my toy store days, we struggled to find someone to run our model train business. We passed on several strong retail operators in order to hire someone experienced with model trains, hoping that he could learn the retail side.

It didn't work and showed me that it's never a good idea to force candidates to meet a rigid skill set. In this case, we could have taught someone the business while providing backup from product experts, and it would have worked out better.

Trust yourself

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned over many years of hiring is that meeting a person tells you more about them than a resume can. Sometimes that led me to hire less-experienced people or even real reaches because I felt good about them. That generally worked out (aside from the drunk reporter), and it often led to very loyal employees.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019

tags:NXG,NGD,ORE,CME,

Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Tuesday morning.

According to Zacks, “Shares of Goldman underperformed the industry over the past six months. However, the company boasts an impressive earnings surprise history. It surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in all the trailing four quarters. The company’s first-quarter 2018 results witnessed top-line strength. Strong trading activities on high volatility supported the bottom-line numbers. Though regulatory issues are concerns, we believe the company’s well-diversified business and focus to capitalize on growth opportunities through strategic moves will continue to strengthen the overall business. Further, its cost-control measures are commendable. Additionally, the company’s steady capital-deployment activities have boosted investors' confidence. Notably, longtime CEO of Goldman is likely to retire by the end of 2018.”

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Northgate Minerals Corporation(NXG)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Shares of NEX Group PLC (LON:NXG) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 696 ($9.21).

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: NEW GOLD INC.(NGD)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 1.9% Tuesday to post a new 52-week low of $2.09. Shares closed at $2.13 on Monday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. The junior gold miner had no specific news.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 3.8% Thursday to post a new 52-week low of $2.28. Shares closed at $2.37 on Wednesday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 5.9 million shares. The company had no specific news.

• [By Paul Ausick]

  New Gold Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN: NGD) dropped about 2.9% Monday to post a new 52-week low of $2.35. Shares closed at $2.42 on Friday and the stock’s 52-week high is $4.25. Volume was about 10% below the daily average of around 5.8 million shares. The gold mining company had no news.

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: Orezone Gold Corp (ORE)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Galactrum (ORE) is a PoW/PoS coin that uses the
  Lyra2RE hashing algorithm. It launched on November 11th, 2017. Galactrum’s total supply is 2,092,679 coins and its circulating supply is 1,372,679 coins. Galactrum’s official Twitter account is @galactrum. Galactrum’s official website is galactrum.org.

• [By Jim Robertson]

  Finally, Richard Seville, the CEO of Brisbane-based Orocobre Ltd (ASX: ORE) which began lithium sales in 2015 from northern Argentina and also experienced difficulty boosting output, commented that an ��inability to access traditional funds has delayed the development of the sector�� and that ��these projects aren��t easy -- so the banks just don��t want to go there.��

Top 5 Gold Stocks To Buy For 2019: CME Group Inc.(CME)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By ]

  Case in point, I've held CME Group (NYSE: CME) in my High-Yield Investing portfolio for almost four years now. When I first took a position in the summer of 2014, the stock offered a regular quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share that added up to a modest yield of 2.6%. Many income investors skipped over it without a second glance.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new position in CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 24,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,989,000.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Cashme (CURRENCY:CME) traded down 0.1% against the US dollar during the 1 day period ending at 18:00 PM ET on May 23rd. One Cashme coin can currently be purchased for about $0.0003 or 0.00000003 BTC on popular exchanges. Over the last week, Cashme has traded 55.3% higher against the US dollar. Cashme has a market capitalization of $0.00 and approximately $0.00 worth of Cashme was traded on exchanges in the last day.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Shares of CME Group Inc (NASDAQ:CME) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the seventeen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $165.57.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc (NASDAQ:CME) by 51.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,545,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 528,198 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $249,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) was downgraded by investment analysts at BidaskClub from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

Apple MacBook Pro line gets a refresh

Apple is updating its flagship MacBook Pro line of laptops to make them faster, brighter and quieter.

The company on Thursday announced the revamped 13- and 15-inch laptops which start at $1,799 and reach a whopping $6,699 for the most tricked out model.

The new devices represent a significant power jump for the line, and come with the latest Intel 6- or 8-core processors. The bigger model is 70% faster than the previous one, while the 13-incher is up to twice as fast. Apple (AAPL) said the improved performance lets users do things like handle large data sets, perform complicated simulations, and edit film faster than ever.

"The latest generation MacBook Pro is the fastest and most powerful notebook we've ever made," Philip Schiller, Apple's senior VP of marketing, said in a statement.

But the question is whether the new laptops address one of the biggest complaints people have about the MacBook Pro -- a keyboard so delicate it can be brought down by something as small as a muffin crumb. Apple doesn't specifically say whether the new generation of "butterfly" keyboards solves that annoying problem, which prompted Apple to announce a free repair program last month, but it does claim they are much quieter. However, Apple noted it's only a small number of users who have been impacted.

Some Pro users may be disappointed by the ports, which are, once again, limited to USB-C. MacBook Pros no longer feature the popular USB and HDMI ports, as well as SD and microSD card slots, required for some printers, cameras and some monitors. Users will need to continue to use dongles. Lots of dongles.

On the up side, the new Pros are the first Macs to feature "Hey Siri", the always-on, always listening option for summoning Apple's digital assistant, a feature already available on newer iPhones. Turn it on and your MacBook Pro will immediately respond to you barking, "Hey Siri."

The new MacBook Pros also get Apple's slick True Tone technology, which adjusts color temperatures based on your surroundings to provide a more natural viewing experience on your screen.

Look for the new laptops online and in select Apple stores beginning Thursday.

While there are some performance improvements, it's not a revolutionary iteration.

"These are the same Macs we've had for two years," said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. "I would have liked to have seen Apple add LTE options and touch screens."

Why L Brands, Netflix, and Cato Slumped Today

Major benchmarks rebounded on Thursday, as tech stocks rallied and investors put global trade tensions on the back burner.

But not every company's shares enjoyed a positive session. Read on to learn why L Brands (NYSE:LB), Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX), and Cato�(NYSE:CATO) each slumped today.

Image source: Getty Images.

L Brands goes on sale

Shares of L Brands fell 12.1%�after�the parent company of chains including Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works announced disappointing monthly sales growth.

L Brands revealed that net sales had climbed 5.7% year over year, to $1.282 billion, for the five weeks ended July 7, 2018, slowing from 10% growth last month. Within that total, comparable-store sales climbed roughly 3%, again marking a deceleration from last month's 5% increase.

