US markets end mostly in red on Thursday

08 Aug 2025 Evaluate

U.S. markets closed mostly in red on Thursday. Initial strength came on Wall Street after President Donald Trump announced a 100 percent tariff on imports of semiconductors and chips but said companies that are building in the United States would be exempt. However, buying interest waned over the course of the session as traders continue to express concerns about the economic impact of Trump's trade policies as new tariffs on dozens of countries take effect. Besides, report released by the Labor Department showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by more than expected in the week ended August 2, weighed on the investors’ sentiments. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims climbed to 226,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week's revised level of 219,000. Meanwhile, street had expected jobless claims to inch up to 221,000 from the 218,000 originally reported for the previous week.

On the sectoral front, significant weakness has been seen in pharmaceutical stocks dragging the NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index down by 2.1 percent to its lowest closing level in nearly three months. Oil service stocks also saw considerable weakness amid a decrease by the price of crude oil, with the Philadelphia Oil Service Index falling by 1.4 percent.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 224.48 points or 0.51 percent to 43,968.64 and S&P 500 edged down 5.06 points or 0.08 percent to 6,340, while Nasdaq gained 73.27 points or 0.35 percent to 21,242.70. 

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