Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Telecoms, Utilities and Healthcare sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.79%, while the S&P 500 index climbed 0.81%, and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.79%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT), which rose 4.18% or 5.44 points to trade at 135.67 at the close. Meanwhile, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) added 3.38% or 1.61 points to end at 49.31 and Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) was up 2.90% or 1.42 points to 50.40 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), which fell 2.13% or 4.16 points to trade at 190.69 at the close. Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) declined 0.96% or 1.12 points to end at 115.49 and The Travelers Companies Inc (NYSE:TRV) was down 0.20% or 0.26 points to 130.37.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) which rose 4.85% to 94.270, Raymond James Financial Inc (NYSE:RJF) which was up 4.54% to settle at 79.73 and American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) which gained 4.53% to close at 40.16.
The worst performers were Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE:LH) which was down 9.99% to 145.64 in late trade, Hasbro Inc (NASDAQ:HAS) which lost 6.04% to settle at 91.00 and Marriott International Inc (NASDAQ:MAR) which was down 5.59% to 115.03 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Borqs Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:BRQS) which rose 122.66% to 5.70, Adial Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:ADIL) which was up 37.14% to settle at 3.84 and Determine Inc (NASDAQ:DTRM) which gained 29.15% to close at 0.607.
The worst performers were China Ceramics Co Ltd (NASDAQ:CCCL) which was down 27.65% to 1.2300 in late trade, Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp (NASDAQ:TNXP) which lost 25.54% to settle at 5.190 and AeroVironment Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV) which was down 16.45% to 76.60 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 1680 to 1409 and 78 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 1463 rose and 1205 declined, while 79 ended unchanged.
Shares in Laboratory Corporation of America (NYSE:LH) fell to 52-week lows; falling 9.99% or 16.17 to 145.64. Shares in China Ceramics Co Ltd (NASDAQ:CCCL) fell to 3-years lows; down 27.65% or 0.4700 to 1.2300.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 3.83% to 18.07.
Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.24% or 3.00 to $1227.40 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in January fell 1.42% or 0.73 to hit $50.72 a barrel, while the February Brent oil contract fell 1.15% or 0.69 to trade at $59.22 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.66% to 1.1318, while USD/JPY rose 0.04% to 113.53.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.46% at 97.145.