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Some of the earnings reports from the likes of Pepsi ( PEP ), Intel ( INTC ), CSX Corp . Click to get this free report PEPSICO INC (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report INTEL CORP (INTC): Free Stock Analysis Report CSX CORP (CSX): Free Stock Analysis Report BANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Europe centered growth and deflation fears, the market's major source of anxiety lately, is for real and will eventually have a bearing on the earnings picture as well.

Thanks to the rate hike fever, the Mumbai stock market has been the slumping to the point where it could easily become a buying opportunity some time soon -- just not today. Remember: when food prices pull back, it is time to buy into PIN quote ) or your favorite Indian ETF. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

SPDR Gold Trust Since bottoming in early November, the SPDR Gold Trust ( ETF ) (NYSE: GLD ) has pressed nearly 8 percent higher and regained its 50-day moving average. The combination of a rising U.S. dollar , falling interest rates and tepid inflationary statistics have not been kind to gold bullion prices or associated mining stocks. More recently, traders have been focused on plunging crude oil and natural gas prices , which has allowed gold the opportunity to make a stealthy move higher.

Brazilian stocks, including PBR, were also boosted by lower-than-expected inflation data in Latin America's largest economy last month. On a strong day for stocks, Chemours Co (NYSE: CC ), Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (ADR) (NYSE: PBR ) and Polycom Inc (NASDAQ: PLCM ) were among Friday's top performers. Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras (ADR) (PBR) Petroleo Brasileiro SA, Brazil's state-controlled oil company, rose nearly 5% Friday as oil prices finished modestly higher.

• iSharesMSCI Mexico Investable Market Index ( EWW ) Thanks in part to the peso's 5% climb against the dollar this year, it's added 16.43% year to date and 13.91% the past 12 months. The Middle Eastern come-back story has formally asked the International Monetary Fund for a $4.8 billion loan to rescue its economy. "Turkey is becoming a favorite emerging market again as growth has been exceeding expectations and inflation is trending downward," said Brad Durham of EPFR Global.

The article 3 Reasons iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF ( EEM ) Could Fall originally appeared on Fool.com. Unfortunately, many important commodities have suffered big price declines in recent years, with copper, iron ore, and other base metals reflecting the sluggishness in expansionary efforts in infrastructure and construction. Whether it's historically high levels of inflation in areas of Latin America, totalitarian politics in China, or the threat of economic sanctions against Russia, emerging-market investors face much different challenges than those who stick with developed economies.

Materials was the biggest gainer among the S&P 500 industry groups and the Materials Select Sector SPDR (XLB) gained 1.3%. Better-than-expected earnings from major companies and encouraging comments from St. Louis Fed President James Bullard lifted benchmarks higher on Friday. Fed policy makers believe buying bonds of such a huge quantum would increase inflation and create disturbance in the financial markets.

I'm sure you've noticed that gasoline prices continue to climb across the country. From Exxon ( XOM ) to Sunoco ( SUN ) to BP ( BP ), prices are edging up once more -- about 80 cents higher than at this point in 2009. But experts say prices will stabilize soon and could possibly stay below the $3 a gallon benchmark all spring and into the summer.

The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (HAIN): Processed & Packaged Goods Industry. Contributing factors to despair and pessimism facing consumers include fears of inflation, loss of confidence in the government's ability to fix the economic slump, unemployment, concerns over the global economy and market volatility following the downgrade. This figure is something to cheer over: Consumer spending represents 70% of the nations GDD, thus any increases spells good news for a staggering economy.

The Aussie's jump encouraged some traders who have beensearching for direction recently after a lull in currencymarkets but the euro and dollar moved little, suggesting broadervolatility remained subdued. The single currency came under pressure on Tuesday afterReuters quoted four sources with direct knowledge of discussionsas saying several European Central Bank policymakers think theECB's economic projections are too optimistic, as economicweakness in China and trade tensions lingers. The kiwi was hit after data showed New Zealand's annualinflation slowed in the first quarter, which raised the odds ofan interest rate cut in the coming months.

This resulted in a collapse of the bond market and the eventual failure of the entire savings and loan industry in the United States in the 1980s. The United States and most of the developed world have benefited tremendously over the past 30 years from a steady drop in long-term bond rates. With inflation averaging between 1.4% and 3.2% in 2011 and 2012, long-term Treasury bonds should not be trading anywhere near their current levels.

While these noteworthy performances might not continue, especially if Europe remains sluggish, any one of them could still be a solid pick for investors looking for a different way to play this important region: Belgium- iShares MSCI Belgium Investable Market Fund (EWK) Though the Belgian economy has decent growth prospects and low inflation, high unemployment and fiscal deficit remain lingering issues. Investors seeking to invest in the country may find EWK an intriguing choice. This suggests that the top 10 holdings dominate the returns of EWK.

On Mar 12, 2015, we issued an updated research report on Kimberly-Clark Corp.KMB . Click to get this free report KIMBERLY CLARK (KMB): Free Stock Analysis Report SUPERVALU INC (SVU): Free Stock Analysis Report FLOWERS FOODS (FLO): Free Stock Analysis Report HALYARD HEALTH (HYH): Get Free Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. However, earnings were negatively impacted by currency headwinds, input cost inflation, higher taxes and lower net income from equity companies.

The SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) tracks the daily spot price of gold bullion and had a rough 2013 with a decline of over 28%. The iShares 20+ Year Treasury ETF (TLT) is typically a leading indicator of investors looking to shift money from stocks or cash to high quality instruments that favor a deflationary environment. So far the initial reaction of the Fed's tapering have had little effect in pushing rates higher, which will likely calm the bond markets and give renewed confidence in quality fixed-income as a short-term safety trade.

This includes such names as Fastenal Company FAST and Balchem Corp. BCPC , the first of which is in the business of nuts and bolts. The FOMC also mentioned last month that "global and financial developments continue to pose risks," which was one of the primary reasons why it did not hike rates. Additionally, the committee reduced its forecast for economic growth and offered an inflation rate outlook for this year which was weaker than that expected earlier.

President Obama, in a press conference on March 11, also reiterated that a plan to tap the SPR was "teed up" and said he would move quickly should ‘conditions’ worsen. Unless something happens, such as the government stepping in with an SPR release announcement, or peace on earth, for example, to crash the speculative upward momentum, very little would faze oil. So using WTI as a reference point for SPR related dedisions is a bit misleading and could result in a case of "too little too late" in regards to the runaway oil and gasoline prices.

(question asked before the December fed meeting) Eric Basmajian: The biggest mistake the Federal Reserve made in 2018 was tightening monetary policy into a global and now domestic economic slowdown. Now that growth and inflation have peaked and are decelerating, we can expect the Federal Reserve to back off future monetary tightening and for long-term rates to move lower as well. I missed or was slow to change on a couple of things (opportunity to improve), but managed to get ahead of and nail several market calls on the back of a chart/data driven process.

Shares of W.W. Grainger Inc.GWW have surged around 50% year to date. Click to get this free report Flowserve Corporation (FLS): Free Stock Analysis Report Alarm.com Holdings, Inc. (ALRM): Free Stock Analysis Report Albany International Corporation (AIN): Free Stock Analysis Report W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Grainger expects price mix to improve and 50 basis points of COGS deflation for the year, driven by its internal product cost initiatives.

GLD has been unable to escape the deflationary spiral in commodities, but will give some short-term traders an interesting look next week as additional economic data is released. Related Link: 3 Earnings To Bring This Season To A Close iShares Exponential Technologies ETF (NYSE: XT ) Companies engaged in global technological advancement are the underpinnings for a new cutting-edge technology fund from Barclays. XT just recently debuted as a way to access a diversified portfolio of world-wide stocks with strong potential for innovation.

In metal ETFs, SPDR Gold Trust ( GLD ) was up 0.65% to $125.59. Commodities ended trading down after crude oil futures retreated on comments from the Federal Reserve warning of deflation. In other energy futures, heating oil is down $0.02 to $2.12 a gallon while natural gas rose 2.7%, to $3.92 per million British thermal units.

Add in the low-to-lower U.S. inflation as measured by the core Personal Consumption Expenditure Index (PCE) sitting at a mere 1.77%, and U.S. bonds look even more attractive. Looking Deeper Into the Numbers for SAfe Stocks But taking a step further back, manufacturing is a very small sector of the US economy and is dwarfed by services and non-manufacturing. The indexed play is the Vanguard Real Estate ETF (NYSEARCA:) while for an individual REIT — look at my multi-decade proven performer in WP Carey (NYSE:).

While exorbitant rate hike shored up the currency to a large extent, it is deemed to hurt the nation's growth profile. Click to get this free report >> ISHARS-EMG MKT (EEM): ETF Research Reports ISHRS-MSCI TURK (TUR): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Concerns about the decline incheap money inflows thanks to QE taper threat in the U.S., a tumbling currency, current account deficit, high inflation and political unrest put Turkey ETF in serious trouble.

SPDR Gold Shares ( GLD ), tracking a 10th of an ounce of bullion, jumped 1.82% to 166.20 in heavy volume. Gold prices rallied along with the stock market from oversold levels Tuesday as investors cast overwhelming support for precious metals and energy producers on Election Day. "First, the Australian central bank's decision not to raise rates was driven by a view that growth is back on track in China and, to a much more moderate degree the U.S." Keep in mind that commodity-centric Australia is prone to inflation, they noted.

IShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF ( EEM ) jumped 3.9% in March. "While the tone and its reception was a little more hawkish, the chairwoman remarked that the policy stays unchanged," said Patrick Jamin, chief investment officer for NorthCoast. Enticing Prospects Overseas Also during the month, Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, revealed that the ECB is prepared to take more policy measures if inflation falls lower than expected.

Campbell Soup Company CPB has long-term growth rate of 9% and a Zacks Rank #2. Click to get this free report Campbell Soup Company (CPB): Free Stock Analysis Report McCormick & Company, Incorporated (MKC): Free Stock Analysis Report The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (HAIN): Free Stock Analysis Report Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. (LW): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. In fiscal 2019, management expects the adjusted EBITDA to be impacted by higher brand investments (mainly in the United States) and COGS inflation of about 2% related to freight and commodity costs.

