U.S. Stocks Mostly Lower on Thursday
U.S. stocks traded mostly lower on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling over 150 points. The Dow closed down 0.37% at 44,847.72, while the NASDAQ rose 0.01% to 19,736.69. The S&P 500 also fell, dropping 0.05% to 6,083.58.
The energy sector was the only major sector to gain ground on Thursday, rising 0.8%. Materials shares fell by 0.8%, while financials and technology shares were also lower.
Initial jobless claims in the U.S. increased to 224,000 in the week ending Nov. 30, compared to 213,000 in the previous week. This was higher than market estimates of 215,000.
Leading and Lagging Sectors
The energy sector was the leading sector on Thursday, rising 0.8%. This was followed by the healthcare sector, which gained 0.5%. The materials sector was the worst performer, falling 0.8%.
Commodities
Oil prices fell 0.3% to $68.32 per barrel on Thursday, while gold prices fell 0.5% to $2,663.10 per ounce. Silver prices fell 0.6% to $31.71 per ounce, while copper prices fell 0.2% to $4.1945 per pound.
European and Asian Markets
European shares were mostly higher on Thursday. The eurozone's STOXX 600 gained 0.22%, Germany's DAX climbed 0.55%, and France's CAC 40 rose 0.23%. Spain's IBEX 35 Index rose 1.54%, while London's FTSE 100 fell 0.01%.
Asian markets closed mostly higher on Thursday. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.30%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.92%, China's Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.12%, and India's BSE Sensex gained 1%.