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From Briefing.com: 4:15 pm : The stock market ended the Tuesday affair on a higher note as investors continued to adjust their post-election positioning. The Nasdaq Composite (+1.1%) finished well ahead of the S&P 500 (+0.8%) while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.3%) lagged, but still notched its seventh consecutive gain. The three indices have rallied between 1.7% and 4.3% so far in November.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (+0.2%) began the day under pressure as some mild profit taking developed. Large cap names that make up the price-weighted average have seen a stream of inflows in recent days as speculation mounts regarding increased US fiscal spending. This, in turn, has driven up inflation expectations.

The reflationary trade has boosted sectors more directly linked to the potential implementation of large-scale public works projects -- financials (+0.1%; month-to-date: +12.2%), industrials (+0.3%; month-to-date: +7.3%), and materials (+0.4%; month-to-date: +3.5%) -- while pressuring rate-sensitive groups -- telecom services (+2.1%; month-to-date: -1.2%) and utilities (+1.7%; month-to-date: -5.6%). Today's action, however, saw a bounce for sectors that were oversold on a short term basis.

The bond market also enjoyed a reprieve from short-term oversold conditions. The yield on the 2-yr note finished flat at 1.00% while the yield on the benchmark 10-yr note declined three basis points to 2.23%. The yield on the 2-yr note is up 15 basis points from October's settlement while the yield on the benchmark 10-yr note has gained 40 basis points so far in November. The Treasury complex shrugged off largely upbeat economic data and somewhat hawkish jawboning from Federal Reserve officials.

The energy sector (+2.7%) finished in the lead as crude oil futures rebounded. WTI crude finished the day higher by 5.9% ($45.87/bbl; +$2.57) ahead of this evening's inventory data from the American Petroleum Institute. The Department of Energy will also release weekly stockpile data tomorrow at 10:30 ET.

In the technology sector (+1.3%), large cap tech names rebounded from recent selling interest. Alphabet (GOOG 758.49, +22.41) and Facebook (FB 117.20, +2.12) gained a respective 3.0% and 1.8%. The two have been under pressure in recent days as market leadership shifted away from F.A.N.G. names. Top-weighted Apple (AAPL 107.11, +1.40) added 1.3%, narrowing its post-election loss to 3.6%. Separately, the PHLX Semiconductor Index settled higher by 1.9%.

The economically-sensitive financial sector (+0.1%) finished at the bottom of the leaderboard, but still extended its November gain to 12.2%. The sector has been bolstered by the reflationary trade in recent sessions as sharp steepening in the yield curve boosted the group's earnings prospects. Furthermore, speculation has arisen that the sector may face less regulation under President-elect Trump's administration. The SPDR S&P Bank ETF (KBE 40.20, +0.20) finished higher by 0.5% after beginning the day with a 2.4% loss. The broader sector is up 2.3% so far this week.

Biotechnology pulled back from its recent gain as the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB 290.91, -2.18) slipped 0.7%. The sub-industry has gained in recent days as investors dial back expectations for drug pricing regulations under a GOP-led Congress and Trump White House. The broader health care sector has gained 4.5% this month, but remains down 2.4% so far in 2016.

Today's trading volume was above the average of 986 million as more than 1.1 billion shares changed hands at the NYSE floor.

Today's economic data included Retail Sales for October, Import/Export Prices for October, Empire Manufacturing for November, and Business Inventories for September:

Retail sales increased 0.8% in October (Briefing.com consensus +0.6%) on top of an upwardly revised 1.0% increase (from +0.6%) for September.
Excluding autos, retail sales also jumped 0.8% (Briefing.com consensus +0.5%) on top of an upwardly revised 0.7% increase (from +0.5%) for September.
Import prices increased 0.5% in October, but were down 0.1% excluding fuel. Export prices increased 0.2% in October and they were also up 0.2%, excluding agriculture.
October marked the seventh time in the last eight months that import prices have risen. Export price have risen in six of the past seven months.
The Empire Manufacturing Survey for November checked in at 1.5 (Briefing.com consensus -0.5) versus -6.8 in October.
Total business inventories increased 0.1% in September (Briefing.com consensus +0.2%) after increasing 0.2% in August.

