A loan for Boeing, President Donald Trump is in Davos, Switzerland, plus stocks to watch today in the Money and Markets Wall Street Wake-Up.
The Morning Open
U.S. markets opened down on the first day of trading Tuesday.
As of 9:50 a.m., the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 34 points, or 0.1% to 29,313. The S&P 500 started the day down 0.2% and the Nasdaq was down 0.1%.
The Opening Bell
In opening the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said the U.S. economy is strong while calling the economic turnaround “nothing short of spectacular.”
“I’m proud to declare that the U.S. is in the midst of an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen,” he told the audience at the glitzy Alpine resort town, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
Trump also heralded the phase one trade deal with China and the passage of a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
Stocks to Watch Today
Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) — The drilling and gas wells company saw its shares up 2.4% in premarket trading after it reported beating earnings and revenue forecasts — attributed to international growth.
Logitech International SA (Nasdaq: LOGI) — The Swiss-based computer and software company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly profits. As a result, shares were up 1.7% in Tuesday premarket trading.
VF Corp. (NYSE: VFC) — The parent company of Vans, The North Face and Timberland Co. was up 2% in premarket trading Tuesday after it said it was looking for “strategic alternatives for its Work unit brands.”
In the News
U.S. gross domestic product growth could reach 3%, according to National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow.
He told CNBC the country is in the midst of a “mini upcycle.”
“We’re now down to 2.5% to 3%. I’m looking for faster growth: I think we’re going to get 3% this year,” he said. “The trade deals will help, the Fed changed policy — that was very, very important.”
Experts not in Trump’s cabinet are projecting GDP to be around 1.5% to 2% for 2020.
Boeing Looking to Secure $10 Billion in Loans
In the midst of the rising costs associated with its 737 Max airliners, Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) is attempting to secure $10 billion in loans, according to sources.
Those sources said the company has secured around $6 billion thus far and is looking for more, according to CNBC.
The loans come amid the fallout of two plane crashes which killed 346 people. As a result, Boeing has halted production of the 737 Max and airliners around the world have grounded the jet for various periods of time.
China Virus Impacts Global Markets
Any gains made Monday (markets were closed in the U.S. for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday) were nearly gone Tuesday as global markets tumbled thanks in part to concerns over a new virus spreading in China, according to Reuters.
Chinese officials confirmed a new virus could be spread through human contact and that a fourth person had died as a result.
Hong Kong’s index dropped 2.5% while Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.9%. In Europe, Germany’s 10-year government bond yield dropped to one-week lows.
Other Morning Reads
Trump’s SALT Cap Hammers Blue States, Forcing Exodus (Money and Markets)
Nokia CEO Sees Tech Spurring ‘Massive’ Global Productivity Gains (Bloomberg)
New Social Security Scam: Protect Yourself During Tax Season (Money and Markets)
Earnings Report
Here are the companies releasing earnings reports today:
Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF)
Navient Corp. (Nasdaq: NAVI)
Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX)
Pinnacle Financial Partners (Nasdaq: PNFP)
TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: AMTD)
Chart of the Day
Recently, the International Monetary Fund revised its global growth estimates by cutting 0.1 points off its gross domestic product growth forecast for 2019 and 2020 and 0.2 points off its 2021 forecast.
The U.N., World Bank, IMF and OECD all have global gross domestic product growing slower in 2019, then rising in 2020 and 2021.
Check back each morning before the opening bell for stocks to watch today with the Wall Street Wake-Up, here on Money and Markets.