Take a look below at the price ratio of the iShares Barclays TIPS Bond Fund ETF ( TIP ) relative to the PIMCO 7-15 Year Treasury Index ( TENZ ). As a reminder, a rising price ratio means the numerator/TIP (inflation protection buying) is outperforming (up more/down less) the denominator/TENZ (non-inflation protection buying). That behavior in the yield curve, confirmed by collapsing inflation expectations, tends to be an omen of bad things to come, as proven in the award winning paper I co-authored available by clicking here .

General Mills GIS , a Zacks Rank #2 stock, has long-term EPS growth rate of 7.3%. Click to get this free report General Mills, Inc. (GIS): Free Stock Analysis Report Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. (LW): Free Stock Analysis Report The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC): Free Stock Analysis Report Nomad Foods Limited (NOMD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. In terms of profitability, management expects adjusted EBITDA to decline at a high-teens rate in the first quarter, owing to cost inflation and planned commercial expenditure.

EDU – indicated up 4% pre-market. Contrary to 2010, this year might feature a slowing Chinese economy and re-rating stock markets, thanks to improved policy visibility, peaking out inflation and still relatively strong earnings growth . Anything the Chinese government does to fight local inflation will have the side effect of boosting the global buying power of the yuan.

iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF EWZS The fund looks to track the MSCI Brazil Small Cap Index. Click to get this free report ISHARS-BRAZIL (EWZ): ETF Research Reports ISHARS-MS BR SC (EWZS): ETF Research Reports GLBL-X BRZL CON (BRAQ): ETF Research Reports VANECK-BRZL SC (BRF): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. In view of cooling inflation (which was once sky-high) and soft economic growth, Brazil embarked on an aggressive policy easing cycle.

In company news, Agnico-Eagle ( AEM ) last night forecast an 18% increase in gold production next year, rising to between 1.13 million ounces and 1.23 million ounces. Copper continues to back away from record highs, with the most heavily traded March contract down about $0.02 this morning to $4.11 as stockpiles grew and speculation returned that China will raise interest rates to help control inflation and keeping a lid on future demand. Gold likewise is down slightly today, falling $1.70 from yesterday's settlement at $1,386.20 an ounce.

Costco generated particularly strong sales growth in fresh foods despite the ongoing impact of deflation on that key category. Costco's sales result last month could have been worse, considering that the company completed its long-awaited U.S. credit card transition on June 20. But as long as Costco can get back on a stronger sales trajectory in the U.S., the company should be able to deliver solid earnings growth despite facing some volatility abroad.

Morgan Stanley (MS), which reports before the open tomorrow, isn't as much a big FICC player as Goldman. The global growth and deflation fear that seems to have become the market's primary preoccupation lately is for real and will eventually have a bearing on corporate earnings. Click to get this free report MORGAN STANLEY (MS): Free Stock Analysis Report GOLDMAN SACHS (GS): Free Stock Analysis Report BANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA ) reported EPS of $0.65 on revenue of $16.15 billion, compared to last year's EPS of $0.46 on revenue of $16.54 billion. Many believe that the years of deflation Japan has suffered will keep the inflation rate at 1 percent and that the bank will need to make more policy changes in order to combat it. Although Facebook released impressive earnings on Wednesday, warnings about the future from the company's executives overshadowed its 60 percent revenue growth.

The article reported: I've bolded the above statement because what it means is that the 5-year Treasury note price is at an historic, all time high. In the event of double digit inflation per annum on average (like we experienced in the late 1970s) this five year bond could lose nearly 40% of its value. As far as I'm concerned, the words "guaranteed by the Government" should raise red flags, not soothe investor nerves.

One favorite is Diamondback Energy ( FANG , $74). We're fans of India as long as Prime Minister Modi continues to get support for plans to boost growth. Yes, it has problems, but the government has been trying to cut the deficit by reducing spending, and it's raising interest rates to fight inflation and defend the currency.

The aforementioned lack of progress on legislation in Washington, coupled with weaker inflation data, has been weighing on the dollar for most of the year, pushing it to new multi-year lows against the euro. This uncertainty is a breeding ground for investors' imaginations, and it's the perfect excuse for some investors to seek the safety that gold is perceived to provide. Even with the Fed having raised its federal funds target rate by an aggregate of 1% since December 2015, yields on interest-bearing assets haven't moved much higher.

Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) reported disappointing profit and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) slashed its fourth-quarter sales guidance. Caterpillar sees higher costs, slowing demand in China Caterpillar missed expectations for fourth-quarter profit and gave downbeat guidance for 2019, sending shares plummeting 9.1%. Although price increases covered the higher costs, Caterpillar had expected pricing gains to exceed cost inflation.

This didn't crush JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM ), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE: GS ), Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C ), BofA or Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE: WFC ) the way many would have thought. 10 Dividend Stocks That Will Pay Your Monthly Bills In any regard, the December rate hike odds continue to fall as well. After the July CPI report was released in mid-August, the odds of a rate hike for the month fell from 40% on Thursday Aug. 10 to 32% on Aug. 11.

