Apple Fuels Nasdaq, Women Fuel Harley

A 9% rally in Apple (AAPL: 607.70, -2.30, -0.38%) shares on stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings sent the tech-heavy Nasdaq up more than 2% yesterday, marking its best day of the year.

The Dow and the S&P 500 also rallied, despite news that orders for long-lasting, expensive items called durable goods dropped dramatically last month. 

Futures this Thursday morning are signaling a small pullback.

Harley-Davidson (HOG: 52.88, -0.61, -1.14%) is marketing to women, and it's working. The motorcycle maker grew its sales 20% last quarter to $1.27 billion and Harley shares revved 6% to their highest price in nearly five years yesterday.  

The company is targeting women with bikes designed specifically for them -- think low-slung machines, special seats, handle bars and foot gearshifts. Harley-Davidson said that two-thirds of women who bought big bikes in the U.S. last year bought Harleys. READ ON