April 21, 2015: Markets opened higher again on Tuesday but the cyclical stocks among the blue chips couldn’t hold onto the gains. Only the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite has traded above the break-even line for the whole day. Shortly before the closing bell the DJIA traded down 0.48% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.15%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.41%.
The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Tuesday was The Travelers Companies Inc. (NYSE: TRV) which traded down 4.11% at $101.78. The stock’s 52-week range is $86.01 to $110.49. Trading volume was about 3-times the daily average of around 2 million shares. The insurance giant missed sales estimates when it reported earnings this morning.
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE: DD) traded down 3.08% at $70.60. The stock’s 52-week range is $63.70 to $80.65. Trading volume was about 35% above the daily average of around 4.9 million shares. The company reported first quarter results that were okay, but the strong dollar is taking a toll on profits.
McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) traded down 1.63% at $94.61. The stock’s 52-week range is $87.62 to $103.78. Trading volume was about 35% below the daily average of around 7.4 million shares. The company reports first quarter results before markets open on Wednesday, and investors are wary of bad news.
General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) traded lower by 1.61% at $26.58. The stock’s 52-week range is $23.41 to $28.68. Trading volume was about 50% above the daily average of around 45.5 million shares. The company had no specific news today
Of the Dow 30 stocks 18 are set to close lower today and 12 are on track to close higher.
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