Markets Mostly Lower As Americans Head To Vote, Oil Continues To Tumble

Related AGN Judge: Allergan Can't Block Proxy Battle Allergan Offers Comment Related to California Federal Court Ruling in Insider Trading Suit Against Valeant, Pershing Square Deal Frenzy: 2014 Sees Record M&A Volume (Fox Business)

U.S. stocks mostly closed slightly lower a day after major indices hit record all-time highs.

Americans are heading to the ballots today in a congressional election. The Republican party is expected to increase the number of seats it controls in the House and Senate.

The CBOE Volatility Index rose 3.7 percent to 15.26 as Brent crude continued to trade lower after Saudi Arabia lowered lowered the price of oil to the U.S. while increasing the price of oil it sells to Asia and Europe.

In economic news, the European Union issued light guidance for Eurozone growth through 2016 while the U.S. trade gap expanded in September.

The Dow gained 0.10 percent, closing at 17,383.84. The S&P 500 lost 0.28 percent, closing at 2,012.10. The Nasdaq lost 0.33 percent, closing at 4,623.64. Gold lost 0.25 percent, trading at $1,166.90 an ounce. Oil lost 2.02 percent, trading at $77.19 a barrel. Silver lost 1.15 percent, trading at $16.01 an ounce. News Of Note

ICSC Retail Store Sales rose 1.8 percent year over year after rising 2.8 percent last week.

September Trade Balance fell to -$43 billion (versus expectations of -$40.7 billion) from -$40.0 billion in August. Imports totaled $238.6 billion while Exports totaled $195.6 billion.

Redbook Chain Store Sales rose 3.9 percent year over year after rising 4.4 percent last week.

The European Union Commission expects the Eurozone's economy to expand 0.8 percent in 2014, 1.1 percent in 2015 and 1.7 percent in 2016.

Equities News Of Note

Analysts at Sterne Agee initiated coverage on Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) with a Neutral rating and $70 price target. Shares gained 1.28 percent, closing at $77.26.

Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) reported its third quarter results this morning. The company earned $2.79 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74. Revenue of $2.74 billion beat the consensus estimate of $2.64 billion. Shares hit new 52-week highs of $106.36 before closing the day at $106.07, up 4.19 percent.

CVS (NYSE: CVS) reported its third quarter results this morning. The company earned $1.15 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13. Revenue of $35.02 billion beat the consensus estimate of $34.73 billion. Shares lost 0.75 percent, closing at $85.47.

Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN) reported its third quarter results this morning. The company earned $22.16 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $21.14. Revenue of $2.84 billion beat the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. Shares lost 8.41 percent, closing the day at $1,097.70 after the company issued light fourth quarter guidance.

The NHTSA announced it will investigate Honda Motors (NYSE: HMC) over its 7.8-million vehicle recall last month. Shares lost 4.24 percent, closing at $31.02.

SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD) disclosed that the company may need to restate nearly two years of quarterly results following an SEC inquiry. Shares hit new 52-week lows of $3.50 before closing the day at $3.56, down 6.56 percent.

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Foot Locker's (NYSE: FL) CEO Ken Hicks says he plans to retire and leave the company on December 1. Shares lost 4.52 percent, closing at $53.63.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) announced a partnership with Dropbox to integrate Office's PC, mobile and cloud apps within Dropbox's platform. Shares hit new 52-week highs of $47.73 before closing the day at $47.57, up 0.27 percent.

A U.S. District Court ruled that Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: VRX) and Bill Ackman's Pershing Square could vote at Allergan's (NYSE: AGN) special shareholder meeting on December 18. Shares of Valeant gained 0.57 percent, closing at $133.61 while shares of Allergan hit new 52-week highs of $196.54 before closing the day at $195.12, up 1.03 percent.

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) disclosed its TRINOVA-1 ovarian cancer drug failed to meet primary endpoints in a Phase 3 trial. Shares lost 0.71 percent, closing at $160.41.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) announced in a blog post further price cuts for its cloud infrastructure lineup. Shares lost 0.20 percent, closing at $554.11.

Quote of the Day

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting." - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President

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