Why Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Brink's, and Applied Optoelectronics Jumped Today

Thursday was a largely down day for the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Averagetaking the biggest hit of the major benchmarks. The global turmoil over trade got a lot closer to home as the U.S. imposed new restrictions that led the Canadian government to issue retaliatory tariffs in response.

Yet many broader-based measures of the market fell only slightly, showing that much of what drives the economy isn't as dependent on trade as traditional industrial giants. Good news also sent some key stocks higher. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MDGL), Brink's (NYSE: BCO), and Applied Optoelectronics (NASDAQ: AAOI)were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.