The markets popped back to new highs again today with the Dow 30 adding 200, the S&P 500 up 19, and the Nasdaq 100 gaining 58. Crude oil was a big mover today, seeing gains of 1.40%. This now marks the highest prices for light sweet crude oil as well as Brent in over 3 years.
Oil stocks were some of the main gainers in the S&P 500 today as crude oil continued it's surge higher. Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) added 4.75%, Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) gained 5.58%, and Apache (NYSE: APA) added 4.57%. Energy makes up over 6% of the S&P 500 which helped fuel the rally in the broad index.
Consumer discretionary was another sector that led the S&P 500 higher today as economic optimism continues to be the main driver. Names like Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) which added 2.2% on the day, along with Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) were some of the names that helped add to the S&P 500 rally. The consumer discretionary space makes up over 12% of the S&P 500.
Walmart (NYSE: WMT) shares were slightly higher today as the company announced it will now offer $11 hourly wages as it's minimum, plus $200-1000 bonus depending on tenure. This proves that the government does not need to force minimum wage higher. Walmart's raising of wages also are seen as a way to compete for more quality employees. The company also announced the closure of around 10% of all Sams Clubs stores. Some of those stores will now be used as fulfillment centers for eCommerce efforts.
Earnings season officially gets under way tomorrow with names like JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) and Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) reporting. Investors will be closely eyeing the benefits of higher interest rates to the banks bottom lines.