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Halftime Report 7.16.2012

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Citi kicked off the day with stronger-than-expected earnings of $1, analysts expected 89 cents. C reported a 12% fall in net income to $2.9 billion. Revenue for the quarter was $18.6 billion, down from $18.8 last year.

S&P 500 futures were down 2.5 points at 1349.25, NASDAQ futures traded flat at 2577.00, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 34 points to 12678.00.

EUR/USD futures started the day making lows of $1.2184 to then trade up to the current $1.2274.

Gold futures were nearly flat with a gain of 80 cents to $1592.80 and WTI crude futures gained 65 cents to $87.75.

MasterCard Inc. rose over 3% after reaching a settlement with several large banks over an antitrust lawsuit on credit card processing fees.

Arch Coal fell 7.82% after BMO analysts cut their recommendation for the stock due to weak balance sheets.


David Cornes holds a degree in economics from the University of Montana.

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Movers and Shakers – PRX – 7.16.2012

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Private equity group TPG agreed to buy out the pharma company for a premium of 37% over Friday’s closing price,  deal valued at about $1.9 billion. PRX is a specialty pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets drugs that typically have a high barrier of entry. TPG, a private equity group with $51.5 billion in assets is known for its investments in the healthcare sector.

David Cornes holds a degree in economics from the University of Montana.