Market Snapshot 
  briefing.com
                       | Dow |          37715.04 |          +25.50 |                       (0.07%)            |                         | Nasdaq |          14765.94 |          -245.41 |                       (-1.63%)            |                         | SP 500 |          4742.83 |          -27.00 |                       (-0.57%)            |                         | 10-yr Note  |          -28/32 |          3.946 |          
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  |                         | NYSE |          Adv 1313 |           Dec 1478 |           Vol 921 mln |                         | Nasdaq |          Adv 1880 |           Dec 2431 |           Vol 5.8 bln |               
           Industry Watch                             | Strong: Health Care, Utilities, Energy, Consumer Staples, Real Estate, Financials  |                         
  |                         | Weak: Information Technology, Industrials, Communication Services, Consumer Discretionary |               
           Moving the Market                             -- Profit-taking after nine-week win streak
  -- Loss  in Apple (AAPL) after downgrade to Underweight from Equal Weight at  Barclays, citing weakness in iPhone sales volume among other factors
  -- Geopolitical angst after Iran sent a warship to the Red Sea after the U.S. destroyed three Houthi boats
  -- Some strength under the index surface; Value stocks, bank stocks, and defensive-oriented stocks are outperforming  
 
  |                     Closing Summary  02-Jan-24 16:30 ET  
  Dow +25.50           at 37715.04,       Nasdaq -245.41           at 14765.94,       S&P -27.00           at 4742.83 [BRIEFING.COM] The  stock market entered 2024 on a mixed note. Profit-taking activity in the  mega cap stocks, and other stocks that outperformed last year, weighed  over the broader market following nine-straight weeks of gains to close  out 2023.
  Apple (AAPL 185.64,  -6.89, -3.6%) was an influential loser, dropping more than 3.0% today  after a Barclays downgrade to Underweight from Equal Weight. The  Vanguard Mega Cap Growth ETF (MGK) declined 1.8%.
  Still, the major  indices held up okay due to some underlying strength in areas of the  market that were either left out of the last year's gains or saw less  robust gains compared to mega cap stocks. The market-cap weighted  S&P 500 fell 0.6% today while the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight  ETF (RSP) closed just above Friday's closing level. The Russell 3000  Value Index rose 0.3% today while the Russell 3000 Growth Index declined  1.5%.
  The only three S&P 500 sectors to register a decline in  2023 saw some of the largest gains today. The utilities sector, which  fell 10.2% last year, logged a 1.4% gain today. The energy sector, which  declined 4.8% in 2023, climbed 1.2% today. The consumer staples sector,  which fell 2.2% last year, closed with a 1.2% gain today. 
  The  health care sector was another top performer today, registered a 1.8%  gain. It was also among the worst performing sectors last year, eking  out a 0.3% gain.
  On the flip side, weakness in their mega cap  constituents weighed on the heavily-weighted information technology  (-2.6%), consumer discretionary (-0.9%), and communication services  (-0.9%) sectors. The industrial sector was another laggard, dropping  1.0% today.
  The Treasury market experienced some selling despite  increased geopolitical worries in the Red Sea after Iran sent a warship  there in response to the U.S. destroying three Houthi boats. The 2-yr  note yield rose eight basis points to 4.33% and the 10-yr note yield  rose seven basis points to 3.95%. 
 
 - Dow Jones industrial Average: +0.1%
 - Nasdaq Composite: -1.6%
 - S&P 500: -0.6%
 - Russell 2000: -0.7%
 - S&P Midcap 400: -0.3%
  Reviewing today's economic data:
 
 - December S&P Global US Manufacturing PMI - Final 47.9; Prior 49.4
 - November Construction Spending 0.4% (Briefing.com consensus 0.6%); Prior was revised to 1.2% from 0.6%
- The  key takeaway from the report is the strength seen in new single-family  construction, which is badly needed as the supply of existing homes on  the market remains severely constrained.
 
