NOTE: Our apologies – a fumbling new associate editor (myself) had a temporary lapse in all cognitive function and didn’t publish this last Friday as promised. I hope you enjoyed the article on energy saving at the loading dock instead, which should have run today, but got a little head start. Our next ID Index will be run on schedule next Friday, the 24th of February.
Our third week of the ID Index shows a general consistency across the board, with some companies creeping up ever so slightly and others experiencing minor losses. The exception is W.W. Grainger, once again.
One disclaimer: Please consider that market values may have changed slightly since the close of business on Thursday, February 16, 2012.
A week ago, the ID Index came in at 748.62 after Kaman Corporation’s NYSE initial opening price of 33.33. As of Thursday, February 16, 2012, the index is up 16.22 points for a total of 764.84, a total increase of about 2%.
For the third week in a row W.W. Grainger (GWW) tops the chart with a value of 209.90, up an impressive 8.26 points from last week. This has been a consistent trend for Grainger in recent weeks, and we will be watching to see if it continues. Houston Wire & Cable Company (HWCC) is for the second week in a row the lowest valued stock in the index, coming in at 14.61 points, losing most of last week’s gain. In comparison, Ford Motor Company was trading at 12.84, Panasonic at 8.95, and Nokia at 5.34, all with slight gains on the week.
This week’s biggest loss comes from WESCO, down only 1.41 points for the week.
Other economic data worth noting:
- $1 = 0.76 Euros
- A gallon of regular gas is averaging $3.56 in the U.S., compared with $3.16 a year ago.
- Crude oil is currently trading at $103.21, versus $99.79/barrel last week and up 19% from a year ago.
- Natural gas is currently at $2.65/BTU.
- Gold is at $1725.23/Troy ounce.
- Copper is at $3.78/pound.
The ID Index is comprised of your publicly-traded peer companies that we can track in offering some insight on the comparative health of industrial distribution. All of these companies are found in our Big 50, with their rankings ranging from #3 to #32. Each week we’ll offer a look at how the index performed collectively, as well as individually. Additional, pertinent economic data will also be included from time to time.
