2 Dow Stocks Ran Out of Gas, While 2 Have Too Much of It

You win some, you lose some. The big winners one day may be the market's biggest losers the next.

That's what's happening to Caterpillar (NYS: CAT) right now. The stock has been pulling the Dow (INDEX: ^DJI) for a couple of days, but the bulldozer ran out of gas today.

Recent good news about a healthy home construction market was overshadowed by a surprisingly high number of jobless claims, taking the wind out of Caterpillar's sails. The stock fell 1.7%, single-handedly removing 13 points from the Dow. Without this sudden plunge, the index would stand pat right now

Fellow industrial-tools maker United Technologies (NYS: UTX) followed suit with a 1.5% price drop, or nine negative Dow points.

Oil producers largely balanced out these losses, despite reports of lower oil prices and bulging supplies worldwide. Chevron (NYS: CVX) and Exxon Mobil (NYS: XOM) combined to add 12 points to the Dow by midday. Some analysts believe the plunging oil price might be a special kind of flash crash and expect the commodity to make a full recovery.

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The article 2 Dow Stocks Ran Out of Gas, While 2 Have Too Much of It originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Anders Bylund holds no position in any of the companies mentioned. Check out Anders' holdings and bio or follow him on Twitter and Google+. The Motley Fool owns shares of Exxon Mobil. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Chevron. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.We Fools may not all hold the same opinion, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.

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