Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Higher; Citigroup Results Beat Estimates

Following the market opening Monday, the Dow traded up 0.38 percent to 16,087.12 while the NASDAQ surged 0.45 percent to 4,017.76. The S&P also rose, gaining 0.46 percent to 1,824.12.

Leading and Lagging Sectors
In trading on Monday, non-cyclical consumer goods & services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 0.64 percent. Among the leading sector stocks, gains came from Diageo plc DEO and Adecoagro SA AGRO. Telecommunications services sector was the leading decliner in the US market today.

Top losers in the sector included NQ Mobile NQ, off 6.3 percent, and TELUS TU, down 2 percent.

Top Headline
Citigroup C reported better-than-expected first-quarter results. Citigroup's quarterly profit surged to $3.94 billion, versus a year-ago profit of $3.81 billion. On a per-share basis, it earned $1.23. Excluding one-time items, its earnings rose to $1.30 versus $1.29. Its revenue declined to $20.12 billion. However, analysts were projecting earnings of $1.14 per share on revenue of $19.37 billion.

Equities Trading UP
Aspen Insurance Holdings AHL shares shot up 15.57 percent to $45.50 after Endurance Specialty Holdings ENH offered to buy Aspen Insurance for $47.50 per share in a cash and stock deal.

Shares of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals LXRX got a boost, shooting up 8.81 percent to $1.73 after the company reported that LX4211 has achieved positive results in type 1 diabetes clinical trial.

WebMD Health WBMD shares were also up, gaining 19.99 percent to $45.20 after the company lifted its forecast. The company now expects Q1 results above the high end of its earlier outlook.

Equities Trading DOWN
Shares of Antero Resources AR were down 4.82 percent to $60.17 after the company announced a 105% y/y gain in its Q1 preliminary gas production.

Medtronic MDT shares tumbled 3.27 percent to $57.26 on Federal District Court ruling preventing the company from selling its CoreValve System in the US as a result of Edwards Lifesciences EW patent infringement verdict.

Ericsson ERIC was down, falling 3.85 percent to $12.63 after the company announced a change in executive leadership team.

Commodities
In commodity news, oil traded down 0.10 percent to $103.64, while gold traded up 0.30 percent to $1,322.90.

Silver traded down 0.31 percent Monday to $19.89, while copper rose 0.28 percent to $3.05.

Eurozone
European shares were mixed today.

The Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.35 percent, while Italy's FTSE MIB Index gained 0.27 percent.

Meanwhile, the German DAX rose 0.09 percent and the French CAC 40 fell 0.03 percent while U.K. shares declined 1.12 percent.

Economics
US retail sales rose 1.1% to $433.9 billion in March, versus an upwardly revised 0.7% gain in February.

Economists were estimating total sales to increase 0.9%. US business inventories rose 0.40% in February, versus economists' expectations for a 0.50% gain. The Treasury is set to auction 3-and 6-month bills.