Wall Street today: US stocks drift after mixed earnings & economic reports, UnitedHealth dips 3% | Stock Market News

US stocks were drifting on Thursday after mixed earnings reports and economic data.

Economic reports released on Thursday were mixed, with one report showing retail sales rising 0.4 per cent in December, while another showed that the jobless claims rose more than expected last week.

At 9:54 am ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 68.82 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 43,152.73, the S&P 500 lost 1.49 points, or 0.03 per cent, to 5,948.42 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 12.88 points, or 0.07 per cent, to 19,498.35.

At the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 68.7 points, or 0.16 per cent, to 43,290.25. The S&P 500 rose 13.7 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 5,963.61, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 62.6 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 19,573.867.

Gainers and losers

Morgan Stanley shares gained 1.6 per cent after the lender reported higher revenues, fueled by a rise in dealmaking fees in the fourth quarter.

Bank of America stock was down 0.2 per cent. The bank forecast higher interest income this year.

UnitedHealth stock declined 2.8 per cent after the insurer reported fourth quarter revenue below Wall Street estimates.

The earnings report was the company’s first since the brazen shooting of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit CEO, Brian Thompson, in December 2024.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s shares listed in the US soared 5.8 per cent after the chipmaker posted a record quarterly profit.

Nvidia rose 1 per cent and Broadcom added 3.7 per cent.

Bond market

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was steady at 4.66 per cent. The 2-year Treasury yield edged up to 4.29 per cent from 4.27 per cent late on Wednesday.

Crude oil

Oil prices were near a five-month high on Thursday after US inventories fell for an eighth week.

Brent crude traded above $81 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate crude’s prompt spread widened to as much as $1.39 a barrel, from 42 cents a month ago.

Bullion

Gold prices rose on Thursday after the latest US economic data.

Spot gold gained 0.8 per cent to $2,718.00 per ounce as of 9:55 am ET (1455 GMT). US gold futures rose 1.1 per cent to $2,748.60.

Spot silver rose 0.3 per cent to $30.74 per ounce.