BLBG: U.S. Stock Futures Little Changed Before Home-Sales Data
U.S. stock-index futures were little changed, after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped to an eight-week low yesterday, before data on pending home sales and amid concern over a possible military strike against Syria.
TiVo Inc. climbed 3 percent after the maker of digital-video recorders posted a profit. Avago Technologies Ltd. jumped 8 percent after reporting third-quarter results that beat analysts’ estimates. Newmont Mining Corp. added 1.7 percent as gold rallied to a three-month high.
S&P 500 (SPX) futures expiring in September gained 0.1 percent to 1,629 at 8:38 a.m. in New York. Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 14,773.
“People have locked in profits in the year to date and volumes have started to pick up again in the last couple of days,” Veronika Pechlaner, who helps oversee about $2.3 billion as an investment manager at Jersey, Channel Islands-based Ashburton Ltd., said in a phone interview. “The next move upwards has to come from earnings growth and macro data. Anything related to housing or employment will be closely scrutinized by investors for cues about earnings momentum.”
The S&P 500 slid 1.6 percent yesterday to the lowest level since July 3 amid concern the U.S. will take action against Syria. The U.S. and its allies are moving closer to a military strike in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus last week. President Barack Obama plans to release an intelligence assessment this week and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain will put forward a draft resolution at the United Nations today authorizing action to protect civilians.
NATO Allies
Obama officials are in consultations with NATO allies including the U.K., France, Germany, and Turkey as well as Arab nations to determine which countries would participate in a military strike on Syria, said an administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss war planning efforts.
The S&P 500 has lost 4.6 percent from a record high on Aug. 2 amid growing speculation the Federal Reserve will reduce its monthly bond buying. Minutes of the central bank’s July meeting released Aug. 21 showed policy makers supported stimulus cuts this year if the economy improves. Fed stimulus helped push the S&P 500 up as much as 153 percent from its March 2009 low, as better-than-estimated corporate earnings also fueled gains.
Home Sales
A report at 10 a.m. New York time may show pending home sales were unchanged in July, according to the median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg survey. The index from the National Association of Realtors fell 0.4 percent in June.
TiVo (TIVO) advanced 3 percent to $11.30 after reporting second-quarter net income of $268.9 million, including legal settlements, compared with a $27 million loss a year earlier. Chief Executive Officer Tom Rogers said in an interview the company will be profitable for the remainder of the fiscal year ending January and through the following year.
Avago surged 8 percent to $39.48. The supplier of components for wireless communications reported third-quarter revenue of $664 million, exceeding the $617.25 million average forecast of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.
Newmont Mining, the world’s second-biggest gold producer, gained 1.7 percent to $32.65 as the precious metal climbed to the highest price since May. Barrick Gold Corp., the largest producer, advanced 1.5 percent to $20.01.
Oil, Stocks
Oil and American equities are moving in opposite directions by the most in almost two years amid prospects of military intervention in Syria.
The S&P 500 slid 1.6 percent to 1,630.48 yesterday while West Texas Intermediate surged 2.9 percent to $109.01 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The 4.5 percentage-point divergence was the widest since November 2011, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Crude extended gains today, surging to a two-year high.
The commodity’s advance amid the biggest retreat in U.S. shares since June shows attention is shifting to armed conflict and away from the world economy. Oil and the S&P 500 have been positively correlated since April 2011 as the global financial crisis receded. The link is breaking down on concern a U.S. attack may escalate and disrupt supplies from the region that holds almost half of all proven oil reserves.
To contact the reporters on this story: Namitha Jagadeesh in London at njagadeesh@bloomberg.net; Nick Taborek in New York at ntaborek@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew Rummer at arummer@bloomberg.net