Investing.com – U.S. stocks were mixed after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Healthcare, Technology and Consumer Services sectors led shares higher while losses in the Financials, Industrials and Basic Materials sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.24%, while the S&P 500 index lost 0.13%, and the NASDAQ Composite index added 0.21%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Visa Inc (NYSE:V), which rose 1.31% or 1.05 points to trade at 81.20 at the close. Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) added 1.14% or 0.38 points to end at 33.67 and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was up 0.94% or 1.09 points to 116.74 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV), which fell 1.72% or 2.07 points to trade at 118.18 at the close. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) declined 1.40% or 1.07 points to end at 75.19 and Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) was down 1.36% or 1.23 points to 88.67.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ALXN) which rose 9.26% to 138.88, Mattel Inc (NASDAQ:MAT) which was up 5.74% to settle at 30.94 and Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE:NEM) which gained 4.66% to close at 36.59.
The worst performers were Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS) which was down 18.71% to 42.17 in late trade, Macy’s Inc (NYSE:M) which lost 13.78% to settle at 30.90 and Signet Jewelers Ltd (NYSE:SIG) which was down 7.72% to 88.25 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were EnteroMedics Inc (NASDAQ:ETRM) which rose 70.33% to 3.5600, Prana Biotechnology Ltd (NASDAQ:PRAN) which was up 34.55% to settle at 2.5699 and GenVec Inc (NASDAQ:GNVC) which gained 27.30% to close at 4.2900.
The worst performers were AEterna Zentaris Inc (NASDAQ:AEZS) which was down 21.92% to 2.850 in late trade, Fuwei Films Holdings Co Ltd (NASDAQ:FFHL) which lost 16.27% to settle at 1.7500 and Hebron Technology Co Ltd (NASDAQ:HEBT) which was down 15.68% to 5.00 at the close.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1725 to 1438 and 60 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1501 fell and 1003 advanced, while 84 ended unchanged.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was up 0.59% to 11.92.
Gold for February delivery was up 1.34% or 15.60 to $1180.90 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 0.86% or 0.46 to hit $53.72 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 0.67% or 0.38 to trade at $56.84 a barrel.
EUR/USD was up 1.00% to 1.0593, while USD/JPY fell 1.36% to 115.66.
The US Dollar Index was down 0.95% at 101.52.