February 21, 2017: Markets opened higher Tuesday following a mixed Friday close. Solid earnings reports from Macy’s, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart all gave the pre-market session a boost. All 11 S&P sectors traded higher with less than an hour to go before the closing bell led by real estate and utilities. WTI crude oil for April delivery settled at $54.33 a barrel, up 1% on the day. April gold dropped just 20 cents on the day to settle at $1,238.90. Equities were headed for a higher close shortly before the bell as the DJIA traded up 0.60% for the day, the S&P 500 traded up 0.62%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.41%.

The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Tuesday was Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) which traded up 3.16% at $71.57. The stock’s 52-week range is $62.72 to $75.19. Volume was more than double the daily average of around 8.5 million shares. The company reported solid profits this morning

UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) traded up 1.92% at $160.64. The stock’s 52-week range is $117.83 to $164.97. Volume was roughly equal to the daily average of around 3.8 million shares. The company had no specific news Tuesday.

The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) traded up 1.73% at $175.70. The stock’s 52-week range is $112.51 to $176.17, and the high was posted this morning. Volume was about equal to the daily average of around 3.3 million shares. The company had no specific news.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) traded up 1.13% at $34.12. The stock’s 52-week range is $25.65 to $34.21, and the high was posted this afternoon. Volume was about 10% below the daily average of around 22 million shares. The company had no specific news.

Of the Dow 30 stocks, 23 are on track to close higher Tuesday and 7 are set to close lower.

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