Why Freeport-McMoRan, United Continental Holdings, and CSX Jumped Today

The stock market was largely mixed on Wednesday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Averagestruggled to keep pace with modest gains in other major benchmarks. Earnings continued to dominate the headlines on Wall Street, and despite some clear losers on that front, investors seemed to be generally pleased with the way that the first quarter seems to have gone for corporate America.

Some leading companies had good news that pushed their shares higher. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX), United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL), and CSX (NASDAQ: CSX)were among the best performers on the day. Here's why they did so well.