What's moving markets today

By CNN Business

Updated 4:02 PM ET, Wed January 23, 2019

What we covered today

Markets check: The Dow closed 171 points higher. The S&P 500 inched up 0.1%, while the Nasdaq dipped slightly.
Stocks that made big moves: Papa John's (PZZA), United Technologies (UTX), Procter & Gamble (PG), IBM (IBM) and Comcast (CMCSA).
ICYMI Davos edition: Jack Ma warned the west about its tech skepticism, Bono's big investment and AOC's tax plan gets dissed. Catch up on what happened on Day 2 here.

4:12 p.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Big Blue carries Dow 171 points higher

From CNN Business' Matt Egan

A trio of blue-chip companies carried the Dow 171 points higher Wednesday.

But the broader markets experienced more moderate gains. The S&P 500 inched up 0.1%, while the Nasdaq dipped slightly.

Dow component IBM (IBM) surged 8.5% on upbeat results and guidance. It was IBM’s second-best day in the past decade.

Earnings beats also lifted Comcast (CMCSA), Procter & Gamble (PG) and United Technologies (UTX) sharply higher.

3:17 p.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Oracle says government's pay discrimination claims are "meritless"

From CNN Business' Paul R. La Monica

Software giant Oracle, the company co-founded by billionaire Larry Ellison, has been sued again by the Department of Labor and its Office of Federal Contact Compliance Programs for allegedly paying its women, black and Asian workers less than white men.

The Labor Department said in its suit that women and minorities lost more than $400 million in wages from 2013-2016 because of Oracle's discriminatory practices.

The government first filed a complaint against Oracle in January 2017 but the two sides agreed in October of that year to mediate the case.

But the Labor Department said in its amended lawsuit filed late Tuesday that Oracle has refused to provide the government with key data it needed and also "destroyed records related to its hiring process as the case was ongoing."

Oracle (ORCL) shot back: "This meritless lawsuit is based on false allegations and a seriously flawed process within the OFCCP that relies on cherry picked statistics rather than reality," said Oracle general counsel Dorian Daley in a statement.

"We fiercely disagree with the spurious claims and will continue in the process to prove them false. We are in compliance with our regulatory obligations, committed to equality, and proud of our employees," Daley added.

12:08 p.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Midday market update: Dow's 300-point rally vanishes

From CNN Business' Matt Egan

So much for that market rebound.

The Dow turned slightly negative midday on Wednesday, erasing a rally of as much as 297 points.

The selling was more pronounced in the broader markets. The S&P 500 declined 0.5%, while the Nasdaq lost 0.7%.

The Dow fell 302 points Tuesday.

There didn't appear to be an obvious catalyst for Wednesday's fade, other than a sharp drop in oil prices. US crude tumbled nearly 2% to $52 a barrel.

Energy stocks were the worst performers in the S&P 500, with Hess (HESS) and Anadarko Petroleum (APC) sliding about 3% apiece.

Wall Street's enthusiasm for upbeat earnings from United Technologies (UTX) and Procter & Gamble (PG) appears to be easing. Both Dow stocks are well off their highs.

But IBM (IBM) was still up nearly 8%, on track for its best day in more than a year.

11:58 a.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Amazon's shipping service experiment dings rivals' stocks

From CNN Business' Jordan Valinsky

Amazon might soon disrupt the shipping industry and that's causing a minor sell-off for the old guard of companies, including UPS and FedEx.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon (AMZN) is trying to poach customers from the two companies. It's luring them with incentives like reduced fees for services and weekend delivery, that UPS and FedEx typically charge for.

"The end-to-end service is part of Amazon’s quest to build up its own delivery network and handle more of the millions of items sold through its site," the newspaper said.

In September, Amazon added 20,000 vans to its delivery fleet.

UPS (UPS) is down more than 2% and FedEx (FDX) is sliding roughly 1.5%.

11:30 a.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Papa John's stock rises over takeover talks

From CNN Business' Jordan Valinsky

Could Papa John's (PZZA) finally have a new ... papa? Shares of the troubled pizza were 5% higher following a report of a potential buyer.

