The GovCon Index snapped a four-day streak of nominal and negative trading activity Thursday with a gain of 1.949 percent to 74.524.
Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) shares climbed 4.1 percent to $111.28 after the weapons maker posted third quarter earnings and sales figures above Wall Street forecasts and raised its full-year revenue guidance.
Navistar International (NYSE: NAV) led all Index gainers with a rise of 5.29 percent to $13.14 on a strong morning session that saw the company trade as high as $13.40, or 7.37 percent up for the day.
U.S. investors cheered the European Central Bank’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged and remain open to further quantitative easing moves, according to CNBC.
Other notable drivers of Thursday activity included data that showed existing home sales climbed 4.7 percent to 5.55 million in September and the FHFA House Price index increased 0.3 percent in August,  CNBC reported.
Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index tracks 30 large, publicly-traded government contracting companies.
Top GovCon Index Gainers
| Company | $ Current Price | $ Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navistar International | 13.14 | +0.66 | +5.29% |
| Engility Holdings | 30.65 | +1.31 | +4.46% |
| Raytheon | 117.28 | +4.62 | +4.10% |
| Honeywell International | 102.58 | +3.81 | +3.86% |
| Rockwell Collins | 87.16 | +3.08 | +3.66% |
Market Summary
| Advancing Issues | 26 |
| Declining Issues | 3 |
| Unchanged Issues | 1 |
| Index | Value | Net Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| GovCon Index | 74.524 | +1.425 | +1.949% |
| S&P 500 | 2, 052.51 | +33.57 | +1.66% |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 17, 489.16 | +320.55 | +1.87% |
| NASDAQ | 4, 920.05 | +79.93 | +1.65% |
