Dow stocks hitting 52 week highs include Disney (DIS) and Nike (NKE). There are no Dow stock 52 week lows.

The Market

Premarket today, the Dow was indicated to open up +21 points.

Thursday the Dow was up 85.73 (+0.29%) at 29,969.52.

Year-to-date the Dow is up +5.01%.

There were 17 Dow stocks up Thursday.

The Dow stock winners Thursday were led by Walgreens (WBA) 42.82 (+7.48%), Boeing (BA) 237.20 (+5.96%) and Intel (INTC) 50.99 (+2.18%).

The Dow stock losers Thursday were led by Home Depot (HD) 268.14 (-1.09%), Visa (V) 208.05 (-1.01%) and Goldman Sachs (GS) 235.47 (-0.92%).

Todays Jobs Report said the U.S. economy added 245,000 jobs in November, as the unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent from 6.9%. Economists had predicted the economy would gain around 440,000 jobs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have resumed Covid-19 stimulus negotiations in an attempt to break a months long logjam (like 8 months). McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday he sees “hopeful signs” for reaching a relief agreement before the end of the year. Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday backed a bipartisan $908 billion stimulus package, while McConnell released his own roughly $500 billion plan. President-elect Joe Biden endorsed the bipartisan bill, calling it “a good start”.

Shares of Pfizer (PFE) were under pressure again Friday, one day after The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. drug maker expects to ship half of the Covid-19 vaccine it had planned for 2020 due to some early batches of raw materials failing to meet its standards.

The U.S. on Thursday logged a second record day of coronavirus deaths over 2,800 and the worst single day of new cases of 217,664. The 179,473 seven-day average of new daily cases was also a record. As of Thursday, 100,667 people were hospitalized with Covid-19, the highest of the pandemic.

European stocks are mostly higher and Asian markets ended mostly higher.

The national average price of gasoline is unchanged at $2.164 per gallon.

Earnings Reports

There are no Dow stocks set to report earnings in the near term.

Today’s Featured Dow Stock

Merck (MRK)

Merck (MRK) 81.45 (-0.46%) is down -10.45% year-to-date. Merck (MRK) YTD low was 65.25 on 3/23/2020. Merck has provided a +24.83% gain off the YTD low.

Financial Calendar

8:30 AM ET Jobs Report

8:30 AM ET International Trade in Goods and Services

10:00 AM ET Factory Orders

1:00 PM ET Baker Hughes Rig Count