The Dealreporter story says Restaurant Brands, which owns Burger King and Tim Hortons, might be looking to add a pizza chain to its portfolio.

Rumors have been swirling for months about potential buyers for Papa John's. Without a buyer, the chain will have to find a way to convince investors that it can solve its problems on its own, and beat out competitors Domino's and Pizza Hut.

Restaurant Brands (QSR) is also having a strong day. Its shares are up more than 7% after it named a new CEO and said same-store sales are growing at Burger King and Tim Hortons.

9:43 a.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Dow opens strong after solid earnings

From CNN Business' Jill Disis

The Dow climbed 258 points, or 1.1%, at market open Wednesday as several companies posted solid earnings results.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, while the Nasdaq gained 0.7%.

The Dow was led higher by IBM (IBM), United Technologies (UTX) and Procter & Gamble (PG).

IBM was up nearly 9% after the tech conglomerate said demand is growing for hybrid cloud, AI, analytics and security services.

Shares of United Technologies rose 7% after the company reported booming demand for jet engines and other aircraft parts.

And P&G’s stock increased 6% after the company reported strong sales in its beauty, fabric and home care divisions.

9:29 a.m. ET, January 23, 2019

United Technologies jumps 5% on strong aviation sales

From CNN Business' Paul R. La Monica

United Technologies reported earnings and sales that topped Wall Street's forecasts. The reason: booming demand for jet engines and other aircraft parts. Shares of the Dow component company rose 5% in early trading on the news.

United Technologies (UTX) owns the Pratt & Whitney engine maker as well as Collins Aerospace, the company formerly known as Rockwell Collins that United Technologies bought for $30 billion last year.

CEO Gregory Hayes said strong orders from Boeing (BA) and Airbus were a boost. He said he expected that trend to continue this year.

United Technologies is increasingly dependent on aerospace for its sales and profits. The company in November said it would split into three separate publicly traded firms — one for aviation, another for its Carrier air conditioning unit, and one for its Otis elevator businesses.

8:34 a.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Procter & Gamble shares rise on strong earnings

From CNN Business' Nathaniel Meyersohn

Procter & Gamble's (PG) stock rose around 5% after the company reported strong quarterly sales and raised its 2019 guidance.

P&G's organic sales rose 4% last quarter from the same time last year, led by 8% growth in its beauty division for brands like SK-II and Olay. P&G's fabric and home care division, which accounts for more than 30% of the company's sales, grew 6%.

P&G's digital sales increased 30%. The company's push on natural and organic products like Pampers Pure diapers, Burt's Bees toothpaste and Native deodorant helped growth.

Grooming continues to be a weak spot for P&G. Sales fell 3% last quarter.

P&G has lowered the cost of Gillette razors to match Dollar Shave Club, but said "heightened competitive activity" contributed to the slowdown last quarter. Gillette razor sales are also falling because more men are growing beards.

On a media call, P&G CFO Jon Moeller said the recent Gillette ad about "toxic masculinity" had been effective.

"We’ve received unprecedented levels of both media coverage and consumer engagement in that campaign," he said. "It’s a part of our effort to connect more meaningfully with younger consumer groups."

8:33 a.m. ET, January 23, 2019

Comcast's earnings power shares higher

From CNN Business' Jordan Valinsky

Comcast (CMCSA) shares are spiking nearly 4% in premarket trading, partly because of a rise in revenue at NBCUniversal.

The revenue for the division, which includes its broadcast and cable networks, film studios and theme parks, shot up 7.1% for the fourth-quarter of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017.

Overall, Comcast's fourth-quarter earnings increased 5.2% to $28.3 billion.

Sky high. For the first time, Comcast disclosed financials for its European pay-TV system Sky following its $40 billion acquisition and the results are strong. Revenue for the unit increased 5.6% to $5 billion for the fourth-quarter of 2018.

"We truly became a global company with our acquisition of Sky, and are excited about its future and the potential of our combined company in 2019 and beyond," Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said in a release.

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