Closing Bell
U.S markets closed trading in record territory across the board Friday, netting the fourth straight week of gains.
The Nasdaq was the biggest gainer, rising 1.28% to 7,506. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.83% to 26,613 and the S&P 500 climbed 1.18% to 2,783.
Coincheck Loses $500 Million to Hackers
Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck said that 523 million of the exchange's NEM coins were stolen by hackers yesterday, forcing the company to restrict withdrawals of all currencies and halting the trade of cryptocurrencies other than bitcoin.
The coins were worth about $543.8 million, according to the exchange. The coins were held in a "hot" wallet that leaves them linked to the internet.
Morgan Stanley has estimated that more than $630 million in bitcoin has been pilfered by hackers.
Bitcoin prices have recovered slightly but are still down 1.5% over the past 24 hours and are trading just below $11,000.
Boeing Stock Dips After Losing Trade Case Against Bombardier
Boeing (BA) shares were down slightly after the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled against the company's claim that Canadian plane maker Bombardier (BDRBF) received illegal subsidies from its government before selling 100 planes to Delta Air Lines (DAL) .
Last month the U.S. Commerce Department upheld tariffs of nearly 300% levied against Bombardier's C Series passenger jets.
Shares of Bombardier shot up more than 14% on the news. Boeing shares have recovered from a brief swoon but are down 0.17% on the day.
Steve Wynn Faces #MeToo Moment
What allegedly happened in Vegas between Wynn Resort (WYNN) CEO Steve Wynn and dozens of women is now front page news.
The Wall Street Journal ran an expose Friday, Jan. 26, detailing reports from dozens of women who described a pattern of sexual abuse perpetrated by Wynn, the man behind the casino empire. Wynn shares were down over 8% Friday afternoon.
The Journal reported that they spoke to women who described what amounts to a decades-long pattern of sexual misconduct that includes forcing a manicurist at one of his hotels into having sex with him against her will in 2005.
Wynn ended up paying the woman a $7.5 million settlement, according to Journal sources.
FedEx to Reward Employees Following Tax Reform
FedEx (FDX) announced that it will increase its compensation by more than $200 million, with more than two-thirds of that amount going to hourly workers. The company also said it would voluntarily contribute $1.5 billion to its pension plan.
The company also said that it will invest $1.5 billion to expand its FedEx Express facility in Indianapolis over the next seven years.
Lyft Investigates Employees Whether Employees Accessed Famour Clients' Records
Ride-hailing service and Uber rival Lyft said that it is opening an investigation into whether employees improperly accessed customer information for famous clients and company executives following a detailed post claiming such activities were happening was posted on an anonymous web forum, The Information reported.
Employees reportedly looked up information about ex-partners and significant others to see if they were going where they said they were. Other employees allegedly accessed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's phone number and personal information the company had about porn actresses.
Kroger, Alibaba Could Be Discussing Partnership
American grocer Kroger (KR) and Chinese online retailer Alibaba BABA are discussing a partnership, sources told CNBC.
Kroger executives recently traveled to China, but if discussions took place during the trip then they were not done at the CEO level.
Kroger has said that it wants to sell more general merchandise like Amazon (AMZN) and Walmart (WMT) , which is where any partnership with Alibaba could stem from.
GDP Rises 2.6% in Q4
The U.S. gross domestic product grew at a 2.6% rate in the fourth quarter, short of the 3% goal Wall Street was expecting.
For the year, the economy grew 2.3%, up from the 1.5% rate of growth in 2016. The fourth quarter's growth was down from the 3.2% pace set in the third quarter.
Domestic demand rose 4.6% in the quarter, the fastest rate since third quarter 2014. Final sales to private domestic purchasers rose 2.2%.
Bitcoin Dips After Japanese Exchange Halts Withdrawals
Bitcoin prices took another dip Friday after Coincheck, one of Japan's largest bitcoin exchanges, has halted withdrawals and trading. It also froze trading in the NEM cryptocurrency, sending it tumbling 16.5%.
Bitcoin was down 5.24%, falling to $10,555.
Coincheck has not explained why they took this step but also promised users that it would provide full details when appropriate.
Dell Is Looking to Expand
Dell Technologies is looking to expand and it will either make an acquisition or go public to do so, sources told CNBC Friday.
Dell's board of directors will meet later this month to lay its goals on the table and figure out a way forward, according to CNBC.
Dell could seek a divestment from private equity firm Silver Lake which has an 18% stake in the company.
Walmart Brings Online Grocery Delivery to Japan
Walmart (WMT) is teaming with Rakuten, Japan's largest e-commerce retailer, to launch an online grocery delivery service in Japan.
Walmart is also teaming with Rakuten's digital book business, Kobo, to sell e-books and audiobooks in the U.S.
"We're excited to take our technology & knowhow in e-commerce to the next level through this exciting alliance with Walmart" - @hmikitani_e https://t.co/QcBVJQIyn3 #WalmartRakuten
— Rakuten Today (@RakutenToday) January 26, 2018
Premarket
U.S. futures contracts were once again indicating a strong opening for markets Friday, but it still remains to be seen whether the major indices can hold on to their early gains throughout the session.
Nasdaq futures were gaining 0.39% after the Nasdaq was the lone index to close Thursday's session in the red. S&P 500 futures were up 0.26% and Dow futures rose 0.16%.
In Asia, the Nikkei was the lone index to decline Friday, falling 0.16% while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.28% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong jumped 1.53%.
In Europe, the CAC 40 in France was leading the way higher, rising 0.92% while the GTSE 100 rose 0.44% and the DAX in Germany gained 0.09%.
