Mr. Market couldn't seem to figure out whether to zig or zag this week but ultimately ended on a high note.
|
Index |
Gain / Loss |
Gain / Loss % |
Ending Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI ) | +142.36 | +1.17% | 12,359.92 |
| Nasdaq | +69.07 | +2.65% | 2,674.22 |
| S&P 500 | +20.21 | +1.61 | 1,277.81 |
Tug-of-war
The indices can't appear to decide whether they want to heave or ho in the tug-of-war between good news and bad, but that doesn't mean some companies haven't made up their mind that they want to be sterling performers regardless.
Source: Miseryindex.us.
The bright spots
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is tops this week, and it's the only stock on the Dow to record double-digit gains for the period. The banking giant has picked up 11.2% since Tuesday, a showing that flies in the face of the Dow's worst performer Verizon, which clocked a 4.5% loss over the same period. Most of Bank of America's weekly performance is the product of the positive jobs survey and rumors that officials working on a foreclosure-fraud settlement are thinking about allowing banks to record mortgage restructurings as credits toward expected penalties.
Tech stalwart Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) took the silver for the week. The company is up 8.3% from Tuesday, but that showing isn't a huge surprise, considering the tech-biased Nasdaq is up 2.45% for the same period. Microsoft also had a nice 1.54% push on Friday to end the week, and it's looking pretty cheap, with its massive cash balance and a P/E of only 10.2. Investors should be sure to watch the Windows 8 release this year and see whether the operating system feasts or famines in the market.
Bringing up third for the winners this week is Disney (NYSE: DIS). The media juggernaut closed up 6.4% from Tuesday, with a $39.91 closing price effectively putting it where it started 2011. One of the interesting trends to watch for from Disney into the next year is a content partnership with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). The duo is looking to pair up unique Disney content with the Internet's third most trafficked website: YouTube. It's a drop in the bucket in terms of both companies' scope, but it's indicative of a move by media and tech titans to lay the future foundation for delivering more content by way of streaming.
Looking past the January effect
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