The rank, along with the Expected Surprise Prediction (ESP) (Read: Zacks Earnings ESP: A Better Way to Find Earnings Surprises ) helps in predicting the probability of earnings surprises. In Brazil, high inflation, overvalued currency, soaring labor costs and infrastructure bottlenecks are curtailing investment activities, which in turn will negatively impact steel demand. These adverse economic factors will affect companies like ArcelorMittal ( MT ), which generates almost half of its revenues from the region and United States Steel Corp. ( X ) that has significant operations in Europe.

The company was founded in 1891. Dividend: 84 cents Yield: 2.00% - TSCO: Tractor Supply Co.: operates retail farm and ranch stores in the United States. With current tough times, and maybe getting tougher with deflation as a real possibility, investors who think more defensively may see better returns with more conservative stocks, ones with dividends and solid balance sheets. The company also offers installation, retrofit, and aftermarket services, such as spare parts, overhaul and repair,engineering and technical support, and fleet maintenance programs.

General Mills, Inc. ( GIS ) and Ralcorp Holdings Inc. ( RAH ) are its competitors. GENL MILLS ( GIS ): Free Stock Analysis Report KELLOGG CO ( K ): Free Stock Analysis Report RALCORP HLD-NEW ( RAH ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The decline in operating profit was due to the company's supply-chain initiatives, the reinstatement of incentive compensation costs, and continued high-levels of commodity inflation.

Add in the low-to-lower U.S. inflation as measured by the core Personal Consumption Expenditure Index (PCE) sitting at a mere 1.77%, and U.S. bonds look even more attractive. Looking Deeper Into the Numbers for SAfe Stocks But taking a step further back, manufacturing is a very small sector of the US economy and is dwarfed by services and non-manufacturing. The indexed play is the Vanguard Real Estate ETF (NYSEARCA:) while for an individual REIT — look at my multi-decade proven performer in WP Carey (NYSE:).

Conclusion Commodity-price inflation, global recession and competition in the highly fragmented apparel industry coupled with stiff competition from rivals like Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ( ANF ) and Gap Inc. ( GAP ) are matters of concern. ABERCROMBIE (ANF): Free Stock Analysis Report GUESS INC (GES): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. A slight improvement in conditions in North America was offset by lower spending in Europe, as the region adhered to austerity measures undertaken by governments to combat the debt crisis.

Getting into some specific dividend names, General Mills ( GIS ) traded higher following the company's Q1 results, while shares of Darden Restaurants ( DRI ) pushed lower on their earnings' report. The markets saw a bit of a pullback today on the overhang of yesterday's Federal Reserve commentary that featured the dreaded "D-Word" - Deflation. We also had news out this morning that White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers will leave the Obama administration at the end of the year.

Prudent, long-term investors plan to capture long term risk premia via a number of persistent factors that have historically delivered significant excess risk-adjusted returns. With inflation below their target, high unemployment, and a poor demographic outlook it's hard to believe that when the Fed decides to raise rates they will do so significantly. Expect lower than normal long-term returns and allocate risk and assets appropriately to protect yourself from the imminent downturn in equities over the next ten years.

The Dow and S&P 500 eased downward by small fractions of a percentage point, responding to government releases of economic data that showed unexpected weakness in certain areas of the U.S. economy. A drop in the Producer Price Index pointed toward a lack of inflationary pressure domestically, and flat retail sales dispelled any concerns that the economy might be on pace to overheat in the near future. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

No effect Stocks will tank Stocks will rise Stocks will range-trade SPDR-SP5 VL (SPYV): ETF Research Reports SPDR-FINL SELS (XLF): ETF Research Reports SPDR-CONS DISCR (XLY): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. The Big Ben Statement In today's Bernanke briefing on the Hill, his big statement was- "A premature tightening of monetary policy could lead interest rates to rise temporarily but would also carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery and causing inflation to fall further." (5) Bernanke feels current monetary policy cannot fully offset the coming GDP budget loss.

Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 ( QQQ ): -0.2% iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures ETN ( VXX ): +0.7% United States Oil Fund ( USO ): -1.5% Broad Market Indicators Broad-market exchange-traded funds, including IWM and IVV were lower. United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was down 1.2%. On the other hand, the Eurozone preliminary November consumer price index rose 2.0%, also under expectations for a growth of 2.% and down from the previous month's 2.2%.

Disclosure: I am Long [[TZA]] and short [[FXA]]. In the search for alternatives, though, it is important to avoid confusing current yield with the real function of treasuries in a portfolio, which is to move in the opposite direction of equities during a contraction or deflationary period. Since the Australian dollar is inversely correlated to the factor we are trying to isolate and it is significantly over-valued, it makes a lot more sense to short this currency than it does to buy US Treasuries.

U.S. stock futures were a bit down south on Friday as mounting concerns over Germany's largest lender Deutsche Bank ( DB ) unsettled overseas markets, and traders awaited key inflation data. Forecasters see August income also slowing to a 0.2% gain, compared to 0.4% increase seen in the previous month, according to data compiled by Econoday. At 10:00 a.m., forecasters see the consumer sentiment index edging higher in the September flash to 90.1, up from August's final reading of 89.8.

