Sandwiched smack between the Christmas and New Year's holidays, the past week was largely a sleeper. Volume for the Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow slid 0.6% for the week, while the broader Russell 3000 dropped 0.7%. While investors flocked to defensive sectors, industries that rely more on global growth were the week's bottom performers.
The 3 Worst-Performing Sectors
Russell 3000 Sector |
Weekly Price Change |
Month-to-Date Price Change |
---|---|---|
Materials | (1.4%) | (2.2%) |
Financials | (1.2%) | 1.8% |
Industrials | (1%) | 1% |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Weekly Price Change is Dec. 23-Dec. 30. Month-to-Date Price Change is Nov. 30-Dec. 30.
Here's the thing -- when a company is already bankrupt, it's unwise to expect great news as an investor. Case in point: American Airlines parent AMR
It wasn't a very merry Christmas for Sears Holdings
The 3 Worst-Performing Russell 3000 Companies
Company |
Weekly Price Change |
---|---|
AMR | (41.2%) |
PMI Group | (32.3%) |
Sears Holdings | (30.7%) |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Weekly Price Change is Dec. 23-Dec. 30.
Also among the week's worst performers were Computer Sciences
Molycorp, meanwhile, was hit by an about-face in China. Specifically, the Chinese government boosted the amount of rare-earth minerals it will allow its producers to export. This is worrisome for Molycorp because the more rare-earth minerals China allows to leave its borders, the lower the price non-Chinese producers like Molycorp are likely to get for their resources.
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