US markets end mostly higher on Thursday

03 Feb 2023 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly higher on Thursday, with Nasdaq settling over three percent gain. The rise by the Nasdaq came as Meta Platforms (META) led a tech sector rally, with the Facebook parent skyrocketing by 23.3 percent to a nearly eight-month closing high. The spike by Meta came after the company reported better than expected fourth quarter revenues and announced a $40 billion stock buyback. Stocks also continued to benefit from a positive reaction to the Federal Reserve's interest rate announcement on Wednesday, with traders expressing optimism the Fed is nearing the end of its rate hiking cycle. At the same time, the Dow bucked the uptrend due partly to a notable decline by shares of Merck (MRK), which tumbled by 3.3 percent after the drug giant provided disappointing guidance.

Meanwhile, traders were also looking ahead to the release of the Labor Department's closely watched monthly jobs report on Friday. Street currently expected employment to increase by 185,000 jobs in January after jumping by 223,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate is expected to inch up to 3.6 percent from 3.5 percent. on the sectoral front, Airline stocks moved sharply higher on the day, with the NYSE Arca Airline Index soaring by 5.7 percent to its best closing level in almost eight months. Substantial strength was also visible among software stocks, as reflected by the 3.8 percent spike by the Dow Jones U.S. Software Index. With the jump, the index reached a five-month closing high.

Nasdaq surged 384.5 points or 3.25 percent to 12,200.82 and S&P 500 was up by 60.55 points or 1.47 percent to 4,179.76, while Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 39.02 points or 0.11 percent to 34,053.94. 

© 2026 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×