The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 14.61 points to close at 13.060.14 Thursday, putting the finishing touches on its worst one-week performance of 2012.
The Nasdaq composite managed to gain 12.41 points to end at 3,080.50 while the S&P 500 trimmed 0.88 points to finish at 1,398.08.
While Wall Street anxiously awaits Friday’s key March jobs report, investors got a little preview of what to expect when the Labor Department reported weekly unemployment claims fell by 6,000 claims last week to a seasonally adjusted total of 357,000.
Meanwhile, consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that the number of planned layoffs at U.S. companies plunged 26.8% in March to 37,880 – way down from 51,728 in February.
Here are some more details from Thursday’s trading session:
Dow Jones Industrial Average:
- This week: DJIA, down 151.90 points or 1.15%
- Worst week since the week period ending December 16, 2011.
- Down two of the past three weeks.
- Today: DJIA, down 14.61 points, or 0.11%
- Down three consecutive trading days.
- Down 204.35 points, or 1.54%, over the three-day trading period.
- Largest three-day points and percentage decline since March 06, 2012.
- Lowest closing value since March 22, 2012.
- An intraday high of 13088.11 occurred at 11:16:58 today, representing an increase of 13.36 points, or 0.10%.
- An intraday low of 13012.46 occurred at 09:36:15 today, representing a decrease of 62.29 points, or 0.48%.
- Eleven of the 30 component stocks rose, 19 fell.
- Today's top five contributors to The Dow's movement and their point contribution: MCD (8.63), HD (5.83), AXP (5.52), WMT (3.10), MSFT (2.35).
- Today's bottom five laggards: CVX (-6.43), IBM (-4.39), MMM (-4.31), CAT (-2.95), TRV (-2.57).
- Down 7.80% from its record close of 14164.53 on October 09, 2007.
- Up 99.48% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.
- Up 5.24% from 52 weeks ago.
- Up 5.67% from its 2012 closing low of 12359.92 on January 06, 2012.
- Off 1.54% from its 52 week high of 13264.49 on April 02, 2012.
- Up 22.57% from its 52 week low of 10655.30 on October 03, 2011.
- Month-to-date: down 1.15%.
- Year-to-date: up 6.90%.
- DJIA crossed zero 18 times during today's trading session.
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index:
- This week: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, 117.56 points, or 0.80%
- Worst week since the week period ending December 16, 2011.
- Down two of the past three weeks.
- Today: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, down 13.43 points, or 0.09%, or approximately $12.5 billion in market capitalization.
- Down three consecutive trading days.
- Down 230.25 points, or 1.56%, over the three-day trading period.
- Largest three-day points and percentage decline since March 06, 2012.
- Down six of the past eight trading days.
- Lowest closing value since March 22, 2012.
- Down 7.85% (approximately $2.3 trillion in market cap), from its record close of 15745.39 on October 09, 2007.
- Up 113.38% (approximately $8.9 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.
- Up 3.71% from 52 weeks ago.
- Up 9.87% from its 2012 closing low of 13206.64 on January 04, 2012.
- Down 1.56% from its 52-week high of 14740.15 on April 02, 2012.
- Up 28.42% from its 52-week low of 11299.07 on October 03, 2011.
- Month-to-date: down 0.80%, or approximately $146 billion in market cap.
- Year-to-date: up 11.45%, or approximately $1.7 trillion in market cap.
Data courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes.
