Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Basic Materials, Financials and Technology sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.10%, while the S&P 500 index added 0.15%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 0.05%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), which rose 2.21% or 2.07 points to trade at 95.79 at the close. Meanwhile, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) added 1.47% or 3.84 points to end at 265.58 and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was up 0.96% or 2.68 points to 282.00 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were 3M Company (NYSE:MMM), which fell 1.66% or 2.77 points to trade at 164.37 at the close. Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) declined 0.91% or 3.16 points to end at 345.68 and Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) was down 0.84% or 0.37 points to 43.52.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were PVH Corp (NYSE:PVH) which rose 3.47% to 100.73, Biogen Inc (NASDAQ:BIIB) which was up 3.41% to settle at 299.39 and Ralph Lauren Corp Class A (NYSE:RL) which gained 3.10% to close at 112.06.
The worst performers were Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ALXN) which was down 6.96% to 107.42 in late trade, Brown Forman (NYSE:BFb) which lost 6.29% to settle at 63.57 and F5 Networks Inc (NASDAQ:FFIV) which was down 3.91% to 137.96 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) which rose 78.78% to 15.000, QuickLogic Corporation (NASDAQ:QUIK) which was up 36.08% to settle at 0.330 and Proteostasis Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PTI) which gained 35.36% to close at 3.79.
The worst performers were Sage Therapeutic (NASDAQ:SAGE) which was down 59.67% to 60.18 in late trade, Akers Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ:AKER) which lost 43.06% to settle at 3.160 and Kirklands Inc (NASDAQ:KIRK) which was down 31.43% to 0.91 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1570 to 1260 and 98 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1343 fell and 1292 advanced, while 88 ended unchanged.
Shares in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:AUPH) rose to 5-year highs; rising 78.78% or 6.610 to 15.000. Shares in Sage Therapeutic (NASDAQ:SAGE) fell to 52-week lows; falling 59.67% or 89.03 to 60.18. Shares in Akers Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ:AKER) fell to 3-years lows; down 43.06% or 2.389 to 3.160. Shares in Kirklands Inc (NASDAQ:KIRK) fell to 5-year lows; down 31.43% or 0.42 to 0.91.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 1.89% to 14.52.
Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.06% or 0.90 to $1481.10 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in January fell 0.17% or 0.10 to hit $58.33 a barrel, while the February Brent oil contract fell 0.02% or 0.01 to trade at $63.28 a barrel.
EUR/USD was up 0.04% to 1.1106, while USD/JPY fell 0.01% to 108.73.
The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.24% at 97.365.