By
Jennifer Schonberger
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October 19, 2009
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The S&P 500 rose 1.5% last week, to 1,087.68, as third-quarter earnings season kicked into high gear. Also, crude oil climbed to a new high for 2009 last week, pushing energy stocks higher, which served to lift the broader market.
Pops and drops
Here are the five biggest S&P 500 increases and five biggest S&P 500 drops of last week (measured Friday close to Friday close):
Winners on the week:
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Company
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Percentage Gain
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Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG )
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17%
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Ryder System
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16%
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SUPERVALU
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12%
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Sunoco (NYSE: SUN )
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11%
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Kroger (NYSE: KR )
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11%
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Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's.
Losers on the week:
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Company
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Percentage Loss
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MetroPCS Communications (NYSE: PCS )
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(11%)
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MBIA (NYSE: MBI )
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(10%)
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Micron Technology
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(9%)
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Motorola (NYSE: MOT )
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(7%)
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Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS )
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(7%)
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Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's.
A look at some of the movers on the week
Shares of Harley-Davidson rose last week despite an ugly third-quarter earnings report, as investors applauded the motorcycle company's strategic move to shutter its Buell motorcycle brand and sell its recently acquired Italian sports-bike maker MV Agusta. The divestiture will allow Harley to focus on its more profitable core motorcycles. The recession continued to weigh on the company, as demand for Harleys continued to wane. Earnings plunged 84%, while revenues plummeted 21%.
Shares of wireless carrier MetroPCS took a hit last week after Wal-Mart said that it will offer cut-price mobile services nationwide. The giant retailer's move could cause competitors like MetroPCS to cut prices to compete or risk losing market share.
Financial products insurer MBIA made the S&P's biggest losers on the week for the second straight week following a worse-than-expected earnings report from insurance firm MGIC Investment, which served to drag down the entire sector. This comes on the heels of a downgrade to junk status by S&P a couple weeks earlier.
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