July 26, 2018: Markets opened mixed again Thursday as only the Dow blue chips could withstand the pounding suffered by Facebook after the social media giant reported quarterly results after the bell Wednesday. Now the question is how long until the stock recovers. The tech sector drooped the most, followed by consumer discretionary stocks. Telecom and utilities were the leading gainers.
WTI crude oil for September delivery settled at $69.61 a barrel, up 0.4% for the day. August gold settled down 0.5% at $1,225.70. Equities were heading for a mixed close about 10 minutes before the bell as the Dow traded up 0.45% for the day, the S&P 500 traded down 0.30%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded down 1.01%.
Bitcoin futures (XBTQ8) for August delivery traded at $8,240, up about 1.5% on the CBOE after opening at $8,260 this morning. The trading range today was $8,120 to $8,320.
The Dow stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Thursday was The Travelers Companies Inc. (NYSE: TRV) which traded up 2.52% at $129.46 in a 52-week range of $113.76 to $150.55. Volume was about 10% higher than the daily average of around 1.4 million shares.
The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) traded up 2.13% at $113.55. The stock’s 52-week range is $96.20 to $114.68. Volume was about a 15% below the daily average of around 8.7 million shares.
3M Company (NYSE: MMM) traded up 1.90% at $208.27. The 52-range on the stock is $191.44 to $259.77. Volume of around 7.1 million was about 30% below the daily average. The company posted solid second-quarter results this morning.
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) traded up 1.67% at $142.82. The stock’s 52-week range is $112.09 to $173.24. Volume was about 15% above the daily average of around 4.2 million.
Of the Dow stocks, 20 were set to close higher Thursday and 10 were on track to close lower.
It’s Your Money, Your Future—Own It (sponsor)
Retirement can be daunting, but it doesn’t need to be.
Imagine having an expert in your corner to help you with your financial goals. Someone to help you determine if you’re ahead, behind, or right on track. With SmartAsset, that’s not just a dream—it’s reality. This free tool connects you with pre-screened financial advisors who work in your best interests. It’s quick, it’s easy, so take the leap today and start planning smarter!
Don’t waste another minute; get started right here and help your retirement dreams become a retirement reality.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.