U.S. markets were mostly flat to close out the week and more in Friday’s Closing Bell on Money and Markets.
The Top Story
The number of job openings fell by 561,000 to 6.8 million for November — the lowest since February 2018, according to the Labor Department.
Openings, however, still outnumbered unemployed Americans by about 1 million.
The rate of employees who quit voluntarily jumped by 39,000 while layoffs and discharges fell 46,000.
Money and Markets: Closing Bell*
S&P 500: 3,329 (+12 points, +0.3%)
DOW: 29,348 (+50 points, +0.1%)
NASDAQ: 9,388 (+31 points, +0.3%)
GOLD: $1,556.50 (+4.60, +0.3%)
BITCOIN: $8,888.98 (+221.47, +2.5%)
U.S. 10-YEAR YIELD: 1.82%
*- as of 4:20 p.m.
The Big Win
In this morning’s Wall Street Wake-Up, we told you to watch Progress Software Corp. (Nasdaq: PRGS). The company reported an earnings and revenue beat this quarter. Shares were up 3.2%.
We also told you about Pinterest Inc. (NYSE: PINS) and Schlumberger Limited (NYSE: SLB). Pinterest closed slightly up, but Schlumberger Limited ended up losing 1%.
M&A News
Philadelphia-based Clarivate Analytics PLC (NYSE: CCC) is acquiring Decision Resources Group for $950 million from Piramal Enterprises Ltd.
Heska Corp. (Nasdaq: HSKA) is acquitting vet diagnostic company Covetrus Inc. (Nasdaq: CVET) for $125 million in cash.
Golden Nuggets
Even as equities markets rose, as did precious metals for the second day in a row.
Gold rose 0.3% to $1,556.50 an ounce in afternoon trading Friday. Silver was just under $18 an ounce on a 0.5% jump while platinum moved up 1.7% and palladium was up 5.5%, according to the Kitco Gold Index.
Cannabis Corner
After a day of strong gains, shares of Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE: ACB) paired back Friday. Shares dropped 0.9%.
Both Canopy Growth Corp. (NYSE: CGC) and Cronos Group Inc. (NYSE: CRON) were both up Friday afternoon as cannabis stocks were mixed across the board.
Stock Market Update
After a brief down period in the morning, U.S. markets made slight gains in the afternoon to close out the week.
The S&P 500 index rose 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 50 points, or 0.1%, to 29,348. The Nasdaq rose 0.3.
Today’s Big Winners:
Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) +4.4%
Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU) +3%
Centurylink Inc. (NYSE: CTL) +3.6%
Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) +3.1%
Citizens Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: CFG) +3.2%
Today’s Big Losers:
Expeditors International of Washington (Nasdaq: EXPD) -5.5%
CDW Corp. (Nasdaq: CDW) -5.1%
Netapp Inc. (Nasdaq: NTAP) -4.5%
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. (NYSE: HPE) -4.2%
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (Nasdaq: JBHT) -4.2%
Check back for the most important news and numbers each day after the Closing Bell, only on Money and Markets.
Reminder: The markets are closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Closing Bell will be back Tuesday afternoon.
Don’t forget about “Marijuana Markets: a POTcast,” featuring the biggest cannabis news and investment notes from Banyan Hill’s Anthony Planas, here on Money and Markets each Saturday morning.