U.S. government debt prices were mixed on Friday as investors digested the release of jobs data. The U.S. economy added 211,000 jobs last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists polled by Reuters expect the U.S. economy to have added 185,000 jobs last month versus 98,000 in March. Economists polled by Reuters expected the U.S. economy to have added 185,000 jobs last month versus 98,000 in March. Meanwhile, the short end of the yield curve rose, with the two-year note yield

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite indexes closed at record levels on Friday as investors looked ahead to a key European election. The Dow, S&P and Nasdaq also posted slight weekly gains and traded in a narrow range for most of the week. “This narrow trading range tells us a few things,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities. Second, we’re near all-time highs and finally, earnings season is over and we now shift our attention to macro issues.” U.S. equities traded in

Whitney Tilson of Kase Capital said Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway should climb 19 percent just based on the value of the conglomerate’s holdings. Tilson estimates Class A shares of the Buffett conglomerate have an intrinsic value of $296,000 a share, 18.6 percent above $249,540, where they closed Thursday. One year out, Tilson expects the shares to have a value about 30 percent more of $324,000 each.

Credit Suisse shared with its clients the firm’s best stock picks for the year. Every US and Canadian research analyst identifies and ranks up to three top stock picks,” Arbin Sherchan wrote in a report Friday. The analysts are “highlighting only high conviction ideas.” 1) Nike (NKE)Credit Suisse analyst Christian Buss has a $67 price target for Nike, representing 23 percent upside from Thursday’s close. With the likely deceleration in outsized athletic demand, we believe Nike is best positioned

“Moms make mistakes,” Rachel Drof, marketing director for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, said in a press release about the campaign. The campaign may be a subtle nod to the guilt some moms feel when feeding their kids a quick meal of prepackaged macaroni and cheese. In an earnings conference call this week, the company said it has seen “strong growth” for its Mac & Cheese since the revamp last year. Many women reacted positively to Kraft’s latest marketing campaign on Twitter, using the company’s prom

“My charitable trust, which you can follow if you belong to [the] actionalertsplus.com club, has been trimming back a little Newell for a simple reason: the best places to buy Newell’s goods have seen reduced traffic,” the “Mad Money” host said. “It could be a reset quarter for Newell, but then again, if there’s enough innovation, it might transcend the declining sales venues. Entertainment giant Disney reports after Tuesday’s closing bell, and despite Wall Street’s recent bearishness on the via

Jim Cramer rang the lightning round bell, which means he gave his take on caller favorite stocks at rapid speed:Gilead Sciences: “Gilead, it’s a value trap. I think oil’s going to have to hit $44 again before it turns around.” Not right here, right now, with oil teetering. Intrexon Corp: “Total, total spec. Mad Money Twitter – Jim Cramer Twitter – Facebook – Instagram – VineQuestions, comments, suggestions for the “Mad Money” website?

The market is still skeptical of Washington as the earnings tidal wave continues. International Flavors & Fragrances: Cramer is a fan of the fragrance giant, and expects a sweet earnings report after Monday’s closing bell. I just don’t know how weak the hands are of those who own the stock,” Cramer said. Friday: JC PenneyCramer bets this department store player’s earnings report could show some improvement, but worries Thursday’s reports from Macy’s and Kohl’s could steal the spotlight — and som

The Republican state senator from Tennessee picked by President Donald Trump to be Army secretary has withdrawn from consideration. Mark Green steps aside amid intensifying criticism over his remarks about LGBT Americans and Muslims. Green is the second Trump nominee for Army secretary to withdraw. Green says in a statement that “false and misleading attacks” against him have made his nomination a distraction. During a speech last September, Green urged that a stand be taken against “the indoctr

Tesla is often considered one of the prime examples of overvaluation in the stock market. In a recent interview, the valuation expert said there may in fact be a way to justify its valuation that has recently surpassed that of Ford and General Motors. There’s a pricing game, which obviously is driven by mood and momentum and that’s been pushing Tesla up,” Damodaran acknowledged. He is often referred to as Wall Street’s “dean of valuation.” Tesla has been called a “story stock,” defying tradition

But we want insurance to be something different: We want it to be the conqueror of scarcity. The usual metaphor here is offering fire insurance after the house already has burned down, and that is apt. What might a health-care program that deals with reality look like? Somebody will put his hand out and say, “Pay me.” It is an aspect of reality, and the health-care reformers eventually will have to get around to taking reality into consideration.

