Why Sony, Rockwell Automation, and Mondelez International Jumped Today

Tuesday was a solid day for the stock market, with modest advances for most of the benchmark indexes stemming largely from greater optimism about the U.S. economy. As October comes to a close, stock market participants are no doubt happy we avoided a steep tumble in a month that has featured some of the most notorious downward moves in history, including the 1929 and 1987 crashes.

Readings on consumer confidence have also helped lift overall market sentiment, and news of rising wages suggests that consumers could be in a better position to spend in the near future. Companies that are in tune with those favorable trends did especially well Tuesday, and Sony (NYSE: SNE), Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK), and Mondelez International (NASDAQ: MDLZ) were among the best performers. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.

Sony jumped 12% after the entertainment giant posted strong fiscal second-quarter results. Revenue climbed 22%, and its adjusted earnings per share were more than half again what most analysts had expected. Powered by its video game consoles, television and home entertainment systems, music, and movies, all of Sony's business units saw extremely strong sales performance. Though some argue that its competitors have taken the lead in the video game industry, Sony's diversification across the entertainment and consumer electronics sectors should continue to give it scale-based advantages over its peers.

Source: Fool.com