Stocks advance as small-cap, Internet shares extend rally

NEW YORK – U.S. stocks rose, following the first back-to-back weekly losses since January for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, as Internet and small-cap shares extended a rally after a selloff.

Pandora Media Inc., TripAdvisor Inc. and Netflix Inc. increased more than 3.3 percent to pace gains in Internet stocks. Pfizer Inc. rose 1.3 percent after AstraZeneca PLC rejected the drugmaker’s $117 billion offer. AT&T Inc. dropped 0.9 percent after agreeing to buy DirecTV, the largest U.S. satellite-TV company, for $48.5 billion. Campbell Soup Co. lost 2.4 percent after lowering its sales forecast for the year.

The S&P 500 gained 0.3 percent to 1,883.61 at 11:40 a.m. in New York. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 24.70 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,516.01. The Russell 2000 Index added 1 percent. Trading in S&P 500 companies was 18 percent below the 30-day average for this time of day.

“We’ve seen a lot of volatility but not a lot of direction in the past few months and that’s what’s become the norm,” Joe Bell, senior equity analyst at Cincinnati-based Schaeffer’s Investment Research Inc., said in a phone interview. “We don’t think we’re near a major market top. Those are generally characterized by a lot of optimism and euphoria and we don’t think that’s the case.”

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The S&P 500 retreated less than 0.1 percent last week amid reports that showed consumer confidence fell in May from a nine- month high, while industrial production unexpectedly declined last month. The benchmark index reached an all-time high of 1897.45 on May 13 before a selloff in small-cap stocks spread to the broader market.

Internet stocks

The Russell 2000 Index of small-cap stocks fell 3.3 percent over three days last week before rebounding 0.6 percent on May 16. The gauge is 7.8 percent below its record from March.

The Dow Jones Internet Composite Index jumped 1.1 percent, adding to a 0.5 percent advance in the previous session. The gauge has trimmed its loss for the year to 8.5 percent. Pandora Media added 3.3 percent to $24.21, TripAdvisor rallied 3.9 percent to $85.34 and Netflix increased 3.3 percent to $361.25 today.

The S&P 500 is trading at 17.3 times reported earnings, near the highest level since 2010. Of the 466 S&P 500-listed companies that have released results this season, 76 percent have beaten estimates for profit, while 53 percent have exceeded projections for revenue.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said last week the U.S. economy has further to go to achieve full health and predicted small businesses will play a vital role in the recovery.

Fed minutes

The central bank will release on May 21 minutes from its latest meeting. Policy makers said last month the economy is showing signs of picking up and the job market is improving. The central bank pared its monthly asset-buying and said further reductions in “measured steps” are likely.

Three rounds of monetary stimulus, known as quantitative easing, have helped fuel economic growth, sending the S&P 500 surging as much as 180 percent from its 2009 low.

“We began the year with a market that’s nervous, peaking out to new highs, but still nervous,” Quincy Krosby, a market strategist for Newark, N.J.-based Prudential Financial Inc., said by phone. Her firm oversees over $1 trillion in assets. “As we near the end of QE, this market is getting more and more normal. Valuations are stabilizing and froth is getting burned off. Growth stocks were part of that froth. Fund managers were thinking ‘take profits now or this summer could be dicey.’”

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, a gauge for U.S. stock volatility known as the VIX, dropped 0.3 percent to 12.40. The measure has lost 9.5 percent this year.

Pfizer deal

Seven of the 10 main S&P 500 groups rose today, with technology, health-care and raw-materials companies gaining at least 0.5 percent. Utility shares had the largest decline, retreating 1.1 percent.

Pfizer climbed 1.3 percent to $29.50. AstraZeneca rejected Pfizer’s sweetened 69.4 billion-pound ($117 billion) takeover offer, saying the bid fails to reflect the value of the pipeline of experimental medicines. Pfizer said its offer was final and the company will not go to shareholders with a hostile bid.

AT&T lost 0.9 percent to $36.40 today. The second-largest U.S. wireless carrier will pay $95 for each share of DirecTV, split between $28.50 in cash and the equivalent of $66.50 in stock, the companies said yesterday. That’s a 10 percent premium to DirecTV’s closing price on May 16. Including net debt, the deal values the largest U.S. satellite-TV company at $67.1 billion.

DirecTV retreated 1.4 percent to $85.

Genworth Financial Inc. fell 1.8 percent to $17.32. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of the life insurer to underweight, the equivalent of a sell rating, from equal weight, or neutral. Morgan Stanley cited the stock’s performance in the last year and said future positive outcomes are already priced into the shares. Genworth has gained 64 percent in the past 12 months.

Campbell Soup dropped 2.4 percent to $44.02. The packaged foods producer lowered its sales forecast for 2014 after reporting third-quarter sales that missed analysts’ estimates.

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