Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Oil & Gas, Utilities and Healthcare sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.38%, while the S&P 500 index gained 0.52%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 0.13%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), which rose 2.30% or 3.56 points to trade at 158.05 at the close. Meanwhile, The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV) added 1.41% or 2.11 points to end at 151.82 and Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX) was up 1.38% or 1.45 points to 106.19 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA), which fell 7.41% or 3.90 points to trade at 48.71 at the close. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) declined 1.22% or 4.62 points to end at 374.91 and Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) was down 1.20% or 1.69 points to 139.33.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were Diamondback Energy Inc (NASDAQ:FANG) which rose 6.06% to 99.58, Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY) which was up 5.05% to settle at 32.85 and Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) which gained 4.04% to close at 14.17.
The worst performers were Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA) which was down 7.41% to 48.71 in late trade, Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) which lost 5.73% to settle at 80.11 and KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) which was down 3.85% to 311.72 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Alterity Therapeutics Ltd (NASDAQ:ATHE) which rose 63.85% to 2.1300, Trxade Group Inc (NASDAQ:MEDS) which was up 61.76% to settle at 7.150 and Marin Software Inc (NASDAQ:MRIN) which gained 39.24% to close at 14.94.
The worst performers were Citius Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:CTXR) which was down 25.57% to 2.590 in late trade, Borqs Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:BRQS) which lost 23.45% to settle at 1.1100 and 1Stdibs.Com Inc (NASDAQ:DIBS) which was down 21.75% to 27.24 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 2074 to 1087 and 131 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1958 rose and 1517 declined, while 148 ended unchanged.
Shares in Diamondback Energy Inc (NASDAQ:FANG) rose to 52-week highs; up 6.06% or 5.69 to 99.58. Shares in Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) rose to 52-week highs; rising 4.04% or 0.55 to 14.17. Shares in Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) rose to all time highs; rising 2.30% or 3.56 to 158.05.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 2.21% to 15.48 a new 52-week low.
Gold Futures for August delivery was up 0.29% or 5.20 to $1776.80 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in August rose 2.00% or 1.47 to hit $74.94 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 1.18% or 0.88 to trade at $75.50 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.07% to 1.1846, while USD/JPY rose 0.42% to 111.56.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.15% at 92.567.