   Wednesday's economic calendar features:
 
 - 7:00 ET: Weekly MBA Mortgage Index (prior -1.5%)
 - 10:00  ET: December ISM Manufacturing Index (Briefing.com consensus 47.1%;  prior 46.7%) and November job openings (prior 8.733 mln)
 - 14:00 ET: December FOMC Minutes
 
  Treasury yields settle lower to start the year 02-Jan-24 15:30 ET  
  Dow -56.10           at 37633.44,       Nasdaq -300.47           at 14710.88,       S&P -41.40           at 4728.43 [BRIEFING.COM] The three major indices are moving sideways near session lows.
  The  A-D line is negative now, but it was positive throughout most of the  session. Decliners have a roughly 4-to-3 lead over advancers at the NYSE  and a 3-to-2 lead at the Nasdaq.  
  Elsewhere, Treasury yields  settled higher to start the new year. The 2-yr note yield rose eight  basis points to 4.33% and the 10-yr note yield rose seven basis points  to 3.95%. The U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.9% to 102.20.
  Wednesday's economic calendar features:
 
 - 7:00 ET: Weekly MBA Mortgage Index (prior -1.5%)
 - 10:00  ET: December ISM Manufacturing Index (Briefing.com consensus 47.1%;  prior 46.7%) and November job openings (prior 8.733 mln)
 - 14:00 ET: December FOMC Minutes
 
  Stocks decline; Energy complex settles mixed  02-Jan-24 15:00 ET  
  Dow -80.39           at 37609.15,       Nasdaq -309.12           at 14702.23,       S&P -43.22           at 4726.61 [BRIEFING.COM] Stocks have settled into a steady decline. The Nasdaq Composite is down 2.0%.
  Energy  complex futures settled the session in mixed fashion. WTI crude oil  futures dropped 1.4% to $70.53/bbl and natural gas futures climbed 3.0%  to $2.39/mmbtu. 
  On a related note, the S&P 500 energy sector is up 1.4%. 
                 Netflix, PTC among top laggards in S&P 500 to open 2024 02-Jan-24 14:30 ET  
  Dow -29.63           at 37659.91,       Nasdaq -277.86           at 14733.49,       S&P -35.50           at 4734.33 [BRIEFING.COM] The S&P 500 (-0.74%) is in second place to start 2024, down about 35 points and approaching today's lows.
  Elsewhere, S&P 500 constituents Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH 18.43, -1.61, -8.03%), Netflix (NFLX 464.93, -21.95, -4.51%), and PTC  (PTC 167.41, -7.55, -4.32%) dot the bottom of today's standings. NCLH  falls amid a shift in sentiment owing to tensions in the Red Sea as well  as a cautious research report in the sector, NFLX dips as reports  circulated over the weekend about streaming customers canceling  services.
  Meanwhile, Moderna (MRNA 112.03, +12.58, +12.65%) is atop the index, strong amid an upgrade to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
                 Gold bucks trend, ends higher to begin 2024 despite dollar, yield strength 02-Jan-24 14:00 ET  
  Dow +7.07           at 37696.61,       Nasdaq -264.14           at 14747.21,       S&P -28.76           at 4741.07 [BRIEFING.COM] The  tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (-1.76%) is near the bottom of today's range  with about two hours to go on Tuesday.
  Gold futures settled $1.60  higher (+0.1%) to $2,073.40/oz, resisting the trend lower amid a higher  dollar and gains in yields, aided in part by geopolitical concerns over  attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
  Meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar Index is up +0.8% to $102.18.  
                   Page One             			 Last Updated: 02-Jan-24 09:00 ET |  Archive Market downshifts to start 2024 Before we start your new  (trading/investing) year on a sour note, allow us to remind you that the  major indices have a nine-week winning streak. That streak has produced  some massive gains, which led to the happiest end of the old year.
  Briefly,  the Nasdaq Composite soared 43.4% in 2023, the S&P 500 surged  24.2%, the Russell 2000 was up 15.1%, the S&P Midcap 400 rose 14.5%,  and the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 13.7%.
  Now, for the  sour news: the S&P 500 futures are down 38 points and are trading  0.7% below fair value, the Nasdaq 100 futures are down 182 points and  are trading 1.0% below fair value, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average  futures are down 237 points and are trading 0.5% below fair value.
  The major indices, therefore, will be starting 2024 on a down note -- certainly at the start of today's trading.
  Notwithstanding  the extended winning streak, we are not sure this negative disposition  is all that surprising to market participants, who recognized that there  was some performance chasing at the end of 2023 and that some profit  taking was bound to happen in the wake of a parabolic advance.
  Barclays has helped given market participants a profit taking nudge by downgrading Apple (AAPL) to Underweight from Equal Weight due in part to concerns about weak iPhone sales volumes.
  Shares  of AAPL are down 2.2% in pre-market trading. In fact, most of the  mega-cap stocks are down in pre-market trading and that is taking its  toll on the futures for the major indices.
  You can sense this morning's profit-taking urge, too, in the behavior of NVIDIA (NVDA) and Uber (UBER).  Stifel named NVIDIA a "best idea" for 2024, but NVDA is down 0.3% in  pre-market trading; meanwhile, Wells Fargo labeled Uber a "top pick,"  yet UBER is down 1.1% in pre-market trading.
  Another convenient  reason for some of the early profit taking is the bump seen in Treasury  yields. Recall that the Treasury market went on its own tear at the end  of 2023, but it is starting 2024 on the defensive despite geopolitical  tension in the Red Sea growing more tense after Iran sent a warship  there in response to the U.S. destroying three Houthi boats.
  WTI crude futures are up 2.3% to $73.27/bbl.
  Currently,  the 2-yr note yield is up 10 basis points to 4.35% and the 10-yr note  yield is up nine basis points to 3.97%. The U.S. Dollar Index, however,  looks to be reflecting a bit more of the geopolitical angst. It is up  0.7% to 102.05.
  The Treasury market should be a hotbed of trading  interest this week, which will also feature the release of the December  ISM Manufacturing Index, JOLTS - Job Openings Report, and the FOMC  Minutes on Wednesday followed by the December Employment Situation  Report and ISM Non-Manufacturing Index on Friday.
  -- Patrick J. O'Hare, Briefing.com             DoorDash begins 2024 a tad sluggish on reports of planned expansion beyond core business (DASH)      
  DoorDash (DASH -3%) is a tad sluggish to start 2024, as shares retreat modestly following an FT report  that the food delivery company is looking to expand beyond its primary  U.S. restaurant business. Building its categories beyond restaurants,  both domestically and abroad, was DASH's central focus to start last  year after closing its approximately €7.0 bln acquisition of food and  merchandise delivery platform Wolt during the summer of 2022. Given  DASH's market leadership in the U.S. within the food delivery business,  it is advantageous for the company to keep its foot on the gas,  capitalizing on its sturdy global footprint and diversifying its revenue  streams further. 
 
