The Dow Jones Transportation Average rallied 0.7% in afternoon trade, to buck the weakness in the broader market, as gains in airline stocks provided a boost. Of the Dow transports’ 20 components, 17 gained ground, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 109 points, or 0.4%, with 23 of 30 components losing ground. Among the Dow transports’ biggest gainers, shares of Alaska Air Group Inc. ran up 4.3% to a 7-week high after reporting February operating data, FedEx Corp. climbed 1.5%, United Continental Holdings Inc. rallied 1.4%, J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. tacked on 1.3% and JetBlue Airways Corp. advanced 1.2%.
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