Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Healthcare, Basic Materials and Technology sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.25%, while the S&P 500 index gained 0.57%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 0.95%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were E I du Pont de Nemours & Co (NYSE:DD), which rose 1.63% or 1.36 points to trade at 84.55 at the close. Meanwhile, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) added 1.54% or 3.02 points to end at 198.90 and Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) was up 1.41% or 0.47 points to 33.92 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), which fell 1.62% or 1.67 points to trade at 101.20 at the close. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) declined 0.60% or 0.47 points to end at 78.07 and The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV) was down 0.52% or 0.63 points to 121.18.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were AutoNation Inc (NYSE:AN) which rose 4.35% to 45.37, Mallinckrodt (NYSE:MNK) which was up 4.34% to settle at 41.08 and Tiffany & Co (NYSE:TIF) which gained 4.28% to close at 91.40.
The worst performers were Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) which was down 8.06% to 46.20 in late trade, Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) which lost 5.43% to settle at 72.56 and CH Robinson Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ:CHRW) which was down 3.33% to 70.63 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Payment Data Systems Inc (NASDAQ:PYDS) which rose 45.68% to 2.360, Nano Dimension Ltd (NASDAQ:NNDM) which was up 29.13% to settle at 5.32 and Tyme Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:TYME) which gained 24.61% to close at 6.43.
The worst performers were Steadymed Ltd (NASDAQ:STDY) which was down 33.90% to 3.900 in late trade, root9B Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:RTNB) which lost 17.16% to settle at 1.4000 and Titan Machinery Inc (NASDAQ:TITN) which was down 16.99% to 12.90 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 2232 to 853 and 156 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1637 rose and 857 declined, while 154 ended unchanged.
Shares in Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) fell to 52-week lows; losing 8.06% or 4.05 to 46.20. Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) rose to all time highs; gaining 1.54% or 3.02 to 198.90.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 5.35% to 10.62.
Gold Futures for December delivery was up 0.95% or 12.54 to $1326.64 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in October rose 2.46% or 1.13 to hit $47.09 a barrel, while the November Brent oil contract rose 3.92% or 1.99 to trade at $52.72 a barrel.
EUR/USD was up 0.18% to 1.1904, while USD/JPY fell 0.25% to 109.96.
The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.25% at 92.61.