Before the Open (Jan 19)

Good morning. Happy Friday. Happy Options Expiration.
The Asian/Pacific markets closed mostly up. Japan, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines led the way. Europe, Africa and the Middle East are currently mostly up. Germany and Greece are leading; France, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Italy and Austria are also doing well. Turkey and Russia are weak. Futures in the States point towards a positive open for the cash market.
The dollar is flat. Bitcoin is up. Oil is down almost a buck. Copper is down. Gold and silver are up. Bonds are down.
Walmart (WMT) is one of our trades from the last few weeks. It hit it’s first target yesterday.

Stock headlines from barchart.com…
Cummins (CMI +0.02%) was upgraded to ‘Buy’ from ‘Neutral’ at Bank of America Merrill Lynch with a price target of $215.
Jack in the Box (JACK +0.37%) was upgraded to ‘Buy’ from ‘Neutral’ at Goldman Sachs with a price target of $109.
Cleveland Fed President Mester (voter) said the U.S. economy started 2018 with “positive momentum” and “if the economy evolves as I anticipate, I believe further increases in interest rates will be appropriate this year and next, at a pace similar to last year’s.”
Wynn Resorts ({=WYNN was rated anew ‘Buy’ at Jeffries with a 12-month target price of $202.
NetEase (NTES -0.68%) climbed nearly 2% in after-hours trading after Goldman Sachs raised its price target on the stock to $432 from $340 saying 2018 “is likely to be the year for NetEase to significantly diversify its business.”
International Business Machines (IBM +0.28%) slid over 4% in after-hours trading after it said it sees 2018 operating EPS at least $13.80, weaker than consensus of $13.91.
American Express (AXP -0.89%) fell over 2% in after-hours trading after it said it sees full-year adjusted EPS of $6.90 to $7.30, below consensus of $7.38.
Trade Desk ({=TTD was rated a new ‘Buy’ at Stifel with a 12-month target price of $62.
Mellanox Technologies Ltd (MLNX +1.24%) rallied 5% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 revenue of $237.6 million, better than consensus of $235.5 million, and then said it sees Q1 revenue of $222 million to $232 million, above consensus of $220.2 million.
Atlassian Corp PLC (TEAM +1.33%) dropped almost 4% in after-hours trading after it said it sees Q3 non-IRFS EPS of 8 cents, below consensus of 11 cents.
Finisar (FNSR -3.45%) gained 1% in after-hours trading after it announced that Michael Hurlston was named CEO effective Jan 11.
Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI -3.56%) rose over 5% in after-hours trading after it said it will report Q4 earnings results on Feb 21, and did not warn about results.
People’s United Financial (PBCT -0.10%) gained 1% in after-hours trading after it reported Q4 adjusted EPS of 31 cents, higher than consensus of 27 cents.
MoneyGram International (MGI +1.20%) lost 1% in after-hours trading after it said customers will now need to provide identification before transacting with MoneyGram for any amount of money.
Thursday’s Key Earnings
American Express (NYSE:AXP) -2.7% AH suspending its buyback.
IBM (NYSE:IBM) -3.4% despite the first growth in 23 quarters.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) +0.9% beating expectations.
Today’s Economic Calendar
10:00 Consumer Sentiment
1:00 PM Baker-Hughes Rig Count
Other…
today’s upgrades/downgrades from briefing.com
this week’s Earnings from Morningstar
this week’s Economic Numbers/Reports powered by ECONODAY