 - Outside the U.S., DASH operates in 27  countries, all of which came through its Wolt partnership. In November,  DASH noted that despite growing at multiples across several geographies,  it was not pleased yet with where its product was, admitting it still  has plenty of room left. Compared to the U.S., DASH conceded that it was  trailing its core market from a penetration and product adoption  perspective. As a result, overseas expansion, whether food delivery or  branching out to other channels, would be a focal point in 2024.
 - Still,  expanding into new verticals was an underlying factor behind DASH's  excellent performance in 2023. DASH's new categories business, i.e.,  deliveries from merchandise vendors, accelerated sequentially in Q3,  with the grocery business alone doubling in gross order volume yr/yr.  With DASH already commanding a network of drivers, it can improve unit  economics at a brisk pace within its new categories business. 
 -   Fragmentation has been a major issue for the food delivery business in  recent years, with previous platforms like GrubHub and Postmates  acquired by competitors during the pandemic. Given DASH's leadership  position, M&A may be a part of its expansion plans to maintain its  market dominance and distance itself from its next largest competitors.  Therefore, we suspect a few acquisition announcements from DASH this  year likely tilted toward overseas expansion. 
  There will  still be speed bumps this year, primarily from cumulative inflationary  pressures and weight-loss drugs. On the latter, management has not  noticed an impact, echoing remarks from several executives across  various organizations within the food industry lately. CEO Tony Xu added  that it is still too early to tell whether the drugs will act as a  headwind, tailwind, or sidewind. On inflation, DASH is feeling it on the  cost side through certain regulations surrounding minimum wage and on  the demand side with consumers tightening their wallets as student loan  payments resume and widespread inflation clips discretionary income.  However, DASH has talked about already enduring peak inflation, which  has continued to rise at a slower pace throughout the latter half of  2023. 
  Nevertheless, with turnaround momentum at its back, DASH  seeks to capitalize on an excellent 2023, putting its capital to work  through efficient investments and possible M&A.
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