January 4, 2017: Markets opened higher again Wednesday on top of some very late buying on Tuesday afternoon. Likely another extension of the Trump rally and perhaps even on very good reports on new car unit sales. Consumer discretionary and materials were leading sectors in Wednesday’s trading, while energy and telecom lagged. WTI crude oil for February delivery settled at $53.26 a barrel, up about 1.8% on the day. February gold added less than 0.1% on the day to settle at $1,165.30. Equities were headed for a higher close shortly before the bell as the DJIA traded up 0.34% for the day, the S&P 500 traded 0.62%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.94%.
The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Wednesday was Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) which traded up 2.26% at $53.15. The stock’s 52-week range is $49.01 to $65.44. Volume was about 20% above the daily average of around 9.1 million shares. The athletic gear maker had no specific news.
American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) traded up 1.81% at $76.39. The stock’s 52-week range is $50.27 to $76.55, a new 52-week high set this afternoon. Volume was about 20% below the daily average of around 4.7 million shares. The company traded ex-dividend Wednesday.
International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) traded up 1.59% at $169.84. The stock’s 52-week range is $116.90 to $169.95. Volume was about 35% below the daily average of around 3.6 million shares. The company had no specific news.
The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) traded up 1.22% at $107.37. The stock’s 52-week range is $86.25 to $107.41, and the high was posted this afternoon. Volume was about 25% below the daily average of around 8.1 million shares. The company was upgraded to a Top Pick with a $120 price target at Evercore.
Of the Dow 30 stocks, 16 are on track to close higher Wednesday and 14 are set to close lower.
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