Why the Dow Isn't Rising On GE's News
In recent months, all it took to push the market higher was a prominent company announcing unexpected good news. Considering last night's news from General Electric , it would have been reasonable to assume that the Dow Jones Industrials would head higher today. Yet even with retail sales data showing modest growth, concerns about the political fallout of the State of the Union speech last night have held markets in check. As of 10:50 a.m. EST, the Dow is down 22 points, losing its grip on the 14,000 level. Broader market measures show modest gains.
Pushing GE higher by more than 3% is news that NBC Universal partner Comcast will buy out GE's 49% stake in the media venture. With GE collecting a whopping $16.7 billion from the deal, the company said this morning that it would return $18 billion to investors through dividends and stock buybacks. Comcast soared 6% on the deal.
On the downside is McDonald's , which has fallen 1.3%. In his speech last night, President Obama called for hikes to the minimum wage. With fast-food restaurants among the biggest employers of low-wage workers, such a rise would potentially hit McDonald's a lot harder than other major companies whose employees earn higher wages.
Finally, Cliffs Natural Resources has plunged 19% after announcing massive charges in its earnings report and slashing its dividend. Although the charges had been preannounced, news that Cliffs would cut its annual payout from $2.50 per share to $0.60 per share was definitely a negative surprise. With the stock's former 7% dividend yield having been a major drawing point for the stock, income investors will likely flee the company until it can demonstrate a lasting turnaround in the hard-hit iron-ore and metallurgical-coal markets.
What will GE do next?
GE's exit from NBC Universal is part of its overall strategy to focus on its core industrial businesses. But does that make General Electric a buy right now? Find out from our top industrials analyst by reading the Fool's premium report on GE, which breaks down the conglomerate's multiple businesses and lists its best prospects. To get started, click here now.
The article Why the Dow Isn't Rising On GE's News originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends McDonald's. The Motley Fool owns shares of General Electric and McDonald's. 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 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
