U.S. stock markets finished the session in the red on Thursday, with pressure concentrated in Technology, Basic Materials and Oil & Gas stocks. At the New York Stock Exchange close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.34%. The broader S&P 500 retreated 1.57%, and the NASDAQ Composite slipped 2.04%.
Among Dow components, Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) was the day's strongest performer, rising 3.78% - up 4.87 points to finish at 133.64. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) advanced 2.72% or 8.80 points to close at an all-time high of 332.01. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) also posted gains, adding 1.96% or 5.46 points to end at 284.37.
Decliners on the Dow included Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO), which fell 12.32% or 10.54 points to close at 75.00. The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) dropped 5.31% or 5.74 points to 102.38, and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) was lower by 5.03% or 13.85 points, ending the day at 261.65.
On the S&P 500, the top performers were led by Akamai Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:AKAM), which gained 10.37% to 104.63. Equinix Inc (NASDAQ:EQIX) climbed 10.21% to settle at 956.07, and Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:ZBRA) rose 8.56% to close at 274.10.
Conversely, the weakest S&P 500 names included Baxter International Inc (NYSE:BAX), down 15.99% to 18.71; Tyler Technologies Inc (NYSE:TYL), which lost 15.31% to finish at 287.32; and CH Robinson Worldwide Inc (NASDAQ:CHRW), which fell 14.54% to close at 167.78.
The NASDAQ Composite's biggest percentage gains came from smaller-cap issues and highly volatile names. Rubico Inc (NASDAQ:RUBI) surged 403.85% to 2.62, Mega Fortune Co Ltd (NASDAQ:MGRT) jumped 112.39% to 12.34, and Fastly Inc (NASDAQ:FSLY) rallied 72.18% to 16.03.
At the other end of the NASDAQ leaderboard, STRATA Skin Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:SSKN) plunged 67.50% to 0.39, Quince Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:QNCX) fell 63.03% to 0.23, and Onconetix Inc (NASDAQ:ONCO) slid 42.70% to 1.06.
Market breadth was negative at the close. On the New York Stock Exchange, decliners outnumbered advancers by 1,973 to 789, with 71 issues unchanged. Across the Nasdaq, 2,496 stocks fell while 905 advanced and 171 were unchanged.
Several stocks moved into notable milestone ranges during the session. Akamai Technologies and Equinix both reached 52-week highs, with AKAM up 10.37% to 104.63 and EQIX up 10.21% to 956.07. Tyler Technologies fell to five-year lows after a 15.31% drop to 287.32. Walmart and McDonald’s both rose to all-time highs, with WMT up 3.78% to 133.64 and MCD up 2.72% to 332.01. STRATA Skin Sciences and Onconetix hit all-time lows, with SSKN down 67.50% to 0.39 and ONCO down 42.70% to 1.06. Fastly reached a 52-week high after gaining 72.18% to 16.03.
Volatility picked up as measured by the CBOE Volatility Index, which climbed 18.02% to 20.83, reflecting higher implied volatility in S&P 500 options.
Commodity markets saw declines at the close. Gold Futures for April delivery decreased 3.07% or 156.71 to $4,941.79 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery fell 2.65% or 1.71 to $62.92 a barrel, while the April Brent contract declined 2.62% or 1.82 to $67.58 a barrel.
Foreign exchange moves were modest. EUR/USD was essentially flat, changing by 0.01% to 1.19, while USD/JPY fell 0.31% to 152.77. The US Dollar Index Futures edged up 0.10% to 96.82.
Summary of session dynamics - the market closed lower with Technology, Basic Materials and Oil & Gas among the sectors contributing to the declines. Despite broad weakness, select large-cap consumer names including Walmart and McDonald’s posted gains and reached record highs, while a number of smaller and mid-cap names experienced extreme moves in both directions.