The markets did not react as terribly as they could have -- especially given the release of some terrible retail numbers and a speech by President-elect Obama that emphasized the precarious state of the economy. The major indices finished Thursday mixed, with the DJIA down and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq up.

Here are some of Thursday’s winners and losers:

Winners

Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD)

Thankfully, same-store sales were up in the last quarter as SHLD shocked the sector and rose $9.43, or more than 23%, to close the trading day at $49.98.

Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFMI)

The supermarket sector was up for the day, and Whole Foods was the big winner, gaining $2.26, or 23%, to $12.27. While we are in a recession, apparently people don’t mind paying four bucks for a few organic strawberries.

GameStop Corp. (GME)

It seems videogame sales are as strong as Mario after the magic mushroom, as GameStop saw its shares climb on the day. It ended the session at $25.58, a gain of $2.97, or more than 13%.

Qwest Communications International Inc. (Q)

Qwest reported that demand has not dropped along with the economy; it closed the day up 46 cents, or 13%, at $4.04.

MBIA Inc. (MBI)

The insurance sector on the whole had a very good Thursday. MBIA was a standout, finishing the day up 11.5%, or 58 cents, closing at $5.61.

Losers

Manitowoc Company Inc. (MTW)

Despite President-elect Obama’s preparations to launch perhaps the largest infrastructure project in history and a change of expectations to the up side. The stock still dropped $1.11, or 12% to $8.39.

Sun Microsystems Inc. (JAVA)

After Goldman Sachs sent JAVA to its “American Sell List,” the stock dropped. It closed the day at $4.67, a loss of 42 cents, or 8.3%.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT)

Even the Mona-Lisa is losing teeth, the stock getting hit hard for the first time this year and in recent month as the nation received its bleak retail numbers. The mega-retailer lost $4.16, or 7.5% Thursday, finishing at $51.38.

NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ)

While the Nasdaq Composite was up on the day, NDAQ could not say the same; it closed down 7.4%, or $1.79, at $22.44.

CIT Group Inc (CIT)

After announcing its fourth-quarter guidance, the stock dropped more than 7.2%. It ended the trading session at $4.37, a loss of 34 cents.