U.S. stocks mixed at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.18%

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Technology, Utilities and Basic Materials sectors led shares higher while losses in the Oil&Gas, Healthcare and Telecoms sectors led shares lower.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.18%, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.14%, and the NASDAQ Composite index added 0.40%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), which rose 1.76% or 0.45 points to trade at 25.98 at the close. Meanwhile, Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) added 1.05% or 2.58 points to end at 248.72 and Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) was up 1.00% or 2.88 points to 291.49 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Merck&Company Inc (NYSE:MRK), which fell 2.69% or 2.99 points to trade at 108.28 at the close. The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV) declined 1.44% or 2.60 points to end at 177.77 and Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) was down 1.00% or 0.38 points to 37.53.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) which rose 3.97% to 85.37, Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) which was up 3.90% to settle at 148.44 and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) which gained 3.83% to close at 241.81.

The worst performers were Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE:NCLH) which was down 4.20% to 15.29 in late trade, Brown Forman (NYSE:BFb) which lost 4.20% to settle at 63.48 and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:REGN) which was down 3.70% to 745.20 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Kimball International Inc (NASDAQ:KBAL) which rose 84.35% to 12.37, Castor Maritime Inc (NASDAQ:CTRM) which was up 77.90% to settle at 0.95 and Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ:MAXN) which gained 44.00% to close at 27.00.

The worst performers were SRAX Inc (NASDAQ:SRAX) which was down 62.03% to 0.60 in late trade, Intelligent Bio Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:INBS) which lost 43.33% to settle at 3.40 and ETAO International Co Ltd (NASDAQ:ETAO) which was down 40.75% to 1.89 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1561 to 1444 and 110 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1919 fell and 1690 advanced, while 178 ended unchanged.

Shares in Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET) rose to all time highs; rising 3.90% or 5.57 to 148.44. Shares in Kimball International Inc (NASDAQ:KBAL) rose to 52-week highs; rising 84.35% or 5.66 to 12.37. Shares in SRAX Inc (NASDAQ:SRAX) fell to all time lows; falling 62.03% or 0.98 to 0.60. Shares in Castor Maritime Inc (NASDAQ:CTRM) rose to all time lows; up 77.90% or 0.42 to 0.95. Shares in Intelligent Bio Solutions Inc (NASDAQ:INBS) fell to 52-week lows; falling 43.33% or 2.60 to 3.40. Shares in Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ:MAXN) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 44.00% or 8.25 to 27.00.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 2.40% to 19.12.

Gold Futures for April delivery was down 0.10% or 1.75 to $1,818.25 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April fell 1.35% or 1.05 to hit $76.53 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract fell 0.94% or 0.78 to trade at $82.51 a barrel.

EUR/USD was unchanged 0.01% to 1.05, while USD/JPY rose 0.13% to 137.32.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.05% at 105.64.