|

US Equities: Dow & S&P close higher while Nasdaq drops

Major equity indexes in the U.S. closed the first trading day of the second half of 2017 mixed as the rise in energy, and financial stocks were countered by another drop in tech shares.

As crude oil prices continued to recover on Monday, oil giants like Exxon and Mobil Chevron recorded solid gains, pushing the S&P energy index 2% higher and allowing the S&P 500 to close the day at 2,432.88, up 2.88 points. "Oil is rallying today, so that is causing some excitement in the energy space, but that is what you would expect because oil has been so beaten up," Ken Polcari, Director of the NYSE floor division at O’Neil Securities in New York, told Reuters.

In the meantime, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 130 points, or 0.6%, to finish the day at 21,479.27 as the financials added 1.3%. On the other hand, the technology dragged down the heavy-tech Nasdaq Composite Index once again, and the index lost 30.36 points, or 0.49%, to close at 6,110.06.

Headlines from the U.S. session

Author

Eren Sengezer

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

More from Eren Sengezer
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD hits multi-week tops around 1.3560

GBP/USD gathers fresh steam and advances to new three-month peaks near the 1.3560 zone on Friday. Cable’s sharp move higher comes after three daily drops in a row and follows the increasing selling pressure hurting the Greenback.

EUR/USD pops to fresh two-month highs, targets 1.1600

EUR/USD advances markedly, revisiting the upper 1.1500s for the first time since mid-June. The pair’s sharp uptick comes on the back of a strong retracement in the US Dollar amid BoJ intervention chatter and despite steady uncertainty in the Middle East.

Gold picks up pace, approaches $4,400

Gold rebounds toward the $4,400 mark per troy ounce on Friday, reversing the previous day’s pullback. The precious metal’s recovery comes as fresh and intense weakness keep weighing on the US Dollar, while traders keep assessing easing expectations of an imminent Fed interest rate hike and the situation from the Middle East.

Pi Network Price Forecast: PI extends consolidation as bulls eye $0.10
Pi Network (PI) price holds steady on Friday, maintaining a consolidating tone for three consecutive days. Mild retail strength in the PI token remains stable, with Open Interest above $9 million, while social buzz eases. PI token’s technical outlook is mixed, as bearish momentum wanes to neutral, with bulls eyeing the $0.1000 psychological level.
 Weekly focus: Some relief in US inflation concerns

Actual inflation data for July came out as expected with a 0.1% m/m increase in headline CPI and 0.2% excluding food and energy. Annual headline inflation remains too high at 3.4% and means that wage earners are experiencing stagnating spending power at best, and core inflation is a bit higher than the inflation target of two percent would suggest.

Why is Crude Oil priced for a reopening the ships haven't made?
Fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Before the war, the count ran near 120 a day. In the sessions since the waterway was publicly declared open, Brent has drifted back to $87 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to $81, both a little lower again on Wednesday, with daily momentum on each unwound from the top of its range in late July to the low twenties now.