US Indexes End Slightly Higher Thursday

S&P 500 gains 0.15%

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Dec 05, 2019
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 27,677.79 on Thursday with a gain of 28.01 points or 0.10%. The S&P 500 closed at 3,117.43 for a gain of 4.67 points or 0.15%. The Nasdaq Composite closed at 8,570.70 for a gain of 4.03 points or 0.05%. The VIX Volatility Index was lower at 14.52 for a loss of 0.28 points or -1.89%.

Thursday’s market movers

U.S. indexes closed slightly higher Thursday. Investors showed optimism over a China trade deal with U.S. officials reporting close contact with negotiators as the Dec. 15 deadline approaches for the next tariff increase. In the energy sector, OPEC reported the potential for more decreases in oil production. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco also debuted its initial public offering, selling three billion shares at 32 riyals ($8.53) each for the world’s largest IPO ever.

Economic reports affecting market trading included the following:

  • The Balance of Trade report showed a deficit of $47.2 billion in October, improving from $-51.1 billion. Exports were $207 billion and imports were $254 billion. Imports from China were 4.8% lower in October at $1.7 billion.
  • Jobless claims decreased to 203,000 from 213,000.
  • Factory orders increased 0.3% in October following a decrease of 0.8%. Factors orders excluding transportation increased 0.2% following a decrease of 0.3%.
  • The Treasury held auctions for four-week bills at a rate of 1.50% and eight-week bills at a rate of 1.52%.

In the S&P 500, the materials, financial and technology sectors led gains. In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the following stocks led gains:

Small-cap stocks

In small caps, the Russell 2000 closed at 1,614.83 for a gain of 0.94 points or 0.06%. The S&P 600 closed at 988.01 for a gain of 2.72 points or 0.28%. The Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Growth Index closed at 10,326.42 for a gain of 7.49 points or 0.07%. The Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Value Index closed at 9,654.76 for a gain of 16.65 points or 0.17%.

Other notable indexes

Other notable index closes included the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 2,003.00 for a gain of 3.47 points or 0.17%; the S&P 100 at 1,388.58 for a gain of 2.13 points or 0.15%; the Nasdaq 100 at 8,308.40 for a gain of 11.87 points or 0.14%; the Russell 3000 at 1,827.76 for a gain of 2.28 points or 0.12%; the Russell 1000 at 1,723.16 for a gain of 2.23 points or 0.13%; the Wilshire 5000 at 31,870.47 for a gain of 40.61 points or 0.13%; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 732.71 for a gain of 0.68 points or 0.093%.

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