July 28, 2016: Markets opened mixed Thursday and the whole day’s session is probably best described as choppy. Crude oil prices dropped sharply again Thursday, and a much lower than expected addition to the U.S. natural gas inventory raised gas prices, but not enough to offset the drop in crude. Telecom stocks, however, were the day’s big losers followed by the energy sector. WTI crude oil for September delivery settled at $41.14 a barrel, down 1.9% for the day. December gold, the most active contract, closed up 0.5% on the day to settle at $1,41.20. Equities were headed for a higher close shortly before the bell as the DJIA traded up 0.01% for the day, the S&P 500 traded up 0.22%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.35%.
The DJIA stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Thursday was Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) which traded up 1.38% at $104.38. The stock’s 52-week range is $89.47 to $123.82. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 39 million shares. The company reported results Tuesday afternoon and investors still like what they heard.
The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) traded up 1.29% at $138.07. The stock’s 52-week range is $92.17 to $138.11, and the high was posted today. Trading volume was about 40% below the daily average of around 4.9 million. The company had no specific news.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) traded up 1.02% at $79.33. The stock’s 52-week range is $60.00 to $81.73. Volume was about 20% below the daily average of around 9 million shares. The credit card issuer had no specific news.
The Travelers Companies Inc. (NYSE: TRV) traded up 1.05% at $117.64. The stock’s 52-week range is $95.21 to $119.30. Volume was about 35% below the daily average of around 1.4 million shares. The company had no specific news Thursday.
Of the 30 Dow index stocks 18 are on track to close lower Wednesday and 12 are set to close higher.
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