| What to watch today: Dow to drop on Boeing pressure and Trump impeachment rules up for debate | | |  | TUE, DEC 17, 2019 | | | | AS OF TUE, DEC 17, 2019 • 08:02 ET | | Dow Jones Fut | | 28,235.89 | | Current: | 28,224.00 | | Change: | -39.00 | | Impl. Open: | -19.89 | | | S&P 500 Fut | | 3,191.45 | | Current: | 3,197.00 | | Change: | -1.50 | | Impl. Open: | 2.05 | | | NASDAQ 100 Fut | | 8,570.33 | | Current: | 8,603.50 | | Change: | -2.50 | | Impl. Open: | 6.17 | | | Russell 2000 Mini | | 1,649.94 | | Current: | 1,654.90 | | Change: | -1.30 | | Impl. Open: | .66 | | | U.S. stock futures were pointing to a narrowly mixed open for the Tuesday session, after the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all closed at record highs Monday, marking their fourth straight day of gains. The Dow is now aiming for its first win streak of five days or more in three months, and the Nasdaq its first in five months. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq continue on pace for their largest yearly gains since 2013, but the S&P 500 could post its best year since 1997 if it can increase its year-to-date gain by a little more than 2 percentage points before the end of December. (CNBC) | | | | Pressuring European stocks, the pound fell about 1% in early trade today against the dollar after media reports said that the British government will make it illegal for the post-Brexit transition period to be extended, leaving little time for a trade deal to be agreed with the EU. (CNBC) | | | | On today's U.S. economic calendar, the government is out with November housing starts at 8:30 a.m. ET. At 9:15 a.m. ET, November industrial production figures are out. The Labor Department is out with its October "JOLTS" report, the measure of job opportunities and labor turnover, at 10 a.m. (CNBC) | | | | Electronics manufacturer Jabil (JBL) and truck maker Navistar (NAV) are out with quarterly earnings this morning, while uniform maker Cintas (CTAS), FedEx (FDX) and office furniture manufacturer Steelcase (SCS) report after the closing bell. (CNBC) | House leaders unveiled a $1.4 trillion government-wide spending package with an unusually large load of unrelated provisions. A House vote is slated for today on the sprawling package, some 2,313 pages long, as lawmakers wrap up reams of unfinished work, and vote on impeaching President Donald Trump. (AP)
House Democrats are pushing to add several health-care provisions to the spending bill that must pass by Dec. 20 to avoid a government shutdown, CNBC reported. U.S. lawmakers are in talks to raise the minimum tobacco age to 21 and repeal Obamacare's so-called "Cadillac tax" as part of the spending deal to avoid a government shutdown.
The Trump administration downplayed a Mexican concern about a key piece of the North American trade deal that the House aims to approve this week. Mexico's Deputy Foreign Minister had raised concerns about the U.S. sending labor inspectors to Mexico, though a letter from the U.S.'s Robert Lighthizer appeared to ease his fears. (CNBC) | | | | Former Vice President Joe Biden notched another endorsement from an Obama administration Cabinet official. Former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew backed Biden, one of the top contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. (CNBC) | | | | Amazon (AMZN) is no longer allowing third-party sellers to use FedEx's ground-delivery shipping, marking the latest escalation in the companies' ongoing rivalry. The news sent FedEx shares down as much as 1.1%. (CNBC) | | | | The boards of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot SA will meet separately today to discuss finalizing an initial agreement for a $50 billion merger to create the world's number four carmaker, Reuters reported. The two companies could announce the signing of a binding memorandum early tomorrow. | | | | Shares of Roku (ROKU), which have been weathering the streaming wars and then some, were under pressure in the premarket after the company's said that its CFO will be stepping down after a successor is found. Roku stock, as of Monday's close, was up more than 350% in 2019. (CNBC) | | | | Netflix (NFLX) is accelerating its growth overseas. The company's Asia-Pacific business is recording the biggest membership and revenue gains among all regions over the past three years. In a filing Monday, Netflix provided details on its international business ahead of its January fourth-quarter earnings report, which will disclose revenue and membership by region for the first time. (Reuters) | | | | The storm that brought wintry weather across the country over the weekend will dump heavy snow and accumulating ice today across the eastern Great Lakes, northern Mid-Atlantic, and into portions of the Northeast and New England. (USA Today) | | Unilever (UL, UN) expects sales growth to be slightly below prior targets for the current year, although the consumer products giant has reaffirmed its earnings outlook. | | | | Roche's acquisition of Spark Therapeutics (ONCE) is expected to be completed today, following news that the Federal Trade Commission had approved the $4.3 billion acquisition. British regulators had given their OK earlier Monday. | | | | Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) shares are under pressure, following stress tests of Britain's biggest banks. Investors are concerned that plans to double the bank's capital buffer could put 2020 share buyback plans in jeopardy. | | | | Novartis (NVS) abandoned its experimental asthma drug fevipiprant, after it failed in late-stage trials. The drug maker had been regarding the treatment as highly promising. | | | | AMC Entertainment (AMC) is no longer North America's largest movie theater operator, after Britain's Cineworld Group, owner of the Regal chain, struck a deal to buy Canadas Cineplex for $1.65 billion. | | The 30th anniversary of "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," which premiered Dec. 17, 1989, is the latest milestone for the Fox animated classic, a culture-shaping series spawned by animated shorts that began as shorts two years earlier on "The Tracey Ullman Show." (USA Today) | |  | | |
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