Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Financials, Oil & Gas and Healthcare sectors led shares higher.
At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.28% to hit a new 1-month high, while the S&P 500 index gained 1.64%, and the NASDAQ Composite index added 1.85%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE), which rose 3.04% or 0.90 points to trade at 30.50 at the close. Meanwhile, EI du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE:DD) added 2.69% or 1.67 points to end at 63.83 and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) was up 2.47% or 3.01 points to 125.10 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), which fell 0.64% or 0.53 points to trade at 81.75 at the close. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) declined 0.36% or 0.24 points to end at 67.17 and Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) was up 0.01% or 0.01 points to 82.19.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN) which rose 11.42% to 24.78, Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE:SWN) which was up 10.19% to settle at 8.00 and Anadarko Petroleum Corp (NYSE:APC) which gained 8.92% to close at 46.29.
The worst performers were PEPCO Holdings Inc (NYSE:POM) which was down 8.99% to 22.07 in late trade, Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) which lost 2.58% to settle at 28.70 and Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE:NEM) which was down 2.45% to 26.68 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Globeimmune (NASDAQ:GBIM) which rose 108.77% to 2.38, Threshold Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:THLD) which was up 79.84% to settle at 0.5451 and 1st Century Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ:FCTY) which gained 32.08% to close at 10.87.
The worst performers were Blue Earth Inc (NASDAQ:BBLU) which was down 25.05% to 0.1200 in late trade, DryShips Inc (NASDAQ:DRYS) which lost 21.39% to settle at 2.1500 and Ossen Innovation Co Ltd (NASDAQ:OSN) which was down 17.39% to 0.7600 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 2725 to 646 and 16 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2016 rose and 567 declined, while 53 ended unchanged.
Shares in PEPCO Holdings Inc (NYSE:POM) fell to 52-week lows; falling 8.99% or 2.18 to 22.07. Shares in DryShips Inc (NASDAQ:DRYS) fell to 52-week highs; falling 21.39% or 0.5850 to 2.1500. Shares in 1st Century Bancshares Inc (NASDAQ:FCTY) rose to all time highs; up 32.08% or 2.64 to 10.87.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 8.59% to 16.50 a new 1-month low.
Gold for April delivery was down 1.73% or 22.00 to $1250.80 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 1.82% or 0.69 to hit $38.53 a barrel, while the May Brent oil contract rose 1.00% or 0.40 to trade at $40.45 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.24% to 1.1151, while USD/JPY rose 0.53% to 113.80.
The US Dollar Index was up 0.02% at 96.21.