US markets end in red on Thursday

17 Jan 2025 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Thursday. Following the substantial rally seen in previous session, markets turned in a relatively lackluster performance during trading on Thursday. The major averages fluctuated over the course of the trading day before eventually closing in negative territory. Traders were cautious as the Commerce Department released a report showing retail sales in the U.S. increased by less than expected in the month of December. The report said retail sales rose by 0.4 percent in December after advancing by an upwardly revised 0.8 percent in November. Street had expected retail sales to climb by 0.6 percent compared to the 0.7 percent increase originally reported for the previous month. The slowdown by the monthly pace of retail sales growth came as sales by motor vehicles and parts dealers grew by 0.7 percent in December after spiking by 3.1 percent in November.

Meanwhile, A report released by the Labor Department showed first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rebounded by more than expected in the week ended January 11th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims climbed to 217,000, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level of 203,000. Street had expected jobless claims to rise to 210,000 from the 201,000 originally reported for the previous week. The bigger than expected increase came after jobless claims fell to their lowest level since hitting 200,000 in the week ended February 17, 2024. On the sectoral front, Reflecting the lackluster performance by the broader markets, most of the major sectors ended the day showing only modest moves. Brokerage stocks also added to the strong gains posted on Wednesday, driving the NYSE Arca Broker/Dealer Index up by 1.7 percent to its best closing level in over a month.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 68.42 points or 0.16 percent to 43,153.13, Nasdaq dropped 172.94 points or 0.89 percent to 19,338.29 and S&P 500 was down by 12.57 points or 0.21 percent to 5,937.34.


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