Nasdaq Moves Lower; Meta Platforms Posts Strong Sales

U.S. stocks traded mixed midway through trading, with the Nasdaq Composite turning lower on Thursday.

The Dow traded up 0.18% to 44,795.97 while the NASDAQ fell 0.25% to 19,583.83. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.10% to 6,045.09.

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Leading and Lagging SectorsCommunication services shares surged by 1.9% on Thursday.

In trading on Thursday, information technology shares fell by 1.1%.

Top Headline

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter sales results on Wednesday.

Meta reported fourth-quarter revenue of $48.39 billion, beating analyst estimates of $47.03 billion. The company reported fourth-quarter earnings of $8.02 per share, beating analyst estimates of $6.77 per share.

Equities Trading UP                       

• NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) shares shot up 19% to $26.69 after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly financial results.
• Shares of Tectonic Therapeutic, Inc. (NASDAQ:TECX)got a boost, surging 97% to $50.75 after interim results showed TX45 achieved improvements in hemodynamics that met and exceeded prespecified objectives.
• Alterity Therapeutics Limited (NASDAQ:ATHE) shares were also up, gaining 40% to $4.2034 after the company reported topline results from its Phase 2 clinical trial of ATH434 in early-stage multiple system atrophy, showing clinically meaningful benefits at both doses studied.

Equities Trading DOWN

• Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) shares dropped 18% to $106.47 after the company reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue results and issued FY25 guidance below estimates.
• Shares of CARGO Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRGX) were down 77% to $3.0401 after the company announced it discontinued its FIRCE-1 Phase 2 study. Around firm firms downgraded the stock also.
• United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) was down, falling 17% to $111.46 after the company missed fourth-quarter revenue expectations despite beating EPS estimates.

CommoditiesIn commodity news, oil traded up 0.8% to $73.18 while gold traded up 1.6% at $2,838.40.

Silver traded up 3.9% to $32.610 on Thursday, while copper rose 1.1% to $4.3290.

Euro zone

European shares were higher today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 rose 0.66%, Germany's DAX 40 gained 0.21% and France's CAC 40 climbed 0.75%. Spain's IBEX 35 Index rose 0.82%, while London's FTSE 100 rose 0.82%.

Asia Pacific Markets

Asian markets closed higher on Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining 0.25% and India's BSE Sensex gaining 0.30%.

Economics

• U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 16,000 from the previous week to 207,000 in the week ending January 25, compared to market estimates of 220,000.
• The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized rate of 2.3% in the fourth quarter, down from 3.1% in the previous quarter and versus market estimates of 2.6%.
• U.S. pending home sales fell by 5.5% from the previous month in December.

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