Stock Market Today, March 15: Dow Gains On Strong Economic Data

Investors were fixated on international trade again on Thursday, with President Trump’s inaccurate tweet about Canada raising eyebrows—while another uptick in the import price index underlined the higher costs Americans are paying for foreign goods. Still, other fresh economic data was encouraging and gains among several major U.S. companies were enough to lift the Dow higher.

Major Indexes

Dow: 24,886.75 / +128.63 / +0.5%

Nasdaq: 7,481.74 / -15.07 / -0.2%

S&P 500: 2,747.34 / -2.14% / -0.1%

Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) Top Movers

Value: Federated National Holding (NASDAQ:FNHC) - +6.8%

Growth: Electro Scientific Industries (NASDAQ:ESIO) - +6.7%

Momentum: Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ:REGI) - +4.0%

VGM: Interserve Plc (OTC:ISVJY) - +2.6%

Income: FNHC

Top Headlines

Big Salad of New Econ Data: Jobless Claims, Import/Exports & More

This Thursday, as almost every pre-market Thursday, we get a fresh read on Initial Jobless Claims. We also see other economic metrics on this particular Thursday, including Import/Export Prices, Empire State and Philly Fed reports. In short, a wealth of economic data ahead of next week’s Fed meeting, where there is more than a 90% chance interest rates will hike another quarter-percent, to 1.75-2.00%.

Why Is Alibaba Stock Popping Today?

Shares of Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) popped about 3% in early morning trading Thursday after a new report suggested that the e-commerce behemoth is planning for a stock listing in its home country of China.

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