Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Tuesday, as gains in the Oil & Gas, Healthcare and Financials sectors led shares higher.
At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.13%, while the S&P 500 index added 0.27%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.57%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), which rose 0.96% or 1.09 points to trade at 114.14 at the close. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) added 0.83% or 0.56 points to end at 67.76 and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) was up 0.72% or 0.90 points to 125.42 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT), which fell 0.69% or 0.49 points to trade at 70.93 at the close. Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK) declined 0.63% or 0.36 points to end at 56.93 and Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) was down 0.56% or 0.48 points to 84.82.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were Pentair Ltd (NYSE:PNR) which rose 6.71% to 68.75, Wynn Resorts Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) which was up 5.05% to settle at 98.67 and Priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ:PCLN) which gained 3.94% to close at 1151.37.
The worst performers were Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc (NYSE:FCX) which was down 3.92% to 18.62 in late trade, Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) which lost 3.73% to settle at 78.42 and SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) which was down 3.27% to 58.22 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Signal Genetics (NASDAQ:SGNL) which rose 47.97% to 2.19, FreeSeas Inc (NASDAQ:FREE) which was up 40.23% to settle at 3.590 and Check Cap Ltd (NASDAQ:CHEK) which gained 28.68% to close at 3.50.
The worst performers were Methes Energies International Ltd (NASDAQ:MEIL) which was down 37.66% to 0.480 in late trade, EnteroMedics Inc (NASDAQ:ETRM) which lost 36.08% to settle at 0.620 and Local Corporation (NASDAQ:LOCM) which was down 21.12% to 0.091 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1779 to 1310; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1755 rose and 1054 declined, while 5 ended unchanged.
Shares in Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) fell to 52-week lows; losing 3.73% or 3.04 to 78.42. Shares in SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) fell to 52-week lows; down 3.27% or 1.97 to 58.22. Shares in Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) fell to 52-week lows; falling 0.69% or 0.49 to 70.93. Shares in Methes Energies International Ltd (NASDAQ:MEIL) fell to all time lows; falling 37.66% or 0.290 to 0.480. Shares in EnteroMedics Inc (NASDAQ:ETRM) fell to all time lows; losing 36.08% or 0.350 to 0.620.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 3.24% to 18.24.
Gold for August delivery was down 0.53% or 6.30 to $1172.70 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August rose 1.42% or 0.83 to hit $59.15 a barrel, while the August Brent oil contract rose 2.40% or 1.49 to trade at $63.37 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.91% to 1.1134, while USD/JPY fell 0.09% to 122.42.
The US Dollar Index was up 0.71% at 95.75.