Stocks in the United States closed higher at the end of trading on Thursday, as the indices moved upwards, and gains were recorded in the oil and natural gas sectors, basic materials, and consumer services.
At the end of trading in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded an increase of 0.94%, reaching its highest historical level in the last 3 months, while the S&P 500 rose by about 0.80%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index increased by nearly 0.97%.
Among the leading stocks today in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) stood out, with its value rising by 2.83% or 1.72 points to close at 62.55. In contrast, Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) continued to rise by 2.77% or 10.30 points, closing at 381.88, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) increased by 2.58% or 17.29 points at a price of 687.16 at the end of the session.
Regarding the weakest performance at the end of today's trading, Walmart Stores (NYSE:WMT) closed down at 1.18% or 1.15 points and traded at levels of 96.11 at the close. Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) declined by 1.05% or 0.84 points at a price of 78.83, while Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE:SHW) closed down at 0.51% or 1.75 points at a price of 341.87.
On the other hand, the best performance in the S&P 500 was recorded by Enphase Energy Inc (NASDAQ:ENPH), which rose by 12.83% at a price of 43.00, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE:FCX) also continued to rise by 6.87% and closed at levels of 44.47, and Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) rose by about 5.71% and ended its trading at a price of 49.27.
Among the weakest-performing stocks today, we mention Equinix Inc (NASDAQ:EQIX), which fell by 9.61% and closed its session at a price of 745.09, Fair Isaac and Company Inc (NYSE:FICO), which lost 4.10% at a price of 1,815.84, and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), which weakened by 2.71% and concluded at a price of 133.67 for the session in the stock market.
On the other hand, the best performance in the Nasdaq Composite was recorded by AYRO Inc (NASDAQ:AYRO), which rose by 1,676.51% at a price of 7.64, Brera Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:BREA) also continued to rise by 909.25% and closed at levels of 6.76, and Cyngn Inc (NASDAQ:CYN) rose by about 172.85% and ended its trading at a price of 13.67.
Among the weakest-performing stocks today, we mention Ostin Technology Group Co Ltd (NASDAQ:OST), which fell by 93.90% and closed its session at a price of 0.55, Globavend Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:GVH), which lost 74.39% at a price of 0.18, and Altimmune Inc (NASDAQ:ALT), which weakened by 53.18% and concluded at a price of 3.61 for the session in the stock market.
The number of stocks that rose exceeded the number of stocks that closed down in trading on the New York Stock Exchange with 2203 versus 570, while 69 remained unchanged. In the Nasdaq stock market, 2182 stocks strengthened their position and 1134 fell, while 125 stocks maintained their value.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) climbed to its all-time high, adding 2.58% or 17.29 points at a price of 687.16. Ostin Technology Group Co Ltd (NASDAQ:OST) fell to its all-time low, dropping 93.90% or 8.47 points at a price of 0.55. Globavend Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:GVH) fell to its all-time low, losing 74.39% or 0.52 points at a price of 0.18. Altimmune Inc (NASDAQ:ALT) fell to its lowest level in 52 weeks, continuing its decline by 53.18% or 4.10 points at a price of 3.61.
The 500 volatility index, which measures the implied standard deviation of options on the S&P 500 index, traded down by 1.01% and closed at a price of 16.59 after recording its highest historical level during the last 3 months.
Futures contracts on gold for August delivery rose by 0.03% or 0.85, closing at a price of $3,343.95 per ounce. Regarding other commodity trades, WTI crude oil futures for August delivery increased by 0.65% or 0.42, reaching a price of $65.34 per barrel, while the September contract for Brent oil recorded an increase of 0.56% or 0.37 points, closing at a price of $66.80 per barrel.
The EUR/USD pair maintained stability at 0.34% and traded at levels of 1.17, while the USD/JPY pair continued to decline by 0.52% and reached levels of 144.43.
Dollar index futures traded down by 0.34% at a level of 96.94.
