December 21, 2016: Markets opened mixed Wednesday and the consensus opinion seems to be that traders are pausing to think about whether they really want the DJIA to top 20,000. It’s really just a matter of time so if you haven’t already done so, get an office pool going. Leading sectors included energy and materials; laggards were healthcare and real estate. WTI crude oil for February delivery settled at $52.49 a barrel, down about 1.5% on the day. February gold dropped less than 0.1% on the day to settle at $1,133.20. Equities were headed for a lower close shortly before the bell as the DJIA traded down 0.08% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.19%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.17%.
The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage loss ahead of the close Wednesday was Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE: MRK) which traded down 1.66% at $59.49. The stock’s 52-week range is $47.97 to $65.46. Volume was about 10% below the daily average of around 10.8 million shares. The company had no specific news Wednesday.
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) traded down 1.30% at $32.42. The stock’s 52-week range is $28.25 to $37.39. Volume was about 40% below the daily average of around 26.5 million shares. The company had no specific news.
The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) traded down 0.63% at $241.57. The stock’s 52-week range is $138.20 to $245.57. Volume was about 30% below the daily average of around 3.9 million shares. The bank was fined $120 million by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission for manipulating interest rate products from 2007 to 2012.
Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) traded down 0.52% at $37.01. The stock’s 52-week range is $27.68 to $38.36. Volume was about 55% below the daily average of around 21.5 million shares. The semiconductor giant had no specific news.
Of the Dow 30 stocks, 9 are on track to close higher Wednesday and 22 are set to close lower.
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With An Advisor Now (Sponsored)
Are you ready for retirement? Planning for retirement can be overwhelming, that’s why it could be a good idea to speak to a fiduciary financial advisor about your goals today.
Start by taking this retirement quiz right here from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes. Smart Asset is now matching over 50,000 people a month.
Click here now to get started.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