During a subsequent conference call, L Brands management blamed a "soft start with negative traffic levels" during Victoria's Secret's highly anticipated semiannual sale. As a result, the company opted to further reduce prices and extend the sale by two weeks to clear inventory -- a move investors will almost certainly see reflected in the company's next quarterly report in August.

Has Netflix climbed too high?

Netflix stock lost nearly 3% early in the session, then partially recovered to close down 1.2% in the wake of UBS analyst Eric Sheridan downgrading his firm's rating on the streaming-media leader from buy to neutral. He also curiously�increased�his price target on Netflix stock to $425 from $375, representing a modest premium from yesterday's closing price at around $419 per share.

To justify his call, Sheridan admitted while Netflix's content and technology leadership will likely "drive a virtuous circle of greater [subscribers] and increased viewing time," he worries that these strengths are "all priced in," making the stock a "less compelling" option for investors looking to put money to work today.

Still, with shares still up around 160% over the past year as of this writing, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find investors willing to complain about Wall Street's tempered enthusiasm.

Cato goes out of style

Finally, shares of Cato fell 13.5% following the women's fashion and accessories retailer's announcement of dissatisfying monthly sales results. For the five weeks ended July 7, 2018, Cato's sales fell 2.4% year over year to $72.9 million, as roughly flat same-store sales couldn't offset a small number of store closures over the past year.�

Company chairman and CEO John Cato simply stated the results arrived "slightly below" expectations.�Similar to L Brands' aforementioned slowdown, Cato's flat comps also marked a notable deceleration from 9% same-store sales growth in May -- a much better-than-expected result the company attributed at the time to "pent up demand" as weather began to improve throughout the month.

With shares up around 45% over the past year going into yesterday's close, it should come as no surprise to see Cato stock pulling back today.

Worthless Just Two Years Ago, West Texas Sand Now Brings in Billions

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Standing high on top of a windswept dune in the West Texas plains, Greg Edwards stares out into a vast ocean of sand. It stretches in every direction, interrupted only by an occasional strip of asphalt or clusters of silos that rise high into the sky.

Edwards runs a frack-sand mine. And those silos mark the presence of his rivals, who suddenly seem to be popping up everywhere. As he turns 360 degrees under the blistering midday sun, he calls out their names one by one: “Badger ... Atlas ... High Roller ... Alpine ... Black Mountain ... Covia.”

#lazy-img-329177313:before{padding-top:66.75%;}Greg Edwards walks through the sand dunes in Kermit, Texas.Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg
​​​​

Twelve months ago, none of them existed -- not even the mine owned by Edwards’s employer, Hi-Crush Partners. It was the first of its kind here in West Texas. Day one was July 31, 2017. Ten others immediately followed. And another 10 or so are now hustling to get started.

Together, they will mine and ship some 22 million tons of sand this year to shale drillers all around them in the Permian Basin, the hottest oil patch on Earth. It is a staggering sum of sand, equal to almost a quarter of total U.S. supply. And within a couple years, industry experts say, the figure could climb to over 50 million tons.

David Cutbirth, the long-time mayor of the nearby town of Monahans, is dumbfounded by it all. Until the miners arrived, these dunes were a quasi-barren wasteland -- good only for weekend adventurers zipping around on buggies. And the price of sand was, well, zero. Today, it fetches $80 a ton, making this year’s haul alone worth about $2 billion.

"I’m in awe everyday," Cutbirth says. "This stuff is worth something?"

There is perhaps no industry that better captures the money-multiplying effect of the Permian boom than the out-of-nowhere emergence of West Texas as a rival to the original capital of U.S. frack-sand mining in northwestern Wisconsin. With such explosive growth, of course, comes the risk of over-expansion. The local miners are unmoved by such talk -- Hi-Crush CFO Laura Fulton actually laughed at the notion -- but to the more dispassionate set of analysts and investors who watch the industry from afar, it is a major risk even if the oil market continues to go strong.

“The fear on Wall Street today is, ‘Oh my gosh, things look great today, but we can’t assume this is gonna last,”’ said Joseph Triepke, a former Jefferies Group analyst who now runs an industry research firm called Infill Thinking. “Look at all this capacity.”

Marble vs. Jelly Bean

This concern is clearly visible in the stock market. Shares of Hi-Crush are down more than 10 percent since mid-May. So too are those of U.S. Silica Holdings and Emerge Energy Services. And Covia Holdings, a new company formed in a merger of two sand powerhouses, has slumped 27 percent since it began trading last month.

All of these miners, with the exception of Emerge, now have operations in West Texas. And they all have quarries back in Wisconsin too. That state had quickly emerged as the epicenter of the sand market when fracking took off a decade ago. Large, rugged and round as marbles, the granules found there are ideally shaped to prop open crevices in shale rock so that the oil can seep out freely.

#lazy-img-329177321:before{padding-top:66.75%;}Hi-Crush mining facility in Kermit, Texas.Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg​​​​​​​

The West Texas sand isn’t nearly as big or as sturdy. And it’s oddly shaped too -- more like a jelly bean than a marble.

So for years, it was ignored. (No one was even interested in it for use in other industries, like cement or microchips.) But then, in the summer of 2014, the price of oil plunged. Suddenly, cost-cutting was all the rage. And there was no cheaper place to pump shale oil than in the Permian.

As drillers piled into the region, they began to wonder if they really needed to have sand shipped some 1,300 miles by rail from Wisconsin when they had this inferior, but serviceable, stuff lying all around them. Shipping costs from Wisconsin come to about $90 per ton of sand. That’s triple the $25 or so it costs to truck in the Texas sand.

“The business plan is simple,” says Peter Allen, senior project manager at Black Mountain Sand. “We cut out the cost of railing it here.”

Backed by a private-equity firm named Natural Gas Partners, Black Mountain is the biggest outfit in the area. It runs two mines nestled up against a desolate strip of highway that stretches into unincorporated parts of Texas along the border with New Mexico. They’re called Vest and El Dorado. Both are just months old. And both are already cranking out sand at a pace equal to 5 million tons a year.

It takes an army of trucks to haul that much sand to well sites. And they need to get in and out of the mines efficiently. Allen’s target is eight minutes or less. An automated system that knows which sand to feed each truck speeds the process along. Still, they come in so fast that the line can back up quickly. On a recent afternoon, it was several deep. Sergio Pando, a load-out operator, says that’s nothing. On a really hectic day, it can swell to 100.

