U.S. stock indices ended the trading day in positive territory on Thursday, with gains concentrated in Consumer Services, Consumer Goods and Industrials. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.58% to close at a new one-month high. The S&P 500 rose 0.62% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.83%.
Among Dow components, Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) was the strongest performer, finishing up 5.60% - a 12.40-point rise - to close at 233.65. Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) added 2.02%, or 0.87 points, to finish at 44.00. Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) also contributed to the index advance, rising 2.01% - 15.49 points - to end the session at 787.07.
Not all Dow names participated. Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) led decliners on the index, falling 2.89% - a 5.09-point drop - to 170.84 at the close. International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) slipped 1.91%, or 4.62 points, to 237.12, while Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) was down 1.31% - 2.53 points - to 190.37.
On the S&P 500, the top performers included Brown Forman (NYSE:BFb), which gained 12.89% to 30.31, and Constellation Brands Inc Class A (NYSE:STZ), which climbed 8.53% to settle at 163.08. Amazon also ranked among the S&P's best, with its 5.60% advance to 233.65.
In contrast, several large-cap growth and security names posted heavy declines on the S&P 500. Axon Enterprise Inc (NASDAQ:AXON) fell 10.25% to 351.38, ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW) lost 7.90% to close at 89.77, and CrowdStrike Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:CRWD) was down 7.46% to 394.68.
The Nasdaq Composite showed a split picture between extreme movers and the broader index. DarkIris Inc (NASDAQ:DKI) led the gainers with a 146.60% jump to 0.98, Aimei Health Technology Co Ltd (NASDAQ:AFJK) rose 135.63% to 67.86 and Beasley Broadcast Group Inc (NASDAQ:BBGI) climbed 94.36% to 11.02.
On the downside, several smaller and over-the-counter names experienced sharp losses. Captivision Inc (OTC:CPTAF) plunged 75.61% to 0.02, Actelis Networks Inc (NASDAQ:ASNS) dropped 73.39% to 0.09 and Hub Cyber Security Ltd (NASDAQ:HUBC) fell 41.86% to 0.12 by the close.
Market breadth favored advancers. On the New York Stock Exchange, 1,669 issues rose versus 1,051 that declined, while 84 ended unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 1,818 stocks gained against 1,553 that fell, with 167 unchanged.
Several individual equity movements were also notable for their relationship to prior trading ranges. Shares of Axon Enterprise Inc (NASDAQ:AXON) fell to 52-week lows after the 10.25% decline to 351.38. ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW) likewise slipped to 52-week lows, down 7.90% to 89.77. Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) moved to three-year lows following the 2.89% drop to 170.84. At the same time, Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) rose to an all-time high, advancing 2.01% to 787.07. Among smaller names, Captivision Inc (OTC:CPTAF) and Actelis Networks Inc (NASDAQ:ASNS) each moved to all-time lows, falling to 0.02 and 0.09 respectively.
Volatility as measured by the CBOE Volatility Index eased, with the index down 7.41% to 19.48, marking a one-month low.
Commodities saw notable moves. Gold futures for June delivery climbed 0.34%, or 16.17, to 4,793.37 a troy ounce. Crude oil for May delivery rose 4.57%, or 4.31, to 98.72 a barrel, while the June Brent contract increased 1.98%, or 1.88, to trade at 96.63 a barrel.
In foreign exchange, EUR/USD registered a change listed as unchanged but noted at 0.31% to 1.17, while USD/JPY rose 0.31% to 159.05. The US Dollar Index Futures fell 0.33% to 98.60.
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