Thursday saw U.S. equities embracing a risk-on sentiment, with major averages all showing gains as investors anticipated a potentially slowing labor market pace in March, which could bolster the case for rate cuts starting in June.
Data released this morning revealed a surge in last week's unemployment claims, exceeding predictions at 221,000 compared to the expected 214,000. Economists anticipate a moderation in nonfarm payrolls from 274,000 in February to 200,000 in March, along with a further easing in average hourly earnings growth from 4.3% to 4.1% year-on-year.
At midday trading in New York, the S&P 500 surged by 0.8% to 5,250 points, poised to achieve a record-high close. Similarly, the Nasdaq 100 rose by 1% to 18,350 points, also on track for a record closing. All S&P 500 sectors traded in the green.
AI-related stocks outperformed, evidenced by the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (NYSE:AIQ) climbing 1.3% to reach fresh all-time highs.
Magnificent Seven witnessed the strongest session in nearly a month, as the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (NYSE:MAGS) rallied 1.7%, buoyed by robust gains from Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA).
Gold paused for a breather, down 0.5%, after hitting $2,300/oz. overnight, while Bitcoin rebounded by 2.9%, on track for the best session in more than a week.
Thursday's Performance In Major U.S. Indices, ETFs
| Major Indices | Price | 1-day %chg |
| Nasdaq 100 | 18,350.04 | 1.0% |
| Russell 2000 | 2,092.88 | 1.0% |
| S&P 500 | 5,252.37 | 0.8% |
| Dow Jones | 39,318.12 | 0.5% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) was 0.8% higher to $523.50, the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average (NYSE:DIA) was 0.5% higher to $393.11 and the tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) was 1.1% higher to $446.84, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Sector-wise, the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLY) and the Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLK) outperformed, up 1.1%, while the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSE:XLV) was the laggard, up 0.1%.
Thursday's Stock Movers
- Solar stocks rallied Thursday, with the Invesco Solar ETF (NYSE:TAN) up over 3%. Industry heavyweight First Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) and Enphase Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH) were up 5.8% and 6.5%, respectively, representing the top performers in the S&P 500 index for the day.
- Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LW) fell over 18% as the company missed both earnings and revenue projections last quarter.
- Other companies reacting to earnings were Levi Strauss & Co. (NYSE:LEVI), up 16%, RPM International Inc. (NYSE:RPM) down 5.4%, BlackBerry Ltd. (NYSE:BB) up 10%, ConAgra Brands Inc. (NYSE:CAG), up 5.5%.
- Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ:NKLA) rose by 12% after the company produced 43 hydrogen-electric trucks in the first quarter, surpassing the production level for all of 2023 in a single quarter.
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