US open: Audible sigh of relief after Comey's Senate testimony
Stocks on Wall Street gained slightly throughout the open part of former FBI director James Comey's testimony to a senate panel, with no new special revelations having apparently come to light.
At 1645 BST, the Dow Jones Industrials Average was ahead by 0.30% or 62.34 points at 21,235.36, as the S&P 500 gained 0.15% or 3.54 points to 2,436.38 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.21% or 13.47 points to 6,310.80.
Nevertheless at one point during his testimony Comey indicated it was not for him to say whether his conversation with the US president constituted an attempt to obstruct justice. He also indicated that he kept notes of the meetings because he was concerned Trump might lie.
From a sector standpoint, the best performance was being put in by the following industrial groups: Iron&Steel (4.34%), Industrial metals (3.99%) and Banks (2.51%).
Meanwhile, the yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note was up by three basis points at 2.20%.
Commenting on Comey's testimony, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said: "And thank goodness also for James Comey; his testimony has not proved to be a 'hole below the waterline' moment for Mr Trump, but it has done little to dispel the image of a president firing on a whim, rather than allowing a professional civil servant to do his job.
"US markets are not particularly fazed by the developments, perhaps because they are already aware of the peculiar nature of this presidency. And indeed, it looks like there is little overspill into the US economy, at least for now. Instead, they will concentrate on the possibility of a rate hike next week from the Fed."
Initial weekly jobless claims dropped by 10,000 last week to 245,000 (consensus: 240,000). The previous week's figures was revised higher by 7,0000.
In corporate news, stock in Yahoo was sharply higher after it emerged late on Wednesday that as many as 2,100 jobs could be lost due to the expected combination of Yahoo and AOL.
Nordstrom rocketed after the department store operator said it was studying 'going private' as a result of a possible offer from a group of investors which included several members of the founding family.
Dell Technologies was set to reveal its quarterly figures later on Thursday evening.
Dow Jones - Risers
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $220.18 2.04%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $85.61 2.03%
Boeing Co. (BA) $190.68 1.37%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $104.78 1.23%
International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $152.51 1.01%
Chevron Corp. (CVX) $104.63 0.83%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $124.26 0.62%
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $81.78 0.52%
Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $31.77 0.51%
United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $120.38 0.50%
Dow Jones - Fallers
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $104.65 -1.19%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $63.41 -1.01%
Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $88.03 -0.84%
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $45.21 -0.67%
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $46.23 -0.58%
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) $72.04 -0.48%
Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $182.40 -0.44%
Visa Inc. (V) $95.75 -0.35%
Apple Inc. (AAPL) $154.98 -0.25%
McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $151.58 -0.24%
S&P 500 - Risers
Endo International Plc (ENDP) $13.85 11.69%
Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) $44.55 10.05%
Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) $54.82 8.45%
United States Steel Corp. (X) $22.18 6.28%
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $158.09 6.02%
Under Armour Inc. Class A (UAA) $21.44 4.41%
Regions Financial Corp. (RF) $14.15 4.16%
Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX) $12.17 3.84%
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (CFG) $35.84 3.82%
CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF) $27.19 3.70%
S&P 500 - Fallers
Urban Outfitters Inc. (URBN) $16.77 -8.01%
Molson Coors Brewing Co. Class B (TAP) $86.46 -3.70%
Borg Warner Inc. (BWA) $42.50 -2.79%
Brown Forman Corp. Class B (BF.B) $49.32 -2.72%
Snap On Inc. (SNA) $156.62 -2.65%
Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY) $58.71 -2.37%
Advance Auto Parts (AAP) $127.72 -2.22%
Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) $40.96 -2.22%
NiSource Inc. (NI) $25.86 -2.17%
Crown Castle International (CCI) $100.99 -2.15%
Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) $54.82 8.45%
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) $158.09 6.02%
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALXN) $103.13 2.99%
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. - Ordinary Shares (NCLH) $51.92 2.22%
Tesla Inc (TSLA) $366.66 1.95%
JD.com, Inc. (JD) $41.88 1.70%
Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) $55.35 1.58%
Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN) $134.39 1.57%
Fastenal Co. (FAST) $42.70 1.25%
American Airlines Group (AAL) $51.48 1.22%
Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR) $334.38 -3.33%
Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) $40.96 -2.22%
Liberty Interactive Corporation - Series A Liberty Ventures (LVNTA) $52.81 -2.17%
Dish Network Corp. (DISH) $63.56 -2.05%
Symantec Corp. (SYMC) $29.72 -1.82%
Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $184.76 -1.48%
Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) $62.60 -1.41%
O'Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) $231.99 -1.23%
Vodafone Group Plc ADS (VOD) $28.67 -1.22%
Shire Plc Ads (SHPG) $168.94 -1.21%