Stocks wrapped up 2011 on a down note Friday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average shaved off 69.48 points to finish the year at 12,217.56. For the year, all the major indices finished basically where they began last January.
The Nasdaq trimmed 8.59 points to close at 2,605.15 while the S&P 500 trimmed 5.42 points to end at 1,257.60.
After one of the most volatile and unpredictable years on Wall Street in recent memory, very little changed once the dust settled.
The Dow finished up 5.5% for the year while the S&P was essentially flat – losing just 0.04 point – and the tech-laden Nasdaq dipped 1.8% when all was said and done in 2011.
Here are some more details from Friday’s trading session:
Dow Jones Industrial Average:
Up 640.05 points, or 5.53%, in 2011.
Up for the third consecutive year.
Up 39.21%, over the three-year period.
Up 1304.18 points, or 11.95% in the 4th quarter.
Up nine of the last 11 quarters.
Biggest quarter points gain since the 4th quarter 1998, when it rose 1338.81.
Biggest quarterly percentage gain since the third quarter 2009, when it rose 14.98%.
Best 4th quarter percentage performance in eight years, since 2003 when it gained 12.71%.
The DJIA has gained in 27 of the last 32 --- 4th quarters.
In its history, the DJIA’s has averaged a gain of 2.72% in the 4th quarter, compared with 1.49%, 1.67% and 1.61%, in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter, respectively.
Up 171.88 points, or 1.43%, in December.
Up three consecutive months.
Third up December in a row.
This week: DJIA, down 76.44 points, or 0.62%.
Down two of the last three weeks.
Today: DJIA, down 69.48 points, or 0.57%.
Down three of the last four trading days.
An intraday high of 12290.06 today, up 3.02 points, or 0.02%.
An intraday low of 12213.78 today, down 73.26 points, or 0.60%.
Seven of the 30 component stocks rose, 23 fell.
Today's top five contributors to the Dow's movement and their point contribution: HPQ (1.06), BAC (0.76), T (0.53), VZ (0.53), HD (0.23).
Today's bottom five laggards: IBM (-17.41), CVX (-8.10), BA (-5.75), UTX (-5.52), XOM (-3.86).
Down 1946.97 points, or 13.75% from its record close of 14164.53 on October 9, 2007.
Up 86.61% from its 12-year closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, 2009.
Down 4.63% from its 2011 closing high of 12810.54 on April 29.
Up 14.66% from its 2011 closing low of 10655.30 on October 3.
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index:
Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, 13019.33 (prelim),
Down 112.14 points, or 0.85% in 2011, or $330 billion in market capitalization.
Snaps a two-year win streak.
Up 1342.83 points, or 11.50%, in the 4th quarter.
Biggest quarterly points and percentage gain since the third quarter of 2009, when it rose 1469.94 points, or 15.73%.
Gained in 18 of the last 22 4th quarters.
Up 84.52 points, or 0.65%, in December.
Up two of the last three months.
This week: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, down 83.90 points, or 0.64%.
Fell two of the last three weeks.
Today: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index, down 53.83 points, or 0.41%, or approximately $61.9 billion in market capitalization.
Down two of the last three trading sessions.
Down 2726.06 points, or 17.31% (approximately $4.0 trillion in market cap), from its record close of 15745.39 on October 9, 2007.
Up 91.46% (approximately $7.2 trillion in market cap), from the 12-½ year closing low of 6800.08 on March 9, 2009.
Down 9.01% from its 2011 closing high of 14308.37 on April 29.
Up 15.22% from its 2011 closing low of 11299.07 on October 3.
Data courtesy of Dow Jones Indexes.