‘Gold Rush’

Like most everyone else here, Pando was lured to the sand mines by the prospect of big pay. Even unskilled newbies can pull down $19 an hour, almost triple the state’s $7.25-per-hour minimum wage. A student at Texas Tech University, Pando took off the spring semester to start working at Black Mountain. Six months into the job, he’s making $28 an hour.

“You have this flood of people and resources and capital going into this small,
condensed area,” says Allen, who himself was recruited away from Rio Tinto’s U.S. mining operation. “It’s like a gold rush.”

#lazy-img-329177355:before{padding-top:66.75%;}Sand dunes at a state park near Monahans, Texas.Photographer: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg

This gold rush metaphor comes up again and again in conversations here. Or gold mine. That one is popular too. Fulton, the Hi-Crush CFO, says it’s apt for the situation because, just like the speculators of old, people are trying to snap up land now before the actual mining companies arrive.

“They’re trying to just find something, quickly flip it and make some quick cash,” Fulton says. “They really don’t have the intention of staying and working in the sand industry.”

But as Edwards, the mine manager, stood atop that sand dune later that day and took in the sight of all of those rival silos dotting the horizon, he was struck by something very different. And while he didn’t betray any concern when he said it, there’s a cautionary, almost foreboding, note to the observation: “We knew there were people talking about it. We didn’t know how many would go through with it.”

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2019

tags:PCMI,SYNC,TAP,CVBF,SSI, PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. ���What��s a miniature golf course without tacky windmills?

It turns out it can be video golf simulators where players can try their luck on any of more than 200 of the world's most famous golf courses.

Or 36 holes on "extreme" putting courses.

And through it all, it's a place where hackers can relax with a glass poured from any of�24 beer taps, including�local craft beer. There's also going to be�a full wine selection �� not to mention premium�ice cream.

This is�POP Stroke, the kind of adult-oriented "golf entertainment facility" that represents a more modern take on the�fun but schlocky�kid-oriented courses of the past.

"This is the cutting edge of miniature golf courses,�� said Greg Bartoli who is bringing the new facility to Florida's eight largest city. ��It��s going to be a real true putting experience and there��s not going to be any tacky windmills or a lot of the things you��d see in a 1980s style golf course.��

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2019: PCM, Inc.(PCMI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on PCM (PCMI)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Genprex, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNPX) shares gained 86.76 percent to close at $11.00 on Thursday. Comstock Resources, Inc. (NYSE: CRK) shares climbed 47.06 percent to close at $7.00 after the company disclosed a deal with Arkoma Drilling L.P. and Williston Drilling, L.P. to buy oil & gas properties in North Dakota. Comstock announced withdrawal of tender offers for outstanding secured notes. Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: CDAY) gained 41.86 percent to close at $31.21. MarineMax, Inc. (NYSE: HZO) shares rose 26.5 percent to close at $22.20 as the company posted upbeat Q2 results and raised its FY18 outlook. Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited (NYSE: CCM) jumped 24.92 percent to close at $4.06. Mattersight Corporation (NASDAQ: MATR) shares climbed 23.26 percent to close at $2.65 after the company agreed to be purchased by NICE Ltd. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) rose 24.44 percent to close at $422.50 as the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter on Wednesday. Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCTT) gained 17.75 percent to close at $18.64 following upbeat Q1 earnings. PCM, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCMI) rose 16.59 percent to close at $12.30 following Q1 results. Zymeworks Inc. (NASDAQ: ZYME) rose 16.06 percent to close at $15.25. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALXN) shares climbed 14.5 percent to close at $121.42 as the company posted reported Q1 beat And raised FY18 outlook. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) shares gained 13.7 percent to close at $11.04 as the company reported upbeat results for its first quarter. Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXSM) rose 13.21 percent to close at $3.00 after the company disclosed a positive outcome of the interim analysis of STRIDE-1 Phase 3 trial of AXS-05 in treatment resistant depression. O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: ORLY) jumped 13.06 percent to close at $257.40 following upbeat Q1 profit. BioTelemetry,
• [By Ethan Ryder]

  PCM (NASDAQ: PCMI) and Insight Enterprises (NASDAQ:NSIT) are both small-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, valuation, risk and dividends.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  PCM (NASDAQ: PCMI) and CDW common stock (NASDAQ:CDW) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, profitability, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2019: Synacor, Inc.(SYNC)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  Syncona Ltd (LON:SYNC) announced a dividend on Thursday, June 14th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Investors of record on Thursday, June 21st will be paid a dividend of GBX 2.30 ($0.03) per share on Monday, July 30th. This represents a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 21st. The official announcement can be seen at this link.

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of INTEL CORP's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=INTEL+CORP

  These are the top 5 holdings of INTEL CORPCloudera Inc (CLDR) - 26,065,827 shares, 92.26% of the total portfolio. Borqs Technologies Inc (BRQS) - 3,799,172 shares, 5.42% of the total portfolio. ForeScout Technologies Inc (FSCT) - 257,756 shares, 1.37% of the total portfolio. Aquantia Corp (AQ) - 161,492 shares, 0.42% of the total portfolio. Synacor Inc (SYNC) - 866,884 shares, 0.23% of the total portfolio. New
• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Media coverage about Synacor (NASDAQ:SYNC) has trended somewhat positive recently, according to Accern. The research group identifies positive and negative press coverage by reviewing more than twenty million news and blog sources in real-time. Accern ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of -1 to 1, with scores nearest to one being the most favorable. Synacor earned a coverage optimism score of 0.05 on Accern’s scale. Accern also assigned news coverage about the information services provider an impact score of 47.6409011491603 out of 100, indicating that recent press coverage is somewhat unlikely to have an effect on the company’s share price in the immediate future.

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2019: Molson Coors Brewing Company(TAP)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Paul Ausick]

  It won’t be the first or the largest alcoholic beverage maker to look at marijuana as a means to staunch falling sales, and that may be part of the reason that sources are revealing that Molson Coors Brewing Co. (NYSE: TAP) is searching for a partner to collaborate with on brewing up a cannabis-infused beer. Beverage maker Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) paid $245 million last year for a 9.9% stake in Canada’s Canopy Growth Corp. (NYSE: CGC) with an eye on the same prize.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  But while megabrewers like Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) and Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) continue to see overall sales shrink, craft beer at least can say its business is still growing. While the heady double-digit growth rates of the past decade are probably a thing of the past, sales volumes still rose 5% in 2017 for craft brewers, and small and independent brewers account for nearly 13% of the total market by volume, according to a report in The Washington Post.

