Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over daily movements, we do like to keep an eye on market changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
The Dow Jones Industrials (^DJI 0.38%) managed to set another new record today, albeit only by the thinnest of margins. The Dow rose by just a quarter of a point, remaining at 16,073 but technically setting its fourth straight new all-time high, and the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC 0.35%) climbed above the 4,000 for the first time since 2000. Even though the Dow lost its gains, Palo Alto Networks (PANW 0.68%), Tiffany (TIF), and YPF (YPF 1.46%) all held onto their sharp upward moves. Let's take a closer look at all three stocks to see what's behind their bullish moves.
Palo Alto Networks climbed 7% after reporting better earnings results yesterday afternoon than investors had expected. The networking company said adjusted earnings came in at $0.08 per share, beating estimates by a penny on sales that jumped by almost half from the year-ago quarter. Palo Alto also guided its revenue estimates for the current quarter higher, giving investors confidence that the fast-growing company still deserves the premium valuation it currently enjoys. Still, uncertainty in spending on IT equipment has some shareholders nervous about Palo Alto's future prospects.
Tiffany soared 9% as earnings rose by half from year-ago levels, easily beating investors' expectations. Comparable-store sales rose by 7%, helping to push worldwide revenue up 11% excluding negative currency impacts. Strength in the Asia-Pacific region drove the jeweler's overall results, although Europe was also a modest bright spot for the company, as currency effects and strength in the U.K. helped overall sales rise 7% on the continent. Tiffany also raised its earnings guidance for the full year by $0.15 per share, predicting a solid holiday quarter that caused ripple effects throughout the retail industry.
Argentine energy giant YPF rose by more than 10% on news that Argentina's government might be close to resolving a dispute with Spanish counterpart Repsol, with the New York Times reporting that Repsol could receive $5 billion in government bonds as compensation for the 51% stake in YPF that Argentina seized last year. Repsol had been seeking more than $10 billion, but both parties have incentives to get a deal done. For Argentina, the effect on foreign investment has been severe as would-be investors fear similar nationalization moves in the future.
