Volatility is back. After falling 143 points yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEX: ^DJI) gained all that back and then some today, moving up 162 points, or 1.3%. Not surprisingly, news out of Europe helped carry the blue chips as Spanish bond yields retreated from record levels. Excitement for renewed stimulus returned as the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said the central bank would support moves to encourage job growth.
Cyclical stocks were the big winners on the day. Boeing (NYSE: BA) led the way with a 3.5% gain. An upgrade from Bernstein Research helped propel the airplane-maker as analyst Douglas Harned expressed confidence in the company's delivery plans as well as the strong outlook for its 787 Dreamliner.
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) and Bank of America also moved up nearly 3% on the day, and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said he expects his bank's second quarter to be "solidly profitable" despite the bad trade that cost it at least $2 billion. Dimon reiterated his belief that the loss was an isolated incident, and he will stress that point when he speaks before Congress tomorrow. He also plans to tell the committee that the bank remains strong and the unforeseen loss will affect only shareholders, not taxpayers.
United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) was the only Dow component to lose ground today. The conglomerate announced today that it's raising $1 billion through an equity and debt offering to finance its purchase of aerospace-parts manufacturer Goodrich for a total of $16.5 billion. The stock was down 0.4%.
In after-hours news, Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) said it will pay a dividend for the first time, beginning in its fiscal third quarter. At $0.08 every quarter, the dividend yield would currently be 2.7%. The announcement for the cash-rich company, which has nearly $13 billion in the bank on a market cap of just $20 billion, comes following a disappointing earnings report that sent shares down 17%. The PC market has seen declining sales amid increasing pressure from tablets.
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