October 17, 2014: Markets opened higher on Friday leapt out of the starting gate at the bell this morning and maintained a brisk pace throughout the day. Comments from central bankers in the eurozone and the U.K. stoked the belief that policy rates would be held where they are for some time to come. Shortly before the closing bell the DJIA traded up 1.63% for the day, the S&P 500 traded up 1.37%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 1.08%.

The Dow 30 stock posting the largest daily gain ahead of the close today was American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) which traded up 2.94% at $82.59. The stock’s 52-week range is $78.41 to $96.24. The credit card company reported better-than-expected earnings on Wednesday, but missed on revenues. And yesterday was not a day that offered any forgiveness. The company’s volume was about 80% above the daily average of around 4.2 million shares.

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) traded up 2.72% at $83.96. The stock’s 52-week range is $65.59 to $91.20. Trading volume was about 70% higher than the daily average of around 6.3 million shares. The company had no news today.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) traded up 2.56% at $43.84 in a 52-week range of $33.57 to $47.57. Volume was about equal to the daily average of around 34.7 million shares. The company had no specific news today.

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) traded higher by 2.49% at $24.85. The stock’s 52-week range is $23.69 to $28.09. Volume was about 50% higher than the daily average of around 15 million shares. The company reported solid earnings and a record backlog this morning.

All 30 of the DJIA index stocks are headed to a higher close today.

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