Investing.com -- Stocks on U.S. equities markets moved broadly lower on the first day of the second quarter on Wednesday, amid disappointing employment and manufacturing data.
One day after closing the first quarter in negative territory for the year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its slide by falling 77.94 points or 0.44% to 17,698.18. On Tuesday, the Dow posted its first negative quarter since the fourth quarter of 2012.
The NASDAQ Composite index and the S&P 500 Composite index, meanwhile, each closed down by at least 0.4% for the session. The NASDAQ dropped 20.66 points or 0.42% to 4,880.23 for its second consecutive losing session.
The S&P 500 fell 0.40% points or 8.20 to 2,059.69, as stocks in the Health Care, Consumer Services and the Industrial sectors lagged. Stocks in the Health Care sector plunged more than 1.2% on Wednesday.
Go Daddy.com, the website hosting service that sponsors NASCAR driver Danica Patrick's car, soared more than 30% on its first day on the New York Stock Exchange. On Tuesday evening, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company received an initial public offering of $20. The stock quickly moved above $26 a share, before ending the session at $26.15, up 30.75%.
The top performer on the Dow on Wednesday was Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), which gained 4.29 or 2.28% to 192.26. The worst performer was Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT), which fell 1.54 or 1.87% to 80.71.
On the NASDAQ, the biggest gainer was Kraft Foods Group (NASDAQ:KRFT), which rose 3.10 or 3.55% to 90.21. Last month, Kraft merged with Heinz to create the world's third-largest food company. Kraft finished just ahead of San Disk, which rose 1.49 or 2.34% to 65.11. San Disk is coming off a trying quarter when it fell by approximately 35%, to finish as one of the worst performers on the NASDAQ during the period.
The biggest loser was American Airlines Group, which fell 2.36 or 4.47% to 50.42, following mounting concerns with an oversupply of passenger seats. During the first quarter American Airlines' revenue per seat flown per mile declined, according to a report from Bloomberg. The measure is one of the most closely-watched estimates by airlines industry insiders.
The top performer on the S&P 500 was Windstream, which gained 0.36 points or 4.80% to 7.76. Windstream finished just ahead of Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE:NEM), which rose 0.97 or 4.47% to 22.68. Gold futures for June delivery on Wednesday soared more than $24 an ounce, amid instability in the Middle East and a weaker dollar. With active mines in Nevada, Australia, Indonesia and Ghana, Newmont Mining is one of the world's largest producers of gold.
The worst performer was Macerich Co (NYSE:MAC)., which fell 5.79 or 6.87% to 78.54, after merger discussions with fellow mall owner Simon Property Group (NYSE:SPG) collapsed. The takeover bid was valued at $16.8 billion or $95.50 a share. Simon Property Group is one of the nation's largest real estate investment trusts.