By
Dan Dzombak
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More Articles
January 17, 2012
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI ) finished up today 0.48%. The average had risen as high as 12,572, or 1.2%, in early trading but fell as the day went on.
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Index
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Change
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Ending Value
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| Dow Jones Industrial Average |
+60.01 [+0.48%] |
12,482.07 |
| S&P 500 (INDEX: ^GSPC ) |
+4.58 [+0.36%] |
1,293.67 |
Today's Top 3
1. Merck (NYSE: MRK ) lead the pack on an up day for the health-care sector, finishing up 1.3% [$0.50] to end the day at $38.82. The past five years, Merck was the fastest-growing Dow component, increasing its revenue at an annual rate of 16%. While Merck and other big pharma companies are facing a looming patent cliff, Merck had the confidence in November to raise its dividend 10.5% to $0.42 per quarter, giving the company a yield of 4.4%.
2. Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO ) was right behind Merck today, finishing up 1.29% [$0.25] to end the day at $19.31. The stock was the second most active stock on the Nasdaq today, with nearly 37 million shares traded.
3. United Technologies (NYSE: UTX ) took third for the day, up 1.26% [$0.96] to end the day at $77.04. The stock was leading the Dow earlier in the day, when it was up as high as 2.8% to $78.22. The shares had rallied on news of slowing Chinese GDP growth, which many believe will lead to an easing of Chinese monetary policy.
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