Dow stocks hitting 52-week highs include Apple (AAPL) 2423.01 (+0.15%), Amazon (AMZN) 218.16 (+2.21%), Salesforce (CRM) 367.87 (+10.99%) and Walmart (WMT) 94.45 (+1.01%). There are no Dow stock 52-week lows.

The Market

Premarket today, the Dow was indicated to be down -35 points.

Wednesday the Dow closed up +308.51 (+0.69%) at 45,014.04.

Year-to-date the Dow is up +19.43%.

Wednesday, (14) Dow stocks were up, none made 52-week lows, and (4) made 52-week highs.

The Dow stock winners Wednesday were led by Amazon (AMZN) 213.44 (+1.30%), Apple (AAPL) 242.65 (+1.28%) and Merck (MRK) 101.85 (+1.23%).

The Dow stock losers Wednesday were led by Procter & Gamble (PG) 175.42 (-2.38%), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) 152.36 (-1.58%) and 3M (MMM) 131.15 (-1.31%).

The VIX closed Wednesday at 13.45 (+1.13%) and the 10 YR at 4.184 (+0.02%). The VIX is currently at 13.38 (+0.22%). The 10YR is at 4.210 (+0.65%).

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance unit, was fatally shot outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning. New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a full investigation is ongoing, but that “every indication is that this was a pre-meditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.” Thompson, 50, led UnitedHealthcare, the largest private health insurer in the U.S., and was on the way to UnitedHealth Group’s investor day at the Hilton, the NYPD said. The company canceled the event after the shooting.

The price of bitcoin surpassed the long-awaited $100,000 milestone for the first time Wednesday. The cryptocurrency hit a high of $103,844.05 and is up more than 140% in 2024 and up 48% since the election.

Initial filings for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time claims for the week ending Nov. 30 totaled 224,000, up 9,000 from the previous period and higher than the estimate for 215,000. Continuing claims, which run a week behind, edged lower after being mostly on the rise for the past two months. The new total is 1.87 million, a decrease of 25,000 and lower than the forecast for 1.91 million.

U.S. futures are lower, European stocks are mostly higher and Asian markets ended mostly higher.

The national average price of gasoline is down one-tenth of a cent at $3.032 per gallon.

Earnings Reports

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

Today’s Featured Dow Stock

Amgen (AMGN)

Amgen (AMGN) 278.25 (-0.02%) is down -3.39% in 2024.

Financial Calendar

05:00 AM ET OPEC Meeting
07:30 AM ET Challenger Job Cuts (Nov), 55.597K
07:30 AM ET Challenger Job Cuts (YoY), 50.9%
08:30 AM ET Continuing Jobless Claims, 1,910K, 1,907K
08:30 AM ET Exports (Oct), 267.90B
08:30 AM ET Imports (Oct), 352.30B
08:30 AM ET Initial Jobless Claims, 215K, 213K
08:30 AM ET Jobless Claims 4-Week Avg., 217.00K
08:30 AM ET Trade Balance (Oct), -75.70B, -84.40B
10:30 AM ET Natural Gas Storage, -2B
11:30 AM ET 4-Week Bill Auction, 4.550%
11:30 AM ET 8-Week Bill Auction, 4.500%
11:30 AM ET FOMC Member Barkin Speaks
16:30 PM ET Fed’s Balance Sheet, 6,905B
16:30 PM ET Reserve Balances with Federal Reserve Banks, 3.234T