Wall Street ends at record in second straight weekly gain

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday, with both the Dow and S&P 500 closing at records in a broad rally, though trading was light with many market participants still out for the Christmas holiday.

Major indexes closed out their second straight weekly gain, continuing an advance that has lifted the S&P 5.9 percent in seven sessions. The benchmark index hit its 52nd record close of the year on Friday, the most since 1995 and the fourth-best annual record ever, while the Dow rose for a seventh straight day, its longest streak since March 2013.

"The overall trend remains higher, but we're reaching a point where we're overbought. Six percent since last Tuesday is such a strong move in such a short period of time, even if bulls have the upper hand in the longer term," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of Sarhan Capital in New York.

Recent gains have come on strong economic data, including a bullish read on economic growth earlier this week, as well as accommodative measures from central banks.

The day's gains were broad, with eight of the S&P 500's 10 primary sectors ending up on the day and no sector ending more than 0.1 percent lower. The utility sector was the day's strongest, up 1.2 percent, while healthcare rose 0.8 percent.

Healthcare stocks were boosted by biotechs, which jumped 2.3 percent. While the Nasdaq biotech index was one of the day's strongest sectors, it fell 3.2 percent in a week marked by heavy volatility. Celgene Corp rose 3.4 percent to $113.35 as the S&P 500's biggest percentage gainer, followed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, up 3.3 percent to $413.48.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 23.5 points, or 0.13 percent, to 18,053.71, the S&P 500 gained 6.89 points, or 0.33 percent, to 2,088.77 and the Nasdaq Composite added 33.39 points, or 0.7 percent, to 4,806.86.

For the week, the Dow rose 1.4 percent, the S&P rose 0.9 percent and the Nasdaq rose 0.9 percent. It was the ninth positive week in the past ten for the Dow and S&P.

The S&P Retail index rose 0.5 percent in the first trading session after Christmas. Among notable names, Best Buy Co rose 0.6 percent to $39.14 while Macy's Inc dipped 0.3 percent to $64.05. Amazon.com Inc rose 2 percent to $309.18.

"Things are looking positive since the shopping season coincided with a big drop in crude oil, which means lower gas prices," Sarhan said. "That translates to more disposable income, which could mean stronger retail sales."

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 2,032 to 1,011, for a 2.01-to-1 ratio on the upside; on the Nasdaq, 1,792 issues rose and 934 fell for a 1.92-to-1 ratio favoring advancers.

The benchmark S&P 500 index was posting 70 new 52-week highs and 5 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite was recording 133 new highs and 28 new lows.

About 3.06 billion shares traded on all U.S. platforms, according to BATS exchange data, compared with the month-to-date average of 7.39 billion.

source: interaksyon.com

S&P 500 ends above 1,800 for first time

NEW YORK - Stocks rose on Friday, with the S&P 500 closing above 1,800 for the first time and healthcare names leading the way higher.

The Dow industrials ended at another record high above 16,000.

Both the Dow and the S&P 500 recorded their seventh straight week of gains in what has been a very strong year for stocks. The seven-week advance comes just ahead of December, which since 1950 has been the best month for both the Dow and the S&P.

"We're advising our clients to take this ride until the end of the year," said Drew Nordlicht, managing director and partner at Hightower San Diego.

The Nasdaq Biotech Index jumped 3 percent, driven by a surge in Biogen Idec.

Shares of Biogen shot up 13.2 percent on heavy volume to $285.62 after the company won 10 years of exclusivity protection for its multiple sclerosis drug, Tecfidera, from regulators in Europe.

"Healthcare is the place to be. It's a hot area. People want stocks in healthcare, industrials and consumer discretionary. That's where tactical investors have been focused, and that's where the money has been flowing," said Michael Matousek, head trader at U.S. Global Investors Inc, in San Antonio, Texas.

European regulators also recommended approval of a new drug for hepatitis C from Gilead Sciences, which pushed its shares up 3.7 percent to $74.27.

The S&P 500 healthcare sector index has gained 37.5 percent so far in 2013, making it the S&P 500's best-performing sector this year.

Such moves give investors who have enjoyed some of the 26.5 percent surge in the S&P 500 this year an opportunity to reduce their positions ahead of an eventual market correction.

The CBOE Volatility Index fell 3.2 percent to close at 12.86.

With volatility low and the price of options cheap, "you can lighten your stock position, but replace it with a derivative. This way, if the market were to tank, you would lose a lot less on the derivative than you would lose on the stock," Matousek said.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 54.78 points, or 0.34 percent, to end at a record 16,064.77. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 8.91 points, or 0.50 percent, to finish at 1,804.76. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 22.50 points, or 0.57 percent, to close at 3,991.65.

Dennis Lockhart, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said on CNBC that reducing the pace of the central bank's bond-buying program will be on the table at its December policy meeting. He added that monetary policy is likely to be very accommodative for some time.

"In the meantime, $85 billion a month keeps swirling into investor hands, and some of that finds its way out into the financial markets, including the stock market," said Fred Dickson, chief market strategist at D.A. Davidson & Co., in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Intel fell 5.4 percent to $23.87 and was the biggest drag on the S&P 500 after analysts questioned whether the chipmaker can get higher-margin chips into tablets and smartphones, which are eroding sales of traditional PCs.

source: interaksyon.com