US markets settle higher on Thursday

16 Aug 2024 Evaluate

The US markets ended higher on Thursday with Nasdaq settling higher over 400 points as the Commerce Department released a report showing much stronger than expected retail sales growth in July, easing concerns about the economic outlook. The Commerce Department said retail sales jumped by 1.0 percent in July after edging down by a revised 0.2 percent in June. Street had expected retail sales to rise by 0.3 percent compared to the unchanged reading originally reported for the previous month. Excluding a surge in sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales still rose by 0.4 percent in July after climbing by 0.8 percent in June. Ex-auto sales were expected to inch up by 0.1 percent.

Positive sentiment was also generated in reaction to a Labor Department report showing an unexpected decline by first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended August 10th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 227,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level of 234,000. Street had expected jobless claims to inch up to 235,000 from the 233,000 originally reported for the previous week. On the economic data front, Semiconductor stocks saw substantial strength on the day, resulting in a 4.9 percent spike by the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. Significant strength was also visible among airline stocks, with the NYSE Arca Airline Index soaring by 4.4 percent.

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 554.67 points or 1.39 percent to 40,563.06, Nasdaq gained 401.89 points or 2.34 percent to 17,594.5 and S&P 500 was up by 88.01 points or 1.61 percent to 5,543.22.  


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