US markets end mostly in red on Thursday

21 Jun 2024 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly lower on Thursday. The downturn by the Nasdaq and the S&P reflected profit taking after the indexes reached new record intraday highs, with the S&P 500 turning lower after climbing above 5,500 for the first time. Traders were digesting the latest batch of U.S. economic data, including a Labor Department report showing a modest pullback by first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended June 15th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims dipped to 238,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level of 243,000. Street had expected jobless claims to fall to 235,000 from the 242,000 originally reported for the previous week. The upwardly revised number for the previous week marked the highest level since claims reached 248,000 in the week ended August 12, 2003. 

Meanwhile, a separate report released by the Commerce Department unexpectedly showed a steep drop in new residential construction in the U.S. in the month of May. The Commerce Department said housing starts plunged by 5.5 percent to an annual rate of 1.277 million in May after surging by 4.1 percent to a revised rate of 1.352 million in April. Street had expected housing starts to climb by 0.7 percent to an annual rate of 1.370 million from the 1.360 million originally reported for the previous month. On the sectoral front, Semiconductor stocks moved sharply lower amid the downturn by Nvidia, dragging the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down by 2.7 percent.

Nasdaq fell 140.65 points or 0.79 percent to 17,721.59 and S&P 500 was down by 13.86 points or 0.25 percent to 5,473.17, while Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 299.9 points or 0.77 percent to 39,134.76.  


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

×