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Tag: stock market prices

Stock Market Today: Will the Dow Keep Going Above 14,000? – Money Morning

The stock market today (Friday) hit a high not seen in more than five years when the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed 14,000 for the first time since October 2007.

Less than an hour into trading the Dow spiked 140 points, or 1%, to hit 14,000.97. In mid-afternoon trading, the Dow rallied further, tacking on 150 points. The move leaves the Dow around 200 points, or 2%, from its all-time high of 14,198.10.

Friday’s strong showing came on the heels of the Dow’s strongest January (up 5.8%) since 1994.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which logged its best January since 1997, added 15 points, or just shy of 1%. The Nasdaq advanced 40.

The robust rally followed a lackluster report on the job market which gave “strength to the argument that the Fed will continue its bond buying program and keep rates low, which is also a positive for the stock market,” Tom Schrader, managing director at Stifel Nicolaus told CNN Money.

That sentiment also gave bonds and precious metals a boost. Gold prices moved up $7 to $1,670. Silver added 37 cents to $31.94

A bevy of reports helped buoy markets Friday.

A Census Bureau report showed construction rose 0.9% in December, well above forecasts. The Institute for Supply Management’s monthly manufacturing index rose to 53.1 in January, ahead of the expected 50.5 read, and the University of Michigan’s sentiment index climbed to 73.8 last month, better than the expected 71.4.

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Is the Obama Stock Market Rally the Real Deal? Money Morning

At first glance, there can be no doubt that U.S. President Barack Obama has been good for the stock market.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has rallied by nearly 700 points – just shy of 86% – since the president’s first Inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009.

This is the best stock market performance for a presidential first term since World War II, even beating the 79.2% rally during President Bill Clinton’s first term in the White House, from January 1993 to January 1997.

In fact, the only time stocks rallied more during a presidential first term was during Franklin Roosevelt’s first term from March 4, 1933, to Jan. 20, 1937, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 245% off of Depression-era lows.

In a very broad sense, the condition of the stock market at the start of President Obama’s first term in 2009 can be compared to the stock market in 1933. In both cases, stock prices had collapsed and were trading at generational lows when both presidents took office. In both cases, share prices rallied substantially off of the bottom as economic conditions improved.

But all this really proves is that the first leg of any rally is usually the strongest and most profitable.

As the S&P 500 is at a five-year high and is zeroing in on the 1,500 level for the third time in its history, one has to wonder if the Obama Rally is sustainable or are we just reverting to the mean?

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