These Stocks Are Moving the Dow This Morning

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over daily movements, we do like to keep an eye on market changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

The stock market often reacts negatively when unanticipated events happen, but typically, as more information becomes available, investors start to get more comfortable with the implications of those events. That's evident in today's trading, as markets moved higher despite an upcoming vote from the Senate on whether to authorize the use of force against Syria. Even with all the unpredictable consequences of escalating tensions in the Middle East, stocks pushed higher, with the the Dow Jones Industrials climbing 67 points as of 10:55 a.m. EDT.

Crosscurrents in the technology industry highlighted the Dow's two biggest movers. Microsoft has dropped more than 2%, adding to yesterday's losses following its announcement that it will buy the mobile division of partner Nokia. A forecast from analyst IDC projected that smartphone shipments would grow 40% and exceed 1 billion units this year as a combination of continuing subsidies and lower-priced smartphone offerings support heightened demand. Although the analyst sees Windows' share of the smartphone operating-system market rising to more than 10% by 2017, investors apparently don't think such minimal gains are worth the price Microsoft paid for the mobile-device making unit.

By contrast, Intel leads the gainers this morning with a rise of 2.3%. The chipmaker continues to hope that its Haswell line of lower-power chips will find their way into more smartphones and other devices, taking advantage of the huge growth in that segment even as Intel's core PC business could keep suffering. Investors are apparently guessing that the long-anticipated chips will appeal to device makers seeking longer battery life. With the ability to power both smartphones and bigger devices like ultrabooks, the chips could help Intel boost its sluggish sales growth of the recent past.

Finally, JPMorgan Chase has risen 1.6% despite a report from Reuters that an FBI probe is targeting the bank. The report cites allegations that JPMorgan employees might have obstructed efforts from regulators to discover whether the bank had engaged in manipulation of energy markets. JPMorgan had settled the case from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for $410 million back in July, but the new probe simply raises yet another legal challenge among many that the bank has had to deal with over the past several years.

Despite all of their legal woes, JPMorgan and several other bank stocks have posted massive gains since the financial crisis. If you've missed out, though, I've got news: It might not be too late. Bargains of a lifetime are still available, but you need to know where to look. The Motley Fool's new report "Finding the Next Bank Stock Home Run" will show you how and where to find these deals. It's completely free -- click here to get started.

The article These Stocks Are Moving the Dow This Morning originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Dan Caplinger owns warrants on JPMorgan Chase. You can follow him on Twitter @DanCaplinger. The Motley Fool recommends Intel. The Motley Fool owns shares of Intel, JPMorgan Chase, and Microsoft. 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.

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