How Obamacare Moved the Markets Today

It was quite the volatile day for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI), which was down big through the early afternoon today, after the Supreme Court largely upheld President Obama’s signature healthcare law. But stocks were able to stage a big rally late in the afternoon, and the Dow and S&P 500 ended up dropping just slightly on the day. The late advance was mainly due to talk of progress from the key European Summit being held today and tomorrow.

Here’s how the three major U.S. indexes fared.

Despite their exposure to the healthcare industry, Merck, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) all ended the day essentially flat. Arena Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ARNA), however, wasn’t quite so lucky. The stock, which gained approval yesterday for its key weight loss drug, dropped over 10% today. Some analysts expressed caution about the drug, considering previous diet drugs’ mixed history, and noted that insurers may not cover the drug until it shows more benefits than it did in trials, though sales are still are expected to be huge, given the potential demand for the pill.  Check out the video below for more on what drove the markets today, and which stocks were big winners and losers.

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