The calendar has turned over to April and that means the first quarter has come to a close. The first three months of the year have been profitable for all the major indexes, with the Dow up 4.1%, the S&P 500 up 4.9% and NASDAQ up 5.7%. 

But it’s worth noting that the year got off to a rocky start, all those gains -- and more -- coming from March alone, when those three indexes were up 5.15%, 5.88% and 7.14% respectively.

It’s been a bumpy ride these last three months even if the overall market has come out on top. Some stocks have been left behind – and others have defied the market’s volatility with a clear upwards trajectory in the first quarter of 2010. For those of you keeping score, here are the top 5 and the worst 5 Dow performers from January 1 to April 1:

Worst Dow stocks (1/1/10 to 4/1/10)

1. Alcoa (AA): Down -8.1%
2. AT&T (T): Down -6.9%
3. Pfizer (PFE): Down -6.1%

(Click here to check out a complete list of how all 30 Dow component stocks fared in the first quarter)

Best Dow stocks (1/1/10 to 4/1/10)

1. Boeing (BA): Up +34.8%
2. General Electric (GE): Up +21.2%
3. Bank of America (BAC): Up +19.8%

Related Articles:

• Buys and Sells in the Top 25 Mining Stocks
• Dish Network CEO Pay Slashed 92.5%  
• Crude Oil Tops $85; On Its Way to $100?