The Dow Jones financial electronic ticker is seen at Times Square in New York on July 17, 2012.Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Globe editors have posted this research report with permission of S&P Dow Jones Indices. This should not be construed as an endorsement of the report's recommendations. For more on The Globe's disclaimers please read here. The following text is excerpted from the report:
The Dow Jones industrial average ended the first half of 2013 up 3.78 per cent. This is the best first-half performance since 1999 when the Dow was up 19.49 per cent through the first six months. The leading individual contributor to the Dow thus far in 2013 has been Boeing; the biggest detractor was Caterpillar.
The leading contributing industry to 2013 year-to-date performance was Industrials, followed by Consumer Services and Financials. The worst? Basic Materials.
The biggest single-day gain (points and percent) was on January 2, the first trading day of the year, as the Dow ended up 308.41 points after a deal was reached to avoid the "Fiscal Cliff". The biggest single-day loss was on June 20, as the Dow was down 353.87 points or 2.34 per cent, with rising fears that Fed stimulus may soon come to an end. June was the worst month of 2013, during which over 205 points vanished.
Read the full report here.