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US stocks close higher; Time Warner soars

By WTOP Staff

ALEX VEIGA
AP Business Writer

Major stock indexes rebounded Wednesday, finishing higher for the third time in four days and lifting the Dow Jones industrial average to its second record close this month.

Investors had lots of market-moving news to consider, including encouraging corporate earnings from Intel, a higher profit forecast from hospital operator HCA Holdings and a pickup in U.S. homebuilders’ confidence.

Trading appeared to get the biggest jolt from the latest batch of corporate deal news.

Investors drove Time Warner’s stock up 17 percent on news that Twenty-First Century Fox made a takeover bid for the media giant. Other deals involving Apple and IBM as well as slot machine maker International Game Technology also helped lift the market.

“It’s a continuation of what we’ve really been seeing this year, and it’s almost a record amount of (mergers and acquisitions) going on,” said David Chalupnik, head of equities at Nuveen Asset Management.

Momentum from Intel’s strong second-quarter earnings late Tuesday and news that Apple and IBM are teaming up to sell more iPhones and iPads to corporate customers helped lift major stock indexes in premarket trading.

The disclosure by Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox that it had made a bid for Time Warner last month added to the modest rally.

Investors also got a dose of good news about housing. A key index of U.S. homebuilders’ confidence in the housing market surged to its highest level since January and indicated that builders are more optimistic about selling homes in the second half of the year.

The major stock indexes opened slightly higher, led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq, and remained in positive territory the rest of the day.

All told, the Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained 8.29 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,981.57. The index remains near its most recent all-time high of 1,985.44 set July 3.

The Dow added 77.52 points, or 0.5 percent, to 17,138.20. That’s up 0.4 percent from its previous record high of 17,068.65 set July 3.

The Nasdaq composite rose 9.58 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,425.97.

The three stock indexes are all up for the year.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note dipped to 2.53 percent from 2.55 percent late Tuesday.

Cheap financing and a tough global economy have made acquisitions an attractive option for companies to expand their business.

The value of U.S. corporate deals has surged 80 percent to $1.02 trillion so far this year from $563 billion in the same period a year ago, according to Dealogic.

Fox’s bid for Time Warner aims to counter consolidation among TV distributors.

While Time Warner rejected Fox’s roughly $76 billion cash-and-stock offer, some financial analysts anticipate Fox will try again. Investors appeared to agree, sending Time Warner’s stock up $12.12 to $83.13 on Wednesday. Twenty-First Century Fox fell $2.19, or 6.2 percent, to $33.

Meanwhile, International Game Technology vaulted 9.2 percent on news the slot machine maker has agreed to be sold to Italian lottery operator Gtech for $4.7 billion in cash and stock. International Game Technology added $1.42 to $16.92.

“Historically a lot of M&A doesn’t work out, so it will be interesting to see how a lot of these deals play out three years from now,” Chalupnik said.

Apart from corporate deals, investors had their eye on earnings.

“We’ve seen some pretty good earnings reports across different sectors,” said Dave Roda, regional chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Bank in the Southeast.

Intel rose $2.94, or 9.3 percent, to $34.65. The chipmaker reported late Tuesday that earnings jumped 40 percent in the latest quarter, beating expectations, as companies picked up the pace of office PC replacement.

HCA Holdings jumped 10.5 percent after the hospital operator said its second-quarter financial results will be better than expected. It also raised its full-year outlook. The stock rose $5.78 to $60.99.

Among other stocks making news Wednesday:

— Bank of America fell 30 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $15.51 after reporting second quarter earnings that were hit by higher litigation expenses. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank earned 19 cents per share compared with 32 cents a year ago.

___

AP Business Writer Bernard Condon contributed to this story.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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