The markets were mixed today ahead of a slew of earnings reports. Apple (AAPL ) is the most anticipated report of the group as investors look for more clarity on the recent global slowdown concerns. The Dow was higher by 51, the S&P 500 sold off 3, and the Nasdaq 100 closed lower by 57 as tech was one of the weaker areas today.
Sector News
Oil pushed back towards the $54 technical resistance area today as the US announced sanctions on Venezuela's state-run oil company in an attempt to slow the funding of President Nicolas Maduro.
Gold broke to new 8-month highs today as the weaker US dollar along with slowing global growth helped support the precious metal. Gold has now added 2.5% this year so far.
Stock News
Verizon (VZ ) shares were lower on the day despite the company reporting earnings that were just better than expected. Investors focused on a revenue miss along with comments that they expected 2019 profits to be in line with or slightly lower than Wall Street's expectations.
Harley Davidson (HOG ) shares sold off today as the company reported earnings and revenue that came in less than expected. Demand here in the States was weaker than expected which makes up over 90% of overall revenues.
Pfizer (PFE ) shares were higher on the day following a beat on earnings and revenue for the 4th quarter. One blemish on the report was their earnings outlook for all of 2019, which came in just short of expectations. The company cited their Lyrica medication coming off patent as one of the reasons.
