The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 23,138.82 on Thursday with a gain of 260.37 points or 1.14%. The S&P 500 closed at 2,488.83 for a gain of 21.13 points or 0.86%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 6,579.49 for a gain of 25.14 points or 0.38%. The VIX Volatility Index was lower at 29.91 for a loss of 0.50 points or -1.64%.
Thursday’s market movers
The government’s shutdown kept investors on edge Thursday, but the major indexes managed to close slightly higher, rallying in the final hour of trading. After a sixth day, Congress is expected to leave with no resolution, planning to begin discussions again in the new year and leaving a partial government shutdown through the holiday. Oil prices also turned lower, reporting losses of approximately 3.5%.
In the S&P 500, materials, industrials and consumer staples led gains. On the New York Stock Exchange, MOGU ADR (MOGU, Financial) was the top gainer with a return of 25.35%. Meanwhile, Key Energy Services (KEG, Financial) led losses with a return of -16.18%.
Economic reports affecting market trading included the following:
- Jobless claims decreased to 216,000 from 217,000.
- The House Price Index increased 0.3% in October.
- The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index decreased to 128.1 in December from 136.4.
- The Treasury held auctions for four-week bills at a rate of 2.4% and seven-year notes at a rate of 2.680%.
- Mortgage rates were lower. Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage market survey reported the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average at 4.55%, decreasing from 4.62%. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage average was lower at 4.01%, decreasing from 4.07%.
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led gains:
- 3M (MMM, Financial) 1.97%
- Procter & Gamble (PG, Financial) 1.92%
- IBM (IBM, Financial) 1.81%
- DowDuPont (DWDP, Financial) 1.70%
- Chevron (CVX, Financial) 1.56%
Small-cap stocks
In small caps, the Russell 2000 closed at 1,331.98 for a gain of 2.17 points or 0.16%. The S&P 600 closed at 835.37 for a gain of 3.49 points or 0.42%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index closed at 8,296.08 for a gain of 23.65 points or 0.29%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM Index closed at 8,506.74 for a loss of 1.61 points or -0.02%.
Other notable indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1,647.30 for a gain of 7.52 points or 0.46%; the S&P 100 at 1,104.99 for a gain of 8.04 points or 0.73%; the Russell 3000 at 1,460.43 for a gain of 11.26 points or 0.78%; the Russell 1000 at 1,373.71 for a gain of 11.23 points or 0.82%; the Wilshire 5000 at 25,551.33 for a gain of 184.47 points or 0.73%; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 636.04 for a gain of 4.42 points or 0.70%.
