September 20, 2018: Markets opened higher again Thursday after which both the Dow and the S&P 500 indexes climbed to new all-time highs. Jobless claims fell last week to a level not seen in nearly 50 years and the Philadelphia Fed reported a near-doubling of its manufacturing index in September. Even tariff worries got buried. Energy was the only sector posting even a tiny loss Thursday as tech and consumer staples stocks were the day’s big gainers.
WTI crude oil for October delivery settled at $70.80 a barrel, down about 0.5% on the October contract’s expiration day. The November contract closed at $$70.32. December gold added about 0.3% to settle at $1,211.30. Equities were heading for a higher close about 10 minutes before the bell as the Dow traded up 0.96% for the day, the S&P 500 traded up 0.85%, and the Nasdaq Composite traded up 1.04%.
Bitcoin futures (XBTU8) for September delivery traded at $6,410, up about 0.2% on the Cboe after opening at $6,405 this morning. The trading range today was $6,345 to $6,435.
The Dow stock posting the largest daily percentage gain ahead of the close Thursday was Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) which traded up 2.47% at $47.29 in a 52-week range of $36.85 to $57.60. Volume was about 35% below the daily average of around 24 million shares.
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA) traded up 2.19% at $72.84. The stock’s 52-week range is $59.07 to $80.68. Volume was about half the daily average of around 7.5 million shares.
Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) traded up 2.13% at $156.01. The stock’s 52-week range is $123.62 to $173.24. Volume was about 20% above the daily average of around 4.5 million. Analysts at Baird raised their rating on the stock from Neutral to Outperform and boosted the price target from $155 to $191.
DowDuPont Inc. (NYSE: DWDP) traded up 2.11% at $70.18. The 52-range on the stock is $61.27 to $77.08. Volume was about 15% below the daily average of around 7.2 million.
Of the Dow stocks, 28 were set to close higher Thursday and just 2 were on track to close lower.
24/7 Wall St.Is Your Money Earning the Best Possible Rate? (Sponsor)
Let’s face it: If your money is just sitting in a checking account, you’re losing value every single day. With most checking accounts offering little to no interest, the cash you worked so hard to save is gradually being eroded by inflation.
However, by moving that money into a high-yield savings account, you can put your cash to work, growing steadily with little to no effort on your part. In just a few clicks, you can set up a high-yield savings account and start earning interest immediately.
There are plenty of reputable banks and online platforms that offer competitive rates, and many of them come with zero fees and no minimum balance requirements. Click here to see if you’re earning the best possible rate on your money!
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
