#suffered losses in Norfolk Southern stock

[norfolksoutherncorporationcla]

If you suffered losses in Norfolk Southern stock, contact Norfolk Southern stock loss lawyer Timothy L. Miles today. 855-Tim-MLaw

[junker-town]

Bracketology 2019: A look at the bubble’s last four in and first four out

The Terriers won the SoCon Tournament final over UNC Greensboro, likely ensuring the conference’s single bid status. With the bracket stable from Monday, it’s time to dig into some bubble profiles.

Bubble teams from coast-to-coast can momentarily exhale and save their stock of antacids for the rest of Championship Week, as a major threat to their selection evaporated Monday night. The top-seeded Wofford Terriers completed a perfect 21-0 Southern Conference campaign by pulling away from the second-seeded UNC Greensboro Spartans to win the league tournament title in Asheville, 70-58. While Wes Miller’s Spartans finished with a 28-6 record, they’re unlikely to earn an at-large, even with a pair of Quad 1 victories. And that’s a shame, considering UNCG lost by just six points, 97-91, at LSU on November 9th, then hung with Kentucky Wildcats for 30 minutes at Rupp Arena on December 1st, before the Wildcats pulled away late to win 78-61.

But the threat returns this evening, as the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ resounding 100-74 WCC Tournament win over the Pepperdine Waves Monday night only came in that event’s semifinal round. The Zags, with forward Killian Tillie back from a foot injury, play the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the conference title game tonight. And while the Gaels appear on plenty of other “First/Next Four Out” lists out there, my feeling is that their profile is more sizzle than steak, so they need to win this one. If they do, an at-large bid will indeed vanish. (And so may the Bulldogs’ No. 1 seed.)

After Tuesday’s full bracket, it’s time to dig into the profiles around the cut line and why I’ve projected these eight teams to be either in the NCAAs or destined for the NIT.

Note: Auto bid holders in this section are noted by the conference names in parentheses. Arrows indicate movement up or down seed lines relative to Monday’s projection. New entrants are marked with an asterisk. Teams that have clinched bids are in all caps.

1. East (Washington, D.C.)

Columbia, South Carolina (Fri./Sun.)

1. Virginia (ACC) vs. 16. St. Francis (Pa.) (NEC)/Norfolk State (MEAC) 8. UCF vs. 9. Utah State

San José, California (Fri./Sun.)

5. Maryland vs. 12. New Mexico State (WAC) 4. Kansas State (Big 12) vs. 13. Hofstra (CAA)

Hartford, Connecticut (Thu./Sat.)

6. Marquette vs. 11. Texas 3. Purdue vs. 14. Old Dominion (C-USA)

Tulsa, Oklahoma (Fri./Sun.)

7. Iowa State vs. 10. Minnesota 2. LSU (SEC) vs. 15. BRADLEY (MVC)

4. Midwest (Kansas City, Missouri)

Columbia (Fri./Sun.)

1. North Carolina vs. 16. GARDNER-WEBB (Big South) 8. Baylor vs. 9. Seton Hall

Salt Lake City, Utah (Thu./Sat.)

5. Mississippi State vs. 12. Temple/Indiana 4. Texas Tech vs. 13. UC Irvine (Big West)

Tulsa (Fri./Sun.)

6. Auburn vs. 11. TCU 3. Houston (American) vs. 14. Georgia State (Sun Belt)

Columbus, Ohio (Fri./Sun.)

7. Buffalo (MAC) vs. 10. Arizona State 2. Michigan State (Big Ten) vs. 15. Omaha (Summit)

2. West (Anaheim, California)

Salt Lake City (Thu./Sat.)

1. Gonzaga (WCC) vs. 16. IONA (MAAC)/Prairie View (SWAC) 8. Louisville vs. 9. Washington (Pac-12)

Hartford (Thu./Sat.)

5. Wisconsin vs. 12. MURRAY STATE (OVC) 4. Florida State vs. 13. LIBERTY (ASUN)

Des Moines, Iowa (Thu./Sat.)

6. Villanova (Big East) vs. 11. Florida 3. Kansas vs. 14. Montana (Big Sky)

Jacksonville, Florida (Thu./Sat.)

