The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI) clawed its way back into the black late today, managing a meager four-point gain at close after having dropped over 80 points earlier in the trading day. The other two major indices ended the day essentially flat as well.
|
Index |
Change |
Ending Value |
|---|---|---|
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | +4.24 [0.03%] | 12,878 |
| Nasdaq | +0.44 [0.02%] | 2,932 |
| S&P 500 | -1.27 [-0.09] | 1,350 |
The winners
But while the markets as a whole didn't move much today, there were some Dow stocks that fared considerably better than others. Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ) was the biggest winner, ending up 1.15%. The much-maligned tech company introduced what they call “the world's first all-in-one workstation with a 27-inch display.” The workstation is designed for digital media and entertainment professionals who crave fast graphics cards and processors.
The Dow's second-biggest winner was Boeing (NYSE: BA), which finished the day up 0.95%. The aerospace giant announced today that it has finalized its biggest plane order ever, a $22.4 billion deal with Indonesia's Lion Air. The deal includes 230 planes, with rights for Lion Air to buy 150 more. Some 201 of the planes are the 737 Max version, which is Boeing's redesigned and more fuel-efficient version of the 737. This is an important step for Boeing, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, where the company expects the aviation industry to grow the most over the next 20 years. Rounding out the top three Dow winners today is Wal-Mart, which ended up 0.70%.
Outside of the Dow, positive earnings reports helped push some companies up significantly. It's easy to see why Michael Kors finished the day up over 27%. The luxury retailer saw its comparable store sales, a key retail metric, rise 38% in North America. The company also grew sales in Europe and gave an upbeat revenue outlook for its current quarter. Rackspace Hosting also rode solid earnings to a big-time gain, finishing up 12.6%. The company reported fourth-quarter earnings that rose 85%, solidly beating analyst expectations.
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