Wal-Mart Rallies, Sends Dow to Record Close Above 16,000

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 Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its remarkable run on Friday, capping off a seventh straight week of gains with a fresh all-time record close. My colleague Dan Dzombak, citing the Shiller P/E and historical market data, thinks stocks are overheated at these new highs. It's a tempting, well-researched argument, but I tend to disagree for more qualitative reasons. With interest rates still in the gutter and quantitative easing likely to continue into next year, stocks are the only game in town and still offer attractive returns for long-term investors. Wall Street sided with yours truly, and the Dow added 54 points, or 0.3%, to end at 16,064 today.

But small day-to-day swings are just noise to those who practice the patient, long-term investing style The Motley Fool champions. Warren Buffett, of course, is also a fan, and, as the Oracle of Omaha once observed, "In the short term, the market is a popularity contest. In the long term, the market is a weighing machine." Blue-chip staple Wal-Mart tacked on 1.2% on the heels of competitive positioning that could have long-term consequences. Not only did it surprise competitors by bucking the trend and starting Black Friday sales today, a week earlier than usual, but the company is starting Cyber Monday two days earlier than normal and offering free shipping on orders above $35.

I extend my most heartfelt sympathies to the businesses competing against Wal-Mart and Amazon.com. That cannot be fun.

Meanwhile, stock in U.S. grocery chain SUPERVALU was -- pardon the pun -- seen as a "super value" on Wall Street today, as shares surged 7.2% on above-average volume. A combination of factors may have woven together to boost the stock. Shares sank earlier this week, dipping more than 8% on Monday after a downgrade, giving the stock upside room for today's swing. On top of that, the consumer services sector outperformed today. SUPERVALU's board also amended a severance package agreement in the case of a change of control, something executives may want should a merger or acquisition take place.

Lastly, Lumber Liquidators shares slumped 11.8% as one Wall Street bigwig's negativity on the hardwood flooring company sent shares ironically spiraling to an uncertain floor of its own. Lumber Liquidators has been a phenomenally successful investment for just about anyone who invested and held on in the last few years. The company has ridden the housing resurgence to new heights, with shares up more than 90% this year alone. Hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson, however, raised questions at a private investor conference this morning about Lumber Liquidators' impressive margins, revealing his short stake in the company and implying the business' success could be due to the illegal sourcing of timber from Russia.

How you can learn from the best
Warren Buffett has made billions through his investing and he wants you to be able to invest like him. Through the years, Buffett has offered up investing tips to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. Now you can tap into the best of Warren Buffett's wisdom in a new special report from The Motley Fool. Click here now for a free copy of this invaluable report.

The article Wal-Mart Rallies, Sends Dow to Record Close Above 16,000 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor John Divine has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow him on Twitter @divinebizkid and on Motley Fool CAPS @TMFDivine.The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Amazon.com and Lumber Liquidators. 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.