US equity markets opened November sharply higher, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indices climbing to fresh records - Dow rallied +301-points or +1.11% The broader S&P500 +0.97% to 3,066.91, logging its third record close in five trading sessions. The technology-centric NASDAQ gained +1.13% to 8,386.40, also a fresh record closing high. Apple Inc rose +2.84% Google parent Alphabet Inc announced that it will acquire smartwatch maker Fitbit Inc for US$2.1B or ~US$7.35 per share in cash. Fitbit jumped +15.53% (to US$7.14) following the announcement, having traded to an all time high of US$51.90 back on 5 August, 2015 - a couple months after its stock market debut at $30.40. The latest gains for equity markets came as concerns about an economic slowdown were allayed by the latest US jobs report and factory activity figures in China. Note: with the clocks changing in the US over the weekend the US markets now close at 8am AEDT (or 7am AEST)

Morgans Healthcare Team with a wrap of the movers and shakers in the Healthcare sector.

ShareRoot's CEO Michelle Gallaher provides an update on the turnaround of the business to the Morgans network.

US equity markets retreated, with the S&P500 pulling back from the previous session's record close as some uncertainty re-emerged on the US-China trade front - Dow down -140-points or -0.52% with 3M Co (down -2.01%) and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (-1.93%) alone knocking a combined ~30-points off the index. The broader S&P500 -0.30%, NASDAQ -0.11%. For the month of October, the Dow rose +0.48%, S&P 500 +2.04% and Nasdaq +3.66%.

US earnings are beginning to grow more rapidly.

U.S. markets rose after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates again and signalled it may hold off on further cuts this year.

The S&P 500 hit an all-time high, climbing 0.3% to 3,046.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 115.27 points higher, or 0.4% at 27,186.69. The Nasdaq Composite ended the day up 0.3% at 8,303.98. Utilities and health care were the best-performing sectors in the S&P 500, rising 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively. General Electric was among the S&P 500′s biggest advancers on the back of strong earnings. Johnson & Johnson outperformed all other Dow stocks, rising 2.9% after the company said it found no asbestos in its baby powder after testing.

U.S. markets ended a lacklustre session lower as trade headlines and a spate of corporate earnings weighed on shares ahead of tomorrow’s expected rate cut by the Federal Reserve.

The broader S&P500 index fell less than -0.1%, failing to build on Tuesday’s record close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 20 points, or -0.07%, after rising as much as 75 points earlier in the session. The Nasdaq Composite declined -0.6% as technology stocks stumbled in the wake of Alphabet's disappointing earnings report. Major stock indexes have been largely rangebound the past few months, and observers aren't convinced yet that the range has been broken with the latest move up.

U.S. stocks climbed to a record high as rising optimism for a trade deal with China combined with solid earnings and bets the Federal Reserve will cut rates.

The S&P 500 finished the day up +0.55% to 3039, its highest close on record and up more than 20% year to date completing a rebound from an August sell-off. The Nasdaq gained +1.0% to 8326, a few points shy of its highest close in history. The Dow, meanwhile, gained +0.5% and is within 1% of July’s high. Microsoft shares contributed to Monday’s gains, rising 2.5% on news the company won a $10 billion cloud contract from the Defense Department. Shares of Tiffany surged 30% after LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton confirmed it is talks for a potential takeover that would value the iconic jewellery brand at $14.5 billion.

Anatara Lifescience (ANR): CEO Steven Lydeamore updates the Morgans network on the company's progress

Another round of largely upbeat corporate earnings lifted the benchmark US equity indices, with the S&P500 touching a fresh record intra-day high (3,027.39) - Dow gained +153-points or +0.57% to move within 1.5% of its record all time closing high of 27,359.16. The broader S&P500 +0.41% (to 3,022.55), briefly pushing above its record close set on 26 July of 3,025.86. The NASDAQ +0.70%. The US Defense Department announced last Friday night AEST that it had awarded its US$10B Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud computing contract to Microsoft Inc's Azure, a surprise outcome given most analysts expected Amazon.com Inc and Amazon Web Services division to be awarded the contract. Microsoft Inc gained +3% in after hours trading, while Amazon.com fell -0.77%. Amazon.com Inc shed 1% in regular trading after the tech giant reported a 26% fall in profit late Thursday (24 October) as it invested heavily to speed up shipping times.