Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Consumer Goods, Utilities and Telecoms sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.54%, while the S&P 500 index added 0.46%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.12%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM), which rose 3.32% or 4.74 points to trade at 147.70 at the close. Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) added 2.24% or 0.89 points to end at 40.54 and Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) was up 1.19% or 1.34 points to 114.09 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Boeing Co (NYSE:BA), which fell 0.37% or 1.29 points to trade at 348.44 at the close. United Technologies Corporation (NYSE:UTX) declined 0.17% or 0.23 points to end at 133.89 and Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) was down 0.01% or 0.02 points to 195.64.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) which rose 14.53% to 34.20, Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ:KHC) which was up 8.55% to settle at 64.48 and Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR) which gained 7.64% to close at 55.65.
The worst performers were Stericycle Inc (NASDAQ:SRCL) which was down 13.13% to 61.66 in late trade, Noble Energy Inc (NYSE:NBL) which lost 7.92% to settle at 32.89 and Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC) which was down 7.81% to 19.25 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Oxbridge Re Holdings Ltd (NASDAQ:OXBR) which rose 31.43% to 2.30, Pixelworks Inc (NASDAQ:PXLW) which was up 28.99% to settle at 4.205 and Universal Electronics Inc (NASDAQ:UEIC) which gained 26.26% to close at 44.95.
The worst performers were Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc (NASDAQ:HMNY) which was down 30.00% to 0.070 in late trade, Varex Imaging Corp (NASDAQ:VREX) which lost 26.32% to settle at 28.36 and Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ:IMMR) which was down 24.24% to 10.78 at the close.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 96 to 60 and 15 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 0 fell and 0 advanced.
Shares in Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC) fell to 52-week lows; falling 7.81% or 1.63 to 19.25. Shares in Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) rose to 5-year highs; rising 2.24% or 0.89 to 40.54. Shares in Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) rose to 52-week highs; up 1.19% or 1.34 to 114.09. Shares in Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc (NASDAQ:HMNY) fell to all time lows; falling 30.00% or 0.030 to 0.070.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was up 3.95% to 12.10.
Gold Futures for December delivery was down 0.43% or 5.20 to $1218.00 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in September rose 1.52% or 1.04 to hit $69.53 a barrel, while the October Brent oil contract rose 1.16% or 0.85 to trade at $74.06 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.16% to 1.1549, while USD/JPY rose 0.15% to 111.45.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.22% at 95.24.