Mid-Morning Market Update: Markets Open Lower; AT&T Beats Q4 Estimates

Following the market opening Wednesday, the Dow traded down 1.40% to 30,504.14 while the NASDAQ fell 1.15% to 13,469.56. The S&P also fell, dropping 1.38% to 3,796.31.

The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world, reporting a total of 25,443,870 cases with around 425,220 deaths. India confirmed a total of at least 10,689,520 confirmed cases and 153,720 deaths, while Brazil reported over 8,933,350 COVID-19 cases with 218,870 deaths. In total, there were at least 100,348,780 cases of COVID-19 worldwide with over 2,160,150 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Leading and Lagging Sectors


Information technology shares slipped by 0.3% on Wednesday. Meanwhile, top gainers in the sector included Eastman Kodak Company KODK, up 16%, and Appian Corp APPN, up 12%.


In trading on Wednesday, materials shares dipped 3.5%.


Top Headline

AT&T Inc. T reported better-than-expected results for its fourth quarter.

AT&T reported quarterly earnings of $0.75 per share, beating analysts’ expectations of $0.73 per share. The company posted revenue of $45.70 billion, versus estimates of $44.55 billion.

 


Equities Trading UP


AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. AMC shares shot up 200% to $14.86 amid continued momentum driven by retail investor interest in the stock.


Shares of Express, Inc. EXPR got a boost, shooting 118% to $6.64 amid continued momentum driven by retail investor interest in the stock.


GameStop Corp. GME shares were also up, gaining 74% to $257.77 amid continued momentum driven by retail investor interest in the stock. The company’s stock jumped around 93% on Tuesday.


Check out these big movers of the day


Equities Trading DOWN

EZGO Technologies Ltd. EZGO shares tumbled 27% to $13.24. EZGO Technologies shares jumped around 353% on Tuesday after the company reported pricing of its firm commitment IPO of 2,800,000 shares at $4.00 per share.

Shares of Pitney Bowes Inc. PBI were down 24% to $10.428. Pitney Bowes shares gained 81% on Tuesday after Seeking Alpha published an article titled 'Pitney Bowes - Already Transformed And Set To Shock Market.'

Globus Maritime Limited GLBS was down, falling 22% to $5.43 after the company announced pricing of $16.3 million registered direct offering at $6.25 per share.


Commodities


In commodity news, oil traded up 0.5% to $52.86, while gold traded down 0.5% to $1,841.70.


Silver traded down 0.9% Wednesday to $25.315 while copper fell 0.5% to $3.60.


Euro zone

European shares were lower today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 fell 0.7%, the Spanish Ibex Index fell 0.7% and the German DAX 30 dropped 0.9%. Meanwhile, the French CAC 40 declined 0.8%, London’s FTSE 100 fell 0.7% and Italy’s FTSE MIB dipped 1.2%.

Consumer confidence in France slipped to 92 in January versus 95 in December, while Germany’s consumer climate indicator fell to an eight-month low reading of -15.6 for February.


Economics

US n durable goods orders rose 0.2% in December versus a revised 1.2% growth in the prior month.


The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on petroleum inventories in the U.S. is scheduled for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.


The Federal Reserve will announce its latest policy decision at 2:00 p.m. ET.


The Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will hold a press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Check out the full economic calendar here

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
Date
ticker
name
Actual EPS
EPS Surprise
Actual Rev
Rev Surprise
Posted In: EarningsNewsEurozoneCommoditiesSmall CapGlobalIntraday UpdateMarketsMid-Morning Market Update
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!

Loading...