• [By ]

  Molson Coors Brewing (NYSE: TAP) is the leading brewer globally with 25% of the U.S. market, a 33% share in Canada and a fifth of the European market. The company acquired the remaining 50% stake in MillerCoors from SABMiller in 2016, giving it greater scale and international distribution.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Molson Coors Brewing Co Class B (NYSE:TAP) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $349,000.

• [By Sean Williams]

  Infused beverages could be another very interesting dried cannabis alternative. Molson Coors Brewing (NYSE:TAP) is rumored to be looking for a marijuana partner to develop cannabidiol (CBD) and/or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-infused beverages. THC is the psychoactive component that gets you "high," while CBD is the nonpsychoactive component best known for its medical benefits. Molson Coors has seen its share of the Canadian beer market shrink over the past decade, and most alcohol companies are now facing the possibility of losing sales to legal cannabis. By partnering, Molson Coors could add a new channel of sales, as well as share a higher-margin product with a top-tier grower.�

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2019: CVB Financial Corporation(CVBF)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shane Hupp]

  Glen Harbor Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in CVB Financial Co. (NASDAQ:CVBF) by 45.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 17,754 shares during the period. Glen Harbor Capital Management LLC’s holdings in CVB Financial were worth $477,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Top 5 Heal Care Stocks To Own For 2019: Stage Stores, Inc.(SSI)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  The Children’s Place (NASDAQ: PLCE) and Stage Stores (NYSE:SSI) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

• [By Lisa Levin] Gainers Stellar Biotechnologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBOT) rose 32 percent to $2.89 in pre-market trading after the company disclosed that it achieved robust viral clearance for its manufacturing process. Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: BW) rose 17.7 percent to $3.03 in pre-market trading after an amended 13D filing from Steel Partners Holdings shows a raised stake in the company from 6.99 million shares to 29.98 million shares, or a 17.8 percent stake. AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACRX) shares rose 12.7 percent to $3.55 in pre-market trading after the company announced the FDA acceptance of NDA for DSUVIA. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) shares rose 11.7 percent to $54.95 in pre-market trading. after the company reported stronger-than-expected results for its first quarter. The company also raised its FY18 earnings and sales guidance. Bilibili Inc. (NASDAQ: BILI) shares rose 9.3 percent to $13.59 in pre-market trading after announcing Q1 results. Stein Mart, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMRT) rose 8.1 percent to $3.46 in pre-market trading after reporting strong Q1 earnings. Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) rose 8.1 percent to $52.35 in pre-market trading after reporting fiscal Q4 results. Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNS) rose 8.1 percent to $5.65 in pre-market trading after gaining 6.30 percent on Wednesday. CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE: CVM) rose 6.1 percent to $3.30 in pre-market trading after climbing 9.51 percent on Wednesday. TransEnterix, Inc. (NYSE: TRXC) rose 6 percent to $3.10 in pre-market trading after reporting a loan deal for $40 million in term loans with Hercules Capital. Stage Stores, Inc. (NYSE: SSI) rose 5.6 percent to $3.40 in pre-market trading following Q1 results. Koss Corporation (NASDAQ: KOSS) shares rose 5.2 percent to $2.42 in the pre-market trading session after falling 2.54 percent on Wednesday.

   

• [By WWW.GURUFOCUS.COM]

  For the details of AXAR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT L.P.'s stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=AXAR+CAPITAL+MANAGEMENT+L.P.

  These are the top 5 holdings of AXAR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT L.P.Stonemor Partners LP (STON) - 6,650,613 shares, 68.21% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 8.91%Patterson-UTI Energy Inc (PTEN) - 730,000 shares, 21.11% of the total portfolio. Stage Stores Inc (SSI) - 1,750,000 shares, 6.3% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 75.00%Five Star Senior Living Inc (FVE) - 2,039,878 shares, 4.38% of the total portfolio. Added
• [By Lisa Levin] Companies Reporting Before The Bell Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.74 per share on revenue of $8.73 billion. McKesson Corporation (NYSE: MCK) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $3.56 per share on revenue of $51.25 billion. Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.39 per share on revenue of $8.00 billion. Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.45 per share on revenue of $2.39 billion. Brady Corporation (NYSE: BRC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $0.49 per share on revenue of $291.47 million. Sanderson Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFM) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $2.2 per share on revenue of $841.75 million. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $1.16 per share on revenue of $6.86 billion. Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.61 per share on revenue of $8.05 billion. 58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.21 per share on revenue of $372.49 million. Luxoft Holding, Inc. (NYSE: LXFT) is estimated to report quarterly earnings at $0.59 per share on revenue of $228.53 million. The Toro Company (NYSE: TTC) is expected to report quarterly earnings at $1.21 per share on revenue of $916.73 million. StealthGas Inc. (NASDAQ: GASS) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.06 per share on revenue of $37.75 million. Stage Stores, Inc. (NYSE: SSI) is estimated to report earnings for its first quarter. Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: THR) is projected to report quarterly earnings at $0.2 per share on revenue of $96.24 million. Tuniu Corporation (NASDAQ: TOUR) is estimated to report quarterly loss at $0.03 per share on revenue of $76.72 million.

   

Cabbage Trading 1.3% Higher This Week (CAB)

Cabbage (CURRENCY:CAB) traded 5.2% lower against the dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 11:00 AM Eastern on July 7th. One Cabbage coin can now be purchased for approximately $0.0025 or 0.00000038 BTC on exchanges. Cabbage has a total market cap of $26,118.00 and $25.00 worth of Cabbage was traded on exchanges in the last day. Over the last seven days, Cabbage has traded 1.3% higher against the dollar.

Here’s how other cryptocurrencies have performed over the last day:

Get Cabbage alerts: OmiseGO (OMG) traded down 3.3% against the dollar and now trades at $7.71 or 0.00117807 BTC. Wanchain (WAN) traded down 3.6% against the dollar and now trades at $2.32 or 0.00035507 BTC. Ardor (ARDR) traded 2.3% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.16 or 0.00002467 BTC. Mithril (MITH) traded 12.5% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.46 or 0.00007087 BTC. Raiden Network Token (RDN) traded up 1.1% against the dollar and now trades at $0.80 or 0.00012200 BTC. Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL) traded 2.9% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.47 or 0.00007188 BTC. DECENT (DCT) traded 1.8% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.37 or 0.00005617 BTC. ION (ION) traded up 0.3% against the dollar and now trades at $0.87 or 0.00013304 BTC. Fluz Fluz (FLUZ) traded 10.3% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.0213 or 0.00000325 BTC. FidentiaX (FDX) traded up 7.6% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0250 or 0.00000382 BTC.

