Dow Retreats on Sagging Home Prices, Consumer Confidence

Energy stocks were especially hard hit Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed off 20.81 points to 12,632.91 while the Nasdaq inched up 1.90 points to end at 2,813.84.

The S&P 500 sliced off 0.60 points to close at 1,312.41.

Despite Tuesday’s setback, the Dow closed out the month with its best January performance since 1997.

On the economic front, U.S. home prices fell 1.3% in November, according to S&P/Case-Shiller's 20-city composite index, after falling 0.7% in October. Economists were predicting only a modest 0.5% decline.

More troubling perhaps was the Conference Board report that consumer confidence unexpectedly regressed in January, dropping to 61.1 from an upwardly revised 64.8 in December. Economists had expected the index to hit 68.0.

Here are some more details from Tuesday’s trading session:

Dow Jones Industrial Average:

Up 415.35 points in January, or 3.40%.

Up four consecutive months.

Biggest monthly points and percentage gain since October 2011.

Up two consecutive Januarys.

Largest January points gain in its history.

Best January percentage gain since 1997.

The January barometer.

1. In the DJIA’s history the full year has matched the direction of January’s performance in 85 of 114 years, or 75% of the time.

2. On years when the DJIA ended the month of January with a gain, it finished the full year higher 82% of the time.

3. Since 1970 – the DJIA has an even better matching ratio of 92%, when the month of January is “UP”.

4. The best January performance was in 1976 with a percentage gain of 14.41%.

5. The worst January performance was in 2009 with a percentage loss of 8.84%.

The closing high this month was 12756.96 on 01/25/2012.

The closing low this month was 12359.92 on 01/06/2012.

Today: DJIA, down 20.81 points, or 0.16%.

Down four consecutive trading days.

Down 124.05 points, or 0.97%, over the four-day period.

Longest losing streak since (in over two months) the four-day period ended November 25, 2011.

Lowest close since January 19, 2012.

An intraday high of 12720.10 occurred at 09:39:59 today, representing an increase of 66.38 points, or 0.52%.

An intraday low of 12567.33 occurred at 11:54:41 today, representing a decrease of 86.39 points, or 0.68%.

Sixteen of the 30 components stocks rose, 14 fell.

Today's top five contributors to The Dow's movement and their point contribution: AXP (7.72), UTX (5.60), MCD (2.72), JPM (2.19), JNJ (1.51).

Today's bottom five laggards: XOM (-13.24), CAT (-9.76), MRK (-4.77), MMM (-4.77), HD (-2.88).

Down 1531.62 points, or 10.81% from its record close of 14164.53 on October 9, 2007.

Up 4.92% from 52 weeks ago.

Up 92.96% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.

Down 1.39% from its 52-week closing high of 12810.54 on April 29, 2011.

Up 18.56% from its 52-week closing low of 10655.30 on October 3, 2011.

Year-to-date: up 3.40%.

DJIA crossed zero 19 times during today's trading session.

Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index:

Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, 13663.28 (prelim)*

Up 643.95 points this month, or 4.95%.

Up two consecutive months and three of the last four.

Biggest monthly points and percentage gain since October 2011.

Largest January points gain in its history.

Best January percentage gain since 1997.

Today: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, down 5.70 points, or 0.04%, or approximately $9.7 billion in market capitalization.

Down four consecutive trading days.

Longest closing streak since the seven-day period ended November 25, 2011.

Lowest close since January 24, 2012.

Down 2082.11 points, or 13.22% (approximately $3.3 trillion in market cap), from its record close of 15745.39 on October 9, 2007.

Up 100.93% (approximately $7.9 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.

Up 0.19% over the past 52 weeks.

Down 4.51% from its 52-week closing high of 14308.37 on April 29, 2011.

Up 20.92% from its 52-week closing low of 11299.07 on October 3, 2011.

Year-to-date: up 4.95%, or approximately $762 billion in market cap.

 

Data courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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