3D Systems Unveils Printer for Your Kitchen and Alan Mulally Squashes Microsoft Rumors

Despite positive private sector jobs data, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is trading lower in mid-afternoon trading, down 0.54%. Private sector payrolls increased by 238,000 jobs last month in the U.S., according to Automatic Data Processing. That figure is good enough to be the highest ADP estimate since November 2012 and was much higher than the expected increase of 200,000 jobs. With that in mind, and as investors wait for the Fed minutes this afternoon, here are some companies making headlines today.

Inside the Dow, Boeing continues to bring in orders for its 737 airplane family and, according to Reuters, Indian budget airline SpiceJet has agreed to buy roughly 40 737 airplanes worth more than $4 billion at list prices. Boeing hasn't officially announced the deal, and SpiceJet declined to comment thus far, although the former did say on Monday that unidentified airlines had placed orders near the end of 2013 for about 164 such medium-sized aircraft. 

Ford CEO Alan Mulally. Photo credit: Ford.

Outside the Dow, Ford's share price is climbing roughly 1.5% today after CEO Alan Mulally finally put to rest speculation about him remaining a candidate for the Microsoft CEO position. "I would like to end the Microsoft speculation because I have no other plans to do anything other than serve Ford," Mulally told the Associated Press in an interview. With rumors swirling for months, it became obvious that this wasn't going to disappear without definitive answers. With the Detroit auto show rapidly approaching Mulally took the right steps to squash these rumors so it wouldn't distract from Ford's important unveiling of its next-generation F-150, its most profitable vehicle.

While 3D Systems and its printers still may seem like science fiction to many consumers, the company continues to crank out innovative products with real applications. Yesterday, 3D Systems introduced the ChefJet series of 3-D printers, which is an entirely new, kitchen-ready printer for edibles. Yes, it's true, you'll soon be able to print food from your own kitchen.

The ChefJet 3-D printer is a countertop-sized printer that will be ideal for single-color confections and cake toppers. The printers materials will be available in multiple flavors including chocolate, vanilla, mint, sour apple, cherry, and watermelon. 3D Systems new ChefJet printer will initially come at a high price -- up to $5,000 -- and will be available in a kitchen near you in the back half of 2014.

3-D printing has the ability to revolutionize the way the world goes about many processes and products, and investing in the right company could be a special opportunity that comes once a generation.