Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Utilities, Consumer Services and Basic Materials sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.40%, while the S&P 500 index climbed 1.83%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 2.14%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 3M Company (NYSE:MMM), which rose 3.39% or 3.95 points to trade at 120.55 at the close. Meanwhile, Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) added 3.17% or 3.33 points to end at 108.48 and Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) was up 2.74% or 7.93 points to 297.47 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), which fell 1.28% or 2.01 points to trade at 155.11 at the close. Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) declined 0.05% or 0.02 points to end at 41.08 and Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) was up 0.11% or 0.20 points to 180.86.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were SolarEdge Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:SEDG) which rose 11.85% to 311.36, Enphase Energy Inc (NASDAQ:ENPH) which was up 8.02% to settle at 316.31 and DexCom Inc (NASDAQ:DXCM) which gained 7.73% to close at 88.37.
The worst performers were APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) which was down 3.04% to 36.67 in late trade, Old Dominion Freight Line Inc (NASDAQ:ODFL) which lost 2.95% to settle at 263.98 and Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) which was down 2.85% to 28.68 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Imara Inc (NASDAQ:IMRA) which rose 71.79% to 2.01, Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:SHPH) which was up 27.72% to settle at 36.40 and Spero Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:SPRO) which gained 26.55% to close at 1.43.
The worst performers were Cleantech Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:CLAQ) which was down 28.36% to 6.77 in late trade, Newage Inc (NASDAQ:NBEV) which lost 25.20% to settle at 0.09 and First Wave BioPharma Inc (NASDAQ:FWBI) which was down 23.22% to 3.24 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 2417 to 697 and 110 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2719 rose and 1031 declined, while 199 ended unchanged.
Shares in Enphase Energy Inc (NASDAQ:ENPH) rose to all time highs; rising 8.02% or 23.49 to 316.31. Shares in Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) fell to 5-year lows; falling 0.05% or 0.02 to 41.08. Shares in Cleantech Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ:CLAQ) fell to all time lows; down 28.36% or 2.68 to 6.77. Shares in Newage Inc (NASDAQ:NBEV) fell to all time lows; falling 25.20% or 0.03 to 0.09.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 8.44% to 24.64.
Gold Futures for December delivery was up 0.92% or 15.75 to $1,728.65 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in October fell 6.00% or 5.21 to hit $81.67 a barrel, while the November Brent oil contract fell 5.73% or 5.32 to trade at $87.51 a barrel.
EUR/USD was up 1.09% to 1.00, while USD/JPY rose 0.72% to 143.82.
The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.62% at 109.52.