April 9, 2014: Markets opened higher on Wednesday and then got a jolt higher following the afternoon release of the FOMC’s last meeting minutes. The minutes indicated to many investors and traders that the Fed’s first rate increase remains well in the future. This is not just another dead cat bounce. Just ahead of the close of trading today the DJIA was up 1.08%, the S&P 500 was up 1.04%, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 1.65%.

The Dow 30’s most heavily weighted stock, Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) gained 2.33% today, to trade at $207.34 in a 52-week range of $161.27 to $235.50. Share volume was about 25% below the daily average of around 3.6 million shares traded. There was no news on the company, and it didn’t post the largest gain among the DJIA stocks today, but its weight can’t help but move the index.

Financial services giant American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) traded up 2.46% at $88.65 in a 52-week range of $63.43 to $94.35. A story at MarketWatch noted that of the 23 U.S. banks subject to Fed stress testing, Amex and Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) were “the big winners.” Volume was about 40% below the daily average of around 4 million shares traded.

Drugmaker Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) led the Dow 30 gainers today. Shares traded at $57.08, up 3.71% in a 52-week range of $44.60 to $57.65. The company had no news today, and still posted an intra-day high less than $1 below its annual high. Volume was about equal to the daily average of nearly 13 million shares traded.

Among the momentum stocks, S&P 500 component Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) added 6.72% and traded at $62.12 in a 52-week range of $22.67 to $72.59. Volume was about 50% higher than the daily average of around 63 million shares traded. The catalyst for the jump is apparently down to COO Sheryl Sandberg’s statement that she is not leaving the company.

Of the Dow 30 stocks 26 closed higher today and just 4 closed lower.

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