Investors seem to have forgotten all about yesterday's concerns, as existing home sales soared to their highest levels since mid-2010 and Italian bond yields fell, breaking a long stretch of higher rates for the country's sovereign debt. As of 2:15 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrials (INDEX: ^DJI) were up 112 points to 12,264, while the S&P 500 clawed back much of its losses from yesterday, rising 10 points to 1,260.
As of midafternoon, all 30 Dow components were higher. Financials again led the way, but also posting strong gains were Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), both up more than 1%. An appeals court ruled that letters relating to former HP CEO Mark Hurd should be unsealed and made public, which could reveal further details about the alleged sexual harassment that prompted the investigation that eventually led to Hurd's departure from the company. On Intel, reports came out that the chip maker is starting to ship its new platform based on its Atom processor and could launch its Medfield Android platform in the second quarter of next year.
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) was the weakest performer in the Dow as of 2:15 p.m. ET, gaining just 0.2%. Wal-Mart said that it is waiting for the federal government to give the go-ahead before restocking infant formula made by Mead Johnson Nutrition (NYSE: MJN), which was pulled because of fears of possible problems after a child died earlier this month. Mead Johnson confirmed that FDA inspectors were at its Michigan plant. SUPERVALU (NYSE: SVU) and Walgreen (NYSE: WAG) made similar announcements about their intentions to await results from inspections before restocking formula.
Staying aware of the Dow's moves is smart, but some of the best stocks in the market aren't in the Dow. Discover the name of an amazing company outside the Dow in our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." But don't wait -- click here and grab your copy today before it's gone.
