Stocks opened mixed, with the Nasdaq hitting a new all-time high and the Dow struggling for the eighth-straight session. The Nasdaq eventually joined the other major averages in the red and they all weakened a bit further in late afternoon trading without a clear cut catalyst for the additional leg lower. Oil prices were little changed on the eve of the OPEC meeting, which is looking to end with an increase in production. ECONOMIC EVENTS: In the U.S., initial jobless claims fell 3,000 to 218,000 in the week ended June 16. The Philly Fed manufacturing index dropped 14.5 points to 19.9 in June, which was below expectations. The FHFA house price index rose 0.1% to 262.5 in April. The leading economic index rose 0.2% to 109.5 in May. In Europe, the Bank of England announced that it will maintain its Bank Rate at 0.5% and make no changes to its current bond buying program. Additionally, Daimler AG (DDAIF) issued a profit warning, blaming increased import tariffs for U.S. vehicles into the Chinese market for fewer than expected SUV sales and higher than expected costs. COMPANY NEWS: Intel (INTC) CEO Brian Krzanich resigned after a past consensual relationship with a fellow employee violated Intel's non-fraternization policy. CFO Bob Swan was named interim CEO while the company conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Intel also said it expects to deliver a "record second quarter," with revenues and earnings that both topped consensus forecasts. Shares of the chipmaking giant closed the day 2.4% lower following the news... Elsewhere in the semiconductor space, Micron's (MU) quarterly sales and earnings beat expectations and the company provided better than expected August quarter guidance, sending its shares up about 1%... The U.S. Supreme Court announced today in a 5-4 ruling on South Dakota v. Wayfair (W) that states may compel online and mail-order retailers without a physical presence in the state to collect state and local sales taxes on purchases made by residents. Following the ruling, brick-and-mortar retailers like Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT) and Costco (COST) saw their shares get a boost, while online retailers including Wayfair, Overstock (OSTK), Amazon (AMZN), Etsy (ETSY) and eBay (EBAY) declined... Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that ConAgra (CAG) has approached Pinnacle Foods (PF) about a potential deal. After the news, Pinnacle rose 2% while ConAgra slipped fractionally. MAJOR MOVERS: Among the noteworthy gainers was Heron Therapeutics (HRTX), which surged 30% after announcing that two completed Phase 2b studies of HTX-011 both achieved their primary endpoints. Also higher was Barnes & Noble Education (BNED), which gained 13% after reporting quarterly results. Among the notable gainers was Glaukos (GKOS), which slid nearly 9% after JPMorgan analyst Robert Marcus downgraded the stock to Neutral from Overweight. Also lower was Pacira Pharmaceuticals (PCRX), which fell 14% as Heron's good news about HTX-011 was read as bad news for Pacira's competing Exparel. INDEXES: The Dow fell 196.10, or 0.80%, to 24,461.70, the Nasdaq lost 68.56, or 0.88%, to 7,712.95, and the S&P 500 declined 17.56, or 0.63%, to 2,749.76.