Cabbage Coin Profile

CAB uses the hashing algorithm. Cabbage’s total supply is 10,499,996 coins. Cabbage’s official website is www.cabbage.tech. Cabbage’s official Twitter account is @cabbagetech.

Cabbage Coin Trading

Cabbage can be purchased on these cryptocurrency exchanges: YoBit. It is usually not presently possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as Cabbage directly using US dollars. Investors seeking to acquire Cabbage should first buy Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in US dollars such as GDAX, Changelly or Coinbase. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to buy Cabbage using one of the exchanges listed above.

new TradingView.widget({ “height”: 400, “width”: 650, “symbol”: “CABUSD”, “interval”: “D”, “timezone”: “Etc/UTC”, “theme”: “White”, “style”: “1”, “locale”: “en”, “toolbar_bg”: “#f1f3f6”, “enable_publishing”: false, “hideideas”: true, “referral_id”: “2588”});

Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: NOC, LMT, SATS, F, TSLA, BIIB, BA & more

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:

Northrop Grumman �� Northrop is pursuing a Japanese jet fighter contract that may put it in competition with US rival Lockheed Martin, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. Northrop had lost a competition against Lockheed for an Air Force stealth fighter jet nearly three decades ago.

Echostar �� Echostar is now seeking talks with Immarsat after its $3.2 billion bid to buy the British satellite firm was rebuffed. Immarsat said the offer significantly undervalues the company, as it had when it rejected a prior offer from its U.S. rival last month.

Ford Motor �� Ford reported a 38 percent drop in China vehicle sales in June, capping a first half sales slump. For the first six months of the year, sales were down 25 percent, the biggest decline since Ford started China operations in 2001.

Tesla �� The automaker��s Fremont, California factory is the subject of another probe by California regulators, following a safety-related complaint. California��s Occupational Safety and Health Administration acknowledged opening the case on June 21, but has not given specific details on the investigation.

Biogen �� Biogen said a new Alzheimer��s drug succeeded in a mid-stage trial for patients receiving the highest dose. Biogen is developing the drug in partnership with Japan��s Eisai Co., whose shares surged in Tokyo trading.

Boeing �� Boeing could get a boost after European rival Airbus raised its 20-year forecast for aircraft demand by more than seven percent.

Wynn Resorts �� Wynn Resorts announced the departure of long time general counsel Kim Sinatra, effective July 15. The hotel and casino operator said it had not yet finalized the terms of Sinatra��s transition and departure.

Deutsche Bank �� A German magazine reports that JPMorgan Chase and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China may both be interested in taking a stake in Deutsche Bank. JPMorgan subsequently denied that it was interested, and the German government denied it had privately expressed concerns about the bank.

Kraft Heinz, Conagra �� Shares of the two food makers could be impacted after a Financial Times report that American ketchup could be next on a list of EU trade targets. Kraft Heinz makes the popular Heinz ketchup brand, while Conagra is the maker of Hunt��s.

PriceSmart �� PriceSmart reported quarterly earnings of 61 cents per share, 2 cents below forecasts, though the retailer��s revenue did exceed forecasts. The warehouse retailer��s costs following several recent acquisitions.

Square �� Square withdrew its application with the FDIC to open a depository bank, which would allow it to collect government-insured deposits. The mobile payments company plans to refile after it strengthens its application.

Greenbrier Companies (GBX) Given a $55.00 Price Target by Wells Fargo & Co Analysts

Wells Fargo & Co set a $55.00 price target on Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX) in a report released on Monday morning. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the transportation company’s stock.

GBX has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Greenbrier Companies from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 8th. ValuEngine lowered shares of Greenbrier Companies from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Greenbrier Companies from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Sunday, April 8th. Finally, Cowen reissued a buy rating and issued a $58.00 price target on shares of Greenbrier Companies in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $58.25.

Get Greenbrier Companies alerts:

GBX stock opened at $54.10 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. Greenbrier Companies has a one year low of $41.45 and a one year high of $54.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.39, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.61.

Greenbrier Companies (NYSE:GBX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 29th. The transportation company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.16. Greenbrier Companies had a net margin of 5.92% and a return on equity of 10.89%. The company had revenue of $641.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $668.52 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.03 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 46.0% on a year-over-year basis. sell-side analysts predict that Greenbrier Companies will post 4.3 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 19th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 18th. Greenbrier Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.60%.

In other news, EVP Mark J. Rittenbaum sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.68, for a total value of $476,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 68,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,276,855.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark J. Rittenbaum sold 2,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.58, for a total transaction of $104,118.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 71,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,564,405.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,100 shares of company stock valued at $1,168,428 over the last three months. 2.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Greenbrier Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $512,000. Swiss National Bank raised its position in Greenbrier Companies by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 48,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,585,000 after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Greenbrier Companies by 225.9% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 48,239 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,571,000 after acquiring an additional 33,439 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in Greenbrier Companies by 68.9% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 8,556 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $456,000 after acquiring an additional 3,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Greenbrier Companies by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 70,918 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,780,000 after acquiring an additional 9,605 shares in the last quarter.

Greenbrier Companies Company Profile

The Greenbrier Companies, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets railroad freight car equipment in North America and Europe. Its Manufacturing segment offers double-stack intermodal railcars; tank cars; auto-max and multi-max products for the transportation of light vehicles; conventional railcars, such as covered hopper cars, boxcars, center partition cars, bulkhead flat cars, and solid waste service flat cars; and pressurized tank cars, non-pressurized tank cars, coil cars, coal cars, gondolas, sliding wall cars, and automobile transporter cars; and marine vessels, including conventional deck barges, double-hull tank barges, railcar/deck barges, barges for aggregates, and other heavy industrial products and dump barges.

Forecasting How Shares Of Netflix, Tesla, And First Solar Will Perform This Week

The following fourstocks are currently in the midst of uptrends according to VantagePoint, an AI charting platform that uses intermarket analysis to predict future price action 1-3 days in advance.

A couple of things to know in order to understand the charts below:

Each chart is a 3-month chart. Candles represent one day of trading The blue line is a predicted moving average that forecasts a stock's moving average either two or three days out, depending on the chart. The black line is a simple 10-day moving average When the blue line crosses above the black, that's a bullish signal. When the black crosses over the blue, that's bearish 

For a more detailed look at VantagePoint's charts, click here.

Tesla Motors 

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) is unusual because of the sheer amount of headlines the company generates, which opens the stock up to more headline risk on both the short and long side. But looking at it technically, it appears to be headed for a near-term downtrend. The uptrend starting on May 29 looks to have weakened significantly with the stock falling 8 percent on Thursday and Friday. The chart below shows how two moving averages have converged, indicating the stock is heading for a reversal in the next two days.  

