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FBI: Russia, Iran have attempted to interfere with US election

US directory of national intelligence Ratcliffe announces the discovery

  • US has identified Russia, Iran as countries who have attempted to interfere with the US election
  • Has sent spoof emails designed to intimidate voters, incite unrest, damage Pres. Trump
  • Aware that Russia has obtained some voter information
  • intelligence community court threat, reacted swiftly
  • This is not a partisan issue
  • Prepared for actions by those hostile to democracy

The interference apparently came through emails threatening those who voted against Trump.

Radcliffe says that the email, apparently from The Proud Boys, is intended to hurt Pres. Trump. Of course, if a recipient was intimidated by the email, it might benefit Pres. Trump.
Regardless of the intentions, stopping interference in elections is certainly a prerogative. FBI’s Wray is on the wires saying:
  • The FBI will not tolerate 4 interference elections
  • Election infrastructure remains resilient

US Indices end the session higher but come off the best levels of the day

NASDAQ index has its best day since September 9

The major indices are all closing higher with the NASDAQ index leading the way.

Highlights include
  • major indices rise for the 4th consecutive day
  • NASDAQ index has its best day cents September 9
  • S&P and NASDAQ close lesson 2% below its all-time high
  • 10 of 11 sectors in the S&P rise materials move lower
  • record close for the Dow transports

A final look at the closing numbers shows:

  • The S&P index rose 56.99 points or 1.64% at 3534.12. The my price reached 3549.85. The low price extended to 3499.61
  • The NASDAQ index close up 296.31 points or 2.56% at 11876.25. It’s high price reached 11965.53. The low extended to 11704.133
  • The Dow industrial average rose 250.62 points or 0.88% at 28837.52 The high price reached 28957.90. The low price extended to 28659.67.
Apple shares outperformed with a 6.26% gain. The company will release their new iPhone on October 13. Amazon also outperformed with a 4.75% gain. The delayed Amazon prime day(s) will be on October 13 and October 14.
Other big gainers today included:
  • Twitter, +5.1%
  • Chewy, +4.63%
  • Facebook, +4.26%
  • Morgan Stanley, +3.91%
  • Alphabet, +3.6%
  • Nvidia, +3.37%
  • Goldman Sachs, +3.18%

US indices close sharply higher. Dow has best day since July

S&P index has all sectors in the green

The major US stock indices are closing sharply higher on hopes for targeted coronavirus aid

  • All 30 Dow stocks closed in the green
  • All 11 S&P sectors closed higher
  • Dow is up nearly 600 points at the highs
  • Stocks close higher to last 3 trading days
  • Dow closes at the highest level since September 2
  • Dow has best day since July
  • The gains today erased the losses (and then some) from yesterday. Yesterday the S&P fell -1.4%. The NASDAQ index fell -1.57% and the Dow industrial average fell by -1.34%.
The final numbers are showing:
  • S&P index rose 58.47 points or 1.74% at 3419.43. The high reached 3426.26. The low extended to 334.56
  • NASDAQ index closed up 209.99 points or 1.88% at 11364.59. The high reached 11380.55. The low reached 11258.35
  • Dow rose 530.7 points or 1.91% at 28303.46. The hi reached 28369.66. The low extended to 27971.36
Some winners include:
  • First Solar, +7.08%
  • Netflix, +5.71%
  • American Express, +4.35%
  • United Airlines, +4.30%
  • Corning, +4.25%
  • Beyond Meat, +4.0%
  • Salesforce, +3.89%
  • Western Digital, +3.56%
  • Slack, +3.53%
  • Boeing, +3.16%
The worst performing Dow stocks include:
  • Verizon, +0.2%
  • Walmart, +0.2%
  • Merck and Company, +0.51%
Other losers today included:
  • Exxon Mobil, -2.49%
  • GoodRx, -1.14%
  • Lyft, -0.49%
  • Papa John’s, -0.38%
  • Crowdstrike, -0.34%
  • Facebook, -0.27%
  • Raytheon, unchanged

NASDAQ leads the way to the upside. S&P and NASDAQ break 4-day losing streak

Dow breaks 3 day slide

The S&P and NASDAQ index broke a 4 day losing streak. The Dow industrial average broke its 3 day losing streak as investors liked Feds Powell comments on the economy is resilient, and the expectations at the Fed would remain on hold for a long period of time.

A look at the final numbers are showing:
  • S&P index rose 34.49 points or 1.05% to 3315.56. It’s high reached 33 to 0.31. The low extended to 3270.95.
  • Nasdaq index rose 184.83 points or 1.71% at 10963.62. Its high reached 10979.64. The low extended to 10737.51
  • Dow rose 140.34 points or 0.52% at 27288.04. It’s high reached 27333.09. The low extended to 26989.93.

