Wall Street is trying to stop the bleeding after stocks (^GSPC) fell for 3-consecutive days on disappointing earnings reports. The selloff came after strong earnings reports drove the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq (^IXIC) to record or near-record levels earlier this month.
Yahoo Finance Columnist Rick Newman says today's upbeat earnings news SHOULD lift the market. But those numbers are not the only thing investors have to be looking at.
"We sort of got through the Greece problem and that was a moment where people said we can really put geopolitics aside and be focusing on what we should be focusing on, which is earnings and economic performance," he explains. "But you can never really put geopolitics aside because it reflects what's going on with the whole world economy."
And another headline for investors this morning...It's now official-- Anthem is buying Cigna for more than $48 billion. The deal creates the biggest health insurance provider by enrollment in the U.S.
Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App
Amazon tops Walmart
Here are some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be following for you today.
Amazon.com (AMZN) The online retailer stunned Wall Street by posting a profit in the second quarter...analysts had been looking for a loss. And revenue came in well above forecasts. The company reports sales jumped 20%...and revenue from its cloud-computing Amazon Web Services soared 81%. After the report, Amazon shares soared so much the company surpassed Walmart as the world's biggest retailer by market value.
Starbucks (SBUX) The biggest coffee retailer also topped estimates on the top and bottom lines in the period. Starbucks says it saw a boost in both sales and foot traffic in all parts of the globe, but especially in China and the Asia Pacific region. CEO Howard Schultz calls it among the strongest and most remarkable quarters in the company's history.
AT&T (T) The phone giant registered an earnings beat but fell just a tad short of revenue estimates. The company reports it added more than 2 million new wireless subscribers during the quarter....and CEO Randall Stephenson says AT&T is looking forward to expanding its TV and internet presence once it finalizes the purchase of DirecTV (DTV).
Visa (V) The credit card company did better than forecast on both profit and revenue in the quarter. Visa says its strong underlying fundamentals helped offset the negative impacts relating to sanctions against Russia and the strong dollar.
Biogen (BIIB) The biotech firm that makes drugs to combat autoimmune diseases easily topped profit estimates...but revenue came up short. And the company is warning that full-year earnings and revenue will be less than previously forecast because of a decline in demand for one of its key multiple sclerosis drugs.
StanCorp Financial (SFG) The Oregon-based group life insurance provider is being bought by Japan's Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company for more than $5 billion. The $115-a-share price tag values StanCorp stock at 50% above yesterday's closing price.
Comcast targets millennials
Comcast (CMCSA) is reportedly looking at new ways to hook up with cord-cutting millennials. Its NBCUniversal division is in talks to link up with a number of new media sites in order to attract young consumers. That’s according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which says the company has reportedly had discussions with Vice Media, Business Insider and BuzzFeed. Comcast already has about a 14% stake in Vox Media.
Forget Detroit or New York or any other fancy auto show. Honda (HMC) unveiled its 2016 Accord in Mountain View, California on Thursday. It’s the first vehicle the automaker has unveiled out in Silicon Valley. The event was also the grand opening of Honda’s expanded R&D center.
More from Yahoo Finance
New York turns the minimum wage debate on its head
It’s no trick: McDonald’s may have all-day breakfast by Halloween
Elon Musk's 'complacency' problem
