Shares of Apple have been under pressure ahead of next week’s earnings report. (Photo by Justin … [+] Sullivan/Getty Images)
Key Takeaways
- Dow Leads Gains As S&P Hits Record High Close
- Crypto Regulation And National Stockpile Plans Spark Market Attention
- Upcoming Earnings And Inflation Data Key For Market Direction
Stocks traded higher on Thursday with the biggest gains coming in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which added 0.9%. That was followed by the S&P 500, up 0.5%, setting a new record high close. The Russell 2000 was higher by 0.4% and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.2%.
As earnings season gets underway, we’re still a few days away from the biggest names. However, there are some companies that have reported worth mentioning. Overnight, Texas Instruments reported an earnings beat, but offered a disappointing outlook sending that stock lower by 4.5% in premarket trading. American Express also beat on earnings. In addition, the company raised its dividend by 17% to $0.82. Despite the good news, shares are lower by around 3.5% premarket. Lastly, Boeing offered an early look at their earnings and the company said it expects to take a $4 billion loss. Thoe shares are down just over 1%.
Much of this week’s news has centered around the new administration getting settled in Washington as new policies and initiatives are unveiled. One of the more watched items has centered around crypto policies and how the administration would like to see crypto regulated. To that end, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to investigate creation of a national digital asset stockpile. Since December, Bitcoin has traded in a roughly $30,00