Market close overview
U.S. equities finished the trading session higher on Thursday as strength in technology, basic materials and industrial companies pushed major indices upward. At the close on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.19%, the S&P 500 gained 1.67%, and the NASDAQ Composite increased 2.78%.
Notable movers on the Dow
On the Dow, Microsoft Corporation was the session's stand-out performer, jumping 15.51% to finish at 451.10. Goldman Sachs Group Inc added 4.50% to end at 1,024.86, and Amazon.com Inc closed up 3.90% at 235.50.
At the other end of the Dow roster, Salesforce Inc declined 4.06% to 180.74. Johnson & Johnson slipped 3.66% to close at 255.82, and Travelers Companies fell 3.36% to 375.95.
S&P 500 leaders and laggards
Within the S&P 500, MarketAxess Holdings Inc posted a large gain of 29.45%, finishing at 162.76. Micron Technology Inc rose 18.36% to 874.66, and FMC Corporation advanced 18.18% to 11.83.
Major decliners on the S&P 500 included Fair Isaac Corporation, which lost 17.01% to close at 1,139.54. CH Robinson Worldwide Inc fell 15.44% to 146.92, and LKQ Corporation dropped 14.36% to 22.60.
NASDAQ extremes
The biggest percentage gains on the NASDAQ Composite were recorded by Cycurion Inc, up 496.30% to 1.61; GlucoTrack Inc, which rose 170.98% to 0.77; and Nuwellis Inc, which gained 135.45% to close at 4.45.
Conversely, Mangoceuticals Inc fell 46.88% to 0.29, Coastal Financial Corp lost 43.52% to 39.91, and AiRWA Inc dropped 41.38% to 0.17.
Market breadth and company low points
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,523 to 1,194, with 88 stocks unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 2,045 issues rose, 1,349 declined and 182 finished flat.
Certain shares reached notable lows during the session. LKQ Corporation's stock fell to a five-year low, down 14.36% or 3.79 to 22.60. Coastal Financial Corp fell to 52-week lows after a 43.52% drop, losing 30.75 to 39.91. AiRWA Inc declined to an all-time low, losing 41.38% or 0.12 to 0.17.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures implied volatility for S&P 500 options, declined 17.33% to 17.08.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for August delivery rose 1.77% or 71.40 to $4,107.70 a troy ounce. Crude oil for September delivery fell 0.40% or 0.34 to $84.12 a barrel, while the October Brent contract dropped 0.84% or 0.74 to $87.35 a barrel.
In currency markets, EUR/USD was up 0.52% to 1.15 and USD/JPY fell 2.37% to 159.52. The US Dollar Index Futures was lower, down 0.89% at 99.83.
Session context and closing note
Thursday's session featured wide variation across individual names and sectors, with large single-stock moves on both the upside and downside. Broad index gains were accompanied by a notable retreat in implied volatility and mixed moves in commodities and foreign exchange rates.
Data referenced in this report reflect the closing figures for the session described.