U.S. Stocks Continue to Make History
U.S. stocks continued to march higher, with all three major market indexes touching fresh record highs. Itmarks the first time since 2000 in which the Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq all touched a record high within the first six sessions of the year, as well as the first time ever that they have notched all-time highs in each of the first six sessions. This monumental day was guided by a rally in healthcare stocks, with Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) pacing the blue chips, and a relatively well-received round of holiday retail sales. Bank stocks also gained ground ahead of the start of earnings season. Against this backdrop, the Dow surged triple digits, while the S&P and Nasdaq extended their winning streaks to six.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
3 surging healthcare stocks.2 white-hot oil stocks with cheap options.This rare SPY signal says stocks could cool off.Plus, the FAANG stock with room to run; 2 retailers making big moves; and a Delta earnings preview.The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 25,385.80) picked up 102.8 points, or 0.4%, after peaking at 25,439.78 in intraday trading. Boeing (BA) led the 16 Dow winners with a 2.7% gain, and Intel (INTC) paced the losers with a 2.5% loss.
The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 2,751.29) added 3.6 points, or 0.1%, for the day, while the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC - 7,163.58) picked up 6.2 points, or 0.1%. The SPX topped out at 2,759.14 earlier, while the IXIC peaked at 7,181.14.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX - 10.08) closed up 0.6 point, or 5.9%, for its first close above 10 in 2018.
5 Items on Our Radar Today
North and South Korea met today for their first discussion in two years. The formal talks resulted in North Korea's admission into the Winter Olympics, to be held in Pyeongchang, but the conversation reportedly went south when South Korea proposed the North end its nuclear weapons programs. (Bloomberg)Toyota is in headlines once again, after announcing that it will be working with Amazon to includeAlexa in select cars. The voice assistant willbe put into certain Lexus and Toyota models over the next two years, Toyota said at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). (CNBC)Analyst: This FAANG stock is "still in the early innings of its share-gain potential."2 retail stocks making big moves on surprising holiday sales.Options bears, shorts pile on Delta stock ahead of earnings.
Data courtesy of Trade-Alert
Crude Sees Fresh Highs, Gold Takes a Two-Session Loss
Crude finished the session at its highest price since December 2014, after the Energy Information Administration (EIA) upped its 2018 forecast for oil prices. February-dated oil settled up $1.23, or 2%, at $62.96 per barrel.
February-dated gold ended the day lower for the second session in a row, after the U.S. dollar gained ground. Gold futures ended the day down $6.70, or 0.5%, to settle at $1,313,70 per ounce.