This morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is falling as investors weigh another round of earnings reports from companies including The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) and Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA).
Traders are also keeping a close eye on oil prices, which are ticking down in pre-market hours thanks to renewed doubts over the OPEC production cap deal.
Right now, three major triggers have the global economy on the edge of collapse. That makes having a stock market crash investment plan a necessity for all investors.
And you can take the necessary steps to protect yourself from these three triggers with our handy guide.
On Tuesday, the Dow shed 53 points as investors weighed a mixed round of quarterly earnings reports and forward guidance from a number of large-cap companies. Yesterday, shares of Under Armour Inc. (NYSE: UA) cratered more than 13% after the firm reported its weakest quarterly sales growth in six years.
Tuesday's Stock Market Numbers:
Dow Jones: 18,169.27; -53.76; -0.30%
S&P 500: 2,143.16; -8.17; -0.38%
Nasdaq: 5,283.40; -26.43; -0.50%
Now let's look at the most important market events and stocks to watch today, plus your economic calendar, for Oct. 26, 2016.
What's Ahead for the Dow Jones Industrial Average Today
The Dow Jones Industrial Average projected a 41-point decline as investors prepare for yet another busy day of earnings reports. With earnings season in full swing, there's a trade shaping up that could earn investors a bundle. This is a simple story about fundamentals, and it is time to consider using call options for big gains from this "defensive" stock. Read all about it, right here.
Trending Story: States Voting on Marijuana Laws
The Tesla earnings report will be released after the bell on Wednesday. We expect that the stock could be volatile as it is already off 0.65% in pre-market hours. If you own TSLA stock or are considering it, there are three distinct keys to understanding where Tesla is heading next. We break them down, right here.
The price of crude oil today is falling again as traders fret about the possibility of another global supply glut. The worries reemerged after a top oil official in Iraq demanded that his country be exempt from OPEC's planned production cuts to support crude prices. On Tuesday afternoon, the American Petroleum Institute announced that U.S. inventory levels increased by 4.8 million barrels, easily topping analyst expectations of a 1.7 million increase.
The WTI crude oil price today fell 1.6%, while the Brent crude oil price dipped 1.6%.
But the big story in pre-market hours is Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL). Shares fell 2.9% in pre-market hours after the company released its Q3 earnings after the bell on Tuesday. Although the world's most valuable publicly traded company topped expectations for earnings per share (EPS), Apple saw a small miss on revenue estimates and a decline in iPhone sales. The company did say that it expects stronger sales in China and that it is just getting started in India. The firm's cash hoard has now reached a staggering $237.6 billion. With shares sliding this morning, a buying opportunity is emerging for AAPL stock. Here's the latest on the AAPL earnings report and how you should play the stock next.
Stocks to Watch Today, Oct. 26, 2016
- In earnings news, shares of The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) are on the move. KO stock added 1.6% after the company reported declines in profits and revenue, but still topped Wall Street earnings expectations. Increased soda prices in North American markets helped Coke top expectations.
- Meanwhile, shares of Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA) added 1.8% after the firm reported a 33% jump in quarterly profits and hiked its delivery forecast for commercial airplanes.
- Look for additional earnings reports from Tesla Motors Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA), Groupon Inc. (Nasdaq: GRPN), VMWare Inc. (NYSE: VMW), Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (Nasdaq: BWLD), F5 Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: FFIV), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), GrubHub Inc. (Nasdaq: GRUB), and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA).
- Finally, if you want to make money trading on Wednesday, you need to learn about a powerful Total Wealth Tactic. Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald shows you how you can double your money using a simple strategy while investing in Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL), the parent company of Google. Here's what you need to know.
Today's U.S. Economic Calendar (all times EDT)
- MBA Mortgage Applications at 7 a.m.
- International Trade in Goods at 8:30 a.m.
- PMI Services Flash at 9:45 a.m.
- New Home Sales at 10 a.m.
- EIA Petroleum Status Report at 10:30 a.m.
- 2-Year FRN Note Auction at 11:30 a.m.
- 5-Year Note Auction at 1 p.m.
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About the Author
Garrett Baldwin is a globally recognized research economist, financial writer, consultant, and political risk analyst with decades of trading experience and degrees in economics, cybersecurity, and business from Johns Hopkins, Purdue, Indiana University, and Northwestern.