The markets were rather choppy today as they traded in a slightly large range than we have seen in days past. The Dow 30 was down 22, the S&P 500 lost 1, and the Nasdaq 100 was slightly positive, up 6. Tomorrow traders will look towards new home sales, along with manufacturing numbers for a gauge of the current economic condition.
Facebook (NYSE: FB) shares were active early today after Barron's reported over the weekend that the social media giant's stock has the potential to rise by more than 20% to $153 a share over the next year given the growing advertising revenue among its platforms. Volume was slightly above average but shares were only modestly higher, gaining 0.48%.
Medivation (NASDAQ: MDVN) shares took off early today (19.74%) as it was announced that the cancer drug maker is being bought by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) in a deal valued at about $14 billion. That translates to $81.50 a share in cash. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year and will give Pfizer access to Medivation's cancer drug pipeline. Earlier this year Pfizer terminated its $150 billion dollar deal to buy Allergan (AGN) after the Obama administration issued new rules that would make a tax inversion deal less favorable.
Syngenta (NYSE: SYT) also enjoyed a nice pop today (10.40%) after news was released that a US national security panel cleared government-owned ChemChina's $43 billion takeover of the Swiss pesticides and seeds company. The two companies expect the deal to close by the end of the year. Investors should note that this deal is still subject to antitrust and other regulatory approval.
Valeant (NYSE: VRX) popped 8.80% today as the struggling drug maker said they hired Paul Herendeen as its new Chief Financial Officer. According to his bio, Herendeen was previously CFO at animal-health giant Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS). This comes after Valeant replaced its longtime chief executive Michael Pearson with pharmaceutical veteran Joseph Papa in April.