The S&P 500 managed to eke out a gain of 0.87% to close at 1,075.51 last week, though the markets were dominated yet again by concerns about the strength of the global recovery.
Pops and drops
Here are the five biggest S&P 500 upticks and five biggest S&P 500 drops of last week (measured Friday close to Friday close):
Winners on the week:
|
Company |
Percentage Gain on the Week |
|---|---|
|
Harman International Industries |
26.5% |
|
American International Group |
19.7% |
|
JDS Uniphase |
16.9% |
|
Hasbro |
15.4% |
|
Lennar Corp. |
15.3% |
Source: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's).
Losers on the week:
|
Company |
Percentage Loss on the Week |
|---|---|
|
Dean Foods Co. |
(18.0%) |
|
New York Times Co. |
(10.4%) |
|
Boston Scientific |
(10.0%) |
|
FLIR Systems |
(9.8%) |
|
Scripps Networks Interactive |
(8.4%) |
Source: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's).
A closer look
Surprisingly enough, insurer AIG had a good week after unveiling a revamped pay plan with a new incentive system. This is welcome news, as analysts have cited pay plans as a cause of the company’s downfall, and similar criticism has swirled around its retention payments. However, news that AIG could receive stock as part of an effort to sell its American Life Insurance unit to MetLife tempered gains from earlier in the week.
Shares of Hasbro got a boost last week after the world’s second-largest toymaker posted a robust 77% increase in fourth-quarter net income, thanks to cost-cutting maneuvers and significant sales of its Transformers action figures, Nerf toys and board games. Earnings were better than forecast, and the company says it expects both sales and earnings to increase in 2010. The toymaker’s report was evidence that consumers are beginning to spend on discretionary items again.
On the downside, shares of Boston Scientific got a haircut last week after reports from a medical journal exposing possible defects in the way two of the company’s defibrillators function. Adding insult to injury, Deutsche Bank downgraded the medical device maker last week to “hold” from “buy,” citing expectations for weaker growth over the next several quarters. This negative news comes on the heels of a narrowed fourth-quarter loss. The company also reported a management shakeup and says it plans to slash its workforce by 8% to 10% this year.
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