Missouri’s Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) is stuffing investors’ faces with its 4.44% move higher today after earnings. Agri stock Monsanto posted a $680 million profit in its third quarter, up 77% YOY. High food prices contributed to the strong numbers in MON earnings.
Monsanto is the best-performing stock on the InvestorPlace.com Real America Index today. Other top performers include:
North Carolina’s Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is moving 3% higher today, as the company settled the infamous Countrywide mortgage case for $8.5 billion. The price tag is hefty, but the removal of uncertainty is what is giving investors something to cheer.
Oklahoma’s Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) are sizzling 2.56% higher, as the CEO appeared on crazy Jim Cramer’s “Mad Money” to rebut a NY Times hit piece on the natural gas market.
The Real America Index is mixed today, with these three stocks leading the way down:
Hawaii’s Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA) lost -0.99% of altitude on a big 2.5% move up in the price of oil. Fuel costs are all airlines’ nemesis.
Virginia’s Altria Group (NYSE: MO) is being burnt for a -0.91% loss today, likely a residual effect from yesterday’s news that the Supreme Court chose not to hear a appeal regarding a 2009 settlement requiring tobacco companies to pay for an anti-smoking program in Louisiana.
Louisiana’s Shaw Group (NASDAQ: SHAW) is being demolished for a -9.32% loss, as the company’s earnings report was a disaster. Revenue was down17%, forcing the company to report a loss of $68 million vs. a $49 million profit last year. Higher costs and one-time charges contributed to the pain.
Looking at the broad perspective, the Real America Index is up a fraction of 1% along with the other three major indexes.
About the Real America Index
When Americans wonder how healthy the nation’s economy is, where can they turn? At InvestorPlace, we hope we have the answer: a list of 50 publicly traded stocks we call the Real America Index. Check out the interactive Real America Index map, browse a list of all 50 component stocks, or find out how we created this index.
Editor’s Note: There was a typo in the first paragraph regarding Monsanto’s stock ticker. It was corrected at 1:58 p.m.