For more on these economic releases, be sure to visit Briefing.com's Economic Calendar page.

Tomorrow's economic data will include the 7:00 ET release of the weekly MBA Mortgage Index and the 8:30 ET release of October PPI (Briefing.com consensus +0.3%). Meanwhile, October Industrial Production (Briefing.com consensus +0.2%) and Capacity Utilization (Briefing.com consensus 75.5%) will cross the wires at 9:15 ET. The day's data will be capped off with the November NAHB Housing Market Index (Briefing.com consensus 64) and September Net Long-Term TIC Flows, which will be released at 10:00 ET and 16:00 ET, respectively.

Russell 2000: +14.8% YTD
Dow Jones: +8.6% YTD
S&P 500: +6.7% YTD
Nasdaq Composite: +5.4% YTD

DJ30 +54.37 NASDAQ +57.23 SP500 +16.19 NASDAQ Adv/Vol/Dec 1738/1.967 bln/1172 NYSE Adv/Vol/Dec 2194/1.061 bln/831

3:30 pm :

The dollar index rallied back near its 11-month highs in the afternoon, not appearing to weigh on precious metals
Commodities, as measured by the Bloomberg Commodity Index, were +1.1% around the 83.28 level
Crude oil surged off of yesterday's 3-week low to close at its highest level of the session ahead of tonight's API, on the heels of OPEC comments
December crude oil futures rose $2.57 (+5.9%) to $45.87/barrel
Contributing factors affecting the price of oil include:
Yesterday afternoon, headlines crossed regarding OPEC comments about looking to close the gap on the divide between Iraq & Iran, although OPEC is still divided over the details of how to implement output cuts, despite a weekend of meetings.
The Saudi Arabian oil Minister Khalid al-Falih also reiterated that it was essential for OPEC to reach a consensus on activating the deal agreed to in September.
News of an attack on an oil pipeline at the Nembe Creek Trunk Line in the Niger Delta provided another source of support for oil prices.
The next official OPEC meeting will be held in Vienna, Austria on November 30, where details of the previously announced Algiers Accord are expected to be ratified
It is worth noting despite the rally, that Libyan oil production has recently doubled to around 600k barrels/day.
Weekly EIA petroleum data will be released Wed at 10:30 am ET.
Natural gas retreated from this morning's fresh 1-week high to end at session lows following yesterday's notable +4.6% rally
December natural gas closed $0.04 lower (-1.5%) at $2.71/MMBtu
The weekly EIA natural gas data will be released at 10:30 am ET on Thursday
In precious metals, gold bounced off of this morning's 6-month low to close near session highs despite continued strength in the dollar index
December gold ended today's session up $2.80 (+0.2%) to $1224.50/oz
December silver closed today's session $0.14 higher (+0.8%) at $17.02/oz
Base metal copper retreated from yesterday's 17-month high, closed lower for the second consecutive session
December copper closed $0.01 lower (-0.4%) at $2.51/lb

4:11 pm Agilent beats by $0.07, beats on revs; guides Q1 below consensus; guides FY17 EPS below consensus, revs in-line (A) :
Reports Q4 (Oct) earnings of $0.59 per share, $0.07 better than the Capital IQ Consensus of $0.52; revenues rose 7.3% year/year to $1.11 bln vs the $1.07 bln Capital IQ Consensus; core revenue growth of 6.3% vs. midpoint guidance of 1.2%.

Co issues downside guidance for Q1, sees EPS of $0.48-0.50, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $0.53 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees Q1 revs of $1.04-1.06 bln vs. $1.08 bln Capital IQ Consensus Estimate.

Co issues guidance for FY17, sees EPS of $2.10-2.16, excluding non-recurring items, vs. $2.19 Capital IQ Consensus Estimate; sees FY17 revs of $4.35-4.37 bln vs. $4.36 bln Capital IQ Consensus -- based on October 31 exchange rates.

