The ‘Planet Microcap’ podcast actually hosts Bobby Kraft on the stock market and provides insight into microcap stocks.
US stock markets rose modestly on Thursday morning, after President Biden signed a series of executive orders in the early hours of his presidency.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 34 points, or 0.11%, in the first minutes of trading, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite were up 0.1% and 0.4%, respectively. All three major averages ended in record territory on Wednesday.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I: DHI | n / a | n / a | n / a | n / a |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 3856.04 | +4.19 | + 0.11% |
| I: COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 13518.142069 | +60.89 | + 0.45% |
Biden’s orders included extending the freeze on student loan payments and eviction and foreclosure moratoria for those affected by COVID-19. Other measures include canceling the license for the Keystone XL gas pipeline, re-entering the Paris climate agreement and stopping the construction of the southern border wall, among other things.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HLDG. | 42.49 | -2.69 | -5.95% |
Looking at the shares, United Airlines Holdings reported a fourth consecutive quarterly loss in the three months through December, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to increase demand for air travel. The Chicago-based airline lost $ 7.1 billion in 2020, but said that while the coming quarters are difficult, it predicts a return on travel and cost cuts, resulting in its 2019 profit margins being exceeded by 2023.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BKS | n / a | n / a | n / a | n / a |
Baker Hughes Co. lost revenue, but beat profits and said it expects the energy market to fall by the middle of this year.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | APPLE INC. | 135.78 | +3.75 | + 2.84% |
Elsewhere, the target price of Apple Inc. shares has been raised to $ 152 from $ 144 at Morgan Stanley, which is anticipating record quarterly earnings and revenues from its next report.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSLA | TESLA INC. | 848.46 | -2.00 | -0.23% |
Tesla Inc.’s vehicle registrations in the state of California increased 63% year-over-year in the fourth quarter, according to data from research firm Cross-Sell. The increase in registrations was driven by demand for the Model Y crossover vehicle.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY | 56.47 | +0.62 | + 1.11% |
In other automotive news, General Motors is moving to its sixth record this month, as investor optimism rises after a flurry of strategic moves this month.
In commodities, West Texas Intermediate crude dropped 33 cents to $ 52.98 a barrel and gold fell $ 2.10 to $ 1,864.40 an ounce.
European markets were mixed after the European Central Bank held the policy on hold, with France’s CAC 40 falling 0.34% and Germany’s DAX 30 advancing 0.11%. Britain’s FTSE 100 was 0.06% higher.
In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.12%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.82% and China’s Shanghai index rose 1.07%.