U.S. equities ended the session with a mixed profile on Thursday, as sector leadership diverged and produced modest gains for broad-cap benchmarks while the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished lower.
At the New York Stock Exchange close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.13%. The S&P 500 rose 0.11%, while the NASDAQ Composite increased 0.18%.
Sector and breadth picture
Gains were led by the Utilities, Oil & Gas and Technology groups, which supported advances across parts of the market. Offsetting those moves were declines in Consumer Goods, Healthcare and Industrials, which pressured several large-cap names and kept the Dow in negative territory.
Market breadth at the exchange level showed more advancers than decliners. On the NYSE, 1,531 stocks rose versus 1,225 that fell, with 57 unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 1,912 advanced and 1,430 declined, while 212 finished unchanged.
Notable movers on the Dow
- International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) led Dow gains, finishing up 2.06% or 5.02 points to close at 248.16.
- Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) also contributed to the upside, adding 1.94% or 1.51 points to end at 79.02.
- Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV) rose 1.23% or 3.57 points to 294.10.
- On the downside, Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) fell 2.41% or 7.93 points to close at 321.63.
- Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE:SHW) dropped 2.36% or 7.70 points to 318.00, and Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) lost 1.75% or 12.80 points to finish at 717.52.
Top performers on the S&P 500
- SBA Communications Corp (NASDAQ:SBAC) was the session's strongest S&P name, surging 18.93% to 204.04.
- Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) climbed 4.83% to settle at 50.35.
- Crown Castle International Corp (NYSE:CCI) gained 4.82% to close at 84.73.
- At the other end, Enphase Energy Inc (NASDAQ:ENPH) fell 8.75% to 34.93, and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) declined 5.42% to settle at 360.59.
- GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) was also lower, down 3.95% to 281.12 at the close.
Notable Nasdaq moves
- Among the session leaders on the Nasdaq Composite, Visionary Education Technology Holdings Group Inc (NASDAQ:GV) jumped 116.78% to 0.44.
- Sky Quarry Inc (NASDAQ:SKYQ) rose 101.58% to settle at 5.10, while Cocrystal Pharma Inc (NASDAQ:COCP) advanced 48.36% to close at 1.51.
- Heavy losses were concentrated in a few small-cap names. Lipocine Inc (NASDAQ:LPCN) fell 77.84% to 2.05, PMGC Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:ELAB) lost 59.14% to settle at 5.72, and Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ:MAXN) dropped 38.94% to 0.68.
All-time lows and volatility
Shares of Lipocine Inc (NASDAQ:LPCN) and Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ:MAXN) fell to all-time lows during the session, with LPCN down 77.84% or 7.20 to 2.05 and MAXN down 38.94% or 0.44 to 0.68.
The CBOE Volatility Index, a gauge of implied volatility in S&P 500 options, declined 2.61% to 23.90.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery dropped 2.42% or 116.28 to $4,696.82 a troy ounce. Crude oil for May delivery gained 11.56% or 11.57 to $111.69 a barrel, and the June Brent oil contract rose 7.45% or 7.54 to trade at $108.70 a barrel.
In foreign exchange activity, the euro weakened against the dollar with EUR/USD down 0.46% to 1.15. The yen depreciated versus the dollar as USD/JPY rose 0.45% to 159.57. The US Dollar Index Futures were higher by 0.39% at 99.85.
Close takeaways
Thursday's session illustrated a market split in direction: leadership from Utilities, Oil & Gas and Technology supported gains for broader indices, while losses concentrated in Consumer Goods, Healthcare and Industrials pressured a Dow that ended slightly lower. Individual stock volatility was pronounced, with several small-cap and mid-cap names recording large percentage moves and some hitting record lows.