"Key drivers for our better-than-expected quarter were stronger-than-expected growth in pharma and Europe, along with continued strength in China. Looking ahead, we are well positioned to capture market growth with our strong lineup of new offerings recently introduced and in the pipeline for 2017."

On Tuesday, the broader market again looked like it was going to close mixed. In the final hour of trading, however, the Dow Jones Industrial Average popped out of negative territory to end up 54.37 points (+0.29%) to 18923.06. The S&P 500 added 16.19 points (+0.75%) to 2180.39, and the Nasdaq Composite was higher by 57.23 points (+1.10%) to 5275.62. At least part of the strength can be attributed to today's retail sales reading, as Nasdaq 100 names JD +11.4%, EXPE +3.9%, CTRP +3.5%, AMZN +3.4% and AAL +3.1% all outperformed.

Among economica data points today, the retail sales reading increased 0.8% in October on top of an upwardly revised 1.0% increase (from +0.6%) for September. Excluding autos, retail sales also jumped 0.8% on top of an upwardly revised 0.7% increase (from +0.5%) for September. Also, import prices increased 0.5% in October, but were down 0.1% excluding fuel. Export prices increased 0.2% in October and they were also up 0.2%, excluding agriculture. Additionally, the Empire Manufacturing Survey for November checked in at 1.5 versus -6.8 in October. Lastly, total business inventories increased 0.1% in September after increasing 0.2% in August.

The Technology (XLK 46.67, +0.65 +1.41%) sector recouped some of the weakness from the past few sessions as the segment closed near highs. Component Alphabet (GOOG 758.49, +22.41 +3.04%) was one of the better perfomers today as the company was the subject of a BBC article suggesting it could hire nearly 3,000 employees to service the new London headquarters. Other sectors as measured by the S&P finished Tuesday XLE +2.88%, XLFS +2.19%, XLU +1.61%, XLP +0.65%, IYZ +0.52%, XLB +0.41%, XLI +0.38%, XLY +0.35%, XLV +0.28%, XLF -0.09%, XLRE -0.66% as Energy and Utilities bucked higher and Financials cooled off the recent advance.

In the S&P 500 Information Technology (785.35, +10.16 +1.31%) sector, trading cooled off a bit toward the middle of the session but ended on a higher note. Component Intel (INTC 34.91, +0.43 +1.25%) also turned in a strong Tuesday showing following the company's announcement of a $250 million investment into autonomous driving. Other names in the space which closed higher today included KLAC +3.01%, CTXS +3.00%, QRVO +2.96%, SWKS +2.94%, GOOGL +2.91%, LRCX +2.65%, ADI +2.63%, MCHP +2.61%, YHOO +2.32%, GPN +2.22%, MU +2.20%, ADSK +2.18%, EBAY +2.15%.

Other notable news items among sector components:
According to a BBC article, Alphabet (GOOG) could hire up to 3,000 new employees for Google's new London headquarters.

Intel (INTC) announced a $250 million investment for autonomous driving.
According to Bloomberg, Symantec (SYMC 24.22, -0.41 -1.66%) said to be considering a potential acquisition of LifeLock (LOCK 20.51, +0.1 +4.11%).

Fidelity Nat'l Info's (FIS 74.74, -0.45 -0.60%) Chief Accounting Officer, Michael Nussbaum, resigned to pursue other opportunities.

HP Inc. (HPQ 15.87, -0.23 -1.43%) unveiled the world's first mini workstation designed for users in CAD and other compute-intensive industries.

NVIDIA (NVDA 86.19, +2.55 +3.05%) announced a collaboration with Microsoft (MSFT 58.87, +1.14 +1.97%) to accelerate AI in the enterprise. Using the first purpose-built enterprise AI framework optimized to run on NVIDIA Tesla GPUs in Microsoft Azure or on-premises, enterprises now have an AI platform that spans from their data center to Microsoft's cloud.

Accenture (ACN 115.99, -1.26 -1.07%) expanded its strategic alliance with RichRelevance to strengthen the capabilities of Accenture Interactive and boost the personalization services it delivers to global clients. As part of the expanded relationship, Accenture Ventures has made a minority investment in RichRelevance.

