RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:RE:XdivWhy would (should) the stock go up on xdiv day? The company took about $500 million from cash and paid it out. The market cap should go down. If the market cap is 23.95 billion now and the stock price is $72.07 then the market cap should drop to 23.45 billion. That will give a stock price of approx $70 something. Now buyers could come in to capitalize on the prize and drive it up again but it very rarely happens in the morning. you may sometimes notice that the price starts to move down on the day before xdiv day but that is just some profit taking starting to hit the stock.
Of course, if gas is up $1.00 then you have to be careful. But otherwise, easy money.