7. WOFFORD (SoCon) vs. 10. Syracuse ↑2. Tennessee vs. 15. Colgate (Patriot)

3. South (Louisville, Kentucky)

Columbus (Fri./Sun.)

1. Kentucky vs. 16. Sam Houston State (Southland) 8. Oklahoma vs. 9. Iowa

San José (Fri./Sun.)

5. Nevada (MW) vs. 12. Ohio State/Clemson 4. Virginia Tech vs. 13. Vermont (Am. East)

Des Moines (Thu./Sat.)

6. Cincinnati vs. 11. St. John’s 3. Michigan vs. 14. Harvard (Ivy)

Jacksonville (Thu./Sat.)

7. VCU (A 10) vs. 10. Ole Miss 2. Duke vs. 15. Wright State (Horizon)

Bids by Conference: 9 Big Ten, 8 ACC, 8 Big 12, 7 SEC, 4 American, 4 Big East, 2 Mountain West, 2 Pac-12, 24 one-bid conferences

Now let’s take a closer look at the last four in the field and the first four teams left out.

Note: While team records reflect games played through Monday, March 11, 2019, NET data only reflects games played through Sunday, March 10, 2019. (Info from WarrenNolan.com.)

Last Four IN

Last four byes: St. John’s, TCU, Florida, Texas

Temple (23-8; 13-5 American Athletic) NET: 50; Quadrant 1 (Q1) record: 2-6; Quadrant 2 (Q2) record: 6-1; road/neutral record: 8-5; strength of schedule (SOS): 78; non-conference strength of schedule (NCSOS): 219

The Owls would like to send head coach Fran Dunphy into retirement with one last NCAA bid, but they’re probably going to have win one game at a minimum in the American Athletic Conference Tournament in Memphis to make that a reality. While Temple has a win over Houston, fourth in the NET, to check the “marquee Quad 1 win” box for the Committee — adding another over 28th-ranked UCF on Saturday for good measure, this profile has very little else on it. There’s no significant non-conference win nor is there a standout performance away from home — the closest result on both fronts is a 77-75 win over Davidson in Atlantic City.

Next game: Friday vs. the Wichita State/East Carolina winner in the American quarterfinals

Indiana (17-14; 8-12 Big Ten) NET: 51; Q1 record: 6-9; Q2 record: 2-5; road/neutral record: 3-9; SOS: 54; NCSOS: 205

On February 22nd, the Hoosiers lost to Iowa to drop to 13-14 and 4-12 in the Big Ten — in other words, likely out of both the NCAA and NIT pictures. Since then, Indiana has won four straight, highlighted by a double OT victory over Wisconsin and completed sweep of Michigan State. And those victories are a main reason why I suspect that Archie Miller’s team ends up in the field, despite the 14 total losses and midseason swoon. Indiana has five NET top 30 wins with three of those coming against teams in the top 15. With the Selection Committee indicating that it values high-quality wins over everything else, the Hoosiers have a real shot at sneaking in. However, a loss to the next team on this list in Thursday’s Big Ten Tournament second round could be a problem, since such a result would worsen Indiana’s already poor 2-5 record in Quad 2 games.

Next game: Thursday vs. Ohio State in the Big Ten second round

Ohio State (18-13; 8-12 Big Ten) NET: 55; Q1 record: 4-9; Q2 record: 4-3; road/neutral record: 5-7; SOS: 58; NCSOS: 157

While Indiana has rallied, the Buckeyes, 2-6 in their last eight, are fading down the stretch. Even though Ohio State has performed better than the Hoosiers against Quad 2 opponents and in games away from Columbus, the Buckeyes’ Quad 1 wins cannot compare to Indiana’s, as their best win came in Cincinnati in the season opener for both teams. And while Chris Holtmann’s team won in Bloomington during Indiana’s swoon, the Bucks’ other two Quad 1 wins came over Nebraska and Creighton, with only the latter being an at-large contender at this point. Simply put, those top wins just don’t compare to what Indiana has to offer. To be safe, Ohio State will likely need to not only beat the Hoosiers Thursday, but grab an unlikely win over Michigan State on Friday too.

