The Market In 5 Minutes

IN THE NEWS

BENZINGA

President Donald Trump took to Twitter Thursday to give himself a pat on the back for the stock market’s post-election bull run. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF SPY is now up 9.5 percent since Election Day and is trading at new all-time highs: Link

The trade group representing the largest American banks released a proposal Thursday to revamp post-9/11 money laundering rules that the financial institutions argue have forced them to spend billions on expanded investigation and reporting duties — with little benefit to law enforcement or the country’s security: Link

Merck MRK reported this week it was halting its Phase 3 study of Alzheimer’s treatment verubecestat in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease after it was determined it had “virtually no chance of finding a positive clinical effect.” In light of this news — the latest in a string of disappointing Alzheimer's drug announcements — below is a list of Alzheimer's treatments still making their way optimistically through clinical trials: Link

Winter coat maker Canada Goose has filed for an IPO to begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE under the ticker "GOOS." Sales of the company's luxury parkas jumped 33 percent in 2016, putting the stock on the radar of growth investors. However, the company has been the center of controversy in recent years due to its use of actual coyote fur to line the hoods of its jackets: Link

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

About midmorning on Thursday, President Donald Trump abruptly decided to hold his own news conference, setting into motion a freewheeling, sometimes angry, 80-minute exchange: Link

An uncomfortable question looms over the tax debate in Congress: What’s Plan B? Link

AT&T Inc. T is opening up its unlimited wireless data plans to all potential customers, not just those who buy its television service, days after rival Verizon Communications Inc. began offering unlimited plans for the first time since 2011: Link

Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of the Samsung conglomerate, was arrested over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that has shaken South Korea’s political and corporate establishments and led to the president’s impeachment: Link

REUTERS

Global equity markets were set to end the week on a softer footing on Friday, after setting record highs in the previous two sessions, as investors looked for clarity on U.S. President Donald Trump's policies on tax and trade: Link

Facebook Inc FB Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg laid out a vision on Thursday of his company serving as a bulwark against rising isolationism, writing in a letter to users that the company's platform could be the "social infrastructure" for the globe: Link

Snap Inc (SNAP), owner of the popular messaging app Snapchat, set a lower-than-expected valuation range on Thursday, amid mounting investor concern over its unproven business model, slowing growth and tight founder control: Link

BLOOMBERG

Within hours of being sworn in, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s counterparts from Tokyo to Berlin started telegraphing warnings to him: Please don’t call the yen weak. Be careful how you talk about cutting financial regulations -- Europe is listening: Link

Few companies have been as successful as Boeing Co. BA in building a cozy relationship with President Donald Trump. The question is how close is too close: Link

Tony Blair urged opponents of Brexit to “rise up” and fight to change the British people’s minds about leaving the European Union, in a speech that aimed to show U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May that she won’t get everything her own way: Link

NY POST

The Washington, DC, federal appeals court vacated an earlier ruling against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday and agreed to re-hear the case that challenges its constitutionality — increasing the odds that the agency’s director, Richard Cordray, a thorn in the side of Wall Street, could maintain his post until next year: Link

ECONOMIC DATA

  • Data on e-commerce sales for the fourth quarter will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET.
  • The index of leading economic indicators for January is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET.
  • The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET.

COMPANY DEVELOPMENTS

SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS

8 a.m. Whole Foods Market Inc WFM
1:30 p.m. Mattel Inc. MAT

ANALYST RATINGS

  • Atlantic Equities upgrades Macy's M from Neutral to Overweight
  • Goldman Sachs upgrades Owens-Corning OC from Neutral to Buy
  • PiperJaffray upgrades Workday WDAY from Neutral to Overweight
  • Credit Suisse downgrades Hertz HTZ from Neutral to Underperform
  • PiperJaffray downgrades Build-A-Bear Workshop BBW from Overweight to Neutral
  • Stifel Nicolaus downgrades Circor International CIR from Buy to Hold

DEAL TALK

Shares of Unilever UL, the British-based conglomerate with exposure in food, home and personal care products, soared higher by more than 10 percent early Friday morning after the company was named as an acquisition target. According to the Financial Times, the American giant Kraft Heinz KHC confirmed it has offered to acquire Unilever for £112 billion, or roughly $139 billion.

Kate Spade & Co KATE Board of Directors and management are in process of exploring and evaluate strategic alternatives to shareholder value. Kate Spade is working with Perella Weinberg Partners as its financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as its legal counsel.

Shares of Sage Therapeutics Inc SAGE spiked as high as $66 following comments by CEO Jeffrey Jonas. Speaking on Bloomberg Radio, Jonas said the company has received takeover interest: "We're on top of everyone's MA list."

NOTABLE OPTION ALERTS

  • BKD BKD Feb 15.0 Calls Sweep: 1394 @ ASK $0.296: 1440 traded vs 13k OI: Earnings 5/8 After Close (est) $15.07 Ref
  • WTW Weight Watchers Mar 12.0 Puts Sweep: 817 @ ASK $0.90: 847 traded vs 189 OI: Earnings 2/28 After Close $12.58 Ref
  • CL CL May 65.0 Calls Sweep: 4043 @ ASK $4.85: 4056 traded vs 952 OI: Earnings 4/28 Before Open $68.55 Ref
  • MAT Mattel Mar 3rd 25.0 Puts Sweep: 7000 @ ASK $0.35: 7000 traded vs 117 OI: Earnings 4/20 After Close (est) $25.74 Ref
  • ARNC Arconic Apr 34.0 Calls Sweep: 4834 @ ASK $0.43: 10k traded vs 593 OI: Earnings 4/25 After Close $29.20 Ref
  • AVP Avon Jul 6.0 Calls: 10000 @ ASK $0.35: 10k traded vs 1343 OI: Earnings today Before Open $4.73 Ref
  • OUT Outfront Media Mar 26.0 Puts: 7657 @ ASK $0.40: 8000 traded vs 49 OI: Earnings 2/22 After Close $27.74 Ref
  • KITE KITE Mar 50.0 Puts Sweep: 2000 @ ASK $3.031: 2003 traded vs 422 OI: Earnings 2/28 Before Open (est) $54.54 Ref
  • ARNC Arconic Apr 34.0 Calls Sweep: 5000 @ ASK $0.36: 5005 traded vs 593 OI: Earnings 4/25 After Close $29.18 Ref
  • M Macy's Jan18 37.5 Calls: 6001 @ Above Ask! $2.13: 7645 traded vs 3695 OI: Earnings 2/21 Before Open $32.20 Ref
  • FIT FitBit Mar 6.0 Calls Sweep: 793 @ ASK $0.467: 796 traded vs 3810 OI: Earnings 2/22 After Close $5.99 Ref
  • DE Deere Feb 99.5 Puts Sweep: 791 @ ASK $0.14: 805 traded vs 357 OI: Earnings tmrrw Before Open $108.31 Ref
  • NTNX Nutanix Mar 35.0 Calls: 2500 @ ASK $1.45: 5004 traded vs 522 OI: Earnings 3/2 After Close $32.66 Ref
  • MDLZ Mondelez Mar $50 Call; 3000 @Bid @$0.15
  • AKS AK Steel Feb 24th 9.0 Calls Sweep: 1275 @ ASK $0.12: 1285 traded vs 3035 OI: Earnings 4/25 Before Open (est) $8.51 Ref

This is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day — it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. Apply for daily AM access by clicking here or email minutes@benzinga.com.

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