NEW YORK — The Dow and S&P 500 ended a volatile session higher on Tuesday, helped by strong earnings from Merck and gains in IBM after it boosted its dividend, while the Nasdaq fell with Apple.
Adding to volatility just before the close, shares of Twitter (TWTR) dropped as much as 24 percent after its results were published early. The stock closed down 18.2 percent at $42.27.
IBM (IBM) shares rose 1.9 percent to $173.92, giving the Dow its biggest boost. The company hiked its quarterly dividend by 18 percent, the biggest increase in five years. Shares also closed above their 200-day moving average, a bullish technical signal.
There continues to be the bull-bear push, even with the good numbers you saw from Merck.
Apple (AAPL) swung between gains and losses a day after reporting results. The stock hit a record high in early trading but shares ended down 1.6 percent at $130.56, weighing on the Nasdaq.
“There continues to be the bull-bear push, even with the good numbers you saw from Merck,” and other companies, said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles.
“Apple’s numbers were phenomenal, but yet the stock is down,” he added. “I think people were expecting a blowout quarter … so it’s kind of a sell-the-news situation.”
The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI) rose 72.17 points, or 0.4 percent, to 18,110.14, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (^GSPC) gained 5.84 points, or 0.28 percent, to 2,114.76 and the Nasdaq composite (^IXIC) dropped 4.82 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,055.42.
Merck (MRK) jumped 5 percent, its biggest percentage increase since January 2014, after reporting better-than-expected results and releasing favorable data late Monday about the safety of its Januvia diabetes drug.
Whirlpool (WHR) fell 7.1 percent to $183.70, the biggest percentage decliner in the S&P 500, after the company cut its 2015 profit and sales forecast, blaming the strong dollar and Brazil’s stagnating economy.
Earnings Season
U.S. first-quarter earnings are now on track to post a slight gain after the mostly stronger-than-expected results, defying forecasts for the first profit decline since 2009, Thomson Reuters (TRI) data showed.
Contributing to day’s volatility, Iranian Revolutionary Guards forces boarded a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf, U.S. officials said. That spurred a brief rally in oil prices.
Investors await the outcome of a two-day Federal Reserve meeting that ends Wednesday, hoping for clues on when the central bank will hike interest rates.
Helping the market early in the session, U.S. single-family home prices rose more than expected in February from a year earlier, according to a survey.
Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 1,906 to 1,121, for a 1.70-to-1 ratio; on the Nasdaq, 1,657 issues rose and 1,065 fell, for a 1.56-to-1 ratio favoring advancers.
The S&P 500 posted nine new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq composite recorded 63 new highs and 39 new lows.
About 6.6 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, above the 6.3 billion daily average for the month to date, according to BATS Global Markets.
What to watch Wednesday:
The Commerce Department releases first-quarter gross domestic product at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
The National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for March at 10 a.m.
The Federal Reserve policymakers meet to set interest rates, release statement at 2 p.m.
Earnings Season
These selected companies are scheduled to release quarterly financial results:
ADT (ADT)
AMC Entertainment (AMC)
Anthem (ANTM)
Ashland (ASH)
Baidu (BIDU)
Barclays (BCS)
Boston Beer Co. (SAM)
Carlyle Group (CG)
Cedar Fair (FUN)
Con-way (CNW)
Deutsche Bank (DB)
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU)
Garmin (GRMN)
General Dynamics (GD)
Goodyear Tire & Rubber (GT)
GrubHub (GRUB)
Hess (HES)
Hilton Worldwide (HLT)
Humana (HUM)
International Paper (IP)
La Quinta Holdings (LQ)
Level 3 Communications (LVLT)
Marriott International (MAR)
Mastercard (MA)
Mondelez International (MDLZ)
Norfolk Southern (NSC)
Northrop Grumman (NOC)
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PCG)
Pilgrim’s Pride (PPC)
Praxair (PX)
Southern Co. (SO)
Spirit Airlines (SAVE)
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (HOT)
Time Warner (TWX)
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX)
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX)
Williams Cos. (WMB)
Yelp (YELP)
If you’re flexible and love the sheer adventure of travel, you’ll also love Kayak’s Explore tool as much as I do. It instantly maps all airfares available within your specified budget to destinations worldwide. You enter the month or season you want to travel — and the maximum amount you have to spend on a ticket — and it shows you all the places you can fly to for that amount or less. You can even search by the activities or weather you’re looking for in a destination. I think that Kayak Explore should be the first stop when planning a true travel adventure.
1. Start with a cheap flight
The best travel agent you can have isn’t a travel agent at all, but rather someone who lives in the place you want to visit. Sure, it would be great if they invited you to stay with them, but just their knowledge and advice can save you a bundle and help you really enjoy and get to know a place. Thanks to the internet, you can now get to know someone almost any place on the planet before you even leave home. Social network sites like TravBuddy.com, BeWelcome.org, WAYN.com and Couchsurfing.com can put you in touch with people living in the places you’ll be traveling to, as well as fellow travelers.
