Apple, Citi Move Heaven and Earth — Wednesday’s IP Market Recap

by Marc Bastow | December 5, 2012 5:09 pm

[1]A significant selloff in the biggest stock on the planet clashed with news of a major layoff in the financial sector to create something of a pair of clashing markets Wednesday.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL[2]) took center stage as investors jumped out of the stock on an IDC report[3] suggesting mobile devices powered by Google (NASDAQ:GOOG[4]) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT[5]) will gain ground over the next five years. AAPL fell more than 6%, dragging the Nasdaq to a 0.77% loss (to 2,973.70) and holding the S&P to a muted 0.16% gain (to 1,409.28).

Meanwhile, the Dow rallied 0.64% to 13,034.49 thanks primarily to bank stocks, which were rewarded thanks to Citigroup‘s (NYSE:C[6]) willingness to cut its way to profits. C shares rose more than 6% after announcing plans to cut 11,000 jobs[7] and take a $1 billion fourth-quarter charge to “reposition” the company. Dow components Bank of America (NYSE:BAC[8], +5.7%) and JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM[9], +1.6%) rose in sympathy.

Speaking of sympathy, shares of Select Comfort (NASDAQ:SCSS[10]) fell nearly 10% after  Mattress Firm (NASDAQ:MFRM[11]) reported weakening sales and warned of lower revenues through 2013. Of course, MFRM took the brunt of it, falling more than 20%. But the fallout was broad, even snagging coil spring manufacturer Leggett & Platt (NYSE:LEG[12], -2.4%).

Pandora (NYSE:P[13]) lost nearly 18% after announcing a projected loss in the fourth quarter[14] thanks to higher infrastructure spending and expected caution among advertisers as the fiscal cliff looms.

Nokia (NYSE:NOK[15]) shares hit a seven-month high, rising 12% on news it’s planning a deal to sell its products through China Mobile (NYSE:CHL[16]), the largest mobile operator in the world with more than 700 million subscribers (but no contract to sell iPhones).

Finally, investors in coffee titan Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX[17]) reacted with a slightly jaded eye and dropped the stock just under 1% as the company announced its intention to open another 1,500 locations[18] over the next five years, adding to its existing 11,000 stores. The company also announced it will offer a $450 gift card made of steel.

With that, its time to freshen up another cup of coffee.

Three Up

• McMoRan Exploration (NYSE:MMR[19]): Up 87% ($7.36) to $15.82. (Read more here[20])
• Supervalu (NYSE:SVU[21]): Up 13.7% (35 cents) to $2.90.
• Arch Coal (NYSE:ACI[22]): Up 7.4% (50 cents) to $7.22.

Three Down

• Qihoo 360 (NASDAQ:QIHU[23]): Down 6.6% ($1.72) to $24.30.
• PulteGroup (NYSE:PHM[24]): Down 5.2% (89 cents) to $16.20.
• Tesoro (NYSE:TSO[25]): Down 4.6% ($1.87) to $38.93.

Marc Bastow is an Assistant Editor at InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing he is long AAPL and MSFT.

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/12/wednesdays-ip-market-recap-aapl-msft-goog-jpm-c-p/

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