Fiscal Cliff Plans Give Late-Day Boost to Stocks

We're in the midst of a fiscal cliff stock market abyss. After being down around 1% for most of the day, a late-session rally has the Dow Jones Industrial Average down just 0.47% today and the S&P 500 has fallen 0.41%. The latest fiscal cliff news is that President Obama is planning to present a scaled-down plan to Congress, and the House plans to be in session on Dec. 30, progress if we can call it that. But that's not the only news that may impact the economy.

The positive data for the day included a rise in new-home sales to an annual rate of 377,000, the highest level in two-and-a-half years. Jobless claims also fell 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 350,000, and the one-month average fell by 11,250 to 356,750, the lowest level since March 2008. The one negative was a continued drop in consumer confidence. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell to 65.1, down from 71.5 last month.

All 30 of the Dow's components have traded lower for most of today, and banking stocks are leading the plunge. Bank of America is down 2%, while JPMorgan Chase has fallen 2.1% in late trading. Alcoa has fallen 2.2% and is the biggest loser on the Dow. These three stocks have become the big movers day after day as the fiscal cliff approaches because they have the most at stake. A recession could be devastating for the banking industry right now and would also slow down the construction that Alcoa relies on for demand.

Uncertainty has its grip on the markets, and until a fiscal cliff deal gets done, the market will gyrate based on the news flow out of Washington, D.C. For long-term investors, this provides a great opportunity to get stocks on the cheap.

The Motley Fool's chief investment officer has selected his No. 1 stock for the next year. Find out which stock it is in our brand-new free report: "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2013." I invite you to take a copy, free for a limited time. Just click here to access the report and find out the name of this under-the-radar company.

The article Fiscal Cliff Plans Give Late-Day Boost to Stocks originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw. The Motley Fool owns shares of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.