US markets end lower on Thursday

03 Jan 2025 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Thursday as many traders remained away from their desks following the New Year's Day holiday on Wednesday. The modestly lower close by the broader markets came amid a slump by shares of Tesla (TSLA), with the electric vehicle maker plunging by 6.1 percent after reporting a decrease by annual deliveries in 2024. Tech giant Apple (AAPL) also tumbled by 2.6 percent following news the company is offering discounts on its latest iPhone models in China amid heightened competition. On the sectoral front, despite the modestly lower close by the broader markets, gold stocks moved sharply higher on the day, resulting in a 4.4 percent spike by the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index. The rally by gold stocks came amid a jump by the price of the precious metal. A surge by the price of crude oil also contributed to significant strength among oil producer stocks, as reflected by the 1.3 percent gain posted by the NYSE Arca Oil Index.

Natural gas and brokerage stocks also saw considerable strength, while housing, airline and commercial real estate stocks showed notable moves to the downside. On the economic data front, First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly edged lower in the week ended December 28th, according to a report released by the Labor Department. The report said initial jobless claims slipped to 211,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level of 220,000. The dip surprised street, who had expected jobless claims to inch up to 222,000 from the 219,000 originally reported for the previous week. With the unexpected decrease, jobless claims fell to their lowest level since hitting 209,000 in the week ended April 27, 2024. The Labor Department said the less volatile four-week moving average also edged down to 223,250, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average of 226,750.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 151.95 points or 0.36 percent to 42,392.27, Nasdaq dropped 30 points or 0.16 percent to 19,280.79 and S&P 500 was down by 13.08 points or 0.22 percent to 5,868.55. 


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