The markets were quiet today as investors digested stock specific news all morning. The Dow 30 was higher by 37, the S&P 500 added 1, and the Nasdaq 100 closed higher by 5, held back by some weakness in Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Tomorrow investors will get a look at consumer pricing numbers along with unemployment claims early in the morning.
Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL) saw a spike of 6.47% today after an upgrade from Susquehanna from neutral to positive. The upgrade came in response to a rumor that the shoe retailer will be acquired by U.K. sports retailer, Sports Direct. AFter falling off a cliff in August, shares of Finish Line have recovered over 50% of the total decline. Still, shares are lower on the year by over 40% which may mean that the company is interested in talking with outside offers..
Equifax, Inc. (NYSE: EFX) shares sold off another 14.63% today as the CEO wrote an OpEd that just didn't comfort investors. The CEO apologized for the credit breach but analysts have been gathering intel that suggest that the credit bureau has no clue how fix the situation. With law suits mounting, and consumers losing faith in the credit bureau, shares plummeted to new lows. Shares are now lower by 30% since the news broke last week.
Western Digital Corp (NYSE: WDC) shares sold off 3.42% today as news came out that Toshiba will sell their chip unit to a rival. Western Digital spent months trying to negotiate for the chip unit, but Bain Capital beat them out with a reported bid of $19 billion. It was also rumored that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is also working with Bain on the deal. Shares of WDC have been higher this year but are now 7% off their prior highs.