It was a light day of trading on the DJIA, as Wall Street gears up to hear from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and other central bank officials
The
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) ended an up-and-down session modestly higher -- as the index tried to recover from its
first weekly loss in six -- while the Dow Jones Transportation Average (DJT) logged its fifth straight daily decline for the first time since last August. Trading was light overall, as investors took a wait-and-see approach toward stocks ahead of Tuesday's
lineup of central bank speeches, including one from Fed Chair Janet Yellen. Also in focus was a
mixed round of economic data, as well as a police shooting on Capitol Hill -- which ended with the alleged gunman in custody.
Continue reading for more on today's market, including:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA - 17,535.39) traded in a relatively narrow 91-point range, ending 19.7 points, or 0.1%, higher. Fourteen of the Dow's 30 components settled in the black, led by a 1.2% gain at General Electric Company (NYSE:GE). Of the 16 blue-chip laggards, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was the worst off, down 1.2%.
The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 2,037.05) closed on a razor-thin 1.1-point, or 0.05%, lead. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite (COMP - 4,766.79) surrendered 6.7 points, or 0.1%.
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX - 15.24) gained 0.5 point, or 3.4%, for its first settlement north of 15 since March 15.
5 Items on Our Radar Today:
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Virgin America Inc (NASDAQ:VA) shares took off, after the airline reportedly received takeover bids from JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU) and Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK). Buyout buzz has been swirling around VA since last week, and a deal could be announced as early as next week. (Bloomberg)
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The Oculus Rift -- a much-hyped virtual-reality headset -- has started reaching consumers who preordered it in January. The news was a boon to Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), which bought Oculus roughly two years ago. (BBC)
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Another predatory pricing scandal for Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX).
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Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P) calls flew off the shelves amid a front-office shake-up.
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ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) and Alder Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ALDR) broke out big on drug news.
Data courtesy of Trade-Alert
Commodities:
Oil prices took a fourth straight daily step back, amid data showing financial institutions have been slow to place bullish bets on liquid gold -- despite a fall in short positions. By day's end, May-dated crude futures were off 7 cents, or 0.2%, at $39.39 per barrel.
Gold settled lower, as traders took a risk-off approach ahead of tomorrow's speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen. At the close, gold for June delivery was down $1.50, or 0.1%, at $1,220 per ounce.