4:12pm: Ford stock charged up by EV investment
The Dow gave back most of its gains ahead of the close, ending up 10 points at 34,323. The Nasdaq gained 81 points, 0.6%, to 13,738, and the S&P 500 increased 8 points, 0.2%, to 4,196.
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) stock improved more than 8% to $13.91 after the automaker said it expects electric vehicles to be roughly 40% of its total global sales by 2030, per CNBC. Ford also plans to raise its investment in EVs to more than $30 billion through 2025.
12:10pm: Cruise lines enjoy rising tide
The Dow was up 71 points, 0.2%, to 34,383 at midday. The Nasdaq gained 89 points, 0.7%, to 13,745, and the S&P 500 added 12 points to 4,200.
"[It has been a] dull session in the US, which has seen the Dow gain 60 points but without much conviction," IG Chief Market Analyst Chris Beauchamp wrote Wednesday morning. "It certainly hasn’t been much of a celebration for the index, which turns 125 today, since the week has been bereft of major economic data while earnings season has all but ended. Investors will be left hoping that durable goods, initial claims and GDP growth revisions can bring some form of volatility into play."
Reopening plays did well, including Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE:RCL), shares of which gained nearly 3% to $91.55 and Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL), which saw a stock price bump of 1.4% to $28.99.
11am: Proactive North America headlines:
Australis Capital Inc (CSE:AUSA) (OTC:AUSAF) touts new study that shows medical cannabis can reduce opioid use, the progress of its subsidiaries and more in corporate update
Noble Capital raises rating on Energy Fuels (NYSEAMERICAN:UUUU) (TSE:EFR) to Outperform, citing value of Rare Earth Element program
PyroGenesis Canada Inc (TSE:PYR) (NASDAQ:PYR) (FRA:8PY) joins research project to develop silicon-based materials for lithium-ion batteries
Fireweed Zinc Ltd (CVE:FWZ) (OTCMKTS:FWEDF) (FRA:20F) set to start 2021 exploration at its Macmillan Pass Property in the Yukon
Japan Gold Corp (CVE:JG) (OTCQB:GLDF) embarks on drilling at the Ryuo mine prospect in Hokkaido
Kintara Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:KTRA) says VAL-083 treatment arm in the Phase 2/3 clinical trial for glioblastoma multiforme has now been activated in 15 US sites
Aftermath Silver Ltd (CVE:AAG) (OTCQB:AAGFF) completes acquisition of remaining 20% of Cachinal silver project in Chile
Esports Entertainment Group Inc (NASDAQ:GMBL) becomes the official esports tournament provider of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers
Binovi Technologies Corp (CVE:VISN) (OTCQB:BNVIF) announces early-bird purchase incentive for its next-generation Binovi Touch Elite
Safe-T Group Ltd (NASDAQ:SFET) says Q1 revenue increased by double-digits year-over-year
Klondike Gold Corp (CVE:KG) (OTCPINK:KDKGF) (FRA:LBDP) identifies visible gold with second hole at Lone Star Zone drilling
Electric Royalties Ltd (CVE:ELEC) (OTCMKTS:ELECF) renegotiates its LOI with Sprott Streaming for the Globex Mining MTM royalty acquisition
TechX Technologies Inc (CSE:TECX) (OTCMKTS:TECXF) (FRA:C0B1) acquires fiat-to-crypto start Mobilum OÜ in C$16M stock deal
CleanSpark Inc (NASDAQ:CLSK) completes purchase of six-acre property which houses ATL Data Centers and the data center building
Kintara Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:KTRA) says VAL-083 treatment arm in the Phase 2/3 clinical trial for glioblastoma multiforme has now been activated in 15 US sites
Loop Insights Inc (CVE:MTRX) (OTCQB:RACMF) sees its relationship with TELUS bloom into a lucrative multi-year direct reseller deal
GR Silver Mining Ltd (CVE:GRSL) (FRA:GPE) (OTCQB:GRSLF) reports near-surface drill results from Plomosas Mine Area in Mexico
Group Eleven Resources Corp (CVE:ZNG) (OTCMKTS:GRLVF) unveils new drill results from Carrickittle prospect showing 'meaningful' zinc-lead mineralization at PG West
Pacton Gold Inc (CVE:PAC) (OTCPINK:PACXF) (FRA:2NKM) kicks off surface exploration at Red Lake project in Ontario to generate drill targets
Vox Royalty Corp (CVE:VOX) (OTCMKTS:VOXCF) announces record 1Q revenue on first Koolyanobbing royalty payment
Real Luck Group Ltd (CVE:LUCK) (OTCQB:LUKEF) welcomes the passing of Bill C-218, The Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, on second reading at the Canadian Senate
Benchmark Metals Inc (CVE:BNCH) (OTCQX:BNCHF) (FRA:87CA) mobilizing crew for its Lawyers Gold-Silver Project in preparation for 2021 work program
Valeo Pharma Inc (CSE:VPH) (OTCQB:VPHIF) (FRA:VP2) projects record revenues and margins for its second quarter following Redesca launch
Else Nutrition Inc (CVE:BABY) (OTCMKTS:BABY) (FRA:0YL) to launch plant-based toddler nutrition at Associated Food Stores
Bam Bam Resources Corp (CSE:BBR) (OTCPINK:NPEZF) (FRA:4NPB) hires Zonge International for more IP survey work at Majuba Hill
9:38am: Wall Street starts on front foot
The main indices on Wall Street began Wednesday’s session in positive territory, recovering some of Tuesday’s losses.
Shortly after the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.25% at 34,393 while the S&P 500 climbed 0.18% to 4,195 and the Nasdaq rose 0.32% to 13,701.
An early riser in New York was Amazon Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), which climbed 0.3% to US$3,270 after its acquisition of movie studio MGM was confirmed.
Also seeing some positivity was Reddit ‘memestock’ favourite GameStop Corp (NYSE:GME), which jumped 12.5% to US$235 in early deals.
7:45am: Wall Street set to open on the front foot
After slipping back on Tuesday, Wall Street is expected to move a little higher at the opening bell later today.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is forecast to add 93 points or 0.26% on the day of its 125th anniversary, while the S&P 500 is set to rise 0.31% and the Nasdaq Composite is poised to climb 0.35%.
Comments from Federal Reserve members seemed to have eased the immediate concerns that the US central bank will withdraw its support for the economy in the immediate future.
Fed vice-chair Richard Clarida had indicated the bank may start talking about talking about tapering, but there appears to be no rush to make any actual move.
US 10 year Treasury yields, which hit a one month high earlier in May on the expectation of rising rates, are virtually flat at 1.567%, up from 1.563%.
On the corporate front Urban Outfitters is up 9.78% in pre-market. The retailer announced record sales in the first quarter after the market closed on Tuesday.
Four things to watch for on Wednesday:
- Major firms in the earnings diary today include computer processor maker NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA), cloud computing group Snowflake Inc (NYSE:SNOW) and human resources software firm Workday Inc (NASDAQ:WDAY)
- Investors may be keeping an eye on any news from AGMs at Amazon Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) which are due to be held today
- Crypto markets are also going to draw attention with Bitcoin hovering around the US$40,000 mark earlier today
- There is little going on in the macro diary, although speeches from a number of Fed representatives may draw some attention