First Solar 

First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) has followed the opposite pattern as Tesla. The stock had a bearish crossover on May 23, and is since down 23 percent. But it seems to have found a level of support in the $51 handle. You can see how the downtrend has flattened out in the last two weeks. On top of that, the Neural Index has shifted to green, indicating near-term upside is likely. FLSR is flat over the last two trading days.

Netflix

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) has been on an absolute tear, rising over $100 (33 percent) since May 4. Despite two red candles to close last week, this uptrend is still strong according to VantagePoint. NFLX would need several more flat or down days this week for the trend to show any signs of ending. Across the software's one, two, and three-day forecasts, the uptrend is expected to remain intact.  

Genworth Financial

Genworth Financial Inc (NYSE: GNW) appears to have entered a downtrend. While the stock gapped up 25 percent two weeks ago after an acquisition was approved, its since had eight red days in the last 10. Friday's close led to VantagePoint's two-day predicted moving average crossing below the 10-day moving average, signaling temporary weakness. This will be one to watch early this week to see whether the trend will show further conviction. 

VantagePoint is a content partner of Benzinga. For a free trial, click here. 

Business Leaders Want to Build ‘Talent Pipeline’

A common complaint from employers ever since the financial crisis is that they can’t find employees with the skills businesses need. For a time this so-called structural unemployment grabbed a lot of headlines.

Whether the high unemployment rates that followed the Great Recession were structural or not is no longer an issue, with U.S. unemployment now below 4%. The most recent estimate for the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that for the first time ever there are 6.7 million jobs available and only 6.4 million workers available to fill them. Now the question is how to create a job market in which workers have the skills required by prospective employers.

The Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs representing most of the largest U.S. companies, plans to address the issue by teaming up with local colleges and universities to accelerate and scale best-in-class workforce readiness programs. The plan, called the Workforce Partnership Initiative (WPI), is designed to develop a “steady talent pipeline that meets the changing needs of each region’s growing industries.”

Roundtable Chair Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, said:

Public-private sector partnership is the key to training the skilled workers we need for the millions of jobs available today and for the economy of tomorrow. Through this first of its kind model, we are aligning our business priorities and technological advances to build and grow local efforts that provide workers with the skills and education tools they’ll need to succeed.

Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman and chair of the Roundtable’s education and workforce committee, added:

The WPI is a one-of-a-kind answer to this problem. Not only will these partnerships allow us to address specific workforce challenges facing regional employers, it will bring renewed hope to households and communities across the country �� offering Americans of all backgrounds a chance to gain skills they can use to build a better life for themselves and their families.

In the Washington, D.C., region more than a dozen of the region��s leading universities and private sector businesses will work alongside the Roundtable’s Greater Washington Partnership to “develop new, unique, industry-recognized education credentials to increase the number and quality of skilled students graduating from digital technology programs in the Greater Washington area.”

Programs are planned to launch six additional regions in the coming months.

India tried to sell its national airline. It got zero bids

India has failed to find a buyer for its ailing national airline.

Selling Air India was one of the government's economic priorities for this year, and the failure of the auction will dampen hopes that it could privatize other state-owned companies.

Bidding for the national carrier closed Thursday without a single prospective buyer coming forward.

"As informed by the transaction adviser, no response has been received for the expression of interest floated for the strategic disinvestment of Air India," the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation said on its official Twitter account.

The government put Air India on the auction block last year, and was offering bidders the chance to buy 76%. It wants to scale back taxpayer support for an airline that has lost money for years.

The auction deadline had already been extended in the hope that a buyer may come forward. The future of the indebted carrier is now very uncertain.

"Further course of action will be decided appropriately," the ministry said in its tweet.

As informed by the Transaction Adviser, no response has been received for the Expression of Interest floated for the strategic disinvestment of Air India. Further course of action will be decided appropriately.

— Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) May 31, 2018

Air India declined to comment, referring the matter to the ministry. Aviation ministry officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Despite its losses, and growing competition from budget carriers such as SpiceJet and IndiGo, Air India is still a major player in an aviation market that is projected to be the world's third biggest by 2026.

But buyers were put off by Air India's enormous debts -- more than $7 billion. The government wanted the new owner to take on $5 billion of that.

The Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), an aviation consultancy, estimated that Air India could lose another $2 billion in the next two years.

India's national carrier faces an uncertain future as losses mount.

Some of the terms of the sale also deterred potential bidders.

IndiGo backed out because it only wants to buy Air India's international operations -- an option the government didn't offer.

The government had also barred companies from folding Air India's business into their own, saying it must continue operating "on an arms length basis."

Analysis: Why no one wants India's national airline

Any international bidders would have had to find a local partner, because regulations prevent foreign firms from owning more than 49% of an Indian airline.

Analysts say the government may have to sweeten the terms if it wants to have another go at offloading Air India, which still accounts for around 17% of all India's international traffic. It carried almost 19 million passengers during the last fiscal year.

CAPA says privatization may be the carrier's last hope.

"If the divestment process is not executed successfully, the airline could possibly close, unless the government has the appetite to use billions of dollars of taxpayer funds," the organization said in a recent note.

-- Sugam Pokharel contributed to this article.

Zacks: Brokerages Anticipate Granite Construction Inc. (GVA) Will Announce Earnings of $0.89 Per Sha

Equities analysts expect Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE:GVA) to announce earnings per share (EPS) of $0.89 for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Two analysts have made estimates for Granite Construction’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $0.88 to $0.90. Granite Construction posted earnings per share of $0.35 in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year over year growth rate of 154.3%. The firm is expected to issue its next earnings results on Tuesday, August 7th.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Granite Construction will report full year earnings of $3.36 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $3.24 to $3.50. For the next fiscal year, analysts forecast that the company will post earnings of $4.50 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.31 to $4.69. Zacks Investment Research’s EPS averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that that provide coverage for Granite Construction.

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Granite Construction (NYSE:GVA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 30th. The construction company reported ($0.13) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.37) by $0.24. The company had revenue of $563.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $534.77 million. Granite Construction had a return on equity of 8.82% and a net margin of 2.64%. The business’s revenue was up 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.60) earnings per share.

