How Did the Stock Market Do Today?
Dow Jones: 16,416.58; +79.92;+0.49%
S&P 500: 1,915.45; +2.92; +0.15%
Nasdaq: 4,509.56; +5.32; +0.12%
The Dow Jones Industrial Average today (Thursday) gained 79 points ahead of tomorrow’s critical January jobs report. Markets received a strong boost from materials stocks, which jumped 3.8% thanks to rising gold and silver prices and ChemChina’s $43 billion deal to purchase Syngenta AG (NYSE ADR: SYT).
The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) – Wall Street’s fear gauge – was up 0.8%.
On the economic front, the Challenger report indicated layoffs hit their highest levels in six months in January. According to the report, retail and energy companies issued the most pink-slips last month. Meanwhile, the U.S. Labor Department reported that jobless claims jumped to 285,000 last week, far more than economists had anticipated.
Top Stock Market News Today
