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What’s moving markets today

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1:07 • Source: CNN Business
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1:07 • CNN Business

What we're covering here today

  • Markets: Stocks closed lower on weak economic data.
  • Stocks to watch: Domino’s (DPZ), Avis Budget (CAR), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Nike (NKE) and Tesla (TSLA).
13 Posts

Zillow's CEO is out

Zillow’s Spencer Rascoff is out as CEO, the company said Thursday.

Rascoff co-founded the real-estate lister. He’s led the company since 2010 and guided it through its IPO in 2011.

The shift in leadership comes as the company faces challenges from slowing home sales and higher interest rates.

He’ll be replaced by fellow co-founder Rich Barton, who served as CEO before Rascoff. (Rascoff will stay on the board of directors.)

US bank profits reached record highs in 2018

The numbers are in: American banks insured by the FDIC earned $236.7 billion in 2018, according to the agency. That’s a 44% increase (!) compared to the previous year and an all-time high.

The context: US banks minted money last year thanks to corporate tax cuts and a healthy economy that boosted lending.

Gloomy economic numbers rattle Wall Street; Dow falls 104 points, Nasdaq's eight-day win streak ends

A string of weak economic reports caused a bit of anxiety on Wall Street on Thursday.

  • The Dow fell 104 points, or 0.4%
  • The Nasdaq declined 0.4%, snapping an eight-day winning streak, its longest since August
  • The S&P 500 lost 0.4%

The negative tone was set by gloomy US reports on durable goods orders and manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region. Another report showed that existing home sales declined in January.

Tesla (TSLA) declined 4% after Consumer Reports said it can no longer recommend the Model 3 due to glass defects and other issues.

Nike (NKE) dipped 1% after Duke University basketball star Zion Williamson was injured when his sneaker came apart.

Concho Resources (CXO) dropped 8% after the oil and gas explorer posted disappointing earnings. 

Lawmaker blasts Google’s failure to disclose Nest microphone

An undisclosed built-in microphone in Google’s Nest Guard home security device has caught the attention of at least US lawmaker.

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, blasted Google’s omission, saying it’s “totally at odds with consumer expectations.”

He added:

Google previously told CNN Business that the microphone “was never intended to be a secret and should have been listed in the tech specs.”

CNN’s Kate Trafecante contributed to this report.

Stocks are negative at midday; Dominos plunges on poor earnings

The markets are moving lower as investors wait for any new developments on a trade agreement between the United States and China. Here’s where they stand:

  • The Dow is off 100 points.
  • Nasdaq slipped 0.35%.
  • S&P 500 slid 0.30%.

Today’s movers:

  • Dine Brands (DIN) is up more than 10% after strong earnings bolstered by its Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants. The stock is up a staggering 50% for the year.
  • Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) shares are up 4% after beating on earnings. The stock is up more than 30% for the year.
  • Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) extended its losses even further — it’s now down nearly 10%. The pizza chain missed analyst expectations.
  • Nike shares are still down 1.5% after an embarrassing incident.

Another economic indicator drops into negative territory

This time it’s from the Philly Fed. Newly released data came in lower than expected, according to our Matt Egan:

Despite the sudden drop, a Barclays analyst note said the lower data is a result of last month’s partial government shutdown. The note adds:

US markets lower as trade talks continue

Wall Street’s waiting for news about the latest round of US-China trade talks from Washington.

  • The Dow was down 20 points, or roughly 0.1%.
  • The S&P 500 fell 0.2%.
  • The Nasdaq declined 0.1%.

Domino’s (DPZ) sank 6% after the pizza company missed analyst expectations, a sign that it may be struggling to stay competitive with Pizza Hut and Papa John’s (PZZA).

Shares of Avis Budget Group (CAR) soared 13% after the rental car company reported earnings that were better than expected, suggesting that Uber and Lyft aren’t hurting business that much.

And Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) dipped half a percentage point after the company revealed that it received subpoenas from the US government about allegations that it knew for decades that asbestos was in its baby powder.

Uber hasn't killed off the rental car industry

Ride-hailing apps, like Uber and Lyft, aren’t causing too big of a dent in their older competitors.

Rental car companies Avis Budget Group (CAR) and Hertz (HTZ) are having a good day per our Paul R. La Monica:

Avis’ shares are soaring after reporting a better-than-expected earnings report. The stock is up 30% for the year:

Domino's slow growth disappoints Wall Street

Domino’s (DPZ) flashy stunts don’t seem to be working.

The pizza company’s quarterly results broadly missed Wall Street’s expectations, sending shares of the company down about 7% before the market opened Thursday.

US same-store sales popped 3.6% at company-owned stores and 5.7% at franchises in the last three months of 2018.

But Wall Street analysts expected better performance on both counts. They were looking on average for 6.6% growth in company-owned stores and a 7.25% spike for franchises, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Domino’s net income came in at $111.6 million for the quarter, about 19.6%more than the same period the previous year. The company’s earnings per share also fell short of expectations.

Competition among Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s is fierce, and the earnings results may signal that Domino’s is struggling to stay competitive.

Last month, Domino’s introduced a promotion which rewards customers for buying pizza, even from a competitor, in an attempt to show off its digital capabilities and get new customers to try its food.

The “points for pies” program is an “example of how we do things a bit differently,” said CEO Richard Allison during a call with analysts on Thursday. He added that the program has been a good way to make news and raise customer engagement with the brand.

Meanwhile, Pizza Hut announced plans to expand its beer delivery program and Papa John’s launched a new tuition reimbursement program for employees that could help brighten its tarnished reputation.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated when Domino’s launched the “points for pies” program.

Johnson & Johnson shares fall after subpoenas are revealed

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) revealed in a regulatory filing that it had received subpoenas from the US government about allegations that it knew for decades that asbestos was in its baby powder.

Shares fell more than 1% in early trading.

“The Company is cooperating with these government inquiries and will be producing documents in response,” the conglomerate said in the filing.

Nike shares slip after star player's injury

A pair of Nike (NKE) shoes were in the national spotlight last night — all for the wrong reasons.

Duke freshman athlete Zion Williamson was injured after his Nike shoe tore apart less than a minute into a basketball game. Shares of the company are declining more than 1% following the incident that went viral.

Nike said in a statement it was “obviously concerned.” It continued:

What's driving markets now

Some stocks we’re watching this morning:

  • Barclays (BCSjumped 3.6% after the UK bank reported earnings that matched analyst expectations and highlighted a strong performance from its trading business.
  • Lenovo (LNVGFspiked nearly 12% in Hong Kong after the Chinese tech company beat earnings expectations. Its smartphone business turned a profit for the first time since it acquired Motorola’s mobile phone division five years ago.
  • Shares in shipping giant Maersk (AMKAF) dropped nearly 10% after the company warned that its 2019 earnings wouldn’t meet expectations. Investors have been watching to see how the Danish company would be affected by the global economic slowdown, Brexit and the trade war between the US and China.

Markets check before the bell

US stock futures are pointing higher ahead of more trade talks between the US and China.

Top negotiators from the two countries are set to meet on Thursday in Washington, where they’ll try to close gaps on issues including China’s currency and market access for US companies.

President Trump has indicated that he is prepared to extend his self-imposed deadline if an agreement is close. If he doesn’t, tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods will go from 10% to 25% on March 2.

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