The markets started the day with a heavy sell-off before gaining a little steam and inching closer toward positive territory. However, the rally was short-lived, with all major indices down. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
The cause of the heavy amount of selling today was the all too familiar uncertainty in the European debt market and signs of cooling growth in China. The European worries took the form of political uncertainty, with the French incumbent, Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, seeing heavy opposition in the country's election. The fiscally conservative Dutch also made noise as the prime minister and his cabinet offered to resign after budget talks disassembled. Meanwhile, China released data showing that manufacturing is once again slowing, albeit at a better clip than last month -- but the fact that growth is slowing at all frightens investors.
Despite the prevalent sell-off, three Dow stocks ended the day in the green. With that in mind, let's take a closer look and see what buoyed these stocks today.
ExxonMobil
Travelers
JPMorgan Chase
Today should remind us that even when the broader market it down, you can still find plays that will make you money. Now that we're a month into the second quarter of 2012, I believe now is another great time to invite you to look at some of the top stocks for 2012. Our analysts have picked five investments that all investors will need to be familiar with. The report is free for a limited time -- don't let 2012 slip by without cashing in on these great stocks!