By Wallace Witkowski and Anora Mahmudova, MarketWatch
Pending home sales surge in April
U.S. stocks paused Thursday after two days of strong gains as
crude prices retreated from $50 a barrel and investors brushed off
better-than-expected economic reports.
Orders for durable goods
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-durable-goods-orders-jump-34-in-april-2016-05-26)
manufactured in the U.S. jumped in April, fueled by higher demand
for new cars, trucks and commercial jets. But a key measure of
business investment fell again. Meanwhile, jobless claims
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-drop-10000-to-268000-2016-05-26)
declined to a one-month low last week, suggesting the labor market
remained robust.
A gauge of pending home sales jumped
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pending-home-sales-surge-51-to-a-10-year-high-in-april-2016-05-26)in
April, rising to the highest since February 2006. Sales of new and
existing homes also surged in April,
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/housings-lost-decade-may-be-coming-to-an-end-2016-05-24)
a sign that builders are stepping up construction as demand for
housing remains robust.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by 14 points, or less
than 0.1%, to 17,837, following a 359-point rally over the previous
two sessions. The S&P 500 index , which fluctuated between
slight losses and gains, was last up 1 point, or less than 0.1%, to
2,091, weighed down by the financials and materials sectors.
The Nasdaq Composite , which also traded off between slight
gains and losses, was last up 6 points at 4,901.
Following the big run-up of the last couple of days, stronger
data is cause for investors to take their foot off the gas, said
Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Boston Private
Wealth.
"Better economic data as far as durable goods and initial
unemployment claims gives the market a bit of weariness because now
the Fed has something to point to for a June rate hike," said
Pavlik.
"While we saw a nice rally over the past few days, and it
appeared the market is signaling that it can handle rate hikes, I
would question whether this rally is sustainable, because earnings
growth is still negative," said Karyn Cavanaugh, market strategist
at Voya Investment Management.
Brent crude briefly rose above $50 a barrel on Thursday
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/brent-crude-tops-50-a-barrel-for-first-time-since-november-2016-05-25)
for the first time in six months, and West Texas Intermediate crude
also poked above the $50 mark.
In most recent trade, WTI futures rose 1 cent to $49.57 a
barrel.
The market's gyrations on Thursday come against the backdrop of
the Dow industrials marking its 120 year anniversary. Read how to
use that market to your advantage
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-to-use-the-dow-industrials-to-your-best-advantage-2016-05-26).
Individual movers:Dollar Tree Inc.(DLTR) shares jumped 13% after
the discount retailer boosted its outlook
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dollar-tree-raises-outlook-as-sales-double-2016-05-26),
while Dollar General Corp.(DG) shares rose 5.2% even as adjusted
quarterly profit missed forecasts, with revenue topping
expectations
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dollar-general-profit-beats-but-sales-fall-short-in-first-quarter-2016-05-26).
HP Inc.(HPQ) shares rose 6.5% after the PC and printer maker
reported quarterly results
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hp-inc-revenue-declines-full-year-guidance-cut-2016-05-25-164851221)
late Wednesday.
PVH Corp.(PVH) shares rose 4.9% after the Calvin Klein parent
company raised its guidance
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pvh-raises-earning-guidance-on-strong-sales-2016-05-25-174852516)
for the year.
Signet Jewelers Ltd.(SIG)posted adjusted quarterly profit that
beat, but revenue missed. Shares fell 11%.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co.(ANF) shares sank 18% as the
retailer's same-store sales fell 4% and its quarterly loss was
bigger than expected
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/abercrombies-sales-slip-as-shopper-traffic-stalls-2016-05-26).
Costco Wholesale Corp.(COST) revealed late Wednesday that its
sales stagnated in its third quarter
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/costco-sales-stall-in-third-quarter-2016-05-25),
but shares were up 3.6%.
Other markets:European stocks
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-shares-waver-as-spanish-banks-slide-oil-stocks-rise-2016-05-26)
have been trading slightly higher, and most Asian markets closed
with modest gains
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oils-rise-buoys-asian-energy-shares-2016-05-26).
Gold futures settled at a seven-week low,
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-futures-snap-slide-as-dollar-eases-2016-05-26)
settling down 0.3% at $1,220.40 an ounce, and a key dollar index
inched lower.
Economic news: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday
reportedly warned
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/are-commodities-signaling-a-lehman-sized-meltdown-japans-abe-thinks-so-2016-05-26)
that the commodities selloff in the last two years could indicate
another global financial crisis is coming.
Pending home sales for April jumped 5.1% to their highest level
since February 2006
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pending-home-sales-surge-51-to-a-10-year-high-in-april-2016-05-26),
soundly topping an expected 0.8% increase.
On the Federal Reserve front, Fed Gov. Jerome Powell said at the
Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C.
that a hike in interest rates hike may come soon but weak
productivity will curb further hikes
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-powell-interest-rate-hike-may-come-soon-but-weak-productivity-will-cap-increases-2016-05-26).
Speaking in Singapore, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard
noted the U.S. job market is relatively tight and could put upward
pressure on inflation, according to a Reuters report
(http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-bullard-idUSKCN0YH10B).
--Victor Reklaitis in London contributed to this article.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 26, 2016 14:23 ET (18:23 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.