US markets end mostly in red on Thursday

19 Apr 2024 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly in red on Thursday amid ongoing concerns about the outlook for interest rates. Potentially adding to the interest rate worries, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve released a report showing a considerable acceleration in the pace of growth in regional manufacturing activity in the month of April. The Philly Fed said its diffusion index for current general activity jumped to 15.5 in April from 3.2 in March, with a positive reading indicating growth. Street had expected the index to edge down to 1.5. Notably, the report also said the prices paid index surged to 23.0 in April from 3.7 in May, reaching its highest reading since December 2023. Meanwhile, the Labor Department also released a report showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits remained flat in the week ended April 13th.

The report said initial jobless claims came in at 212,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised level. Street had expected jobless claims to rise to 215,000 from the 211,000 originally reported for the previous week. However, the early strength on MJarkets partly reflected bargain hunting, as traders looked to pick up stocks at relatively reduced levels following recent weakness. On the sectoral front, Semiconductor stocks came under pressure over the course of the session, dragging the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down by 1.7 percent to its lowest closing level in almost two months. U.S.-listed shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) have tumbled by 4.9 percent even though the chipmaker reported better than expected first quarter results.

Nasdaq fell 81.87 points or 0.52 percent to 15,601.5 and S&P 500 was down by 11.09 points or 0.22 percent to 5,011.12, while Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 22.07 points or 0.06 percent to 37,775.38. 


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