Next game: Thursday vs. Indiana in the Big Ten second round

Clemson (19-12; 9-9 ACC) NET: 35; Q1 record: 1-9; Q2 record: 6-3; road/neutral record: 4-6; SOS: 33; NCSOS: 116

The Tigers��� mere presence on this list and in the current field is testament to how weird 2019’s bubble is. Clemson’s three best wins, their lone Quad 1 triumph over a Justin Robinson-less Virginia Tech squad, and two Quad 2 victories over Syracuse and Lipscomb all came at home. Beyond those victories, the best things about the Tigers’ slate is that they have no sub-100 losses and a decent non-conference schedule, unlike their most direct bubble rival, NC State. Of course, Brad Brownell’s squad will get a shot against that very team in its next contest — hoping to avenge a two-point loss suffered in Raleigh on January 26th.

Next game: Wednesday vs. NC State in the ACC second round

First Four OUT

Belmont (25-5; 16-2 OVC) NET: 45; Q1 record: 2-2; Q2 record: 3-1; road/neutral record: 12-3; SOS: 194; NCSOS: 76

I suspect that if the Jacksonville State Gamecocks had not swept the regular season series with the Bruins, the story might be different for Belmont. Still, the Bruins’ NET is high enough to ensure that Rick Byrd’s club is discussed in the Committee room. A pair of Quad 1 wins help Belmont’s case. However, since neither counts as “marquee,” I don’t think they’ll mean all that much ultimately. A non-conference sweep of Lipscomb basically only lifts the Bruins over the Bisons. One thing that really hurts Belmont’s case is the weakness of the OVC outside of its top four teams. The Bruins have 17 Quad 4, sub-200 wins, which is a mountain to overcome. All but three of those came in conference play.

Next game: Season complete

NC State (21-10; 9-9 ACC) NET: 32; Q1 record: 2-8; Q2 record: 6-0; road/neutral record: 4-6; SOS: 214; NCSOS: 353

Based on their NET ranking of 32, the Wolfpack should be a stone cold lock. And a 8-8 combined record between Quads 1 and 2 doesn’t hurt NC State’s case either. But digging into the Pack’s profile, a few troublesome items are unearthed that could serve as red flags for the Committee. Fort starters, one of the Quad 1 wins came against the 14-17 Penn State Nittany Lions. Then there’s the fact that three of the Quad 2 victories came against teams from outside the top 100. Gaze over at Quad 3 and you’ll see a pair of losses, which would be forgivable if State had more than three wins over teams currently in the field, all of which came at home.

But Quad 4 is where Kevin Keatts’ squad finds itself in real trouble. Now much has been made of how important non-conference scheduling should be to the selection process. But in the reality bracketology operates in, the Committee has indicated through its past decisions that this factor matters. (For a more detailed discussion about this, please read Patrick Stevens’ exceptional Twitter thread on the topic from yesterday.) Yet despite this knowledge, NC State has no fewer than nine home victories over teams ranked 200th or worse in the NET, and unlike Belmont’s total above, all nine came in games the Wolfpack’s coaching staff lined up. As a result, the Wolfpack’s non-conference schedule ranking is dead last nationally.

Usually, this wouldn’t be an issue in the ACC, which typically allows you to rack up quality win opportunities to overcome any November/December scheduling weakness present. But according to KenPom, the Wolfpack’s ACC schedule ranked 14th out of the 15 members. That slate wasn’t enough to boost State’s NET overall strength of schedule into the national top 200! Making matters worse, NC State couldn’t take advantage of the opportunities it did have — going 0-7 in conference Quad 1 win chances.

If the Committee is aiming to make an example of a team for its scheduling, the Wolfpack are in real trouble, even with a win over Clemson on Wednesday.

