With all the excitement about the Dow, you could almost be forgiven for forgetting that the Nasdaq (INDEX: ^IXIC) was invited to the party, too. Wednesday saw a steep rise for the index, and although Thursday's trading took a more conservative turn, the sentiment remained the same. F5 Networks was your leader at the final bell with a performance that outpaced the nearest rivals by a respectable margin. Things were a little dimmer for First Solar, which finished the day in everyone else's shadow.
Source: Yahoo! Finance.
Positive economic news out of the both U.S. and Europe drove today's earnings, fueling hope for a continued run to close out the week.
If you're on the hunt for more ideas in the year ahead, check out the new report we've compiled named "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." It details one company set for a bright future, but it'll be available for only a limited time. Get access to the report and find out the name of this legendary company.
