#PreMarket Primer: Tuesday, November 25: Violent Protests In Ferguson Following Grand Jury Decision

On Monday, a grand jury decided against indicting the Caucasian police officer that fatally shot an African-American teenager who was unarmed.

The incident sparked protests throughout the community when it occurred in August, but this week’s decision has re-ignited the anger for those who believe the shooting was racially motivated. Protests also took place in several major cities including New York, Washington DC and Chicago, but Ferguson suffered the most damage. 

Flights over the city were restricted as buildings burned down and shots rang out. Police tried to disperse the crowds using tear gas, but the riots raged on.

President Obama held a news conference following the verdict asking the crowds to maintain order and the police to show restraint. The violent demonstrations are a worrying sign of the growing mistrust between communities and their respectivee police forces.

Top News

In other news around the markets:

• In Hong Kong, pro-democracy protesters have continued to occupy parts the city’s busy downtown area for more than two months. On Tuesday, violence broke out in the region’s Mong Kok district as police officers attempted to clear the protestors and reopen the road. After most of the blockades had been cleared, demonstrators vowed to continue to fight for democracy in other ways.
• On Monday, the White House announced that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel was stepping down from his position in an amicable departure that centered largely on the renewed war in Iraq. Hagel was chosen for the position based on his views that the American military should limit its presence throughout the world, something that is not cohesive with the current situation in Iraq. Obama is expected to announce Hagel’s successor in the coming weeks, with most betting on Michele Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense.
• On Tuesday, ING Groep NV (NYSE: ING) said it was planning to cut 1,700 jobs over the next three years as it increases investment in its digital network. The company also announced plans to spend 200 million euros automating its IT system and that it is planning to book a 320 million euro pretax provision in the fourth quarter this year.

Asian Markets

Asian markets were mostly higher with the exception of the Hang Seng index, which lost 0.21 percent. The NIKKEI was up 0.29 percent, the Shanghai composite gained 1.37 percent, the KOSPI rose 0.08 percent and the Shenzhen composite rose 1.43 percent.

European Markets

Europe’s markets were up across the board; the FTSE rose 0.13 percent, the STOXX 600 gained 0.26 percent, the DAX was up 0.74 percent and the CAC 40 gained 0.31 percent.

Commodities

Energy futures were mixed; Brent futures lost 0.21 percent and WTI futures were down 0.04 percent. Gold and silver gained 0.36 percent and 1.28 percent respectively, while industrial metals were mostly lower with the exception of Copper, which gained 0.33 percent. Aluminum was down 0.41 percent, zinc fell 0.26 percent and tin was down 0.85 percent.

Currencies

The euro was steady at $1.2425 and gained 0.10 percent against the pound and 0.02 percent against the franc, however the common currency lost 0.22 percent against the yen. The dollar was also lower against the yen, down 0.12 percent, but the greenback gained 0.20 percent against the pound and 0.93 percent against the Australian dollar.

Earnings

Notable reports released on Monday included:

• Aegean Marine Petroleum Network, Inc. (NYSE: ANW) reported third quarter EPS of $0.20 on revenue of $1.81 billion, compared to last year’s EPS of $0.16 on revenue of $1.60 billion.
• Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD) reported fourth quarter EPS of $0.24 on revenue of $564.00 million, compared to last year’s EPS of $0.24 on revenue of $558.80 million.
• Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL) reported third quarter EPS of $0.14 on revenue of $616.80 million, compared to last year’s EPS of $0.14 on revenue of $548.80 million.

Pre-Market Movers

Stocks moving in the Premarket included:

• Apple Inc. (NYSE: AAPL) was up 0.31 percent in premarket trade after rising 4.07 percent over the past week.
• Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) was down 0.74 percent in premarket trade after gaining 1.38 percent on Monday.
• Transocean Ltd (NYSE: RIG) was down 0.66 percent in premarket trade after losing 1.27 percent on Monday.
• Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) was down 0.02 percent in premarket trade after rising 3.17 percent over the past five days.

Earnings

Notable releases expected on Tuesday include:

• Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $1.06 on revenue of $28.77 billion, compared to last year’s EPS of $1.01 on revenue of $29.13 billion.
• Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) is expected to report fourth quarter EPS of $0.63 on revenue of $2.50 billion, compared to last year’s EPS of $0.58 on revenue of $2.32 billion.
• Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) is expected to report first quarter EPS of $0.72 on revenue of $2.22 billion, compared to last year’s EPS of $0.66 on revenue of $2.16 billion.
• Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) is expected to report third quarter EPS of $0.77 on revenue of $970.67 million, compared to last year’s EPS of $0.73 on revenue of $922.48 million.

Economics

Tuesday will be a busy day for economic data with releases including US GDP, German GDP, Italian retail sales, US consumer confidence, Spanish PPI and US oil inventory data.

For a recap of Monday’s market action, Tune into Benzinga’s pre-market info show with Dennis Dick and Joel Elconin.