Next game: Wednesday vs. Clemson in the ACC second round

Lipscomb (23-7; 14-2 ASUN) NET: 48; Q1 record: 2-3; Q2 record: 1-3; road/neutral record: 11-4; SOS: 211; NCSOS: 61

The Bisons will long regret their inability to defeat Liberty at home, even if their win in Lynchburg doubled their final Quad 1 victory total. In a just world, Lipscomb’s November 20th 73-64 road victory over fellow bubble team TCU would help push Casey Alexander’s squad into the field of 68. Alas, the 47th-ranked Horned Frogs probably aren’t ranked high enough to count as a truly marquee win, especially since they’re just one spot higher than the Bisons. Like their Battle of the Boulevard rivals, the bottom of Lipscomb’s conference betrayed them. Lipscomb has 17 Quad 2 victories, just like Belmont, with 13 of those coming in Atlantic Sun play.

Next game: Season complete

Creighton (17-13; 9-9 Big East) NET: 54; Q1 record: 3-10; Q2 record: 6-3; road/neutral record: 4-7; SOS: 14; NCSOS: 30

I’ve spent the last three capsules complaining about scheduling, so let me begin this one by complimenting the Bluejays on doing well on this front. Of course, they didn’t do quite enough, which is why they’re on this side of the cut line. While Creighton has a potential tie-breaking neutral-court win over Clemson and a significant late-season victory at Marquette, those are the exceptions rather than the rule. While Greg McDermott’s team finished 9-9 in the Big East, they went 1-7 against league members in the field, with the only win coming against the Golden Eagles. In other words, quality victories in New York will be a requirement for Creighton’s inclusion.

Next game: Thursday vs. Xavier in the Big East quarterfinals

Next four out: Oregon, Alabama, UNCG, Furman

Even though the power-conference portion of the postseason tips off this afternoon with a trio of ACC Tournament games, none will have direct impact on the bubble picture. In fact, each team taking the floor in Charlotte today finished below .500. So, action really picks up on Wednesday, and my next update will include a viewing guide featuring all of the key matchups.

[cryptokingrobiul]

Top 20 Broker

New Post has been published on http://www.top20broker.com/news/todays-trade-risk-french-results-buoy-confidence/

Today's Trade: Risk on as French results buoy confidence

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 has jumped 0.5% to 5882.7 in the first hour of trade amid an improved global risk appetite after pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron won the first round of the French presidential election.

Financials are leading gains with the for major lenders up 0.8%-1%. Materials are lagging despite stronger iron ore prices, with BHP down 0.2%.

Overseas, the markets overnight swung back into risk-taking mode on the basis that pro-growth centrist Emmanuel Macron will become France’s next president.

The EUR jumped the most since December and the JPY retreated as Macron and far right nationalist Marine Le Pen won the first round of voting.

US stock index futures rose, while contracts on the Nikkei 225 Stock Average soared. Gold dropped and 10-year Treasury futures fell the most since March 1. The results of the weekend vote, in which both establishment parties were eliminated, triggers a run-off on May 7 between two radically different visions of the country’s future.

Le Pen, who wants to take France out of the euro and clamp down on immigration, has trailed Macron, a committed globalist, in almost every opinion poll for the runoff by a margin of some 20 percentage points. A snap Ipsos survey late on Sunday suggested he’d win by 62% to 38% for Le Pen.

US stock futures opened sharply higher, with Dow futures soaring nearly 200 points with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures mirroring sharp gains.

Macron and Le Pen were neck and neck in the polls heading into the contest, with communist Jean-Luc Melenchon and conservative Fillon not far behind. According to French polling firm Ifop, the four candidates were separated by only 6 percentage points as of Friday.

The tight poll numbers led investors to dump the country’s sovereign bonds in favour of more stable German debt, pushing the spread between French and German 10-year yields to a near two-month high.

US earnings

Monday

Alcoa, Newmont Mining, Kimberly-Clark, Illiinois Tool Works, Hasbro, Halliburton, Whirlpool, Express Scripts, Ameriprise, Range Resources, Canadian National Railway, J&J Snack Foods, Owens-Illinois, Crane

Tuesday

Caterpillar, 3M, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Dupont, Eli Lilly, Novartis, AutoNation, Baker Hughes, SAP, Biogen, AT&T, Lockheed Martin, PulteGroup, Freeport-McMoran, JetBlue, AK Steel, Polaris, Paccar, Valero Energy, Xerox, TransUnion, Arconic, Capital One, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Discover Financial, U.S. Steel, Juniper Networks, Stryker, Panera Bread, United Health Services, Valvoline.

