The markets soared higher to start the week as investors once again showed no fear of North Korea, Washington, or the recent storms. The Dow 30 was higher by 259, gaining 1.19%, the S&P 500 added 1.13%, and the Nasdaq 100 was higher by 1.08%. Tomorrow investors will have only a few, light news announcements to focus on. Job Openings, and a bond auction will steer sentiment early while Washington news could take over now that the storms have largely passed.
Tesla (TSLA ) blasted off 5.91% today helping send the index higher as the car maker confirmed it is temporarily extending the battery life of certain models for drivers in Florida so they can evacuate. When Tesla originally built the cars, its software restricted the battery range with the option to pay for a battery upgrade later. Shares moved higher on the goodwill gesture and are now approaching two month highs. Shares are still higher by 70% on the year.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (TEVA ) was one of the biggest winners today with shares almost closing higher by 20%. The Israeli company announced a new president and CEO. Kare Schultz will take the helm hoping to lead the company to higher sales and lowering their debt overall. Bloomberg continues to report that Schultz could be pressured to split the company. Shares have been lower this year, and still show losses totaling about 50%.
Equifax (EFX ) continues to see selling pressure as shares sold off another 8% Monday. There was a report from Bloomberg that the credit reporting agency may not have enough insurance to cover the cost of the massive data breach that likely affected about 143 million US customers. This pushed shares to ten month lows, now lower by 20% since the news broke on Friday.