August 14, 2018: Markets opened higher again Tuesday and, unlike Monday, the three major indexes were able to hold on and even add to the gains they started with. Concern over Turkey’s currency woes subsided and investors chose to focus on good earnings news from Home Depot and Tapestry, the parent company of the Coach and Kate Spade brands. All 11 S&P sectors are headed for a positive close with telecom and consumer discretionary stocks the leading gainers.
WTI crude oil for September delivery settled at $67.04 a barrel, down 0.2% for the day. December gold added 0.2% to settle at $1,200.70. Equities were heading for a lower close about 10 minutes before the bell as the Dow traded up 0.44% for the day, the S&P 500 traded up 0.66%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.66%.
Bitcoin futures (XBTQ8) for August delivery traded at $6,085, down about 2.4% on the CBOE after opening at $6,219.47 this morning. The trading range today was $5,855 to $6,275.
The Dow stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Tuesday was Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA) which traded up 3.01% at $68.48. The stock’s 52-week range is $59.07 to $83.89. Volume was about a third below the daily average of around 7.5 million shares.
DowDuPont Inc. (NYSE: DWDP) traded up 1.60% at $67.65. The stock’s 52-week range is $61.27 to $77.08. Volume was about a third below the daily average of around 7.5 million.
McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) traded up 1.54% at $160.58 in a 52-week range of $146.84 to $178.70. Volume was about 30% below the daily average of around 2.9 million shares.
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) traded up 1.42% at $90.92. The 52-range on the stock is $77.50 to $109.98. Volume of around 4.7 million was about 40% below the daily average. The company reports quarterly earnings Thursday before the markets open.
Of the Dow stocks, 21 were set to close higher Tuesday and 9 were on track to close lower.
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