The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 26,106.77 on Thursday with a gain of 101.94 points or 0.39%. The S&P 500 closed at 2,891.64 for a gain of 11.80 points or 0.41%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 7,837.13 for a gain of 44.41 points or 0.57%. The VIX Volatility Index was lower at 15.81 for a loss of 0.10 points or -0.63%.
Thursday’s market movers
A spike in oil prices following an attack on two oil ships near the Persian Gulf was a market catalyst for equities on Thursday and specifically energy stocks. The S&P 500 energy sector gained 1.17% for the day. Consumer discretionary stocks were also higher after Target (TGT, Financial) launched a new site for same-day delivery. Target gained 0.05%.
Economic reports affecting market trading included the following:
- Jobless claims increased to 222,000 from 219,000,
- Import and export prices were released. Import prices decreased 0.3% in May and 1.5% year over year. Export prices decreased 0.2% in May and 0.7% year over year.
- The Treasury held auctions for four-week bills at a rate of 2.215%, eight-week bills at a rate of 2.200% and 30-year bonds at a rate of 2.607%.
- Mortgage rates were mostly unchanged according to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage market survey. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.82%, unchanged from the previous week. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.26%, decreasing from 3.28%.
In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led gains:
- Disney (DIS, Financial) 4.11%
- Home Depot (HD, Financial) 1.49%
- Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA, Financial) 1.31%
Small-cap stocks
In small caps, the Russell 2000 closed at 1,533.98 for a gain of 14.19 points or 0.93%. The S&P 600 closed at 932.22 for a gain of 10.39 points or 1.13%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index closed at 9,831.99 for a gain of 95.21 points or 0.98%. The Dow Jones Small-Cap Value Total Stock Market Index closed at 9,421.59 for a gain of 51.52 points or 0.55%.
Other notable indexes
Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1,912.45 for a gain of 10.73 points or 0.56%; the S&P 100 at 1,275.45 for a gain of 5.06 points or 0.40%; the Russell 3000 at 1,701.40 for a gain of 7.88 points or 0.47%; the Russell 1000 at 1,601.57 for a gain of 6.73 points or 0.42%; the Wilshire 5000 at 29,667.98 for a gain of 134.83 points or 0.46%; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 699.44 for a gain of 4.30 points or 0.62%.
