Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
Investors can expect a flat start to the stock market today, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.65%) has lost a slim six points in pre-market trading. World markets traded near six-year highs overnight following yesterday's gains on Wall Street that saw the S&P 500 close just a hair below a record high.
Next up on the economic calendar is a new report from the Conference Board, which should show that consumers are feeling better about the economy. The confidence reading is expected to remain near the five-month high set in January, with an overall reading of 80 out of 100 for February. That report is due out at 10 a.m EST.
Meanwhile, news is breaking this morning on several stocks that could see heavy trading in today's session, including Home Depot (HD -1.44%), T-Mobile (TMUS -0.14%), and Domino's Pizza (DPZ -1.47%).
Home Depot this morning posted strong earnings results for its fiscal fourth quarter. Yes, revenue dipped by 3% to $17.7 billion, but only because the quarter included one less sales week than the year-ago period. The retailer's comparable-store sales, which paint a clearer picture of revenue trends, came in at a solid 4.4% rise. Profit also improved to $0.73 a share, ahead of the $0.71 that analysts had expected. Home Depot took advantage of that stellar financial position by hiking its dividend to $0.47 a share, 21% above last year's quarterly payout. The stock is up 2.2% in pre-market trading.
T-Mobile today announced that revenue grew to $6.8 billion in the fourth quarter as the company added 1.6 million customers across its wireless platforms. That result was below the roughly $7 billion that Wall Street projected. Still, T-Mobile booked an operating loss of $19 million, or $0.03 a share, which was an improvement over last quarter's $36 million loss. The company's improving subscriber trends gave it confidence to project a strong 2014, with annual operating cash flow expected to grow from $5.3 billion in 2013 to as much as $6 billion this year. The stock is down 1% in pre-market trading.
Finally, Domino's Pizza today booked a 5% improvement in fourth-quarter sales, to $566 million. Profit leapt by 21% to reach $0.78 a share, also slightly higher than Wall Street expected. The pizza chain benefited from a solid 3.7% boost in same-store sales in the U.S., but also booked a 7% jump in its international business -- marking its 80th consecutive quarter of increases abroad. The stock is up 1.8% in pre-market trading.
