US markets end higher on Thursday

02 Feb 2024 Evaluate

The US markets ended higher on Thursday as some traders saw the sell-off on Wednesday as a buying opportunity amid optimism the markets will resume the upward trend seen throughout much of January. A continued decrease by treasury yields have also contributed to the buying interest, with the yield on the benchmark ten-year note falling to its lowest levels in over a month. On the sectoral front, Gold stocks showed a substantial move to the upside on the day, driving the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index up by 3.8 percent. The rally by gold stocks came amid a modest increase by the price of the precious metal, with gold for April delivery inching up $3.70 to $2,071.10 an ounce. Considerable strength was also visible among computer hardware stocks, as reflected by the 2.7 percent gain posted by the NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index.

On the economic data front, the Labor Department released a report showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly saw a modest increase in the week ended January 27th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims rose to 224,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level of 215,000. Street had expected jobless claims to edge down to 212,000 from the 214,000 originally reported for the previous week. Meanwhile, a reading on U.S. manufacturing activity unexpectedly increased in the month of January but continues to indicate contraction, according to a report released by the Institute for Supply Management. The ISM said its manufacturing PMI rose to 49.1 in January from a downwardly revised 47.1 in December. While a reading below 50 still indicates contraction, street had expected the index to edge down to 47.0 from the 47.4 originally reported for the previous month.

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 369.54 points or 0.97 percent to 38,519.84, Nasdaq gained 197.63 points or 1.3 percent to 15,361.64 and S&P 500 edged up 60.54 points or 1.25 percent to 4,906.19.

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

×