Thursday, May 29, 2008

Foreign Market

Wednesday, the US stock market closed higher for the second consecutive day for the week on the back of some positive economic data and the better-than-expected earnings from select retailers. On the earning’s front, Chico''s FAS and American Eagle Outfitters reported their earnings results that surpassed analysts’ estimates for the most recent quarter.

On the economic front, the Commerce Department reported that durable goods orders for the month of April fell 0.5%, which is a less substantial downturn than economists forecast. Excluding transportation, durable goods orders increased 2.5%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) advanced by 45.68 points to close at 12,594.03. The S&P 500 (SPX) index increased by 5.49 points to close at 1,390.84 and the NASDAQ Composite (RIXF) grew 5.46 points to close at 2,486.70.

Among the Dow’s 30 components, 17 components ended in green mainly led by the stocks like Alcoa up by 3%

A total of 0.8bn shares were traded on the NASDAQ, with advancing stocks just outpaced the declining stocks. On NYSE around 1.2bn shares traded for the day, with advancing stocks outpaced the declining stocks by 9 to 7.

Crude oil futures for the month of June delivery closed higher by $2.18 at $131.03 per barrel on New York Mercantile Exchange. The crude prices grew after the dollar regains its strength as against its rival currencies.

The gold prices for the month of June delivery fell by $7.80 to settle at $900.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The gold prices ended lower for the second consecutive days after the dollar strengthened against its rival currencies.

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