MARKET SNAPSHOT
U.S. stocks were higher and Treasury yields were mixed as markets await Wednesday's inflation data. The dollar was higher and gold rose modestly. Oil futures were higher as traders tracked Tropical Storm Francine and a possible Louisiana landfall by midweek.
MARKET WRAPS
EQUITIES
U.S. stocks rallied, recouping some of last week's losses as investors looked ahead to fresh inflation data.
The advance was broad-based, with all 11 of the S&P 500's sectors gaining ground. That lifted the broad U.S. stock index to a 1.2% gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.2% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also gained 1.2%.
Investors are focused on any data that could influence the Federal Reserve's plans for interest-rate cuts. The headline release this week will be consumer inflation data on Wednesday. Apple shares added less than 0.1% after the tech giant introduced the iPhone 16, with upgraded Siri, AI text editing and photo-recognition tools.
Earlier Monday, Chinese shares ended mixed as investors digested China's latest consumer prices data. China's consumer inflation picked up in August amid supply constraint. Energy and bank stocks led the losses.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended 1.1% lower, the Shenzhen Composite Index dropped 0.6% and the ChiNext Price Index edged 0.1% higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.4% as investors assessed the latest economic indicators and corporate earnings,
Japan's Nikkei 225 ended 0.5% lower amid falls in chip-related shares.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 closed 0.3% lower. Australian bank stocks stayed in the red. The materials sector was flat.
New Zealand's NZX-50 closed less than 0.1% higher as utility and property stocks finished mixed. Six of the eight largest companies by market capitalization finished higher.
COMMODITIES
Oil futures finished higher, with U.S. prices up from a 15-month low last week, as traders tracked Tropical Storm Francine and its potential to strengthen into a hurricane that could significantly disrupt energy operations in the Gulf of Mexico later this week.
West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery rose 1.5% to settle at $68.71 a barrel, marking its first gain in six sessions. November Brent crude, the global benchmark, gained 1.1% to $71.84 a barrel.
The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Francine has formed and could become a hurricane by midweek. It issued a hurricane watch for the Louisiana coast.
Prices for gold rose to start the week, with investors looking to mitigate risk ahead of the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates next week.
August gold rose 0.3% to $2,501.80 an ounce.
"Gold is grinding higher despite the Dollar Index [being] up," said Robert Yawger of Mizuho Securities USA.
TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES
Oracle Earnings Beat Estimates. The Stock Is Rising.
Oracle stock rose Monday after the enterprise software firm posted better-than expected results.
The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.39 for the fiscal first quarter, topping the Wall Street consensus for $1.33 a share. Revenue came in at $13.3 billion, above expectations of $13.2 billion, according to FactSet.
Oracle stock traded up 5.6% after the release.
Norfolk Southern CEO Expected to Depart Amid Board Probe
Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Alan Shaw is expected to depart the company as soon as this week amid a board investigation into an alleged relationship he had with an employee at the railroad, according to people familiar with the matter.
Norfolk Southern's board said late Sunday that it had opened an investigation into allegations of conduct by Shaw that violated its ethics policy. Shaw didn't respond to requests for comment.
The board is investigating whether Shaw had an undisclosed relationship with an employee at the railroad, according to the people. Norfolk said that its board had hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation of the allegations. CNBC had earlier reported on the probe.
Apple Unveils an AI iPhone
Apple on Monday introduced a new generation of iPhones that put AI at the forefront of the device's operating system, a test of consumer appetites for such tools.
The new tools-called "Apple Intelligence"-include an improved Siri voice assistant and a variety of text-generation and photo-editing capabilities, and they will be compatible with the new iPhone 16 and the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple announced most of the AI functions in June.
The company's shares fell by more than 1% during the presentation, reflecting the market's skepticism of AI-centric products.
Google Faces Blockbuster Antitrust Case-Again
ALEXANDRIA, Va.-It is a rare day when a company faces a federal-government lawsuit alleging it is illegally monopolizing the marketplace. Google is facing the second such case in less than a year, placing unprecedented U.S. legal pressure on the search giant.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema heard opening statements Monday in the Justice Department's case alleging Google has an unlawful grip on the market for software used to buy and sell digital ads, known as ad-tech.
The trial, expected to last four weeks, is taking place in Northern Virginia, across the Potomac River from where a federal judge in Washington ruled last month that the Justice Department proved its claims that Google was using illegal tactics to preserve its dominance in search.
Discount Retailer Big Lots Files for Bankruptcy
U.S. discount retail chain Big Lots filed for bankruptcy and agreed to sell its business to an affiliate of private-equity firm Nexus Capital Management, becoming the latest retail casualty as consumers reined in spending after a postpandemic surge.
The Columbus, Ohio-based company named Nexus as its proposed stalking-horse bidder after filing for chapter 11 protection Monday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The proposed deal, subject to higher offers and other conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter, it said.
Trading in shares of Big Lots was halted on the New York Stock Exchange following the announcement.
Starboard Calls on News Corp to Scrap Dual-Class Share Structure
Activist investor Starboard Value said News Corp should eliminate its dual-class share structure, saying it gives too much influence to the family of Rupert Murdoch.
The dual-class structure isn't in the best interest of shareholders and doesn't reflect best-in-class corporate-governance practices, Starboard, which has a stake in The Wall Street Journal parent, said in a letter to shareholders.
It cited dynamics between Chairman Emeritus Rupert Murdoch and his children, who are in the midst of a legal fight over control of the media conglomerate, as an example of problems related to the structure.
Expected Major Events for Tuesday
01:00/PHI: Jul External Trade Performance
01:00/AUS: Sep Westpac - Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment Survey
01:30/AUS: Aug NAB Business Survey
04:01/MAL: Jul Industrial Production Index
04:01/MAL: Jul Manufacturing sales
06:00/JPN: Aug Preliminary Machine Tool Orders
09:59/CHN: Aug Trade
09:59/CHN: Aug Commodities Trade Data
09:59/CHN: Aug Energy Trade Data
23:00/SKA: Aug Economically Active Population Survey, including Unemployment
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This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 09, 2024 17:01 ET (21:01 GMT)
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