US stock indices showed a mixed dynamic by the end of the trading session on Thursday. On the one hand, the NASDAQ technology sector index and the broad-based S&P500 index were are up by 0.11% and 0.13% respectively, while the Dow Jones was down by 0.19%.
Several factors determined investors' behavior. Fears over continuing spread of COVID-19 is among them. Another important event was the publication of the US Fed's minutes for July. According to them, the regulator is planning to roll back its stimulus program that was aimed at supporting the economy. Finally, the employment data in the US surprised investors. The number of new jobless claims dropped to 348,000 over the past week, while analysts expected a fall to 363,000.
Among the companies included in the Dow Jones, the best performers were Cisco Systems Inc (+ 3.84%), UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (+ 2.53%), and Microsoft Corporation (+ 2.08%). At the same time, shares of the following companies lost their value: Boeing Co (-3.12%), Caterpillar Inc (-2.55%), and Chevron Corp (-2.49%).
Among the companies included in the S&P 500, the largest gains were among Macy's Inc (+ 19.59%), Bath Body Works Inc (+ 10.49%), and Synopsys Inc (+ 8.73%). The companies whose stocks showed the biggest decline were Illumina Inc (-7.88%), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (-5.80%), and CF Industries Holdings Inc (-5.31%).
Among the companies included in NASDAQ, the largest increase in value was among Sonnet Biotherapeutics Holdings Inc (+ 63.74%), Sonoma Pharmaceuticals Inc (+ 52.31%), and Dlocal Ltd (+ 26.57%). The biggest losses were posted by PharmaCyte Biotech Inc (-64.85%), Ontrak Inc (-44.51%), and OLB Group Inc (-38.93%).
The number of shares which ended lower (2,329) significantly exceeded the number of shares that closed the session with gains (906) on the New York Stock Exchange. The situation is similar on the NASDAQ stock exchange where shares of 2,545 companies showed a decline, while only 1,015 posted gains.
Notably, the shares of some companies showed unprecedented growth, while others recorded a sharp decline. Thus, the shares of such companies as Macy's Inc, Synopsys Inc, Cisco Systems Inc, Dlocal Ltd, and Microsoft Corporation rose to yearly highs, having jumped to 21.61, 315.99, 57.27, 62.38, and 296.77 respectively. At the same time, the shares of Ontrak Inc (-44.51%) and OLB Group Inc (-38.93%) have reached their lowest value over the past few years.
The Volatility Index, which is based on the implied volatility of the S&P500 Index options, increased by 0.46% and stood at 21.67, its highest value for the month.
Gold Futures for December delivery fell by 0.09% to $1,782.85 per troy ounce. Futures for WTI crude oil also lost 2.02% and dropped to $63.89 per barrel. Brent crude futures fell 1.96% to $66.89 a barrel.
On Forex, the situation is also ambiguous: the EUR/USD pair decreased by 0.29% to 1.676, and the USD/JPY pair increased by 0.03%, reaching the level of 109.78.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company - www.instaforex.com