U.S. stocks finished higher on Thursday, with gains concentrated in the Industrials, Utilities and Healthcare sectors that helped push major benchmarks into positive territory at the close.
On the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.62% to reach a new 1-month high at the close. The S&P 500 index rose 1.02%, and the NASDAQ Composite increased 0.89%.
Top and bottom movers on the Dow
Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) led the Dow’s gainers, jumping 9.88% or 80.06 points to end the session at 890.11. Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) added 3.05% or 1.42 points to close at 48.03, while Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) gained 3.04% or 3.89 points to finish at 131.90.
Decliners among the blue-chips included NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), which fell 4.63% or 9.68 points to 199.57 at the close. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) dropped 3.96% or 16.81 points to end at 407.65, and Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) lost 2.59% or 4.70 points to finish at 176.53.
Winners and losers on the S&P 500
Quanta Services Inc (NYSE:PWR) was among the strongest performers on the S&P 500, surging 15.81% to 727.99. Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) rose 15.09% to settle at 179.54, and Teradyne Inc (NASDAQ:TER) climbed 12.12% to close at 343.47.
On the downside, Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WTW) slid 11.64% to 256.33 in late trade. International Paper (NYSE:IP) dropped 9.41% to settle at 30.42, and Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) declined 8.55% to close at 611.91.
NASDAQ breadth and extremes
The NASDAQ Composite’s session leaders included Huachen AI Parking Management Technology Holding Co Ltd (NASDAQ:HCAI), which rose 100.18% to 10.95. Akanda Corp (NASDAQ:AKAN) climbed 88.38% to 48.96, and OSR Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:OSRH) gained 52.80% to close at 0.70.
The weakest performers on the NASDAQ included Rising Dragon Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:RDAC), down 48.03% to 10.66, Inno Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:INHD), off 31.42% to 0.08, and NCS Multistage Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:NCSM), which fell 28.07% to 54.67 at the close.
Market internals and notable highs and lows
On the NYSE, advancing issues outnumbered decliners by 2,136 to 620, with 68 issues unchanged. On the Nasdaq, 2,373 issues advanced, 1,018 declined and 159 finished unchanged.
Several stocks reached significant technical marks during the session. Quanta Services Inc (NYSE:PWR) rose to an all-time high, gaining 15.81% or 99.39 to 727.99. Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) also rose to an all-time high, increasing 9.88% or 80.06 to 890.11. Conversely, Willis Towers Watson PLC (NASDAQ:WTW) fell to a 52-week low, down 11.64% or 33.78 to 256.33, and International Paper (NYSE:IP) likewise hit a 52-week low, dropping 9.41% or 3.16 to 30.42.
Volatility, commodities and currencies
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, declined 10.21% to 16.89, marking a new 1-month low.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for June delivery rose 1.47% or 67.21 to $4,628.71 a troy ounce. Crude oil for delivery in June fell 1.24% or 1.32 to $105.56 a barrel, while the July Brent oil contract rose 0.73% or 0.81 to trade at $111.25 a barrel.
Currency moves included EUR/USD rising 0.51% to 1.17, and USD/JPY falling 2.36% to 156.54. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.90% at 97.94.
Thursday’s session featured a mix of pronounced individual stock moves, sector-led breadth and shifting commodity and currency prices. The Industrials, Utilities and Healthcare sectors provided a lift to major indices, while notable weakness among several large-cap technology names and select S&P 500 constituents produced contrasting outcomes across market segments.