U.S. stocks higher at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.13%

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday, as sectors such as Telecoms, Consumer Goods, and Technology led the gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.13%, while the S&P 500 index increased 0.65% and the NASDAQ Composite index climbed 0.81%. Among the top performers on the Dow, Salesforce Inc saw a 4.14% gain, bringing its price to 201.32, while Verizon Communications Inc added 2.64%, ending at 48.22.

Merck & Company Inc also showed a 1.98% increase, closing at 135.55. On the S&P 500, Godaddy Inc rose 9.45%, CoStar Group Inc climbed 8.36%, and Fiserv Inc gained 7.64%. The S&P 500's worst performers were Tapestry Inc, Cisco Systems Inc, and Corning Incorporated. The NASDAQ Composite's top performers were SolarMax Technology Inc, which soared 1,037.84%, and XChange TECINC DRC, which climbed 348.04%.

Notably, Merck & Company Inc and SolarMax Technology Inc reached 52-week highs. Conversely, Cisco Systems Inc, Unitedhealth Group, and McDonald’s Corporation were among the worst gainers. The CBOE Volatility Index increased by 0.55% to 14.63, while gold futures for December delivery dipped by 1.35% to $4,407.00 per troy ounce. Crude oil for September delivery fell by 2.43% to $81.25 a barrel, and the October Brent oil contract decreased by 2.18% to $87.04 per barrel.

EUR/USD remained unchanged at 1.15, and USD/JPY rose slightly to 159.55. The US Dollar Index Futures experienced a minor decline of 0.03% at 99.87.