Updates on the Senate and House races. There’s still ...
Updates on the Senate and House races. There’s still more counting to do, but control of the Senate and House of Representatives is becoming clear. The GOP is poised to retake the Senate, but Democrats picked up a small win when Sen. Jacky Rosen was declared the winner in Nevada yesterday, bringing the party’s likely total in the chamber to 47 compared to Republicans’ 53 (assuming Republican Dave McCormick’s narrow lead over incumbent Democrat Bob Casey holds in Pennsylvania). In the House, 30 races were still being tallied as of yesterday to determine which party will control the lower chamber. If the GOP were to flip the House, it would give Donald Trump full command of the government by a likely razor-thin margin.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called to convene a special session to “Trump-proof” the state’s policies on reproductive rights and climate change before the president-elect takes office in January.
Sales of dystopian books like The Handmaid’s Tale are surging after Trump’s victory, The Guardian reported.
The FDA proposed banning oral phenylephrine, an ingredient in popular decongestants like Mucinex, because scientists believe it’s ineffective.
Roblox added safety features designed to stop kids under 13 from accessing social hangouts and experiences that make them susceptible to grooming and explicit content.
Oil rises 1% as investors digest US election fallout
(Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 1% on Thursday as the market weighed...
(Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 1% on Thursday as the market weighed how President-elect Donald Trump's policies would affect supplies and as drillers cut output while bracing for Hurricane Rafael.
A strong dollar and lower crude imports in China limited gains.
On Wednesday, the election of former Republican President Trump initially triggered a sell-off that pushed oil down by more than $2 as the dollar rallied. Crude prices later pared losses to settle down by less than 1%.
On Thursday, Brent crude oil futures settled up 71 cents, or 0.95%, at $75.63 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 67 cents, or 0.93%, to $72.36.
Prices gained support on expectations that Trump's incoming administration may tighten sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, adding that this could take oil supply off the market.
"The market is now looking into what Donald Trump's policies might be and the market is reacting to that prospect," said Lipow.
U.S. stocks hit session highs after Powell's press conference wraps up
The Federal Reserve cut rates 25 basis points today...
The Federal Reserve cut rates 25 basis points today and the market reacted with a collective yawn. Stocks and Treasuries kept their gains following the early afternoon decision, building on Wednesday's election-related surge to new record highs amid leadership from communication services and tech stocks.
Two inflation reports next week and a jobs report early next month will guide policymakers' thinking. And though Powell declined to discuss specific economic proposals from President-elect Trump, those might shape thinking over the longer run.
"Stocks continue to see post-election upside momentum," said Nathan Peterson, director of derivatives analysis at the Schwab Center for Financial Research. "Stocks continue to push higher despite rising yields. Is there a level where equity markets begin to care?" Here's where the major benchmarks ended:
The S&P 500®index (SPX) rose 44.06 points (0.74%) to 5,973.10; the Dow Jones Industrial Average® ($DJI) fell 0.59 points (0.00%) to 43,729.34; and the Nasdaq Composite®($COMP) gained 285.99 points (1.51%) to 19,269.46.
The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) fell nine basis points to 4.34%, with most of the drop coming long before the Fed decision.
The CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX) continued its post-election plunge to 15.21.
The Federal Reserve on Thursday voted to cut its benchmark interest rate by quarter-percentage point to a range of 4.5%-4.75%. The move follows an outsized half-point cut in September.
The Fed is reducing rates to protect the labor market while keeping inflation on a cooling trend. In a statement, the Fed said it would assess the economic data when considering future easing.
Uncertainty over the path of Fed policy has risen since President-elect Donald Trump's victory on Tuesday.
Traders in the federal funds futures market now see a 33% chance of a pause at the Fed's next meeting in mid-December. Before Election Day, the odds were much smaller.
Diamondback Energy, the largest independent oil and gas producer in the Permian Basin, has warned that the U.S. shale industry may be repeating past mistakes of unsustainable growth. The company plans to limit its own output growth to 2% next year, emphasizing the need for financial discipline over aggressive production expansion.
Diamondback's CFO, Kaesa Van't Hof, cautioned that other companies' focus on lowering break-even costs to justify growth has "gotten this industry in trouble in the past" and may be leading the industry back down a problematic path. The broader shale sector is closely monitored, as rising U.S. production has put pressure on OPEC, leading the cartel to delay a planned production increase. Some producers, such as Matador Resources and ConocoPhillips, have already raised their production guidance, but Diamondback aims to prioritize free cash flow over capital expenditure growth.