Supermicro (SMCI 25.70, flat) and IBM (IBM 158.67, +0.46 +0.29%) have extended their multi-faceted long-term technology relationship. Supermicro has joined the OpenPOWER Foundation, an open development community that leverages the IBM POWER architecture.

Qualcomm (QCOM 66.77, +0.84 +1.27%) through its subsidiary, Qualcomm Wireless Communication Technologies (China) Limited, announced a strategic relationship with the Interactive Entertainment Group

(IEG) of Tencent (TCEHY 25.25, +0.67 +2.73%), to identify and create leading immersive mobile user experiences in gaming and entertainment. The collaboration includes a joint innovation center designed to explore new user gaming and application experience in the future by utilizing the strengths of both parties.

Elsewhere in the tech space:

Viacom (VIAB 38.61, -0.25 -0.64%) to acquire Televisin Federal S.A. from Telefnica S.A. (TEF 8.67, +0.11 +1.37%) for $345 million.

In addition to reporting quarterly results, Alarm.com (ALRM 27.90, -4.47 -13.81%) named Steve Valenzuela as new CFO effective November 15.

8point3 Energy Partners (CAFD 13.09, flat) to acquire 34% stake in 300-mw stateline solar project for $329.5 million.

Expedia's (EXPE 123.54, +4.64 +3.90%) Trivago filed a registration statement relating to a proposed initial public offering of American depositary shares representing Class A shares of its affiliate, travel B.V.

Nintendo (NTDOY 28.78, +0.36 +1.27%) said its Super Mario Run iOS game will go on sale for iPhone and iPad on December 15 for $9.99.

Telephone & Data (TDS 25.56, -0.01 -0.04%) subsidiary acquired InterLinx Communications. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In reaction to quarterly results:

Mobileye N.V. (MBLY 39.65, -0.12 -0.30%) reported better than expected Q3 EPS of $0.19 on revenues which also came in ahead of expectations at $94.9 million. For FY16, the company sees EPS of $0.71 on revenues near the high end of $344-350 million.

Zebra Tech (ZBRA 75.46, +8.65 +12.95%) reported better than expected Q3 adjusted EPS of $1.43 on revenues which fell 1.3% compared to last year to $904 million. For Q4, the company sees EPS in-line at $1.65-1.85 on worse than expected revenues of about $915-944.5 million.

Diebold (DBD 23.05, -1.75 -7.06%) reported in-line EPS of $0.34 on worse than expected revenues of $983.3 million. For Q4, the company sees worse than expected EPS of $0.27-0.34 on worse than expected revenues of about $1.3 billion.

Alarm.com (ALRM) reported better than expected Q3 EPS and revenues of $0.19 and $67.8 million, respectively. For FY16, the company sees EPS of $0.58-0.59 and revenues of $254-256.3 million.

Stratasys (SSYS 17.95, -2.55 -12.44%) reported worse than expected Q3 EPS of net breakeven and worse than expected revenues of $157.18 million. For FY16, the company lowered EPS and revenue guidance to $0.13-0.21 from $0.17-0.43 and $66-673 million from $700-730 million, respectively.

Sphere 3D (ANY 0.59, -0.08 -12.10%) reported a better than expected Q3 EPS loss of $0.08 on worse than expected revenues of $18.5 million.

Companies scheduled to report tonight/tomorrow morning: A, YRD/JKS

Analyst actions:

FTNT was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Morgan Stanley,
GPN was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Compass Point,
CRM was upgraded to Positive from Mixed at OTR Global;
NOK was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at BofA/Merrill,
CACI was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Noble Financial,
UCTT was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Standpoint Research,
MMS was downgraded to Neutral at Sidoti,
SSYS was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Craig Hallum,
HAR was downgraded to Neutral Weight from Overweight at Barclays,
PLUS was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Sidoti;
CUDA and PFPT were initiated with an Outperform at Robert W. Baird,
SEDG was initiated with a Sell at Craig Hallum,
TEAM was initiated with a Sector Weight at Pacific Crest