4 Stocks Among Today's Dow Downers

For a long time today, it looked like investors were content to twiddle their thumbs. Oscillating back and forth between small gains and small losses, the Dow Jones Industrials (INDEX: ^DJI) outperformed the broader market, which traded slightly lower. In the end, though, the fearful beat out the greedy, and the Dow ended down just over 50 points.

Among some Dow component stocks, though, the damage was much more pronounced. Fully five of the Dow's 30 stocks fell more than 2% on the day.

The worst loser on the day was Intel (NAS: INTC) , which dropped almost 4%. As Fool tech contributor Anders Bylund noted earlier today, Intel is trying to get ready for its developer forum, but the ramp-up in mobile devices and Intel's revenue weakness are distracting attention from what the company would prefer to focus on. Until Intel can catch up and make a real impression in the mobile-chip world, those concerns will linger.

Bank of America (NYS: BAC) lost 2.5% despite announcing that it has largely completed selling off major non-core businesses and plans to refocus growth on expanding its loan portfolio. The switch was inevitable, but it means that B of A's crunch time is finally here, as investors will finally see whether banking in a post-crisis world can really be as profitable as it was before the market meltdown.

3M (NYS: MMM) fell more than 2% on the day. Fool contributor Matt Thalman noted that the company announced a new coating for solar panels, but even with recent pessimism about solar's prospects, it seems unlikely that the decline is related to it. Instead, the move is a good reminder that sometimes, you can't find fundamental reasons for why a stock may rise or fall on any given day.

Finally, Boeing (NYS: BA) finished down 2.5%. Analysts are focusing on potential labor strife at the aircraft manufacturer and expressing concerns about the potential impact any disruptions could have on an already long-delayed product schedule. With so much riding on its new planes, for which the automaker has already received huge orders, Boeing doesn't have much leverage to face off against its workers.

Don't feel down
When the market falls, so do most investors' spirits. But often, the best solution to the Monday blues is to get more information about your companies' long-term prospects. For instance, you can get the full scoop on Intel and its opportunities and challenges in the Fool's new premium research report on Intel, which includes a year of free updates covering all its future news. Get started.

The article 4 Stocks Among Today's Dow Downers originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributorDan Caplingerdoesn't own shares of the companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on Twitter,@DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool owns shares of Intel and Bank of America.Motley Fool newsletter serviceshave recommended buying shares of 3M and Intel, as well as creating a diagonal call position in 3M. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Fool has adisclosure policy.

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