NEW YORK —
The Dow rose to its highest close of the year, putting it within 1 percent of its record. Stocks gained after impressive results from two big consumer brands.
The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 47.46 to 14,018.70 Tuesday. That is 146 points from its record close of 14,164.53 set in October 2007. The Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 2.42 points to 1,519.43, also close to its record.
In a quiet day of trade, stocks were driven higher by beauty products maker Avon and luxury clothing and accessories company Michael Kors, whose results impressed investors. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity in the U.S.
Financial and home building stocks also lifted stocks, led by Bank of America and Masco Corp, which notched some of the day’s biggest gains.
The Dow has surged at the start of the year, logging its best January in almost two decades, after lawmakers reached a last-minute deal to avoid the “fiscal cliff” of sweeping tax increases and spending cuts. Investors are also becoming more optimistic that the housing market is recovering and that hiring is picking up.
The Dow has now advanced 7 percent this year, and the S&P 500 is up 6.6 percent.
The 30-member Dow has now closed above 14,000 twice this month. Before February, the index had closed above that level just nine times in its history. The first time was in July 2007; the rest were in October of that year.
Avon’s stock price jumped $3.51, or 20 percent, to $20.79 after the company posted a fourth-quarter loss that wasn’t as bad as analysts expected. The company also hopes to save $400 million by slashing costs. Michael Kors rose $5, or 9 percent, to $62 after reporting earnings that beat analysts’ predictions.
Bank of America was the biggest gainer on the Dow, adding 38 cents, or 3.25 percent, to $12.24. Stocks gaining in the index outnumbered those falling by a ratio of more than four to one.
Two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading was lighter than the recent average at 3.3 billion shares.
About 70 percent of companies in the S&P 500 have reported earnings for the fourth quarter. Analysts are projecting that earnings will rise 6.4 percent for the period, an improvement from the 2.4 percent growth reported in the third quarter, according to S&P Capital IQ.
Investors may have become too optimistic about the outlook for stocks, said Uri Landesman, president of hedge fund Platinum Partners.
“The market is priced for perfection,” said Landesman. “The odds of a disappointment are very, very high.”
Landesman predicts that the S&P 500 will climb past its record and rise as high as 1,600 by April before then slumping as low as 1,300 as company earnings start to disappoint investors. The record close for the S&P 500 is 1,565, reached in October 2007.
Investors appear to be supporting the market by stepping in to buy stocks when prices dip, said JJ Kinahan, chief derivatives strategist at TDAmeritrade. The S&P 500 has gained for six straight weeks since the start of the year.
Confidence in the outlook for global growth has strengthened among asset managers in recent months, according to a Bank of America Merrill Lynch survey. The poll found that 59 percent of investors believe that the global economy will strengthen in the year ahead, in line with the reading in January. The outlook for growth had improved in the four previous months.
Investors will be watching closely Tuesday night when President Barack Obama delivers his annual State of the Union speech. Obama is expected to focus on the economy, including job creation.
A decline in bond prices since the beginning of the year has also slowed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to its price, rose 2 basis points to 1.98 percent. The yield was 1.71 percent at the beginning of the year.
In other trading Tuesday, the Nasdaq composite was down 5.51 points at 3,186.49.
Among other stocks making big moves:
— Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverage company, fell $1.05, or 2.7 percent, to $37.56 after reporting fourth-quarter revenue that fell short of analysts’ forecasts.
— Masco jumped $2.22, or 13 percent, to $20.01 after the home improvement and building products company reported earnings that beat analysts’ expectations thanks to strong demand in North America.
— Dun & Bradstreet, a provider of credit and business data, fell $6.60, or 7.7 percent, to $78.68 after the company reported that a fourth-quarter profit that came in below market expectations.
Business
Dow closes at highest level of year, nears record
- Business
-
-
Stocks gain on reassurance from a top Fed official
Reassuring comments from a Federal Reserve official and better earnings from two big retailers helped push the stock market higher Tuesday.
-
Restaurant learns online reviews can make or break
It was the customer service disaster heard around the Internet.
-
Grocery chain pushes to shift venue of breach suit
A supermarket chain wants an Illinois lawsuit related to a security breach affecting up to 2.4 million credit and debit cards of its customers moved to a federal court.
-
JPMorgan’s Dimon survives shareholder referendum
Jamie Dimon, the CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase, easily survived a vote Tuesday that would have called on him to give up his role as chairman of the nation’s largest bank.
-
Clearwire board approves higher Sprint offer
Clearwire wants to accept a richer buyout offer made by Sprint this week and is recommending that shareholders vote in favor of it.
-
Apple’s Cook faces Senate questions on taxes
Apple’s CEO is disputing assertions by a Senate panel that the company avoids billions of dollars in U.S. taxes by shifting profits to foreign affiliates.
-
Sprint boosts buyout offer for Clearwire
Sprint Nextel Corp. is offering 14 percent more than before for the stake in wireless data network operator Clearwire Corp. it does not already own, but a large shareholder said the offer was still inadequate.
-
Via Christi Health to cut up to 400 positions across state; Pittsburg impact uncertain
Via Christi Health announced Today that it would cut up to 400 positions within its system across the state of Kansas to compensate for financial challenges as a result of declining hospital and physician visits.
-
Stock indexes flip between gains and losses
Stock indexes fluctuated in early trading Tuesday as investors tried to predict the Fed’s next move.
-
Actavis buying Warner Chilcott in $8.5B deal
Actavis is buying Warner Chilcott in an all-stock deal valued at about $8.5 billion that would create the third-biggest specialty pharmaceutical company in the U.S. market.
- More Business Headlines
-



