US close: Markets end mixed as oil plummets

Stocks in the US finished mixed on Thursday as sharp drops in crude prices weighed on markets, and investors kept their wallets shut ahead of Friday’s crucial nonfarm payrolls.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.13% to 17,895.88, the S&P 500 slipped 0.09% to 2,097.90 and the Nasdaq gained 0.36% to 4,876.81.

Verizon led the decliners on the Dow, with Goldman Sachs gaining the most.

Oil prices settled significantly down, with Brent crude off 4.88% to $46.53 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate losing 4.84% at $45.24.

The drops came after the EIA reported weekly crude inventories as down 2.2 million barrels, far below the American Petroleum Institute’s 6.7 million barrel figure on Wednesday, which helped lift US stocks on the day.

On the data front, private sector jobs beat expectations for a 159,000 rise in June, with the official reading coming in at 172,000 according to the private ADP gauge.

Official initial jobless claims came in at 254,000 for the week to 2 July.

“That gives people a little more confidence. I don't have to stay in the safe-haven stuff. Maybe that trade will back off a little bit,” CNBC quoted Boston Private Wealth chief market strategist Robert Pavlik as saying.

Treasury yields finished off session highs, with the two year yield around 0.59% and the 10 year yield at 1.39%.

Nonfarm payrolls for June are due on Friday, with investors watching for indications that May’s surprise figure was a one-off.

In earnings, PepsiCo reported better-than-expected numbers.

Barracuda Networks and Helen of Troy were due to report after the bell.

S&P 500 - Risers
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) $163.70 +4.93%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $47.66 +4.84%
Viacom Inc. Class B (VIAB) $43.04 +4.01%
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $12.20 +4.01%
AutoNation Inc. (AN) $48.72 +3.97%
American Airlines Group (AAL) $29.40 +3.70%
Qorvo, Inc. (QRVO) $54.37 +3.42%
Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $60.89 +2.92%
Navient Corporation (NAVI) $12.15 +2.88%
Synchrony Financial (SYF) $26.02 +2.81%

S&P 500 - Fallers
First Solar Inc. (FSLR) $44.34 -9.75%
Humana Inc. (HUM) $162.74 -9.58%
Aetna Inc. (AET) $115.47 -3.97%
Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) $47.24 -2.92%
Realty Income Corp. (O) $69.14 -2.91%
Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) $35.48 -2.79%
Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) $4.23 -2.76%
Phillips 66 Common Stock (PSX) $74.27 -2.75%
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG) $45.55 -2.57%
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) $390.78 -2.56%

Dow Jones I.A - Risers
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $147.00 +0.98%
Intel Corp. (INTC) $33.20 +0.70%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $60.58 +0.65%
Visa Inc. (V) $74.51 +0.61%
United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $101.97 +0.58%
American Express Co. (AXP) $59.81 +0.55%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $95.94 +0.43%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $75.05 +0.29%
General Electric Co. (GE) $31.82 +0.25%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $120.92 +0.24%

Dow Jones I.A - Fallers
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $55.38 -1.56%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $103.05 -1.46%
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $92.96 -1.20%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $140.80 -1.11%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $117.51 -1.05%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $58.78 -0.64%
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $45.09 -0.40%
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) $73.53 -0.39%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $131.16 -0.31%
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) $35.77 -0.25%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) $88.16 +9.10%
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) $163.70 +4.93%
Western Digital Corp. (WDC) $47.66 +4.84%
Viacom Inc. Class B (VIAB) $43.04 +4.01%
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) $12.20 +4.01%
American Airlines Group (AAL) $29.40 +3.70%
Skyworks Solutions Inc. (SWKS) $60.89 +2.92%
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $48.89 +2.60%
Liberty Global plc Series A (LBTYA) $28.23 +2.06%
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALXN) $123.34 +1.83%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $80.50 -1.29%
O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) $275.28 -0.76%
Stericycle Inc. (SRCL) $102.06 -0.74%
Facebook Inc. (FB) $115.85 -0.73%
Vodafone Group Plc ADS (VOD) $29.61 -0.54%
Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $140.06 -0.52%
Kraft Heinz Co. (KHC) $89.31 -0.48%
T-Mobile Us, Inc. (TMUS) $42.96 -0.44%
Paychex Inc. (PAYX) $60.59 -0.41%
Ross Stores Inc. (ROST) $56.56 -0.41%