The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 25702.89 on Wednesday with a gain of 148.23 points or 0.58%. The S&P 500 closed at 2810.92 for a gain of 19.40 points or 0.69%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 7643.41 for a gain of 52.37 points or 0.69%. The VIX Volatility Index was lower at 13.45 for a loss of -0.32 points or -2.32%.
Wednesday’s market movers
Boeing (BA, Financial) continued to make headlines Wednesday with Canada and the U.S. reporting grounding notices for the Boeing 737 MAX. In the U.K., Parliament voted to rule out a no-deal exit, which means the U.K. may extend the withdrawal date beyond March 29.
Economic reports affecting market trading included the following:
- The MBA Mortgage Applications Index increased 2.3% and the MBA 30-year mortgage average rate was reported at 4.64%.
- The Producer Price Index increased 0.1% in February and 1.9% annually.
- Durable goods orders increased 0.4% in January.
- Construction spending increased 1.3% in January
- The Treasury held an auction for 30-year bonds at a rate of 3.014%.
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led gains:
- UnitedHealth (UNH, Financial) 2.50%
- Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA, Financial) 1.51%
- United Technologies (UTX, Financial) 1.44%
- American Express (AXP, Financial) 1.38%
- Intel (INTC, Financial) 1.33%
Small-cap stocks
In small-caps, the Russell 2000 closed at 1555.88 for a gain of 6.05 points or 0.39%. The S&P 600 closed at 951.50 for a gain of 3.46 points or 0.36%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth TSM Index closed at 9846.06 for a gain of 42.76 points or 0.44%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value TSM Index closed at 9576.94 for a gain of 17.98 points or 0.19%.
Other notable indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1895.54 for a gain of 7.27 points or 0.39%; the S&P 100 at 1241.98 for a gain of 9.04 points or 0.73%; the Russell 3000 at 1660.25 for a gain of 10.77 points or 0.65%; the Russell 1000 at 1558.39 for a gain of 10.42 points or 0.67%; the Wilshire 5000 at 29095.64 for a gain of 190.55 points or 0.66%; and the Dow Jones US Select Dividend Index at 703.91 for a gain of 2.22 points or 0.32%.