Reduced guidance from Catepillar ( CAT ) and Broadcom ( BRCM ) is overshadowing better-than-expected earnings from Dow component Boeing ( BA ), with the aircraft manufacturer appearing to overcome safety concerns over the lithium-ion batteries in its Dreamliner 787 jetliners to post a 16% year over year gain in earnings and lifting its stock price to a new record high. Mixed corporate earnings and worries that China may need to fight rising inflation with higher interest rates has the U.S. markets reversing course after yesterday climbing to record highs. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Disappointing inflation numbers and dire retail sales figures could test the BoC’s resolve… Support continued to come from progress on the USMCA agreement, however. For the Japanese Yen There was plenty for the Bank of Japan to consider ahead of Thursday’s monetary policy decision… Private sector PMI figures delivered mixed results. With the trade balance falling from a ¥15.7bn surplus to an ¥82.1bn deficit in November, the economy is not out of the woods just yet… On Friday, inflation figures also left the Yen unmoved, leaving it in the red for the week.

The maintenance, repair, & operations (MRO) supply market is highly fragmented with many smaller local players competing directly on price. Though the roofing material distributor has successfully expanded its business through strategic acquisitions and diversification of its product offering, its performance might be affected by softer residential demand, difficult pricing environment and volatile exchange rates. The residential market will remain difficult amid soft volumes and price deflation, consequently affecting Beacon Roofing's performance.

PowerShares DB U.S. Dollar Index Bullish ( UUP ), measuring the greenback against a basket of major foreign currencies, ticked up 0.14%. Gold and silver prices sold off as traders booked profits Thursday following a rally the prior session sparked by the Federal Reserve announcing more economic stimulus. Christopher Blasi, president of gold and metals dealer Neptune Global Holdings in Wilmington, Del., sees a deflationary angle.

Better ranked stocks include Conagra Brands, Inc. CAG and Pinnacle Foods Inc. PF both carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Click to get this free report ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report Kroger Company (The) (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report Pinnacle Foods, Inc. (PF): Free Stock Analysis Report Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Stiff competition, food price deflation, an aggressive promotional environment and waning store traffic are the primary headwinds plaguing the provider of daily need items.

(+) HALO (+18.66) Raised FY guidance, announced licensing deal with Bristol-Myers Squibb ( BMY ) and receive $105 million payment (+) ALV (+9.91%) Begins strategic review to split up company into separate segments (+) TOO (+7.72%) Upgraded at Wells Fargo to outperform from market perform U.S. stock futures added to their earlier losses on the back of inflation data that indicated a measurable improvement in consumer prices. More saber rattling from North Korea added to the downbeat tone, as did statementS from the Bank of England that a withdrawal of stimulus is likely appropriate "in the coming months."

(See our Education section) BHP is down 1.16 percent to $48.48 in afternoon trading after dipping below $48 earlier today for the first time in more than five years. A producer of such materials as oil, coal, iron ore, and copper, BHP has been hurt by weak global growth and tepid inflation. Overall option volume in BHP is nearly double its full-session so far today, with those December 47.50s accounting for more than half the total.

Fastenal Company FAST currently has an Earnings ESP of +2.17% and a Zacks Rank #3. Click to get this free report Fastenal Company (FAST): Free Stock Analysis Report ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG): Free Stock Analysis Report Dollar General Corporation (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Brands Inc (STZ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Factors at Play Of late, Dollar General has been bearing the brunt of price deflation and the reduction in SNAP benefits that are weighing on comparable-store sales performance.

Groupon ( GRPN ) handily beat earnings expectations after the close on Monday, though its top-line came short of expectations. Sheraz Mian Director of Research DICKS SPRTG GDS (DKS): Free Stock Analysis Report GROUPON INC (GRPN): Free Stock Analysis Report HOME DEPOT (HD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Economic data on the home front is also reassuring, with an in-line April Retail Sales reading, a benign looking inflation report, and a better than expected Empire State regional manufacturing survey.

An exchange-traded tracker like iShares Inflation Protected Securities (( TIP )) or a mutual fund like the Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities ( VIPSX ) would have done close to a comparable index at 5.5%. Some of the more alarming valuation tools - market cap-to-GDP ("Buffett Indicator"), Cyclical P/E 10 (Shiller CAPE) - forewarn of the strong potential for a third 50%-plus decline for U.S. stocks in the 21st century. Jeff Gundlach of DoubleLine Funds fame recently highlighted the probability that corporate debt as a function of economic growth (( GDP )) is topping out.

How about Gold ( GLD ) and Gold Miners ([[GDX]] and [[GDXJ]])? Michael Albert submits: It seems like in many ways the only question that really matters for the "Risk-On" or "Risk-Off" trade is whether market participants believe we're entering into a period of inflation or deflation. Furthermore, given continuous recurring fears over debt deflation -- whether due to concerns over heavily indebted European countries or U.S. municipalities -- we continously seem to feel what I call "pulses" of liquidity coming into the market and getting sucked right back out.

Following are Sentiment charts for S&P 500 (NYSE:SPY), DOW Jones, and NASDAQ (NASDAQ:QQQ). The week, however, was off to a bullish start, with investors bidding up equities on the heels of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's prepared statements ahead of his appearance before Congress. "A premature tightening of monetary policy could lead interest rates to rise temporarily but would also carry a substantial risk of slowing or ending the economic recovery and causing inflation to fall further," said Bernanke.

iShares Silver Trust ( SLV ) is down 2.92% to $36.94. In its statement, the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee said it sees inflation moderating with the drop in commodity prices. In other energy futures, heating oil was down 0.98% to $2.77 a gallon while natural gas was up 1.58% to $3.99 per million British thermal units.

