The stock market experienced a second straight day of lackluster trading. Oil continued its upward ride as the per-barrel price moved over the $71 level — a new high for the year. Meanwhile, it appears Fiat has the green light to execute its purchase of Chrysler. In afternoon trading stocks dipped a bit after a 10-year Treasury note auction featured a rich 3.99% yield. The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book figures were decent, which helped move the market back towards event territory. For a complete rundown of the day’s trading session, see our market story.
As oil topped $71 a barrel, its increase also helped natural resources ETFs. The United States Oil fund (USO) increased 2%. The United States Gasoline fund (UGA) jumped 2.3%. Solar ETFs, which can move in lockstep with crude, had a good session, too. Market Vectors Solar Energy (KWT) increased 4%.
Financial ETFs lost ground as investors bailed on this long-ailing sector. The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Broker Dealers ETF (IAI) lost 2.1%
Earnings and Conference Calls
Del Monte Foods, Hoku Scientific, Lululemon Athletica, National Semiconductor, New Frontier Media
Economic Data
8:30 a.m. Initial Jobless Claims
8:30 a.m. May Retail Sales
8:30 a.m. May Retail Sales, ex-autos
10:00 a.m. April Business Inventories
10:00 a.m. DJ-BTMU Business Barometer
A look at how the industry's most popular ETFs did on Wednesday:
| Symbol | Net Assets | Price | 52 Week High | 52 Week Low | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | 60,678 | 94.4 | 136.44 | 68.13 | 286,439,964 |
| EFA | 27,281 | 47.86 | 73.11 | 32.16 | 18,418,314 |
| EEM | 25,768 | 33.57 | 47.68 | 19.12 | 59,856,525 |
| GLD | 31,354 | 93.86 | 97.24 | 70.14 | 14,436,889 |
| IVV | 16,380 | 94.66 | 136.65 | 68.24 | 3,117,228 |
| QQQQ | 13,388 | 36.82 | 48.85 | 25.51 | 128,234,925 |
| IWF | 9,153 | 42.03 | 58.47 | 30.49 | 3,039,417 |
| SHY | 7,391 | 83.17 | 85 | 82.11 | 759,365 |
| VTI | 9,440 | 47.47 | 68.52 | 33.75 | 2,766,805 |
| IWD | 6,740 | 48.67 | 73.78 | 34.22 | 2,567,485 |