Stocks end mixed while health-care stocks slump
NEW YORK — A sluggish September continued for U.S. stocks as investors assessed the outlook for interest rates, the latest sanctions against Russia and volatile energy prices.
Stocks ended the day mixed after gains for dividend-rich utilities stocks largely offset a slump in health-care companies. Lululemon, the high-end yoga apparel maker, surged after reporting earnings that surpassed analyst’s forecasts.
The stock market has had a slow start to the month, and the Standard & Poor’s is on track to end the week with a loss for the first time in six weeks. Investors are struggling to find an impetus to push prices higher with the market close to all-time highs.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 1.76 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,997.45. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 19.71 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,049. The Nasdaq composite rose 5.28 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,591.81.
Stocks started the day lower, led by a big decline for energy stocks as the price of oil extended its declines from a day earlier. Oil futures turned higher throughout the morning as traders judged that new sanctions against Russia over its involvement in Ukraine might crimp supplies. As oil prices rebounded, so did energy stocks.
The price of oil rose $1.16 to close at $92.83 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after dropping close to $90 a barrel in early trading.
The stock market gains were led by utilities, which climbed 0.9 percent.
Health-care stocks fell the most, declining 0.3 percent. The industry has been the best performing sector this year, climbing 15.5 percent, compared to a gain of 8.1 percent for the broader index.
The Federal Reserve is never far from investors’ minds, and many are already looking forward to next week’s meeting of policy makers. The Fed is currently winding down its economic stimulus measures, and investors will be expecting an update on the economy and more insight into when the central bank might begin raising interest rates. The Fed concludes its latest two-day policy meeting next Wednesday.
In currency trading, the dollar continued its ascent against the Japanese yen. The U.S. currency is at its highest level in six years against the yen. On Thursday one dollar bought 107.30 yen. The dollar fell to $1.292 against the euro.
Government bond prices were little changed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which rises when prices fall, rose to 2.55 percent from 2.54 percent on Wednesday.
The price of gold fell $6.30 to $1,239 an ounce, silver fell 33 cents to $18.60 an ounce and copper fell two cents to $3.09 a pound.
In other energy trading, Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose 4 cents to close at $98.08 on the ICE Futures exchange in London. Wholesale gasoline 0.3 cent to close at $2.524 a gallon, and natural gas fell 13.1 cents to close at $3.823 per 1,000 cubic feet after the Energy Department reported a larger-thanexpected increase in natural gas inventories.