Reasons for the sliding oil price pile up

  • Crude oil prices collapsed, with Brent crude closing under USD40/bbl for the first time since June
  • risk-off tone across markets 
  • stronger USD headwinds
  • tone was set earlier this week after Saudi Aramco cut its prices to Asian refiners, suggesting demand is weak
  • Bloomberg survey showed that only four out of ten Asian refiners would be subsequently trying to buy more Saudi crude
  • Abu Dhabi National Oil Co also cut its prices on Tuesday
  • US refiners are also cutting output, as the summer driving season ends and inventories remain high
  • rising COVID-19 infections across the globe doesn’t bode well for demand in the short term
  • futures markets widening in the contango for both Brent and WTI to their widest levels since May

Pres. Trump: He is thinking about decoupling from China

Pres. Trump on China

Pres. Trump speaking in a Labor Day news conference at the White House says
  • possibility of decoupling US economy from China
  • says it would not lead to monetary losses
  • WTO has become much better much nicer to US
  • Because of Biden, China shuttered 70,000 businesses
  • China faces decoupling or massive tariffs from US
  • US will prohibit federal contracts to companies that outsource to China
  • Dems don’t want to make a deal because they know it is good for the economy.
  • He would support prove into DeJoy/donations
  • We may have a vaccine before the election
  • We are doing equally as well on therapeutics
  • For me, the faster the better for a vaccine
  • The most important thing is saving lines

Eurostoxx futures +0.7% in early European trading

Optimistic tones observed in early trades

  • German DAX futures +0.9%
  • UK FTSE futures +0.9%
  • Spanish IBEX futures +0.6%

European indices ended yesterday more mixed in another somewhat disappointing session, but the late gains seen in US stocks is giving risk buyers another shot in trading today.

This sets up a firmer open for equities later but that isn’t quite translating into much for the major currencies space as the focus remains on the dollar, as it meets some key technical crossroads going into the session ahead.

Coronavirus – Abbott launches a $5 Covid-19 test, 15 min turnaround. No lab required.

This is the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card test

  • The test delivers results in just 15 minutes
  • no instrumentation required
The firm cite:
  • demonstrated sensitivity of 97.1% and specificity of 98.5% in clinical study
  • Company will ship tens of millions of tests in September, ramping to 50 million tests a month at the beginning of October
Note – not a vaccine, not a cure, not palliative. ‘Just’ a test.
But, rapid testing can enhance detection and subsequent isolation and help inprove the ‘R’ number (get it lower). So it is significant.
ps. This new test has been in the news, so its not a ‘breaking’ development.
This is the Abbott BinaxNOW™ COVID-19 Ag Card test

S&P and NASDAQ closed at record levels once again

Dow within 1% of unchanged on the year

the S&P and NASDAQ index are closing at record levels once again with strong gains of over 1%. The NASDAQ outperformed with a 1.73% rise. The Dow industrial average was down earlier today but pushed to the upside and is closing within 1% of the closing level from 2019. The NASDAQ index is now up 30% on the year. The S&P is up 7.67%
The final numbers are showing:
  • S&P index up 35.11 points or 1.02% at 3478.73. The high price extended to 3481.07. The low price fell to 3444.15
  • NASDAQ index rose 198.59 points or 1.73% to 11665.06. It’s high price reached 11672.05. It’s low price fell to 11507.46
  • the Dow industrial average rose 83.48 points or 0.3% to 28331.92. It’s high price reached 28353.80, while its low fell to 28153.91
Some oversize gainers included:
  • Salesforce, +26.06%
  • Netflix, +11.59%
  • Adobe, +9.10%
  • Facebook, +8.27%
  • Box, +7.04%
  • Tesla, +6.32%
  • Slack, +5.85%
  • Rack space, +4.05%
  • Uber, +3.53%
  • Chewy, +2.93%

On the downside:

  • Schlumberger: -3.06%
  • United Airlines, -2.75%
  • Wells Fargo, -2.28%
  • Exxon Mobil, -1.84%
  • Southwest Airlines, -1.78%
  • Boeing, -1.7%
  • Bank of America, -1.69%
  • Citigroup, -1.55%
  • J.P. Morgan, -1.39%
  • Papa John’s, -1.18%
  • Pfizer, -0.89%

Weekend reports that North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un in a coma

Earlier this year there all sorts of reports of his illness, but he popped back up again apparently in good health.

Now this:
  • in a coma
  • a former South Korean official is claiming (Chang Song-min, a former aide to late-South Korean president Kim Dae-jung)
  • reports his power has been ceded to his younger sister
Earlier this year there all sorts of reports of his illness, but he popped back up again apparently in good health.