According to the latest AIG report, the decline was attributed to a slowing in the economy and to customers delaying orders ahead of the Federal Election. Later on in the morning, prelim Eurozone March inflation figures will also be in focus, though barring any material pickup, the numbers will likely have a muted impact on the EUR. A return to expansion in China’s manufacturing sector provided support for crude oil prices early on, which is Loonie positive.

( ETF ) (NYSE: EWW ) has been unable to resist downward pressure as well. EWW has over $1.7 billion invested in 60 large company stocks in Mexico. Slowing growth, crippling inflation and currency upheaval are just some of the factors involved in the concerning trend of Latin America stocks.

It surprised the markets by keeping its stance neutral instead of tightening as expected by many economists. With this, India became the latest Asian country to increase rates after the Philippines and Indonesia in order to fight inflationary pressure and support the domestic currency. Invesco India ETF PIN , iShares MSCI India ETF INDA and Columbia India Consumer ETF INCO were up nearly 2.4% each (see: all the emerging Asia Pacific ETFs here ).

Cold weather forecasts changed the short-term trend in natural gas to up, profit-takers had their way in crude oil and gold fell victim to a stronger U.S. Dollar. Although no concrete agreement was reached after three-days of mid-level discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials, the positive outcome resulted in the two economic powerhouses agreeing to higher-level talks later in the month. The Fed's noting of "muted" inflation was reaffirmed on Friday when a governmen t report showed U.S. consumer prices fell for the first time in nine months in December.

Goldman Sachs ( GS ) and JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) were among the biggest Dow decliners. With little economic data to parse, investors were jolted by global growth worries, cited as a concern by the Federal Open Market Committee in its March meeting minutes. Financial stocks led the decliners amid global concerns of more rate interest cuts after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said the ECB would do "whatever is needed" to lift inflation to 2%.

An extension above the previous high in TLT will likely be fueled by deflationary pressures if we start to see a pullback in stocks, slowing economic data, or perhaps an escalation of geopolitical conflict. The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) is at an important technical crossroad that will be a big tell on the future direction of both fixed-income and equities. Both of these ETFs can act as a safety net, similar to TLT, when investors switch to a risk off mindset.

Best Buy ( BBY ) gave back much of yesterday's rally, as the company extended the date for its former founder to make a bid. This morning's CPI numbers, which showed that the cost of living fell 0.3% last month, gave skeptics some fresh ammunition to question the validity of governmental statistics. Amgen ( AMGN ) shares finished nearly unchanged after the biotech giant updated the investment community with news of a hefty dividend hike (bringing it above 2%).

Our accompanying chart illustrates how the relative performance difference between SPY and GSG has soared a mind-boggling 54% over the past year alone. We'll use the iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Index Trust (NYSEARCA:GSG), which follows a broadly diversified basket of commodities futures contracts and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:SPY), a proxy for US stocks. For alert investors, the message is clear: The deflationary action in commodities spells danger for other asset classes like stocks, currencies, and real estate.

Those declines represent a sharp reversal of fortune from the early part of this year when the ETFs soared and Indonesia was considered a possible replacement for India in the famous BRIC acronym . Adding to the persistent bout of bad news for EIDO and IDX is Indonesia's widening current account deficit, which rose to a record $9.8 billion last quarter, Bloomberg . A widening account deficit, plunging currency, sliding stocks, inflation problems and a tenuous credit situation makes Indonesia sound a lot like India .

Some of my firm's favorite stocks in our Revenue Buster Portfolio include the following: Bed Bath & Beyond ( BBBY ), Sysco Corp. ( SYY ), and Visa ( V ). Economic data continues to be mixed, with preliminary Q3 GDP growing much faster than forecasted, but small business sentiment is falling again. As long as global growth remains below its long-term average of 4%, central banks around the world, including the Federal Reserve, will continue to be more concerned about deflation than inflation.

The key levels to watch before and after Akamai Technologies earnings. Traders also digested a rare drop in the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index -- a Fed-watched measure of inflation -- as well as dips in construction spending and manufacturing activity. Plus, inside Twitter's surge; analysts take aim at a red-hot tech stock; and the key levels to watch ahead of this cloud concern's earnings release.

(+) BKD (+10.03%) Zhonghong Zhuoye is in discussions to buy Brookdal (+) HRB (+9.86%) Fiscal Q4 results beat expectations, raises quarterly dividend (+) MBOT (+8.06%) Awarded patent for device preventing shunt stenosis Stock futures trimmed some of Wednesday morning's pre-market gains following a shooting in Virginia, and disappointing economic data on retail sales and consumer prices, briefly distracting Wall Street from the inevitable outcome of Wednesday's conclusion to a two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting. Wednesday morning's economic data came in well below expectations with the consumer price index contracting 0.1% in May, missing estimates to remain unchanged.

iShares MSCI Emerging Index Fund ( EEM ): -0.03% VIX Short-Term Futures ETN Ipath ( VXX ): +0.8% Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF ( GDX ): -4.7% SPDR Select Sector Fund - Financial ( XLF ): +0.5% Broad Market Indicators Broad-market exchange-traded funds, including SPY, IWM and IVV edged higher. Select Financial Sector SPDRs ( XLF ) was up 0.4%. In economic data news, the government reported an as-expected 0.2% increase in the nominal and core consumer price index, neither of which were viewed as ammunition for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month.

