Stocks closed basically unchanged in languid trading Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial average trimmed 2.65 points to finish at 12,291.35. Trading volume was predictably light in the first session following the holiday weekend.
The Nasdaq moved up 6.25 points to finish at 2,625.20 while the S&P 500 inched up a tenth of a point to 1,265.43.
On the economic front, home prices declined in most major cities for the second straight month in October according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index.
Meanwhile, consumer confidence for December improved to 64.5 from a downwardly revised 55.2 in November, according to the Conference Board. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a reading of 58.3.
Here are some more details from Tuesday’s trading session:
Dow Jones Industrial Average:
- First drop in five trading days.
- An intraday high of 12328.47 occurred at 10:08:32 today, representing an increase of 34.47 points, or 0.28%.
- An intraday low of 12269.97 occurred at 09:36:21 today, representing a decrease of 24.03 points, or 0.20%.
- Today’s trading range of 58.50 points is its lowest since July 20, 2011.
- Sixteen of the 30 component stocks rose, 14 fell.
- Today's top five contributors to The Dow's movement and their point contribution: CVX (3.63), MCD (3.03), BA (2.27), IBM (1.51), INTC (1.44).
- Today's bottom five laggards: CAT (-5.30), JPM (-4.09), AXP (-2.19), HPQ (-1.82), GE (-1.67).
- Down 1873.18 points, or 13.22% from its record close of 14164.53 on October 9, 2007.
- Up 6.18% from 52 weeks ago.
- Up 87.74% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.
- Down 4.05% from its 2011 closing high of 12810.54 on April 29.
- Up 15.35% from its 2011 closing low of 10655.30 on October 3.
- Month-to-date: up 2.04%.
- Year-to-date: up 6.17%.
- Traded in positive territory for 89 percent of the day.
- DJIA crossed zero 22 times during today's trading session.
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index:
- Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, 13110.31 (prelim)*, up 7.08 points, or 0.05%, or approximately $7.1 billion in market capitalization.
- Up five consecutive trading days and seven of the last eight.
- Highest close since November 8, 2011.
- Down 2635.08 points, or 16.74% (approximately $3.9 trillion in market cap), from its record close of 15745.39 on October 9, 2007.
- Up 92.80% (approximately $7.3 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.
- Down 0.23% over the past 52 weeks.
- Down 8.37% from its 2011 closing high of 14308.37 on April 29.
- Up 16.03% from its 2011 closing low of 11299.07 on October 3.
- Month-to-date: up 1.36%.
- Year-to-date: down 0.16%, or approximately $222 billion in market cap.
Data courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes.
