Wal-Mart Climbs, and Coke Is Hit by Pepsi's Asian Ambitions
Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over daily movements, we do like to keep an eye on market changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
As of 1:05 p.m. EST, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 15 points, or 0.09%. The blue-chip index is again on the verge of setting a new all-time high after posting record highs on two different occasions last week. The S&P 500 has climbed a meager 0.05% today while the NASDAQ is up 0.09%. Earnings season is coming to an end, and investors have little economic data to chew on today, so the low volatility shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
In anticipation of the upcoming earnings release, shares of Wal-Mart are trading higher by 1.2% today. The company is expected to report earnings on Nov. 14, and analysts are expecting revenue of $116.75 billion and earnings of $1.13 per share. For the same quarter last year, Wal-Mart reported sales of $113.93 billion and EPS of $1.08. While the current predictions are substantially higher than actual results were last year, the EPS estimate has come down from $1.17. Today's move higher may be a little premature, as the company has yet to report anything, and estimates are a little high, making a massive earnings beat unlikely. Thus investors thinking about jumping in before the report should reconsider and wait until results are reported and there's less hype surrounding the stock.
On the other side of the coin, shares of Coca-Cola are down 0.6% this afternoon following an announcement that Pepsi , the world's second-largest soft-drink producer behind Coke, has made a commitment to invest $5.2 billion in India by 2020. The money will help increase manufacturing production, promote new product launches, and develop a presence in India's more rural areas. This move from Pepsi comes just days after Coke reported that it would invest more than $4 billion to build new plants in China between 2015 and 2017. The competition between these two companies never seems to die down, but that doesn't mean either one is a bad long-term investment.
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The article Wal-Mart Climbs, and Coke Is Hit by Pepsi's Asian Ambitions originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Matt Thalman has no position in any stocks mentioned. Check back Monday through Friday as Matt explains what causing the big market movers of the day, and every Saturday for a weekly recap. Follow Matt on Twitter @mthalman5513. The Motley Fool recommends Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The Motley Fool owns shares of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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