The Upside of the Storm

While the Northeast continues to dig out from the snowstorm that dropped two feet of snow on some areas, it's worth pointing out that the storm brought good news for some stocks. So-called blizzard stocks tended to do very well on Friday in anticipation of the severe winter weather.

Leading the pack was Briggs and Stratton, which makes snowblowers and generators. The company has seen its stock rise by about 17 percent since the middle of last week. Other blizzard stocks that rose last week:

• Douglas Dynamics, which makes snowplows and salt spreaders, up 1.6 percent
• Home Depot, up 3.5 percent 
• Lowe's, up 2.1 percent