Wednesday

Boeing, Daimler, Fiat Chrysler, Pepsico, United Technologies, GlaxoSmithKline, Anthem, Alaska Air, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Dr. Pepper Snapple, Hershey, Norfolk Southern, State Street, Credit Suisse, Hess, Seagate Technology, Twitter, Nasdaq, Amgen, Paypal, F5Networks, Tractor Supply, Buffalo Wild Wings, Boston Beer, SixFlags, CR Bard, Whiting Petroleum, Suncor.

Thursday

Alphabet, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon.com, Raytheon, Baidu, Starbucks, Expedia, Comcast, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Flex, GoPro, Western Digital, Vertex , Sirius XM Radio, Under Armour, American Airlines, Southwest Air, MGM Growth, Generac, Domino’s Pizza, CME Group, KKR, Johnson Controls, Union Pacific, UPS, Total, Celgene, Deutsche Bank, Alexion Pharma, Nintendo, AbbVie, Bayer, Air Products.

Friday

Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Colgate-Palmolive, Honda Motor, Barclays, UBS, Sony, Synchrony Financial, Spirit Airlines, Autoliv, Sanofi, Spirit Airlines, Goodyear Tire, Calpine, Cabot Oil and Gas, Phillips 66, Weyerhaeuser.

Local markets and commodities

S&P/ASX 200 futures unchanged; futures relative to estimated fair value suggest an early gain of 0.1%.

Bank of New York Australia ADR Index up 0.6%, BHP Billiton ADR -0.6% to A$23.67 equivalent, 1.5% discount to last Sydney close, Rio Tinto ADR -0.1% to A$52.33 equivalent, 13% discount to last Sydney close.

Gold has tumbled the most in almost two months this morning as investors swung back into a risk-taking mode on speculation pro-growth centrist Emmanuel Macron will become France’s next president after the first round of voting. Gold prices treaded water on Friday as investors awaited the outcome of weekend French elections and possible announcements about tax cuts in the United States. Spot gold was up 0.33% to $1,285.58/oz, on track for its first weekly drop in six. US gold futures for June delivery added $5.30 to settle at $1,289.10. Gold stocks in Toronto were up 0.46% on Friday. Gold stocks: GOR, NCM, NST, AQG, EVN, KCN, RMS, RRL, SAR, SLR.

Oil prices tumbled more than 2% on Friday, marking the biggest weekly drop in a month, on renewed concerns that increasing US production and high inventories will thwart Opec’s attempts to reduce the global crude glut. US crude futures fell below $50/barrel for the first time in two weeks, with volumes picking up in an active session that by late afternoon showed more than 560,000 front-month contracts changing hands, more than the daily average. US crude futures, which rolled over on Friday, settled at $49.62/b, down $1.09, or 2.2%. For the week, it was down 6.7%, its steepest drop since the week of March 10. Brent futures were down $1.05, or 2%, at $51.94/b, on pace for a roughly 7% weekly decline. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, key Opec members, favour extending their production-limiting deal with non-member producers into the second half of the year. Oil stocks: WOR, WPL, STO, SEA, BPT, OSH, HZN, AWE, KAR, ORG, SXY.

Iron ore continued to recover from last week’s sell-off amid more positive sentiment. Prices rebounded over 4% as physical traders increased the buying off the back of last week’s sell-off. Steel and iron ore futures also found support, with Chinese rebar prices climbing over 3%. Spot iron ore jumped 2.86% to close at $68.22% Iron ore stocks: FMG, BHP, GBG, GRR, MGX, RIO, BCI, SDL.

Copper suffered a third week of losses amid a broad decline for industrial metals on Friday. Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange closed flat at $5,622.50/ tonne, leaving it down 1.2% on the week. The metal used in the power and construction sectors went as low as $5,530 on Wednesday; it’s weakest since January 4. Freeport-McMoRan, which won a temporary permit to resume copper concentrate exports from its Grasberg mine on Friday, will need to show progress in building a local smelter to continue shipments beyond February, Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said. Aluminium finished 0.5% down at $1,932.50/t. Nickel lost 1.5% to $9,345/t. Zinc closed 1.8% lower at $2,584/t, with lead falling 0.8% to $2,142/t and tin down 0.6% at $19,750/t. Copper stocks: OZL, SFR; Nickel stocks: IGO, WSA; Aluminium stock: AWC.

