US stocks rise as Nasdaq leads the way

<p>The major US stock indices are closing the day higher with the Nasdaq index leading the way. The gains today negated the losses yesterday. Recall, that the major indices are up 4 consecutive weeks. Those strings are on the line for the major indices.</p><p>For the day:</p><ul><li>DJI (Dow Jones Industrial Average): 35416.97, up by 83.49 points, an increase of 0.24%.</li><li>S&amp;P 500 (5PX): 4554.90, up by 4.46 points, an increase of 0.10%.</li><li>NASDAQ Composite (IXIC): 14281.75, up by 40.72 points, an increase of 0.28%.</li></ul><p>The Russell 2000 is closing down -8.34 points or -0.46% at 1792.80.</p><p>Looking the S&amp;P components:</p><ul><li>S5C0ND (Consumer Discretionary): 1343.91, up by 7.21 points, an increase of 0.54%.</li><li>SPN (Energy): 642.88, up by 0.35 points, an increase of 0.05%.</li><li>S5C0NS (Consumer Staples): 744.15, up by 2.98 points, an increase of 0.40%.</li><li>S5HLTH (Healthcare): 1507.91, down by 7.65 points, a decrease of 0.50%.</li><li>S5INDU (Industrials): 890.48, down by 2.18 points, a decrease of 0.24%.</li><li>S5INFT (Information Technology): 3275.36, up by 6.25 points, an increase of 0.19%.</li><li>S5MATR (Materials): 510.34, up by 1.02 points, an increase of 0.20%.</li><li>S5REAS (Real Estate): 229.42, up by 1.18 points, an increase of 0.52%.</li><li>S5TELS (Telecommunication Services): 239.85, up by 0.78 points, an increase of 0.33%.</li><li>S5UTIL (Utilities): 317.78, up by 0.97 points, an increase of 0.31%.</li><li>SPF (Financials): 584.96, down by 0.60 points, a decrease of 0.10%.</li></ul><p>Analysis:</p><ul><li>The Consumer Discretionary and Real Estate sectors showed notable growth, with increases of 0.54% and 0.52% respectively, indicating investor confidence in these sectors.</li><li>The Information Technology and Telecommunication Services sectors also saw gains, reflecting a positive outlook for technology and communication industries.</li><li>Energy sector growth was marginal at 0.05%, suggesting a cautious approach by investors in this area.</li><li>Healthcare, Industrials, and Financials sectors experienced declines, with Healthcare leading the drop at 0.50%. This could indicate market concerns or profit-taking in these areas.</li></ul><p>Overall, the mixed performance across sectors highlights diverse investor sentiments and market volatility in different areas of the economy.</p>

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.