U.S. market indexes were higher on Thursday with the Dow Jones reaching another new high. For the day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 21553.09 for a gain of 20.95 points or 0.10%. The S&P 500 closed at 2447.83 for a gain of 4.58 points or 0.19%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 6274.44 for a gain of 13.27 points or 0.21%. The VIX Volatility Index was lower for the day at 9.90 for a loss of -0.40 points or -3.88%.
Thursday’s market movers
Janet Yellen’s comments before Congress continued to help stocks gain. Economic reports affecting trading for the day included the following:
- Jobless claims decreased by 3,000 to 247,000.
- The Producer Price Index increased 0.1% for the month and 2% for the year.
- Mortgage rates were higher for the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 4.03%, increasing from 3.96%, and the average 15-year fixed-rate mortgage at 3.29%, increasing from 3.22%.
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led gains for the day:
Wal-Mart (WMT, Financial) 1.50%
Goldman Sachs (GS, Financial) 1.32%
Microsoft (MSFT, Financial) 0.87%
In the broad market, financial stocks led gains. Technology stocks were also higher with the S&P 500 technology sector gaining 0.20%.
Small-cap stocks
In small-caps, the Russell 2000 Index closed at 1425.66 for a gain of 1.34 points or 0.09%. The S&P 600 Small-Cap Index closed at 860.35 for a gain of 2.41 points or 0.28%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index closed at 8633.94 for a gain of 5.95 points or 0.07%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM Index closed at 9598.07 for a gain of 16.06 points or 0.17%.
Other notable indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1759.38 for a gain of 2.04 points or 0.12%; the S&P 100 Index at 1078.41 for a gain of 2.44 points or 0.23%; the Russell 3000 Index at 1450.36 for a gain of 2.55 points or 0.18%; the Russell 1000 Index at 1356.41 for a gain of 2.48 points or 0.18%; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 656.92 for a gain of 0.62 points or 0.09%.