Several analysts recently weighed in on GVA shares. ValuEngine raised Granite Construction from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 8th. DA Davidson raised Granite Construction from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 5th. Zacks Investment Research cut Granite Construction from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 6th. Finally, MKM Partners dropped their price target on Granite Construction to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $72.29.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GVA. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Granite Construction by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 299,912 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $19,024,000 after acquiring an additional 18,513 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Granite Construction by 2,194.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 58,720 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,725,000 after acquiring an additional 56,161 shares during the period. Investment House LLC bought a new position in Granite Construction during the 4th quarter worth $214,000. Parametrica Management Ltd bought a new position in Granite Construction during the 4th quarter worth $360,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Granite Construction by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 859,962 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $54,547,000 after acquiring an additional 19,775 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.16% of the company’s stock.

NYSE:GVA traded down $0.32 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $56.36. 11,957 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 349,325. The stock has a market cap of $2.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.28, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Granite Construction has a fifty-two week low of $45.94 and a fifty-two week high of $68.58.

Granite Construction Company Profile

Granite Construction Incorporated operates as a heavy civil contractor and a construction materials producer in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Construction, Large Project Construction, and Construction Materials. The Construction segment undertakes various civil construction projects focusing on new construction and improvement of streets, roads, highways, bridges, site work, underground, power-related facilities, water-related facilities, utilities, and other infrastructure projects.

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Affiliated Managers Group (AMG) & Eaton Vance (EV) Head-To-Head Contrast

Affiliated Managers Group (NYSE: AMG) and Eaton Vance (NYSE:EV) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends, risk, valuation and profitability.

Profitability

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This table compares Affiliated Managers Group and Eaton Vance’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Affiliated Managers Group	30.34%	19.27%	9.90%
Eaton Vance	19.82%	33.96%	15.00%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Affiliated Managers Group and Eaton Vance’s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Affiliated Managers Group	$2.31 billion	3.85	$689.50 million	$14.60	11.19
Eaton Vance	$1.53 billion	4.32	$282.13 million	$2.48	22.17

Affiliated Managers Group has higher revenue and earnings than Eaton Vance. Affiliated Managers Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Eaton Vance, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

Affiliated Managers Group has a beta of 1.53, meaning that its share price is 53% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Eaton Vance has a beta of 1.7, meaning that its share price is 70% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Affiliated Managers Group and Eaton Vance, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Affiliated Managers Group	0	3	4	0	2.57
Eaton Vance	0	4	3	0	2.43

Affiliated Managers Group currently has a consensus price target of $213.57, suggesting a potential upside of 30.76%. Eaton Vance has a consensus price target of $57.79, suggesting a potential upside of 5.10%. Given Affiliated Managers Group’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Affiliated Managers Group is more favorable than Eaton Vance.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.6% of Affiliated Managers Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.9% of Eaton Vance shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Affiliated Managers Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Affiliated Managers Group pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Eaton Vance pays an annual dividend of $1.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Affiliated Managers Group pays out 8.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Eaton Vance pays out 50.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Eaton Vance has raised its dividend for 37 consecutive years. Eaton Vance is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Affiliated Managers Group beats Eaton Vance on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

Affiliated Managers Group Company Profile

Affiliated Managers Group, Inc., through its affiliates, operates as an asset management company providing investment management services to mutual funds, institutional clients, and high net worth individuals in the United States. It provides advisory or subadvisory services to mutual funds. These funds are distributed to retail and institutional clients directly and through intermediaries, including independent investment advisors, retirement plan sponsors, broker-dealers, major fund marketplaces, and bank trust departments. The company also offers investment products in various investment styles in the institutional distribution channel, including small, small/mid, mid, and large capitalization value and growth equity, and emerging markets. In addition, it offers quantitative, alternative, and fixed income products, and manages assets for foundations and endowments, defined benefit, and defined contribution plans for corporations and municipalities. Affiliated Managers Group provides investment management or customized investment counseling and fiduciary services. The company was formed as a corporation under the laws of Delaware in 1993. Affiliated Managers Group is based in Prides Crossing, Massachusetts.

Eaton Vance Company Profile

Eaton Vance Corp., through its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, marketing, and management of investment funds in the United States. It also provides investment management and counseling services to institutions and individuals. Further, the company operates as an adviser and distributor of investment companies and separate accounts. As of October 31, 2004, the company provided investment advisory or administration services to approximately 150 funds; approximately 1,300 separately managed individual and institutional accounts; and participated in approximately 40 retail-managed account broker/dealer programs. It markets and distributes shares of funds through a retail network of national and regional broker/dealers, banks, insurance companies, and financial planning firms. Eaton Vance Corp. was incorporated on January 29, 1981 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Analysts Expect Ctrip.Com International Ltd (CTRP) Will Post Earnings of $0.22 Per Share

Wall Street analysts forecast that Ctrip.Com International Ltd (NASDAQ:CTRP) will report earnings per share (EPS) of $0.22 for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks. Three analysts have made estimates for Ctrip.Com International’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $0.20 to $0.26. Ctrip.Com International posted earnings per share of $0.09 in the same quarter last year, which indicates a positive year-over-year growth rate of 144.4%. The business is expected to report its next earnings results on Wednesday, August 29th.

On average, analysts expect that Ctrip.Com International will report full year earnings of $1.16 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $0.94 to $1.52. For the next financial year, analysts expect that the company will report earnings of $1.54 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.34 to $1.71. Zacks’ earnings per share calculations are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that that provide coverage for Ctrip.Com International.

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Ctrip.Com International (NASDAQ:CTRP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 14th. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.02). Ctrip.Com International had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 4.70%. The business had revenue of $987.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 35.3% on a year-over-year basis.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. TH Capital raised shares of Ctrip.Com International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank assumed coverage on shares of Ctrip.Com International in a research note on Monday, February 5th. They set a “hold” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Co assumed coverage on shares of Ctrip.Com International in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Ctrip.Com International from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 19th. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of Ctrip.Com International from a “b-” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Friday, April 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.23.

CTRP stock traded up $0.57 on Friday, hitting $46.50. 4,341,100 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,878,689. Ctrip.Com International has a 1-year low of $40.13 and a 1-year high of $60.65. The firm has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a PE ratio of 78.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.40.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ctrip.Com International by 1,257.0% in the 1st quarter. Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,000 after acquiring an additional 3,419 shares in the last quarter. Baldwin Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ctrip.Com International in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Ctrip.Com International by 3,674.8% in the 1st quarter. Point72 Asia Hong Kong Ltd now owns 4,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after acquiring an additional 4,373 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ctrip.Com International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ctrip.Com International by 46.3% in the 1st quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,000 after acquiring an additional 1,467 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.49% of the company’s stock.