2. Stay, eat and shop where the locals do
In the spring and fall, many cruise ship companies "reposition" their fleets to different parts of the world to meet seasonal market demands. For example, ships that have been cruising during the winter months off the coast of Central and South America might head north for the summer cruising season in Alaska.
That means flexible travelers can go along on a one-way ride for a fraction of the cost per day compared to most regular cruises. Of course, you’ll have to find your own way home — or maybe just hang out at the terminus point for six months and catch a repositioning cruise in the opposite direction in the fall.
3. Look for repositioning cruises
Putting in a few hours of work during your travels can not only score you a free place to stay (and maybe some meals, too), but it can be an interesting experience and a good way to meet locals and fellow travelers alike. Websites like Workaway.info and Helpx.net list part-time, (usually) unpaid work opportunities all around the world that can nicely fit a flexible traveler’s schedule, lifestyle and budgetary limitations.
And by joining Trustedhousesitters.com, you’re eligible to apply for housesitting gigs worldwide, giving you a free place to stay in exchange for watching over someone’s house (and, usually, their pets) while they’re away.
4. Consider a working vacation
With most airlines now charging a fortune for checked bags, keeping luggage to a minimum is a must. Plus, I’ve always found that traveling light makes for a more enjoyable trip. My packing rule is simple: Unless you know that you’re absolutely going to need and use an item, don’t bring it with you if it’s something that you can buy during your travels, should the need arise. Pack your bags a couple of days before you leave home, and then drive to a shopping mall and haul them around for an hour or so (or until the mall cops stop you); I’ll bet after that you’ll discover at least a few things you can just as soon leave at home. And after your trip, "audit your luggage," making a note of things you regret having brought with you so you won’t make the same mistake next time.
5. Test-drive your luggage
If you’re going to drive a long distance in a relatively short period of time, in the long run the most cost-effective option might be to rent a car rather drive your own. Since most rental car companies offer unlimited mileage, when you factor in the cost of wear and tear on your own car (i.e. "reduced lifespan"), renting a car is usually the best option for trips where you’ll drive, say, a thousand or more miles during a week.
Plus, you might be able to rent a car that’s more fuel-efficient than your own, saving even more. And remember that the insurance coverage you carry on your own car probably covers you when you rent a car for non-business use, so you can skip the expensive insurance offered by the rental company (but check your insurance policy first, just to make sure).
6. Rent a car rather than drive your own
Picking up snacks at gas stations and convenience stores as you travel can add up to a very unappetizing expense during the course of even a short road trip. Instead, stock up on drinks and snacks before you leave home or at grocery stores during your travels. Even if you’re flying somewhere, investing in an inexpensive cooler once you’ve arrived at your destination is almost guaranteed to more than pay for itself while you’re there. And if you imbibe, don’t forget to BYOB ("Bring Your Own Booze"); the markup on beer, wine and liquor in most bars and restaurants — even in non-touristy areas – is typically 400 percent or more.
7. Remember the ice chest
If I buy souvenirs at all during my travels, I always look for something that’s practical — something that I’ll actually — rather than waste money on some tourist tchotchke that will immediately go into cold storage as soon as I get home. Clothing, food delicacies, artwork/home décor items or a CD of local music are among my favorite souvenirs. And I always check out thrift stores, flea markets and even yard sales when I travel, which are great places to finding interesting local items for dirt cheap. I once bought a ceramic wall hanging at a thrift store in Los Angeles for $8, which turned out to be by a deceased California artist and appraised at $1,400 when I got it home.
8. Buy first-rate, secondhand souvenirs
When I travel by car, I often take my own bicycle with me, and when I fly someplace where I plan to stay for at least a few days, one of my first stops is at a local thrift store to pick up an inexpensive used bike. I can’t even begin to calculate how much this has saved me in taxi fares, car rentals, and even public transportation over the years. Plus, it’s a great way to get to see and know a place, while squeezing in a little workout at the same time.
And when it’s time to fly home, you can either donate the bike back to the thrift store for a tax deduction, or maybe make some kid’s day by asking him if he wants a free bike.
9. Buy a used bike when you arrive
Other than maybe an airline ticket, chances are that lodging will be most travelers’ single largest expense. Use websites like Airbnb.com, VRBO.com and Booking.com to find privately owned apartments, homes and rooms for rent; most include access to a fully equipped kitchen, so you can save even more by cooking some of your own meals.
Hostels (HIUSA.org) provide inexpensive dorm-style accommodations — although many now offer private rooms as well — and are open to travelers of all ages. And register with Couchsurfing.com to tap into a worldwide network of fellow travelers who will let you crash on their couch (or often in a spare bedroom) for free!
10. Think alternative lodgings
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