Stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) went negative after some early earnings reports left investors feeling a little cold. Many on Wall Street sought solace in gold, which has hit a new record high.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), which makes Band-Aids and the Acuvue brand of contact lenses, reported better-than-expected earnings but just missed the revenue forecast, reports Linda A. Johnson for the Associated Press. Pharmaceutical sales dropped 14.1% because of increased generic competition. iShares Dow Jones U.S. Pharmaceuticals (NYSEArca: IHE) is down about 0.6% this morning. JNJ is 8%.

Gold hit an intraday price record, surging as high as $1,069.70 an ounce. Many analysts expect the price of gold to continue to rise into next year, reports Ben Rooney for CNNMoney. The weakening U.S. dollar has lent support to gold’s run-up. Have a strategy when investing in gold, and be sure to set a stop loss that you can execute when the time comes. Read how here. SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD) is up nearly 0.5% this morning.

The euro has jumped to its highest level against the U.S. dollar since September 2008 as investors seek out higher yields, reports Nicholas Hastings for The Wall Street Journal. The eurozone’s currency is on its way toward $1.50. CurrencyShares Euro Trust (NYSEArca: FXE) is up about 0.25% in morning trading. Read about how to incorporate currencies into your portfolio here.

Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO), the world’s largest manufacturer of networking equipment, is buying Starent Networks Corp. for $2.9 billion. This is Cisco’s second multibillion-dollar buy in less than two weeks, reports Rochelle Garner for Bloomberg. iShares S&P North America Tech-Multimedia Networking (NYSEArca: IGN) is up about 0.2% this morning.

Read the disclaimer, as Tom Lydon is a board member of Rydex Funds.

For full disclosure, Tom Lydon’s clients own shares of GLD.

Tags: Commodity ETFs, Currency ETFs, Euro, Europe, FXE, GLD, Gold, Health Care, IGN, IHE, Pharmaceuticals, Precious Metals, Sector ETFs, Technology