Stocks Inch Higher as Bank, Tech Issues Advance

Investors pushed stocks slightly higher Wednesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on 5.75 points to finish at 12,883.95 while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 rose 12 points and 3 points, respectively.

Despite the modest gains, investors should be encouraged by the fact that all three major indexes rallied up more than 20% from their early-October lows.

Meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that weekly mortgage applications moved higher last week primarily as a result of increased demand for refinancing as interest rates continued to decline.

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

Dow Jones Industrial Average:

  • Up two consecutive trading days and three of the last four.
  • Highest closing value since May 19, 2008.
  • An intraday high of 12893.64 occurred at 10:05:15 today, representing an increase of 15.44 points, or 0.12%.
  • An intraday low of 12817.69 occurred at 11:44:41 today, representing a decrease of 60.51 points, or 0.47%.
  • Sixteen of the 30 component stocks rose, 12 fell, two were unchanged.
  • Today's top five contributors to The Dow's movement and their point contribution: UTX (11.05), BA (5.30), HPQ (3.86), JPM (3.25), IBM (2.65).
  • Today's bottom five laggards: MCD (-6.51), XOM (-4.16), AXP (-3.71), HD (-2.19), KO (-1.67).
  • Up 96.79% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.
  • Down 9.04% from its record close of 14164.53 on October 09, 2007.
  • Rose 5.26% from 52 weeks ago.
  • Up 4.24% from its 2012 closing low of 12359.92 on January 06, 2012.
  • Up 20.92% from its 52-week low of 10655.30 on October 03, 2011.
  • Month-to-date: up 1.99%.
  • Year-to-date: up 5.45%.
  • DJIA crossed zero 49 times during today's trading session.

Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index:

  • Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market, up 28.20 points, or 0.20%, to 14091.63, or approximately 33.0 billion in market capitalization.
  • Up two consecutive trading days and five of the last six.
  • A new 2012 closing high.
  • Highest closing value since Friday, July 22, 2011.
  • Down 10.50%, (approximately $2.8 trillion in market cap), from its record close of 15745.39 on October 09, 2007.
  • Up 107.23% (approximately $8.4 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.
  • Rose 2.24% from 52 weeks ago.
  • Up 6.70% from its 2012 closing low of 13206.64 on January 04, 2012.
  • Down 1.51% from its 52-week high of 14308.37 on April 29, 2011.
  • Up 24.71% from its 52-week low of 11299.07 on October 03, 2011.
  • Month-to-date: up 3.14%, or approximately $509 billion in market cap.
  • Year-to-date: up 8.24%, or approximately $1.3 trillion in market cap.

Data courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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