NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 19, 2018 / U.S. managed to close higher on Friday, but finished with a weekly decline, as concerns over escalating global trade tensions overshadowed positive economic data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.29 percent to close at 24,946.51, while the S&P 500 Index increased 0.17 percent to close at 2,752.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index was flat at 7,481.99.

"The market is always looking for support lines to build off of, but every day we get personnel issues out of the White House, that makes investors scratch their heads and rethink things about where policy might be headed. These are definitely short-term issues, but they do set us up for more volatility," said Paul Townsen, managing director at Crossmark Global Investments.

RDI Initiates Coverage on:

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc.
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=LGND

Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=PTLA

Ligand Pharmaceuticals' stock moved 3.41% lower Friday, to close the day at $171.85. The stock recorded a trading volume of 1,166,946 shares, which was above its three months average volume of 297,116 shares. In the last year, Ligand Pharmaceuticals' shares have traded in a range of 102.56 - 184.79. The share price has gained 67.56% from its 52 week low. The company's shares are currently trading above their 200-day moving average. The stock's 50-day moving average of $160.94 is greater than its 200-day moving average of $145.36. Shares of the company are trading at a Price to Earnings ratio of 324.25. Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals have gained roughly 9.36 percent in the past month and are up 25.50 percent year-to-date.

Access RDI's Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=LGND

On Friday, shares of Portola Pharmaceuticals recorded a trading volume of 1,707,162 shares, which was above the three months average volume of 1,310,215 shares. The stock ended the day 3.54% lower at 34.83. The share price has gained 15.71% from its 52-week low with a 52-week trading range of 30.10 - 67.10. The company's shares are currently trading below their 200-day moving average. The stock's 50-day moving average of $43.47 is below its 200-day moving average of $49.60. Shares of Portola Pharmaceuticals have fallen roughly 26.97 percent in the past month and are down 28.45 percent year-to-date.

Access RDI's Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=PTLA

Our Actionable Research on Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:LGND) and Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLA) can be downloaded free of charge at Research Driven Investing.

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SOURCE: RDInvesting.com