May 22, 2014: Markets opened mixed on Thursday but the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 soon pulled higher and traded up the rest of the day. The DJIA wobbled a bit before gaining about 0.1%, but that was the best it could do for the day. The report on jobless claims this morning was worse than expected, and sales of existing homes posted their first monthly gain for the year to date. Shortly before the closing bell the DJIA traded up 0.09%, the S&P 500 was up 0.26%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.61%.
The leading DJIA stock today was The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) which traded up 0.82% at $132.02 just before the closing bell. A report from the federal agency investigating fires in the 787’s lithium-ion battery packs put the blame on the FAA, not Boeing. The stock’s 52-week range is $96.31 to $144.57. Volume is about 25% below the daily average of 4 million shares.
The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) traded higher by 0.95% to trade at $78.83 in a 52-week range of $72.21 to $83.20. The home improvement company had no news today, but was one of the best performers among the blue chippers. Share volume was around 10% higher than the daily average of about 7 million shares.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) traded up 0.89% at $78.41 in a 52-week range of $60.95 to $83.32. Volume was about 35% below the daily average of around 4.8 million shares. Like Home Depot, there was no news on the stock today.
Nike Inc. (NYSE:) traded up 0.81% at $74.79 today in a 52-week range of $59.11 to $80.26. Share volume was about 25% below the daily average of around 3.8 million shares traded. The athletic gear maker is in sponsorship talks with English Premier League soccer team Manchester United.
China’s online retailer JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ: JD) started trading today after selling some 93 million shares in its IPO. Shares are trading at around $21, 10% higher than the IPO price of $19, and about 80 million shares changed hands today.
Of the Dow 30 stocks 15 looked to close higher today while 13 were on their way to a lower finish.
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