With the stock market near multi-year highs, it's easy to forget just how far we've come in the past three years. Yet it was on this day in 2009 that stocks hit what would become their lowest levels of the bear market -- 6547.05, a point not then seen since April 1997 -- setting in motion a rebound that would let brave investors double their money.
The markets celebrated that anniversary with a quiet day, as the Dow Jones Industrials
Some big news items hit large-caps. Starbucks
Where the real action was today, though, was in stocks of smaller companies. The Russell 2000 gained more than 1.3%, reversing what had been a disturbing trend of small-cap stocks underperforming the Dow and other large-company indexes. For instance, Molycorp
Meanwhile, gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson
Even though the Dow gets all the attention, it's small companies like Molycorp and Smith & Wesson that play a big role in where the stock market goes next. When the Dow rises without small-cap support, it raises fears that any large-cap strength is only temporary.
What will next week bring?
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