Auto Sales Rev Up Dow
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.
Boosted by strong reports from automakers and easing fears about Syria, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 97 points or 0.7% today.
President Obama spoke in Stockholm today, insisting that the "red line" on chemical weapons was created by the world, not the United States, as he tried to drum up foreign support for a limited strike against the Syrian regime. Meanwhile, the Senate Foreign Relations approved a restricted attack against Syria, by a vote of 10-7, stipulating that no ground troops would be allowed, and the strikes would be limited to 60 days. Markets seemed to react well to the idea of a contained strike.
Back at home, carmakers reported strong August sales as Fordand General Motors jumped 3.5% and 5% respectively, and all of the "Big 3" reported double-digit year-over-year increase. GM saw its best month since before the financial crisis, and the reports, which are the earliest indicator of August spending, indicate that consumer demand continues to be strong as vehicles make up about 25% of retail sales. In other economic news, the July trade deficit expanded to $39.1 billion, above expectations of $38.2 billion, and the Federal Reserve's Beige Book economic assessment showed moderate growth in most of the country with consumer spending and the housing market improving.
Microsoft was the worst performer on the Dow for the second day in a row, falling 2.2% after receiving a downgrade from Morgan Stanley following its purchase of Nokia's handset division. The investment bank dropped its rating on Microsoft to hold, saying executing the handset integration may be difficult.Microsoft hopes to reach 15% market share in the smartphone industry by 2018, up from 5% today, which could prove difficult, as there are a number of better-positioned competitors and the industry is maturing, meaning major innovations are likely to be less frequent.
Fellow tech heavyweight, Intel was the Dow's biggest gainer today, moving up 2.6%, after it introduced a new chip, which it calls the Avoton, for microservers. Intel claims the chips run six times faster than its predecessors, and with the company struggling for a foothold as PC sales decline, investors were happy to see it homing in a new microserver market.
Are you looking to save a few bucks come tax time? Well, with the right planning, you can take steps to take control of your taxes and potentially even lower your tax bill. In our brand-new special report "How You Can Fight Back Against Higher Taxes," The Motley Fool's tax experts run through what to watch out for in doing your tax planning this year. With its concrete advice on how to cut taxes for decades to come, you won't want to miss out. Click here to get your copy today -- it's absolutely free.
The article Auto Sales Rev Up Dow originally appeared on Fool.com.
Fool contributor Jeremy Bowman owns shares of General Motors. The Motley Fool recommends Ford, General Motors, and Intel and owns shares of Apache, Ford, Intel, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't 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.
