Investing.com – U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Technology, Utilities and Industrials sectors led shares lower.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.02%, while the S&P 500 index declined 1.16%, and the NASDAQ Composite index declined 1.47%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), which rose 1.79% or 3.08 points to trade at 175.22 at the close. Meanwhile, Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ) added 1.37% or 0.57 points to end at 41.70 and Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK) was up 1.37% or 1.53 points to 113.61 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA), which fell 6.14% or 2.30 points to trade at 35.19 at the close. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) declined 2.96% or 6.79 points to end at 222.31 and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was down 2.88% or 14.55 points to 489.95.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were Lamb Weston Holdings Inc (NYSE:LW) which rose 9.66% to 95.93, Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC) which was up 6.60% to settle at 35.23 and Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) which gained 5.79% to close at 126.55.
The worst performers were Constellation Brands Inc Class A (NYSE:STZ) which was down 9.66% to 208.84 in late trade, ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW) which lost 6.98% to settle at 366.36 and Sherwin-Williams Co (NYSE:SHW) which was down 6.74% to 227.73 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Bellerophon Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:BLPH) which rose 150.33% to 2.29, Magic Empire Global Ltd (NASDAQ:MEGL) which was up 75.57% to settle at 2.30 and ABVC Biopharma Inc (NASDAQ:ABVC) which gained 72.58% to close at 1.07.
The worst performers were Lucira Health Inc (NASDAQ:LHDX) which was down 32.13% to 0.29 in late trade, TC BioPharm Holdings PLC (NASDAQ:TCBP) which lost 30.06% to settle at 3.42 and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ:BBBY) which was down 29.88% to 1.69 at the close.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1878 to 1196 and 99 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2198 fell and 1546 advanced, while 159 ended unchanged.
Shares in Lamb Weston Holdings Inc (NYSE:LW) rose to all time highs; up 9.66% or 8.45 to 95.93. Shares in Constellation Brands Inc Class A (NYSE:STZ) fell to 52-week lows; losing 9.66% or 22.32 to 208.84. Shares in Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK) rose to all time highs; rising 1.37% or 1.53 to 113.61. Shares in Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (NASDAQ:BBBY) fell to 5-year lows; down 29.88% or 0.72 to 1.69.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was up 2.04% to 22.46.
Gold Futures for February delivery was down 1.09% or 20.30 to $1,838.70 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 1.32% or 0.96 to hit $73.80 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 1.17% or 0.91 to trade at $78.75 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.75% to 1.05, while USD/JPY rose 0.57% to 133.38.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.86% at 104.92.