General Electric, DowDuPont Lead DJIA Higher Thursday

January 4, 2018 by Paul Ausick

January 4, 2018: Markets opened higher again Thursday and the DJIA posted its first-ever reading above 25,000. About the only surprising thing was soon the Dow hit that level after reaching the 24,000 level. Energy was the day’s sector leader again while real estate and utilities lagged. WTI crude oil for February delivery settled at $62.01 a barrel, up 0.6% for the day and the highest close in three years after the EIA petroleum inventory report. February gold added 0.2% on the day to settle at $1,321.60 for a tenth consecutive winning session and the highest close in more than three months. Equities were headed for a higher close shortly before the bell as the DJIA traded up 0.64% for the day, the S&P 500 traded up 0.46%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.25%.

Bitcoin futures for January delivery traded at $15,120, up about 1% on the CME after opening at $14.925 this morning. Only 715 contracts had been traded in the session and open interest is just 611.

The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Thursday was General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) which traded up 2.31% at $18.57. The stock’s 52-week range is $17.25 to $31.77. Volume was about 10% below the daily average of around 80 million shares. The company had no specific news.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) traded up 2.20% at $161.97. The stock’s 52-week range is $139.13 to $182.79. Volume was about 20% above the daily average of around 5 million shares. The company had no specific news.

DowDuPont Inc. (NYSE: DWDP) traded up 2.05% at $74.55. The stock’s 52-week range is $56.76 to $74.74 and the high was posted today. Volume was about equal to the daily average of around 7.2 million. The company had no news.

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) traded up 1.90% at $57.21. The stock’s 52-week range is $53.63 to $66.80. Volume was about 5% below the daily average of around 11.8 million shares. The company had no news.

Of the Dow stocks, 22 are on track to close higher Thursday and 8 are set to close lower.

ALSO READ: Top Merrill Lynch Stock Picks for the First Quarter of 2018

Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now (Sponsored)

Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.

Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.

Click here now to get started.

Posted in Investing | Comments Off on General Electric, DowDuPont Lead DJIA Higher Thursday