| On The Fly: Closing Wrap | Stocks on Wall Street were lower after retail sales rose less than expected, first-time unemployment claims increased, and oil prices continued their move higher as Islamic militants threaten to take over more Iraqi cities, including the capital. The major averages opened just slightly below the flat line and that was about as close to positive territory as they would get for the session. The commodity sector, which is often a safe haven for money during times of geopolitical turmoil, had its biggest rally in more than three months. In contrast, the equity market continued its losing streak.
ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., retail sales rose only 0.3% in May, and were up 0.1% excluding autos, as both growth figures missed the consensus forecast. Initial jobless claims rose to 317K in the week ended June 7, which was above the expectation for 310K new claims. Import and export prices both rose 0.1% in May. Business inventories rose 0.6% in April, with sales up 0.7%.
COMPANY NEWS: Twitter (TWTR) confirmed a report from Re/code that Ali Rowghani has resigned from his position as Chief Operating Officer. Rowghani will continue to be an employee and act as a strategic advisor to the CEO and the company does not intend to hire a replacement for the COO role, Twitter stated. Shares of the social network operator advanced $1.25, or 3.52%, to $36.79 after the management shake-up.
MAJOR MOVERS: Among the notable gainers was home furnishings retailer Restoration Hardware (RH), which advanced $9.05, or 12.68%, to $80.40 after the company's first quarter quarter results topped analysts' consensus estimates and it raised its fiscal 2014 outlook.
Also higher was Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), which rose 14c, or 0.42%, to $33.39 after Goldman Sachs changed its view on its negative thesis on the stock and upgraded the shares to Neutral from Sell. In after-hours trading, however, HP was up nearly another 1% after chipmaker Intel (INTC) raised its Q2 revenue view, citing stronger than expected demand for business PCs. Shares of Intel, meanwhile, were up more than 4% in after-hours trade following the increased outlook. Among the noteworthy losers was yoga wear maker lululemon (LULU), which fell $7.05, or 15.91%, to $37.25 and was downgraded at both William Blair and Stifel after the company reported Q1 results, lowered its FY14 guidance and announced the retirement of CFO John Currie. Also lower amid the recent spike in oil prices were a number of airline stocks, including Delta Air Lines (DAL), which slid $2.21, or 5.43%, to $38.50, and Southwest (LUV), which dropped $1.22, or 4.53%, to $25.72. INDEXES: The Dow was down 109.69, or 0.65%, to 16,734.19, the Nasdaq was down 34.30, or 0.79%, to 4,297.63, and the S&P 500 was down 13.78, or 0.71%, to 1,930.11. |
|
