Never content to sit idle for long, the Dow Jones Industrials Average
Index | Gain/Loss | Gain/Loss % | Ending Value |
---|---|---|---|
Dow Jones Industrial Average | +200 | +1.6% | 13,122 |
Nasdaq | +61 | +2.1% | 3,049 |
S&P 500 | +22.3 | +1.7% | 1,392 |
The big news
If today's enthusiasm were to be distilled into two words, they'd be "Spanish relief." After the yield on the indebted nation's bonds climbed above 6% yesterday, many investors feared the worst. But a strong showing from its 12-month and 18-month debt sales pushed the 10-year bond back below 6% today. Before declaring victory, investors would do well to watch the longer-term debt auction later in the week. A good or bad showing from the auction could easily result in another 1%-plus movement for the index.
Profits by a million pennies
The second most influential market mover today is the collectively strong performance by many major U.S. companies. Alcoa kicked off earnings with a blowout performance a week ago, and the markets have hung on to the momentum. We've seen reasonably strong numbers from the banking space. Citigroup
Today it's Coca-Cola
Outside the Dow, Apple
The best approach
Today's big earnings announcements from Coca-Cola, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, and IBM show how a little positive news can move the market in a big way. That's why it pays to be ahead of the trend. Our analysts will give you a leg up on what to watch for this earnings season in their new report: "5 Stocks Investors Need to Watch This Earnings Season." You can learn more by clicking here. Enjoy, and Fool on!