The major averages rose today to send both the Dow and S&P 500 into positive territory for the month of March. The Dow rose 91.19 points with International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) contributing almost 40 points. The S&P 500 added on 8.27 points and the Nasdaq, 7.88. Multi-year highs for J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB), Microsoft  (Nasdaq:MSFT), and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) bear mentioning. Beaten down biotech stocks also lifted their heads a little, advancing modestly
Big mover after the bell was teen discounter Five Below (Nasdaq:FIVE) which reported Q4 and full year earnings. It beat estimates on EPS and announced a 22% rise in fourth quarter sales, leading shares to rise 15% after hours. Apparel company PVH Corp (NYSE:PVH), reported fourth quarter and full year results that were above guidance but disappointed slightly with full year revenues of $8.5 billion against an expected $8.6 billion. However,  Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $1.43  bettered a guided $1.40 as did full year non-GAAP EPS of $7.03  compared to a guided $7.00.
Fuel cell system company Plug Power (Nasdaq:PLUG) surged almost 50% in late day trading after CEO Andy Marsh hinted at a big deal with a major automaker within the next few weeks. In IPO news, King Digital, maker of the popular Candy Crush game, will price for its IPO tonight.
Gold rose 0.05% while copper rose 1.6%. In energy news natural gas rose 3.14% while crude oil declined 0.37%.
Tomorrow, look forward to durable goods numbers and the ‘Candy Crush’ IPO.
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