A key part of congressional Republicans’ tax reform plan, the border adjustment tax, is “not productive,” Trump trade advisor Matt Rubel told CNBC on Friday. The U.S. House of Representatives is now expected to turn its attention to tax reform in earnest after passing the GOP’s health-care bill on Thursday. However, there already appear to be differences within the party, including the controversial border adjustment tax. “All of our global competitors have some form of a border adjustment,” he

Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, on Friday said first-quarter profit fell 27 percent, reflecting a big decline in investment gains. Net income fell to $4.06 billion, or $2,469 per Class A share, from $5.59 billion, or $3,401, a year earlier. Operating profit, which excludes investment and derivative gains and losses, fell 5 percent to $3.56 billion, or $2,163 per Class A share, from $3.74 billion, or $2,274. Buffett believes Berkshire’s investment

Paul Singer’s hedge fund firm Elliott Management Corp raised $5 billion in about 24 hours this week citing a major potential opportunity when “investor confidence is impaired,” according to letters sent to investors that were seen by Reuters. In a note sent out to clients on Friday, and seen by Reuters, Elliott said that $5 billion had been raised as of Thursday. Elliott manages $32.8 billion. That does not include the fresh $5 billion, which is set up to be drawn from investors at a later date.

French presidential election: Why the U.S. should care 11 Hours Ago | 04:55Centrist French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron may be leading in the polls, but his postelection honeymoon will likely be short-lived, foreign policy expert Benn Steil told CNBC on Friday. Macron, who wants closer European cooperation and an open economy, faces far-right rival Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s election. Le Pen advocates closing the borders and quitting the euro. The most recent polls show Macron on course

Cramer vets the best and the worst of the US steel producers 9 Hours Ago | 09:06The divide between these steel players starts with manufacturing. AK Steel and U.S. Steel do so traditionally, buying iron ore and coal and smelting it into steel. Nucor and Steel Dynamics use mini-mills instead, melting scrap steel with electric furnaces and tinkering with the carbon content. Then, when former President Barack Obama placed tariffs on steel imports from seven countries including China in 2016, the st

With Buffett scaling back his holdings, IBM is at a critical moment. Cramer argued that Buffett stepping back will give the company more freedom to explore these options and forge a path to new investments coming in. And if Adobe, Salesforce, and Workday are too large for IBM to buy, Cramer finds Twitter to still be a viable and possibly beneficial play. “The current course isn’t working when it comes to the stock or the flag planted in cognitive and analytics,” Cramer said. Mad Money Twitter –

This account of the closing days of the Obama administration is based on interviews with 11 current and former U.S. officials, including seven with key roles in the Obama administration. The Obama White House’s role in the Russia controversy will come under fresh scrutiny Monday. Yates, an Obama administration official who carried over into the Trump administration, is expected to tell lawmakers that she expressed alarm to the Trump White House about Flynn’s contacts with the Russian ambassador.

While America’s health-care system has many problems, no serious analyst has suggested it is the worst in the world. And Republicans in Congress and elsewhere are adamantly against a government-run health-care system for everyone. “Let’s take a look at the Australian health-care system, and let’s move — maybe he wants to take look at the Canadian health-care system, or systems throughout Europe. The United States for years has received bad grades for its health-care system relative to other weal

Emmanuel Macron is expected to beat Marine Le Pen, the far right candidate, by a fairly wide margin. Retail sales and CPI inflation data next Friday are the big reports for the U.S., while China trade and foreign exchange reserves are expected before the U.S. opens Monday. Chinese inflation data will come Tuesday. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed out a quiet week at record highs, with the S&P 500 up 0.6 percent at 2399, even as crude lost. Treasurys and stocks will be focused on a fresh batch of da