U.S. stocks higher at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.64%

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Monday, as gains in the Basic Materials, Utilities and Consumer Goods sectors led shares higher.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.64%, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.69%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.76%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), which rose 2.97% or 3.09 points to trade at 107.21 at the close. Meanwhile, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) added 2.51% or 3.78 points to end at 154.48 and Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) was up 1.67% or 4.60 points to 280.57 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Merck&Company Inc (NYSE:MRK), which fell 1.23% or 1.08 points to trade at 86.64 at the close. Johnson&Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) declined 0.80% or 1.34 points to end at 166.26 and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA) was down 0.35% or 0.12 points to 34.15.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were WestRock Co (NYSE:WRK) which rose 5.46% to 36.02, The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) which was up 5.11% to settle at 54.87 and Packaging Corp of America (NYSE:PKG) which gained 5.10% to close at 124.09.

The worst performers were Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) which was down 7.14% to 127.90 in late trade, MarketAxess Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:MKTX) which lost 5.38% to settle at 238.53 and Edwards Lifesciences Corp (NYSE:EW) which was down 4.88% to 88.79 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Ventoux CCM Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:VTAQ) which rose 54.61% to 7.05, Purple Innovation Inc (NASDAQ:PRPL) which was up 39.43% to settle at 3.89 and Troika Media Group Inc (NASDAQ:TRKA) which gained 33.28% to close at 0.40.

The worst performers were Virios Therapeutics Llc (NASDAQ:VIRI) which was down 77.20% to 2.00 in late trade, Golden Path Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:HOLO) which lost 64.92% to settle at 2.95 and Panbela Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PBLA) which was down 46.09% to 0.31 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1874 to 1252 and 134 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2093 fell and 1726 advanced, while 244 ended unchanged.

Shares in MarketAxess Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:MKTX) fell to 3-years lows; falling 5.38% or 13.57 to 238.53. Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA) fell to 52-week lows; losing 0.35% or 0.12 to 34.15. Shares in Virios Therapeutics Llc (NASDAQ:VIRI) fell to all time lows; losing 77.20% or 6.77 to 2.00. Shares in Golden Path Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:HOLO) fell to all time lows; down 64.92% or 5.46 to 2.95. Shares in Panbela Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PBLA) fell to all time lows; down 46.09% or 0.27 to 0.31.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 2.05% to 25.76.

Gold Futures for December delivery was up 0.06% or 1.05 to $1,684.55 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in November rose 0.47% or 0.40 to hit $85.16 a barrel, while the November Brent oil contract rose 0.60% or 0.55 to trade at $91.90 a barrel.

EUR/USD was unchanged 0.05% to 1.00, while USD/JPY rose 0.24% to 143.26.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.13% at 109.37.