U.S. market indexes were higher on Thursday with the Dow Jones reporting a new high.
For the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 21,144.18 for a gain of 135.53 points or 0.65%. The Standard & Poor's 500 closed at 2,430.06 for a gain of 18.26 points or 0.76%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 6,246.83 for a gain of 48.31 points or 0.78%. The VIX Volatility Index was lower for the day at 9.87 for a loss of 0.54 points or 5.19%.
Thursday’s market movers
Economic data helped stocks reach new highs Thursday. The following economic reports were released:
- The ADP Employment report showed an increase of 253,000 jobs. The report was above consensus of 170,000 and also above the prior report of 174,000.
- Jobless claims increased by 13,000 to 248,000.
- The PMI Manufacturing Index was reported at 52.7, below consensus of 53 and a decrease from the prior report of 52.8.
- The ISM Manufacturing Index increased to 54.9 from 54.8 and was above consensus of 54.6.
- Construction spending was down -1.4% for the month and increased 6.7% for the year.
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led gains:
- UnitedHealth (UNH, Financial) 2.51%.
- Goldman Sachs (GS, Financial) 1.78%.
- American Express (AXP, Financial) 1.74%.
In the broad market, materials and financial stocks led gains. Technology stocks were also higher with the S&P 500 technology sector gaining 0.25%.
Small-cap stocks
In small-caps, the Russell 2000 Index closed at 1,396.06 for a gain of 25.85 points or 1.89%. The S&P 600 Small-Cap Index closed at 846.65 for a gain of 14.48 points or 1.74%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index closed at 8,454.13 for a gain of 157.53 points or 1.90%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM Index closed at 9,508.01 for a gain of 149.34 points or 1.60%.
Other notable indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1,747.87 for a gain of 26.18 points or 1.52%; the S&P 100 Index at 1,069.74 for a gain of 6.83 points or 0.64%; the Russell 3000 Index at 1,439.05 for a gain of 12.95 points or 0.91%; the Russell 1000 Index at 1,347.28 for a gain of 11.09 points or 0.83%; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 664.92 for a gain of 6.91 points or 1.05%.
