$3.10
5.0%
Caterpillar Inc. stock was the biggest gainer in the Dow Jones industrial average, which rose nearly 100 points. The Peoria-based company’s shares closed at $65.17 after it reported stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings that closed out a record year.
$1.94
3.8%
Shares of Allstate Corp. posted their biggest gain in four months, climbing to $52.50. Merrill Lynch & Co. said investor concerns about pricing wars were overplayed. A spokesman for Northbrook-based Allstate declined to comment.
$2.06
19.6%
Shares of Tellabs Inc. jumped to $12.57, their biggest gain since they were first sold to the public in 1983. The Naperville-based company’s fourth-quarter earnings beat estimates by 5 cents a share.
-$5.40
13.0%
Brunswick Corp. stock tumbled as much as 18 percent, its biggest drop in 19 years, before closing at $36.04. The Lake Forest-based boatmaker announced strong fourth-quarter earnings but issued a weak first-quarter forecast.
1.3%
Durable goods orders rose more than forecast last month, to $228 billion. The demand for business equipment was the biggest since August, suggesting corporate spending will spur the economy early this year.
-2.7%
Natural gas futures fell 23.1 cents, to $8.229 per 1,000 cubic feet, the lowest close since Aug. 1. The federal government released data that showed domestic inventories well above the five-year average for this time of year.
