Summary: Stocks were sluggish Wednesday but the Dow Jones Industrial and the S&P 500 still finished at record highs. Energy was a top performer. Halliburton's (HAL) upward move was also bolstered by a strong start at Oppenheimer with an OUTPERFORM rating. BP (BP) and Schlumberger (SLB) also gained. Exxon Mobil (XOM) contributed to the blue chips' advances. Investors liked the confidence of the oil giant's CEO when he said Exxon can handle crude prices dropping as low as $40 a barrel. Consumer staples struggled. Dow Component Procter and Gamble (PG) and Colgate-Palmolive (CL) both fell nearly 1%. Brown-Forman (BF) slipped 4% after reporting disappointing earnings results. The bourbon producer said that consumption didn't fall but cited foreign exchange issues. Biogen (BIIB) ended sharply higher for the second day in a row. Investors are still cheering the company's positive results from its Alzheimer's drug testing.