In other news: Chorus (CNU): Will be added to ASX 200 effective May 2 open; Fortescue (FMG): Iron ore bulls regain the upper hand at end of switchback week; MyState (MYS): Considering options for wealth division, according to AFR; Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO): Recent pullback creates buying opportunity, Jefferies says; WorleyParsons (WOR): CEO says co. not seeking takeover offers, AFR says.

Broker gradings – Coca-Cola Amatil (CCL): Downgraded to sell from neutral at UBS

– Regis Resources (RRL): Raised to hold from sell at Canaccord, PT A$3.10

EURUSD and USD Index

The EUR jumped against the dollar after the first round of the French election showed that centrist Emmanuel Macron and nationalist Marine Le Pen were set to reach next month’s run-off.

EURUSD rallied to 1.0934 to print a new 2017 high and now sits above the 200 Day Moving Average.

The gap this morning is significant given it has decisively broken above the 2014 downtrend which had capped the EUR’s moves in Q4 of last year and most recently earlier this year.

We look to buy the retracement, a print of the downtrend would provide support however ideally the gap fill at 1.0736 would offer a more attractive long opportunity.

The USD index this morning gapped down as expected however violated a key trendline which has held every sell down all throughout 2016.

The US dollar index also sits below the 200 DMA and a higher move to the trendline should attract selling pressure.

Today’s Trade is compiled by the Sydney trading desk at Saxo Capital Markets

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Today’s Trade is brought to you by Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd ABN 32 110 128 286, AFSL 280372 (Saxo Capital Markets), in association with TradingFloor.com which is the property of Saxo Bank A/S, the parent company of Saxo Capital Markets. TradingFloor.com is a social trading facility offering clients of Saxo Bank Group access to in-depth market news, commentary, analysis and much more.

The content of the daily outlook should not be considered as a ‘personal’ or specific investment advice catered for your specific need, objectives or financial situation, or be construed as an express or implied promise, guarantee or implication by Saxo Capital Markets that clients will profit from the strategies expressed or that losses in connection therewith can or will be limited.

None of the information contained in the daily outlook constitutes an offer (or solicitation of an offer) to buy or sell any currency, product or financial instrument, to make any investment, or to participate in any particular trading strategy. Saxo Capital Markets; TradingFloor.com shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any forecast or other information contained in the daily outlook. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Information contained in this daily outlook may have previously been distributed to; and acted upon; by other clients and persons who have shown interest in Saxo Capital Markets, as well as internal affiliates/employees of Saxo Capital Markets. Any trade ideas or positions contained herein relating to products or services offered by Saxo Capital Markets may be inconsistent to trades/positions entered into by Saxo Capital Markets and/or its affiliates. Further, any information contained may consist of opinions and views of the ‘Sales Trading Desk’ as a team, however does not reflect the ‘specific’ opinion of Saxo Capital Markets.

Trades in accordance with the information contained in the daily outlook, especially, but not limited to, leveraged investments such as foreign exchange trading and investment in derivatives, can be very speculative and may result in losses as well as profits, in particular if the conditions mentioned in the daily outlook do not occur as anticipated. Prior to making any investment or entering into any transaction, you should carefully consider your financial situation and consult your independent financial expert in order to understand the risks involved and ensure the suitability for you of any investment or transaction decision you enter. Any information or opinions in this material are not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be unlawful. Please refer to our Combined Financial Services Guide & Product Disclosure Statement available via www.saxomarkets.com.au. Please also consider whether acquiring or continuing to hold financial products is suitable for you, prior to trading and investing.

source

[norfolksoutherncorporationcla]

If you suffered losses in Norfolk Southern stock, contact Norfolk Southern stock loss lawyer Timothy L. Miles today. 855-Tim-MLaw