The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at another record high on Tuesday for the eleventh time in the last twenty trading sessions. After posting its best first quarter since 1998, up 11.25 percent, what's next for the Dow?

Since 1950, there have been 12 other instances when the index was up more than 8 percent in the first quarter. In eight of those times, the Dow finished the second quarter with a gain of at least 1 percent.

In fact, there were five occasions when it rose more than 4 percent in the second quarter following a strong first quarter (1995, 1987, 1986, 1975 and 1954).

April, for example, has been the best month of the year, posting an average monthly increase of 2.7 percent in the last 20 years and 1.97 percent in the past 63 years.

While there are bumps along the way, most of the time, the Dow tends to build up on its gains following a strong first quarter. Historically, a strong first quarter also correlates with strong gains for the full year. (Read More: Dow's Best First Quarter Since 1998? Here's What Could Happen Next)

The S&P 500 Health Care Sector rose to a record high again Tuesday, led by managed care companies such as Humana and UnitedHealth Group.

It was the sixth-consecutive day that the index set a record. In July, it broke its all-time high set in December 2000.

Within the managed health care group, which is mostly responsible for the overall sector's gain, shares of CIGNA, Coventry Health Care and Aetna were also trading at multi-year highs.

So far this year, the health care group is up 17 percent, outperforming not only the broader market, but rest of the nine major S&P 500 sectors. The last time the sector was up this much in a quarter was in Q2 2000, when it rose 23 percent.

Tuesday's surge followed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announcement of an increase in the payment rate by 3.3 percent in 2014 for insurers that offer coverage through the popular Medicare Advantage program. (Read More: In Reversal, US to Raise Medicare Advantage Payment Rate)

Although the health care sector is traditionally considered a "defensive play" during economic downturns, the projected increase in both revenue and profit this year, as a result of major changes under the U.S. health care law, has helped many of these stocks move higher.

Here's a look at some of the largest managed-health care companies and their performance year-to-date.

After falling more than 40 percent from its all-time high of $705 back in September, Apple is showing signs of a comeback.

The stock has gained 7 percent in the past two weeks and on Friday closed above its 50-day moving average for the first time since October.

Friday's close is significant as it may confirm a trend reversal. In the last ten years, the stock was up between 10 and 17 percent, on average, three months after closing above that level.

Despite Apple's positive performance in the past two weeks, the stock has a long way before it reaches its 200-day moving average — it remains a good 18 percent away from that mark.

But as the stock returns to its mean, the gap between the 50- and 200-day moving average may also begin to converge. In fact, the spread between the two has not been this wide since 2008.

(Read More: Apple Chart Looks 'So Bad That It's Good')

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose for the tenth consecutive day on Thursday, posting its longest winning streak since November 1996. The index is now up about 11 percent so far this year.

Will the Dow continue on its upward trend or will the Ides of March stifle the rally?

Ides of March is a date in the Roman calendar that corresponds to March 15, which became notorious as the day when Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C. It also coincides with a time of year when an abundance of portfolio maneuvers take place ahead of the end of the quarter.

Since 1950, there have been only twelve other instances when the Dow was up more than 8 percent going into mid-March. In ten of those years, the index continued to build momentum one, two and three-months out without any significant pullbacks.

(Read more: Dow's Best 1st Quarter Since 1998?)

During bull markets, defined by a prolonged period in which stock prices increase at a faster pace than their historical averages, the Dow realized gains of over 4 percent three-months later, according to Morningstar Data.

The following table displays the Dow Jones percentage change in the months following the Ides of March when the index was up more than 8 percent.

The Dow is up 10 percent so far this quarter, on track for its best Q1 since 1998. What's previously happened after a strong first quarter?

Since 1950, there have been only twelve other instances when the DJIA was up more than 8 percent in the first quarter (11 of the last 12 times took place prior to the year 2000).

Historically, a strong first quarter correlates with strong gains for the year. There are bumps along the way, but most of the time, the Dow manages to post double-digit gains for the full year.

In ten of the last twelve times it occurred, for example, the Dow finished the year with a gain of more than 15 percent when the first quarter was up more than 8 percent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is on track to close positive for the 10th consecutive Friday. Will the winning streak continue?

So far this year, the Dow industrial average rose 600 points in the last 10 Fridays. That accounts for about half of this year's point gains — the index is up 1,274 points.

The unusual streak is the longest since the first half of 2007, when the Dow industrials rose for 12 consecutive Fridays. If the market closes higher today, it will be tied for the third longest ever.

Within the Dow, seven out of thirty stocks are responsible for adding more than 50 percent of this year's point gains: International Business Machines, 3M, McDonald's, United Technologies, Chevron, Travelers, and Home Depot.

Gold stocks fell to a three-and-a-half year low on Monday, as investors continue to reduce their exposure to bullion and other commodities on weakening economic data from China.

With stocks rising, the dollar strengthening, and U.S. Treasury bond yields holding below 2 percent, investment demand for gold continues to decline. According to BlackRock, gold exchange-traded product outflows have now reached $5.6 billion year-to-date.

Gold futures prices closed down last month for the fifth consecutive time, losing 11 percent and posting their longest losing streak since January 1997.

Meanwhile, the CBOE Gold Index, which is an equal-dollar weighted index composed of 12 companies involved primarily in gold mining and production, is down 25 percent in 2013.

The Dow Jones Transportation Average is on a tear, hitting a new all-time high on Thursday. So far this year, transports are leading the gains, up 13 percent compared to a 7 percent increase for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Should investors take any clues from this trend? According to the Dow Theory, when both indexes move in tandem and trade around the new highs, it signals strength and confirms a bullish pattern.

The last time the Dow transports outperformed the Dow Industrials in the first two months of the year was back in 2006. In that year, transports rose 16.3 percent, while the industrials rose 8.7 percent.

Historically, transports posted an average increase of 21 percent when the index outperformed industrials in the first two months of the year (Industrials were up 15 percent, on average).

According to Morningstar Commodity Data, that pattern has been consistently observed in the market over 90 percent of the time since 1932.

In fact, there were only three instances in history when the Dow Industrial average had a negative year given a strong performance by the Dow transport average in the first two months of the year.

Retail gasoline prices are up for the tenth consecutive week, reaching their highest level since October. Who's winning here?

The average retail gasoline price in the US is currently $3.812 per gallon, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) -- the first time that gas prices have been that high this early in the year.

Demand for corporate high-yield debt is rolling over while stocks continue to rise, a divergence that may signal a fading appetite for risk.

In the past two weeks, the SPDR S&P 500 exchanged-traded fund (SPY) is up about 1 percent compared with a 1.5 percent drop for the iShares High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG).

So far in 2013, the divergence is even more pronounced, with the HYG recently turning negative while the SPY remains up about 6 percent.

Investors often track high-yield bonds in an effort to gauge risk appetite and predict any potential turns in market sentiment.

Thus, could the recent divergence between high-yield corporate bonds and equities signal cautiousness ahead?

The 30-day rolling correlation between the HYG and SPY recently crossed below -0.25, the lowest level since August 2008. There has been only five other instances that this happened since 2007. And in four of those times, the SPY was down within a month.

In August 2008, for example, after the correlation recorded -0.28 for the first time in a year, the SPY sold-off nearly 7 percent within a month. During another instance in July 2007, the SPY fell more than 3 percent after the correlation recorded less than -0.25.