According to the Automatic Data Processing, Inc. ADP a total number of 237,000 private jobs were added last month, higher than the upwardly revised May's jobs additions to 203,000. Click to get this free report AUTOMATIC DATA (ADP): Free Stock Analysis Report CARNIVAL CORP (CCL): Free Stock Analysis Report SKYWEST INC (SKYW): Free Stock Analysis Report MARRIOT VAC WW (VAC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Cheaper gasoline prices, an upbeat labor market and a rise in consumer confidence are prompting more number of people to plan a holiday getaway this weekend.

While major chains are grappling with sluggish store and mall traffic as consumers switch to online shopping, Costco seems somewhat resilient to the challenging retail backdrop. Costco Wholesale CorporationCOST continued with stellar comparable sales (comps) performance, as evident from its April sales results. Excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations and gasoline prices, Costco's comps for the month under review rose 7.3%.

The impressive gains can be mostly accredited to the energy sector, with Chevron ( CVX ) stock leading the Dow's triple-digit rally. Traders also digested the latest inflation data , and Walmart ( WMT ) plans to boost wages and expand employee benefits following tax reform. Looking ahead, Wall Street will have its eye on the banking sector tomorrow, with JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) set to kick off earnings season.

Charting inflation metrics, CPI retained +0.2% growth in June even with food and energy prices stripped out. Speaking of parades, two more big Wall Street banks have reported Q2 earnings results before the bell today: Citigroup C posted an impressive earnings and revenue beat while Wells Fargo WFC just met the consensus estimate on the bottom line while missing slightly on sales. What Herbalife gets in return is a statement from the FTC that the company is considered not a "pyramid scheme" (as activist investor Bill Ackman has long claimed).

One of the most striking developments this earnings season is the jaw-dropping strength of health-insurance companies such as UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, and Humana. HUM reported similarly strong results, and guidance from all three companies was significantly above forecasts. Income stagnation is another factor because a lot of health-care spending is discretionary: Joe Six-Pack hasn't had a raise in four years, and gasoline prices are killing him.

Clorox's Lifestyle segment recorded a 6% sales jump in the quarter compared with the base period a year ago, on the back of volume growth of 2% and increased pricing. In the International business segment, Clorox's sales were flat, as the benefit from price increases was fully offset by decreased volume, unfavorable foreign exchange rates and country mix. Despite macroeconomic headwinds and inflationary input cost situation, Clorox Corporation ( CLX ) posted better-than-expected second-quarter 2012 results.

However, Procter and Gamble is currently facing high commodity cost inflation and severe competition from companies like Kimberly-Clark Corporation ( KMB ) and Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) in the Western European markets in both the blade and battery businesses. JOHNSON & JOHNS ( JNJ ): Free Stock Analysis Report KIMBERLY CLARK ( KMB ): Free Stock Analysis Report PROCTER & GAMBL ( PG ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. For second half of 2012, diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations and Core EPS are expected to increase 4%-9%.

The following ETF(s) have CASH as a top-10 holding: IQ ARB Global Resources ETF ( GRES ) IQ Hedge Market Neutral Tracker ETF ( QMN ) IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF ( MNA ) IQ Hedge MultiIQ Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF ( QAI ) IQ Real Return ETF ( CPI ). Meta Financial Group, Inc. ( CASH ) will begin trading ex-dividend on March 06, 2014. Zacks Investment Research reports CASH's forecasted earnings growth in 2014 as 5.22%, compared to an industry average of 4.3%.

IShares MSCI Australia Index FundEWA : This fund is the most popular Australia ETF in the space, offering exposure to the most liquid equities in the Australian economy. EWA currently has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a Medium risk outlook (read: China's Inflation, Debt & Impact on Australia: ETFs in Focus ). Click to get this free report ISHARS-AUSTRAL (EWA): ETF Research Reports WISDMTR-AUS DVD (AUSE): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

“Precious metals have experienced volatile trading this week, dropping to its lowest level in two and a half years,” said Dave Gedeon, Managing Director, NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes. “Changing inflation expectations and sustained strength in the US Dollar has curbed the demand for gold and silver as a long-term investment vehicle.” NASDAQ Commodity Natural Gas Index ER (NQCINGER) gained 4.2% this past week as forecasts for warmer-than-normal weather suggested likely increased demand from power plants.

Excluding the effect of deflation in gasoline prices and impact of foreign currency fluctuations, Costco's comparable-store sales for September rose 6%, reflecting a similar percentage increase across both U.S. and international locations. Its strategy to sell products at highly discounted prices has helped in sustaining growth amid beleaguered economic conditions, as cash-strapped customers continue to reckon Costco as a viable option for low-cost necessities. Costco Wholesale Corporation ( COST ) has released with its fourth-quarter fiscal 2014 results today.

