Stocks finished higher on Tuesday, Feb. 13, keeping alive a winning streak that saw Wall Street rise for three days in a row for the first time in 2018.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 39 points, or 0.16%. The S&P 500 gained 0.26% and the Nasdaq was up 0.45%. The leading gainers on the Dow were Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) and Walmart Inc. (WMT) , which rose 1.1% and 1.4%, respectively.
The Dow gained 410 points, or 1.7%, on Monday, Feb. 12, the S&P rose 1.39% and the Nasdaq jumped 1.56%.
Investors remained anxious ahead of inflation data from the U.S. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, amid fears that a stronger-than-expected reading could trigger another stock selloff. Economists expect the Consumer Price Index to increase at an annual rate of 1.9% in January, down from 2.1% a year earlier.
The 10-year Treasury note yield traded at 2.844% on Tuesday after rising on Monday to a four-year high of 2.902%.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday during his swearing-in ceremony that the central bank needed to "remain alert to any developing risks to financial stability."
Powell said the Fed has begun "gradually" raising interest rates and trimming its massive holdings of Treasury bonds. He added the Fed is seeking to normalize its policies in a way that will extend the recovery and bolster its goals of achieving stable inflation and maximum employment.
Shares of AmerisourceBergen Corp. (ABC) gained 9% on Tuesday following a Wall Street Journal report that said the drug distributor had been approached about a takeover by Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) . Walgreens declined 0.25%.
Representatives of Walgreens CEO Stefano Pessina reached out several weeks ago to representatives of AmerisourceBergen CEO Steven Collis, according to people familiar with the matter, the Journal reported. They discussed the possibility of Walgreens buying the portion of AmerisourceBergen it doesn't already own, though there isn't an offer on the table, the people said.
Walgreens currently controls about 26% of AmerisourceBergen.
Does Walgreens' Potential AmerisourceBergen Deal Make Any Sense? PepsiCo Inc. (PEP) reportedfourth-quarter adjusted profit of $1.31 a share, 1 cent ahead of estimates. The beverage and snacks giant, however, said it expects earnings in 2018 of $5.70 a share, 8 cents below analysts' estimates. The stock rose 0.19%. PepsiCo is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells the stock? Learn more now.Shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) declined nearly 4% on Tuesday after Novartis AG's (NVS) Sandoz unit announced it had gained approval from the Food and Administration for a generic version of Teva's multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone.
Teva Shares Fall as FDA OKs Another Generic Version of Multiple Sclerosis Drug GNC Holdings Inc. (GNC) rose 17% after the retailer of health and performance supplements said it reached an agreement with China's Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Holding Co. to invest $300 million in GNC, becoming GNC's biggest shareholder.