TheStreet Live

Wall Street held onto solid gains through the morning after a blowout jobs report. The U.S. economy added far more jobs in June than economists expected. Tech also gave the Nasdaq a boost. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen heads to Capitol Hill next week for her semiannual Congressional testimony. In its policy report delivered before the testimony, the Fed said it expects "gradual" rate hikes and anticipates beginning the "balance sheet normalization program this year." Coach Inc. rose after Oppenheimer raised its price target on the luxury accessories brand. Analysts are confident in the company's ability to turn its Kate Spade & Co. acquisition into profit. Coach made its bid back in May. Campbell Soup Co. was active after acquiring organic soup company Pacific Foods for $700 million. Pacific will slot into Campbell's Simple Meals and Beverages unit.

Wall Street ended around session lows on Thursday, July 6. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq suffered hefty losses, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined more than 100 points. Geopolitical tensions rose on Thursday. The chances of diplomacy in dealing with North Korea are "quickly closing," U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley said on Wednesday. President Donald Trump also said his administration was looking at its options in dealing with the totalitarian nation. Trump is currently in Europe ahead of the G-20 summit. Tesla Inc. entered bear market territory, having fallen 20% from its 52-week closing high of $383.45 on June 23. The electric automaker has fallen roughly 15% since the beginning of week. Friday's U.S. jobs report was on Wall Street's radar. Job growth expected to pick up in June, while the unemployment rate is anticipated to have held at 4.3%. HSN Inc. surged after Liberty Interactive Corp. agreed to acquire the portions of the business it doesn't already own. Liberty will purchase the remaining 61.8% stake in an all-stock deal.

Wall Street held lower through the morning session as the escalating threat of North Korea weighed on markets. Another tech selloff also contributed to heavy losses for the Nasdaq. Crude oil extended gains after a far larger drop in domestic stockpiles than expected. U.S. inventories dropped by 6.3 million barrels in the past week, nearly four times the expected decline. Non-manufacturing activity in the U.S. rose at a faster-than-expected pace in June, surprising analysts expecting a dip. The measure increased to 57.4, 0.5 higher than in May. Any reading above 50 is indicative of expansion in services activity. Coscto Wholesale Corp. enjoyed healthy growth over June, particularly after stripping out the effects of gas prices and currency exchange. Comparable sales rose 6%, while net sales increased 7%.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq held onto gains through the afternoon session after the Federal Reserve signalled a willingness to continue tightening monetary policy. In minutes from its June meeting, "several" Fed members backed an unwinding of its balance sheet within a "couple of months." The Fed also reiterated its view that inflation weakness was transitory. Crude oil prices suffered their largest decline in a month on Wednesday after Russia knocked down the chances of further cuts among the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and other chipmakers rallied after positive industry data. Global chip sales in May rose at their largest pace since 2010.

Wall Street was mostly higher even as crude oil suffered a sharp selloff. Oil tumbled by more than $1 as Russia knocked back the chances of deeper OPEC output cuts. Energy was the worst performer, while tech was the best. Factory orders in the U.S. in May declined by 0.8%, according to the Census Bureau. The dip was slightly steeper than anticipated. New orders for manufactured goods have declined for two months in a row. Oracle Corp. was higher after being upgraded to OVERWEIGHT from SECTOR WEIGHT at KeyBanc. Analysts are confident in the company's ability to sell existing customers on its cloud services. Tesla Inc. sank on news its second-quarter deliveries fell short of Wall Street estimates. The company delivered 22,000 cars in the second quarter, roughly 2,000 below expectations.

It was a mixed month for Wall Street with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 closing with gains, but the Nasdaq holding onto losses. A sharp selloff in tech in June pulled the Nasdaq lower to close out with its first negative month since October. Crude oil prices rallied this afternoon after weekly rig count data from Baker Hughes showed the first decline in activity in 24 weeks. The number of active rigs has only dropped two times this year. A rally in Nike Inc. spilled over into the consumer space. The athletic footwear company led the Dow after a positive earnings report and confirmation of a deal to sell its products through Amazon.com Inc. . Chipmaker Micron Technology declined despite posting a better-than-expected quarter. Micron topped earnings and sales expectations. The company also forecast above-consensus results for its fourth quarter.

Stocks were mostly higher to end the week as benchmark indexes looked to close out the second quarter with healthy gains. Strong fundamentals and a positive earnings season have given markets a boost over the past three months. Manufacturing conditions in the Chicago region showed unexpected improvement in June, reaching its highest level since 2014. Any reading over 50 indicates expansion. Consumer sentiment weakened slightly in June, though beat economists' estimates. Consumer expectations dipped, while sentiment on current conditions strengthened. Hain Celestial Group rose after activist investor Engaged Capital reportedly pressed the company to sell itself. Engaged has submitted seven candidates for the company's board.

A selloff in tech stocks regained momentum, pulling the Nasdaq lower for the day and wiping out the index's monthly gain. The tech-heavy index has not seen a monthly loss since October. Tech stocks were the worst performers as the industry endured another downswing in a series of selloffs that has plagued the sector in recent weeks. The Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF is on track for its worst monthly performance since April 2016. Fred's tumbled after losing a deal to acquire as many as 1,200 Rite Aid stores. That deal was scrapped after Walgreens and Rite Aid ended its merger agreement. Fred's was to acquire Rite Aid locations so the merger could pass regulatory muster. Pier 1 Imports slumped after a disappointing quarter. Same-store sales declined by 0.2%, while overall revenue fell short of consensus. E-commerce sales made up a larger chunk of net sales over its fiscal first quarter.

Wall Street was in rebound mode, bouncing back from its worst losses in a month a day earlier. Nasdaq was attempting to snap a two-day losing streak. Healthcare and tech, laggards of the week, were both in the green. Arconic Inc. led gains in basic materials stocks after two days of losses. Shares of the metals manufacturer have tumbled so far this week after being named as the producer of aluminum steel used in the Grenfell Tower. A fire at that U.K. tower earlier this month killed dozens. The pending home sales index declined in May as constrained supply continued to suppress activity. The number of sales in which a contract has been signed but deal not yet closed has declined for three straight months. Crude oil made a sharp break higher even after a weekly rise in domestic stockpiles. The EIA reported a 100,000-barrel build in crude oil inventories in the past week.

Wall Street was mixed as crude oil supported gains in energy and tech dragged on the Nasdaq. Alphabet Inc. weighed on its peers after getting hit with a record-breaking fine from the EU. Consumer confidence unexpectedly rose in June as the number of those who viewed employment as plentiful increased to its highest level since 2001. Confidence in the present situation rose, though there was some losses to expectations. Darden Restaurants rose after topping earnings and sales estimates over its recent quarter. Same-restaurant sales rose 3.3%, led by gains at Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse. Pandora Media was active after founder Tim Westergren confirmed that he would step down as chief executive. He will also step down from the board. Shares rose a day earlier on reports of this development.