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.

Index

Change

Ending Value

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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