Apple’s stock has now doubled in the past year; App Store holiday sales rose ‘impressive’ 16%

Apple Inc.’s stock AAPL, +1.16% jumped 1.3% toward a record high in midday trading Wednesday, and has now doubled over the past year, after the technology giant said its App Store customers spent $1.42 billion during the holiday season, up 16% from the same period a year ago. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said that growth was "impressive," especially when coupled with his belief that Apple finished 2019 selling 67 million AirPods, well above his original estimate of 56 million AirPods. He said that speaks to the strength Apple is having monetizing its "golden jewel installed base of 925 million iPhones worldwide" heading into fiscal 2020. Ives expects a "strong" December-quarter report when Apple reports earnings on Jan. 28, and he said he believes Apple’s services business is "now starting to be properly valued" by investors. Ives reiterated his outperform rating and $350 stock price target. The stock, which was trading above the Jan. 2 record close of $300.35 and Tuesday all-time intraday high of $300.90, has soared rocketed 100.9% over the past 12 months, while the Nasdaq 100 NDX, +0.00% has hiked up 36.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.67% has advanced 21.1%.

Watch | Honda SP 125 BS6 first ride and review

Video review of Honda SP 125 BS6

As the automobile industry in India gears up to comply with the new BS6 norms that will come into effect by April 2020, manufacturers shake up the assembly line to meet the mandated standards. A prime player, Honda too has thrown its hat in the ring now with the company’s first BS6-compliant motorcycle – the Honda SP 125. Watch to find out what other upgrade Honda has brought in to their new entrant in the market…

Dow jumps 186 points on gains in shares of UnitedHealth, American Express

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up Wednesday afternoon with shares of UnitedHealth and American Express seeing positive gains for the price-weighted average. Shares of UnitedHealth UNH, +2.10% and American Express AXP, +2.10% are contributing to the blue-chip gauge’s intraday rally, as the Dow DJIA, +0.68% is trading 186 points higher (0.7%). UnitedHealth’s shares are up $6.03 (2.1%) while those of American Express have risen $2.29 (1.9%), combining for a roughly 56-point bump for the Dow. Other components contributing significantly to the gain include Visa V, +1.65%, Goldman Sachs GS, +1.49%, and 3M MMM, +1.68%. A $1 move in any of the Dow’s 30 components equates to a 6.78-point swing.

Editor’s Note: This story was auto-generated by Automated Insights using data from Dow Jones and FactSet. See our market data terms of use.

Energy ETF on track for worst day in about four months as Trump backs away from Mideast clash

Exchange-traded funds with energy holdings fell sharply Wednesday midday as the oil price sank along with investor concerns about a protracted conflict in the Middle East. The SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF XOP, -4.00% had lost 3.4% by late morning, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund XLE, -1.38% was down 1.6%, as crude oil CL00, -4.10% slumped nearly 4%. It was the biggest one-day decline for XOP since Sept. 17, when it lost 5.3%, according to FactSet. The two ETFs take different approaches to tracking energy stocks: XLE is more exposed to larger oil and gas companies, with 22.3% of its holdings in Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM, -1.17% and nearly 20% in Chevron Corp. CVX, -0.50%. In contrast, XOP invests equally in about 60 securities representative of the broader exploration and production industry, raning from Apache Corp. APA, -0.34%, which at 3.3% is its biggest holding, to WPX Energy Inc. WPX, -4.51%.

EASA recommends European airlines avoid Iraqi airspace

PARIS (Reuters) – Europe’s main aviation safety regulator said on Wednesday it had recommended that airlines avoid Iraqi airspace, in the wake of Iranian missile attacks against U.S.-led forces in the country.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it had shared the recommendation with national authorities “as a precautionary measure” while carrying out a fuller assessment of the situation in the region.

Trump reacts to Iran’s missile strike, and questions over Ukrainian plane crash

On today’s Daily podcast we talk about President Trump’s response to Iran’s missile attack on bases housing US troops in Iraq and whether it could now halt rising tensions with America.

Also today, as investigations into why a Ukrainian passenger jet came down shortly after taking off in Tehran, we look at what we know so far about the deadly crash – and examine the timing.

:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Gold prices prices head 1% lower as Trump appears to back off war footing with Iran

Gold prices fell to intraday lows, falling sharply, on Wednesday after briefly bumping above $1,600 an ounce after an late-morning speech from President Donald Trump, appeared to calm fears about an escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran. February gold [S: GCG20] on Comex was down $12.80, or less than 0.8%, at $1,560.40 an ounce, but had hit a Wednesday low at $1,553.90, following Trump’s speech, after hitting an intraday high at $1,613.30, according to FactSet data. Prices for the most-active contract at that level were around their highest levels since 2013.