witness23
Veteran Expediter
Link: US Stocks Climb; DJIA Closes Above 12000 - MarketWatch
By Kristina Peterson NEW YORK
Feb. 1, 2011, 4:26 p.m. EST
(MarketWatch) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 12000 level for the first time in 2 1/2 years on Tuesday, as bellwether earnings and encouraging manufacturing data overshadowed the unease rippling through the Middle East.
On the first day of February trading, the Dow rose 148.23 points, or 1.25%, to 12040.16, its highest close since June 19, 2008, also the last time it closed above the 12000 level. Tuesday marked the Dow's biggest point and percentage gain since Dec. 1, 2010.
Boosting the measure, Pfizer rose $1.00, or 5.5%, to 19.22, after the drug company's fourth-quarter profit more than tripled from a year earlier, though the company gave a cautious outlook for the coming two years. Pfizer also said it would significantly reduce research spending and shift billions of dollars to buying back stock.
The Nasdaq Composite surged 51.11, or 1.89% to 2751.19. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index climbed 21.47, or 1.67% to 1307.59, its highest close since June 25, 2008. The S&P 500 had not closed above the 1300 level since Aug. 28, 2008.
The market's climb this week erased the selloff that came Friday as the political unrest in Egypt intensified. Earnings and brightening manufacturing data captured the spotlight on Tuesday, overshadowing the turmoil in the Middle East, even as protests and signs of change spread to Jordan and Yemen.
"You see signs of economic strength and recovery balanced against a Middle East story that's unfolding," said Karl Mills, chief investment officer at Jurika Mills & Kiefer. The market may be underestimating the potential consequences of the mounting strains to Egypt's economy, he said. Still, "we think the markets will continue to grind higher unless the situation really deteriorates," he said.
After surging recently on worries over the Suez Canal, crude-oil prices cooled Tuesday, settling below $91 a barrel.
Powering Tuesday's triple-digit climb, the Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity rose to 60.8 in January, its highest level since May 2004, topping economists' expectations. The key manufacturing data overshadowed an unexpected 2.5% drop in construction spending in December.
Demand for U.S. Treasurys fell, pushing yield on the 10-year note up to 3.44%. The dollar weakened against both the euro and the yen, and the U.S. Dollar Index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of currencies, sank 1%. The euro was trading recently at $1.3831, up from $1.3694 late Monday in New York.
In corporate news, United Parcel Service, a package delivery company seen as a bellwether for the economy, climbed 2.97, or 4.2%, to 74.59, after its fourth-quarter profit jumped 48% as revenue and margins surged and the company forecast record full-year earnings. UPS also boosted its buyback program and flagged further expansion in emerging markets.
Archer Daniels Midland surged 2.03, or 6.2%, to 34.70, after its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 29% as the grain-processing company saw improved demand and pricing for agricultural commodities. Both earnings and revenue topped Street forecasts.
In takeover activity, Citigroup rose 8 cents, or 1.7%, to 4.90, after seizing control of EMI Group from beleaguered financier Guy Hands, acquiring 100% of the share capital and ending a long-running saga triggered by Hands' 2007 buyout of the U.K. music group through his private-equity firm Terra Firma, financed with debt from Citigroup.
U.S.-listed shares of Baidu rallied 10.10, or 9.3%, to 118.73, after the Chinese Internet-search firm's fourth-quarter net profit more than doubled as the company has eaten away at Google's share of the Chinese search market and boosted revenue with a new keyword advertising system.
Shares of Gap added 25 cents, or 1.3%, to 19.52, after the apparel retailer said Marka Hansen, president of Gap's namesake North American division, is leaving the company this week following a choppy sales year and disappointing holiday season.
Tupperware Brands surged 6.85, or 15%, to 52.60, after the company reported fourth-quarter sales at the top end of its forecast range and issued upbeat guidance for the year.
By Kristina Peterson NEW YORK
Feb. 1, 2011, 4:26 p.m. EST
(MarketWatch) -- The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above the 12000 level for the first time in 2 1/2 years on Tuesday, as bellwether earnings and encouraging manufacturing data overshadowed the unease rippling through the Middle East.
On the first day of February trading, the Dow rose 148.23 points, or 1.25%, to 12040.16, its highest close since June 19, 2008, also the last time it closed above the 12000 level. Tuesday marked the Dow's biggest point and percentage gain since Dec. 1, 2010.
Boosting the measure, Pfizer rose $1.00, or 5.5%, to 19.22, after the drug company's fourth-quarter profit more than tripled from a year earlier, though the company gave a cautious outlook for the coming two years. Pfizer also said it would significantly reduce research spending and shift billions of dollars to buying back stock.
The Nasdaq Composite surged 51.11, or 1.89% to 2751.19. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index climbed 21.47, or 1.67% to 1307.59, its highest close since June 25, 2008. The S&P 500 had not closed above the 1300 level since Aug. 28, 2008.
The market's climb this week erased the selloff that came Friday as the political unrest in Egypt intensified. Earnings and brightening manufacturing data captured the spotlight on Tuesday, overshadowing the turmoil in the Middle East, even as protests and signs of change spread to Jordan and Yemen.
"You see signs of economic strength and recovery balanced against a Middle East story that's unfolding," said Karl Mills, chief investment officer at Jurika Mills & Kiefer. The market may be underestimating the potential consequences of the mounting strains to Egypt's economy, he said. Still, "we think the markets will continue to grind higher unless the situation really deteriorates," he said.
After surging recently on worries over the Suez Canal, crude-oil prices cooled Tuesday, settling below $91 a barrel.
Powering Tuesday's triple-digit climb, the Institute for Supply Management's index of manufacturing activity rose to 60.8 in January, its highest level since May 2004, topping economists' expectations. The key manufacturing data overshadowed an unexpected 2.5% drop in construction spending in December.
Demand for U.S. Treasurys fell, pushing yield on the 10-year note up to 3.44%. The dollar weakened against both the euro and the yen, and the U.S. Dollar Index, which tracks the dollar against a basket of currencies, sank 1%. The euro was trading recently at $1.3831, up from $1.3694 late Monday in New York.
In corporate news, United Parcel Service, a package delivery company seen as a bellwether for the economy, climbed 2.97, or 4.2%, to 74.59, after its fourth-quarter profit jumped 48% as revenue and margins surged and the company forecast record full-year earnings. UPS also boosted its buyback program and flagged further expansion in emerging markets.
Archer Daniels Midland surged 2.03, or 6.2%, to 34.70, after its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 29% as the grain-processing company saw improved demand and pricing for agricultural commodities. Both earnings and revenue topped Street forecasts.
In takeover activity, Citigroup rose 8 cents, or 1.7%, to 4.90, after seizing control of EMI Group from beleaguered financier Guy Hands, acquiring 100% of the share capital and ending a long-running saga triggered by Hands' 2007 buyout of the U.K. music group through his private-equity firm Terra Firma, financed with debt from Citigroup.
U.S.-listed shares of Baidu rallied 10.10, or 9.3%, to 118.73, after the Chinese Internet-search firm's fourth-quarter net profit more than doubled as the company has eaten away at Google's share of the Chinese search market and boosted revenue with a new keyword advertising system.
Shares of Gap added 25 cents, or 1.3%, to 19.52, after the apparel retailer said Marka Hansen, president of Gap's namesake North American division, is leaving the company this week following a choppy sales year and disappointing holiday season.
Tupperware Brands surged 6.85, or 15%, to 52.60, after the company reported fourth-quarter sales at the top end of its forecast range and issued upbeat guidance for the year.