U.S. stocks were slightly lower toward the end of the trading day, with the Dow Jones index falling around 20 points on Thursday.
The Dow traded down 0.05% to 37,675 while the NASDAQ fell 0.05% to 14,962.80. The S&P 500 also fell, dropping 0.11% to 4,778.06.
Check This Out: Top 5 Materials Stocks That Are Ticking Portfolio Bombs
Energy Up, Utilities Down
Energy shares rose by 0.1% on Thursday.
In trading on Thursday, utilities shares fell by 2.3%.
Top News Update
U.S. natural-gas supplies fell 140 billion cubic feet during the week ended Jan. 5, 2024, the EIA said.
Stocks on the Rise and Fall
First Financial Northwest, Inc. FFNW shares shot up 48% to $20.20. Global Credit Union announced plans to acquire First Financial Northwest Bank for all-cash consideration of $231.2 million.
Shares of SEALSQ Corp LAES surged 51% to $2.9499. SEALSQ announced that its FY23 revenue hit $30 million, a significant increase of 29% year-over-year, exceeding its Q3 outlook of growth in excess of 20%.
Transphorm, Inc. TGAN shares gained 25% to $4.75 after Renesas Electronics announced plans to acquire the company for $5.10 per share in cash.
Equities in Decline
Clearmind Medicine Inc. CMND shares dropped 41% to $1.7275. Clearmind Medicine reported pricing of $2.4 million registered direct and private placement.
Shares of Richardson Electronics, Ltd. RELL were down 21% to $9.87 after the company posted weaker-than-expected results for its second quarter.
Office Properties Income Trust OPI fell 39% to $3.7850 after the company reduced its quarterly dividend to $0.01 per share.
Also Check This Out: How To Earn $500 A Month From Citigroup Stock Ahead Of Q4 Earnings Report
Commodity Market Update
In commodity news, oil surged 0.9% to $72.02 while gold dropped 0.4% to $2,020.20.
Silver fell 1.5% to $22.715 on Thursday while copper rose 0.1% to $3.7815.
Euro zone Market Overview
European shares were lower today. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 fell 0.77%, London’s FTSE 100 fell 0.98% while Spain’s IBEX 35 Index fell 0.62% The German DAX fell 0.86% French CAC 40 fell 0.52% while Italy’s FTSE MIB Index fell 0.66%.
Industrial production in Spain increased by 0.8% year-over-year in November, while Italy’s industrial production declined by 1.5% month-over-month in November.
Asia Pacific Market Report
Asian markets closed higher on Thursday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 gaining 1.77%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rising 1.27% and China’s Shanghai Composite Index gaining 0.31%. India’s S&P BSE Sensex, meanwhile, rose 0.1%.
China’s vehicle sales jumped 23.5% year-over-year in December to 3.156 million units, following a 27.4% surge in November. The index of leading economic indicators in Japan fell to 107.7 in November versus a final reading of 108.9 in the earlier month, while index of coincident economic indicators fell to 114.5 in November compared to a final 115.9 a month ago. Reserve assets in Japan climbed to $1.295 trillion in December from $1.270 trillion a month ago, recording the highest level since July 2022.
Economic Indicators
U.S. consumer prices increased by 0.3% month-over-month in December compared to a 0.1% rise in November and versus market estimates of 0.2%.
The annual inflation rate rose to 3.4% in December versus a five-month low level of 3.1% in November, and compared to market estimates of 3.2%.
U.S. initial jobless claims declined by 1,000 from the prior week’s revised reading of 202,000 in the period ending Jan, 6, compared to market expectations of 210,000.
U.S. natural-gas supplies fell 140 billion cubic feet during the week ended Jan. 5, 2024, the EIA said.
Now Read This: Chewy To Rally Over 50%? Here Are 10 Top Analyst Forecasts For Thursday
