U.S. stocks higher at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.23%

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Technology, Consumer Services and Telecoms sectors led shares higher.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.23%, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.30%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 1.01%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), which rose 3.20% or 0.90 points to trade at 29.03 at the close. Meanwhile, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) added 1.97% or 5.37 points to end at 277.66 and Amgen Inc (NASDAQ:AMGN) was up 1.42% or 3.27 points to 233.10 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV), which fell 1.66% or 2.77 points to trade at 163.86 at the close. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) declined 1.18% or 5.61 points to end at 469.91 and Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) was down 1.04% or 1.62 points to 154.45.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) which rose 9.01% to 320.37, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) which was up 7.22% to settle at 271.56 and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:REGN) which gained 6.77% to close at 802.16.

The worst performers were Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ:ZION) which was down 8.86% to 27.45 in late trade, Comerica Inc (NYSE:CMA) which lost 8.72% to settle at 40.64 and Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO) which was down 7.50% to 12.95 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were DiamondHead Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:DHHC) which rose 82.63% to 18.92, Jaguar Health Inc (NASDAQ:JAGX) which was up 39.51% to settle at 1.13 and SMX Security Matters Ord Shs Class A (NASDAQ:SMX) which gained 35.79% to close at 1.29.

The worst performers were AVROBIO Inc (NASDAQ:AVRO) which was down 27.64% to 0.89 in late trade, Trupanion Inc (NASDAQ:TRUP) which lost 26.70% to settle at 41.19 and Cidara Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:CDTX) which was down 24.74% to 1.43 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1849 to 1154 and 91 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1934 fell and 1658 advanced, while 131 ended unchanged.

Shares in Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ:ZION) fell to 52-week lows; falling 8.86% or 2.67 to 27.45. Shares in Comerica Inc (NYSE:CMA) fell to 52-week lows; losing 8.72% or 3.88 to 40.64. Shares in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:REGN) rose to all time highs; up 6.77% or 50.86 to 802.16. Shares in Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE:VNO) fell to 5-year lows; down 7.50% or 1.05 to 12.95. Shares in DiamondHead Holdings Corp (NASDAQ:DHHC) rose to all time highs; rising 82.63% or 8.56 to 18.92. Shares in Trupanion Inc (NASDAQ:TRUP) fell to 52-week lows; down 26.70% or 15.00 to 41.19.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was up 1.57% to 22.61.

Gold Futures for April delivery was up 2.39% or 46.50 to $1,996.10 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in May fell 2.02% or 1.43 to hit $69.47 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract fell 0.07% or 0.05 to trade at $75.44 a barrel.

EUR/USD was unchanged 0.03% to 1.08, while USD/JPY rose 0.03% to 130.85.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.26% at 102.24.