About Ctrip.Com International

Ctrip.com International, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides travel service for accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours, and corporate travel management in the People's Republic of China. The company operates as an agent for hotel-related transactions; sells air tickets; and other related services, including sale of aviation and train insurance, air-ticket delivery services, online check-in, and other value-added services, such as online seat selection and flight dynamics.

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Exxon Mobil, Chevron Clobber the Dow Thursday

May 24, 2018: Markets opened lower Thursday following Trump’s cancellation of the June meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. Trump’s threatened tax on imported cars boosted the industrials, consumer cyclicals, and utilities sectors. The energy sector tumbled after a two-week run-up.

WTI crude oil for July delivery closed at $70.71 a barrel, down about 1.6% for the day. June gold added 1.2% on the day to settle at $1,304.40. Equities were headed for a narrowly lower close about 10 minutes before the bell as the Dow traded down 0.30% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.23%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.06%.

Bitcoin futures (XBTM8) for June delivery traded at $7,585, down about 0.8% on the CBOE after opening at $7,635 this morning. The trading range today was $7,265 to $7,750.

The Dow stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Thursday was Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) which traded down 2.42% at $80.16 in a 52-week range of $72.16 to $89.30. Volume was about 35% below the daily average of around 5.2 million shares. The company had no specific news.

Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) traded down 1.74% at $126.46. The stock’s 52-week range is $102.55 to $133.88. Volume was about 33% below the daily average of around 6.7 million shares. Like Exxon, the company had no specific news, but low oil prices hit the shares today.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) traded down 1.05% at $111.31. The stock’s 52-week range is $81.64 to $119.33. Volume was about 30% below the daily average of around 14.5 million. The bank had no specific news Thursday.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) traded down 1.08% at $122.12. The stock’s 52-week range is $121.28 to $148.32. Volume was about 20% below the daily average of 6.8 million. The company has been ordered to pay nearly $26 million in a case related to cancer linked �to asbestos in the company’s baby powder product.

Of the Dow stocks, 10 are on track to close higher Thursday and 20 are set to close lower.

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The Biggest Company the Year You Were Born

Even Alibaba Isn't Immune to the Consequences of Heavy Investing

Alibaba's (NYSE:BABA)�spending had investors excited when the company was able to maintain its profit and margins. But now its heavy investing is causing some raised eyebrows after the Chinese retail giant reported a drop in net income and a shrunken operating margin.�

The company didn't shy away from talking about its spending habits, even warning investors during the fiscal fourth-quarter earnings call that it intended to continue the heavy investing trend. Alibaba seems confident that reinvesting billions of dollars in new projects like New Retail, cloud computing, and logistics will help it diversify its revenue, stay ahead of the competition, and entice customers to spend more.

Alibaba has been prioritizing long-term growth over short-term profit. Image source: Alibaba.

Alibaba's heavy investing weighs on profit, margins

Alibaba has been open about its heavy investing in the past year. But some investors were still taken aback by the company's latest earnings report, which showed net income fell by 29% year over year to $1.2 billion. The company noted that it had a tough comparison due to the sale of certain investments in the same quarter last year.�

But operating margin also shrank to just 15%, down from 25% a year ago. And Alibaba warned investors in its earnings report that it expects its margin to continue to shrink as it works on growing all of its new initiatives. And Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said on the earnings call that the company will continue to invest "aggressively."�

In 2017, Alibaba's heavy spending outside of its ongoing New Retail projects and cloud computing business included taking control of its logistics network Cainiao for $807 million. This gives Alibaba more control over deliveries and logistics, both in China and abroad, which it has typically relied on third parties for in the past. Furthermore, Alibaba also pledged to invest $15 billion additional dollars on building out its global logistics network over the next five years.�

And already in 2018, Alibaba is going after China's $10.7 billion food-delivery market by�scooping up�Ele.me in a deal that valued the start-up at $9.5 billion. But more importantly, Ele.me will also help improve Alibaba's delivery and logistics capabilities in China. That's because Ele.me's Feng Niao Delivery network has 3 million employees and a fleet of motorbikes that can strengthen Alibaba's local delivery network. Alibaba could expand its 30-minute grocery delivery service from its Hema stores or start offering 30-minute delivery on clothing, electronics, and more from its Tmall platform.�

Other investments this year include a 33% stake in its payment affiliate, Ant Financial, as it works to implement its Alipay mobile payment platform into its New Retail projects; a $2 billion investment in its Southeast Asia e-commerce company Lazada, bringing its total investment in the company to $4 billion; and most recently, the purchase of Pakistani e-commerce platform Daraz to further increase its chances of winning market share in South Asia.�

Why Alibaba feels pressured to spend big�

Right now Alibaba is reliant on its China commerce retail segment for over 70% of its revenue, which doesn't look good for long-term growth. Alibaba knows this and is working to diversify its revenue by investing in new initiatives.�

Alibaba is also under pressure to expand outside of online shopping because its top rivals, Tencent (NASDAQOTH:TCEHY) and JD.com (NASDAQ:JD), are both investing in other areas. JD.com already has its own delivery network and is building high-tech supermarkets across China, similar to Alibaba's Hema stores. And Tencent's WeChat app, which now allows for purchases, hit over 1 billion monthly active users earlier this year, topping Alibaba's 617 million monthly active users.��

Right now, Alibaba is in the lead for China e-commerce sales with 51.3% of the market, according to eMarketer. But Alibaba knows its position isn't secure and that investing in things like a better logistics network will be key to winning and keeping customers.

If everything goes right for Alibaba...

If all of these new initiatives work out as planned, then Alibaba will achieve its ultimate goal: to get each of its customers to spend more money within Alibaba's ecosystem.�Alibaba wants its 617 million monthly active users to come to its platform for all of their consumer needs, including media and entertainment, cloud computing, groceries, clothing, and more.�

In addition, as these customers buy more and more things through Alibaba, the company is going to glean even more information on consumer traits that will help it continue to improve all of its retail businesses. And it can also use that information to keep improving its New Retail projects.�

Co-founder Joseph Tsai said this in so many words in the last earnings call: "We're extremely excited by the potential flywheel effects of expanding the wallet share of these 550 million [annual active] users across our ecosystem, as well as the synergies and consumer insights that can be achieved through a platform built on the Alibaba technology infrastructure."�

But this hinges on everything going right for Alibaba. The company is putting a lot on the line for these new initiatives, and has warned investors about the expected negative impact on its margin. Now investors need to decide whether they trust the company can use these expensive initiatives to fuel long-term growth or not.