The markets were higher to start the week with the Dow 30 hitting a new high in the process. The Dow 30 was up 46, the S&P 500 was up 12, and the Nasdaq 100 added 53. Tomorrow investors get a look at some light economic numbers including Trade Balance, and Factory Orders.
McDonald's (MCD ) jumped 0.90% today after Nomura reversed their opinion and upgraded the fast-food chain. The analyst firm upgraded MCD to "buy" from "neutral" and raised its price target to $139 from $126 a share. The analysts at the company said that they are "optimistic that same store sales will improve" and is happy to see the new menu updates due out in 2017. McDonald's recently announced that they will be launching new burgers and a smartphone ordering system which will hopefully win back some lost customers.
Health care companies Aetna (AET ) and Humana (HUM ) were quite active today, losing 3.03% and 3.66% respectively. These health insurance companies continue to fight their battle with the Justice Department over their planned $37 billion merger. The companies made headlines today as their day in court began today. At issue in this case is whether Medicare Advantage customers will suffer higher prices and less benefits if Aetna and Humana are allowed to merge. While both companies had losses today, they are still quite positive for the year after enjoying a strong November performance.
Apple (AAPL ) had a mixed day of trading today but ended up lower by 0.73% as reporters continue to drool over the idea of Apple's interest in developing technology for self-driving cars. Today Apple fans got a glimpse into a letter to safety regulators that said Apple is "investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation" in areas including transportation. An Apple spokesman said "the company wants to work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to define best practices for the autonomous driving industry." The idea of an Apple car has been floating around for years, but now seems to be making a step towards reality.