ADR decliners included Taomee Holdings Ltd. ( TAOM ) -3.7%, Himax Technologies Inc. ( HIMX ) -3.7% and advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. ( ASX ) -3.4%. Siliconware Precision Industries Co. ( SPIL ) led declines among American depositary receipts of Asian companies Wednesday after the region's markets fell on Chinese inflation data. Asian stocks closed lower with the Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index losing 1.6% after data showed that Chinese consumer prices rose 2.3% in June from the prior year, although a touch less than the consensus estimate of 2.4%.

Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF ( GDX ) climbed 2.7% to 24.55. Some market watchers said the bounce was driven by short-covering after Federal Reserve Chair nominee Yellen's dovish remarks to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. The gold and silver bulls assumed that joint central bank stimulus programs around the world have failed to lift inflation as intended, Strazzullo says.

Given this, we have highlighted a few ETFs that could benefit or drop following strong Q2 GDP numbers: ETFs to Win PowerShares DB US Dollar Bullish Fund UUP Despite muted inflation, a healthy economy is expected to pull in more capital into the country and lead to appreciation of the U.S. dollar. UUP is the prime beneficiary of the rising dollar as it offers exposure against a basket of six world currencies. In terms of holdings, UUP allocates nearly 57.6% in euro and 25.5% collectively in Japanese yen and British pound.

Amazon ( AMZN ), a top holding that's on IBD's Leaderboard, soared 22% last month.Starbucks ( SBUX ), another top holding that's on the Leaderboard, high-jumped 10%.Facebook ( FB ), a third top holding on the Leaderboard, climbed 13%. Investors decided that their fears in August and September of China's economy suffering a hard landing were overblown, said Tony Rodriguez, co-head of fixed income for Nuveen Asset Management. Decent but not great corporate earnings, plus low inflationary pressure, also give the Fed room to delay a rate hike.

Tuesday - 6/12 Nothing major on theeconomic calendar We will get quarterly results from LDK Solar ( LDK ) and FactSet Research ( FDS ) in the morning. Here is a list of the companies reporting this week: FACTSET RESH (FDS): Free Stock Analysis Report KROGER CO (KR): Free Stock Analysis Report LDK SOLAR CO (LDK): Free Stock Analysis Report SMITHFIELD FOOD (SFD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Theeconomic calendarhas a few important reports on deck that will give us a feel for inflation, consumer spending and the factory sector.

According to the 4th June meeting minutes, Risks from international trade disputes had increased and weighed on investment intentions in a number of economies. Barring any material deviation from inflation prelim and forecasts, the market focus will likely be on Germany and the Eurozone’s economic sentiment figures. A lack of stats will leave the markets to focus on today’s 2nd Tory Party leadership race ballot and 2nd live televised debate.

Astronics CorporationATRO supplies advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace, defense and semiconductor industries. Click to get this free report ASTRONICS CORP (ATRO): Free Stock Analysis Report CPI AEROSTRUCTR (CVU): Free Stock Analysis Report AROTECH CORP (ARTX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Evidently, a 3.6% year-over-year increase in third-quarter earnings was observed on 2.4% higher revenues.

Queensland based insurance company, Suncorp ( SUN ) said it received 500 claims from flood victims across NSW, however only eased slightly today. At the end of last month, SUN recorded a 74.4 pct rise in first half profit (July to December 2011) to $389 million. On the economic front today, the latest inflation gauge, services index, job advertisement and company profit numbers were released in the first half of the session.

On Frankfurt's DAX, energy company E.On fell 3.6%, HeidelbergCement, a manufacturer of building materials, closed 3.4% lower, steel-maker ThyssenKrupp was down by 3.1% and Commerzbank closed down 2.2%. The FTSE 100 closed 0.65% higher, the DAX slid 0.78% and the CAC-40 contracted by 0.11%. European equities closed mainly lower on Tuesday after economic sentiment fell in Germany while the UK reported a mild increase in the level of inflation.

Western Asset/Claymore U.S Treasury Inflation Prot Secs Fd 2 ( WIW ) will begin trading ex-dividend on August 12, 2015. Shareholders who purchased WIW prior to the ex-dividend date are eligible for the cash dividend payment. For more information on the declaration, record and payment dates, visit the WIW Dividend History page.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Additionally, the currency war has escalated, with many countries choosing loose monetary policies to stimulate growth and prevent deflationary pressures. Foot Locker Inc. ( FL ) Based in New York, Foot Locker is a leading global retailer of athletically inspired shoes and apparel.

Physical commodity ETFs generally only exist for products that make sense to store over long periods of time, such as precious metals. However, in combination with a traditional balanced portfolio, commodities can increase risk-adjusted returns over the long term and also help protect against inflation. RELATED: The Foibles of ETF Expense Ratios Commodities are of course cyclical in nature, but they can provide the needed "zig" when the rest of your portfolio is "zagging".

Because a company with a big yield and little dividend growth can be far less desirable to own than, say, Hormel Foods Corp (NYSE: HRL) . HRL data by YCharts . That means the purchasing power afforded by the dividend has been steadily eroded by inflation , which has historically increased by around 3% per year.