In a short trading day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average
The monthly factory orders report released this morning showed demand growing slightly faster than expected at 0.7%, and June auto sales were way ahead of estimates, up 22% from a year ago. General Motors
In the market's most bizarre move of the day, Microsoft
Elsewhere on the Dow, cyclicals Alcoa and Caterpillar led the day reacting to the news of the promising factory orders report. Both stocks gained more than 3%. Home Depot
Burgers or dogs
Before you fire up the grill, grab a copy of our newest special free report: "The 3 Dow Stocks Dividend Investors Need." These recommendations may not be the highest yields of the blue chips, but they have the product diversity, ability to adapt to new markets, and past dividend appreciation that essentially guarantee them to be a rock-solid investment for decades to come. Get your free copy of the report.