By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks eked out small gains on Thursday in another uninspiring session on Wall Street, with worries about weak business spending keeping investors wary.
After the close of trading, APPLE (AAPL.NQ)Inc
Equity futures fell on the news, with S&P 500 futures dropping 8.5 points to 1,399.70, signaling a possible fall in stocks on Friday.
The Nasdaq 100 Powershares exchange-traded fund
The broad S&P 500 had declined 3.6 percent over the previous five sessions before a modest rebound Thursday. A string of high-profile disappointments pointing to weak global demand has sapped buying enthusiasm after what has been a strong run in 2012.
There were a few bright spots during the day, such as Procter & Gamble
U.S. durable goods orders rose more than expected in September, though orders excluding volatile defense goods and aircraft were unchanged, and business investment showed signs of stalling.
"Global concerns are always in the background and people haven't forgotten about it. That's what markets on Friday and earlier this week told us," said Jaewoo Nakajima, associate managing director at International Strategy and Investment Group, in New York.
With about 244 companies in the S&P 500 reporting results so far, 62.3 percent have beaten expectations, a slight improvement on the typical 62 percent average, Thomson Reuters data showed.
Revenue this quarter has been less than stellar, with just 36.3 percent of companies reporting higher-than-expected revenue - compared with a historic beat rate of 62 percent.
"We had 50-some companies report today, and it's all a continuation of companies beating on earnings, but coming in lower on revenue," said Terry Morris, senior vice president and senior equity manager for National Penn Investors Trust Company in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Big-picture uncertainty has also had a quiet dampening effect on stock prices as the countdown to the U.S. presidential election and the impending fiscal cliff begins in earnest.
"Certainly, the fiscal cliff continues to weigh on the market. If it weren't for that pressure, we'd probably be higher," Morris said.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 26.34 points, or 0.20 percent, to 13,103.68 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 4.22 points, or 0.30 percent, to finish at 1,412.97. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> advanced 4.42 points, or 0.15 percent, to end at 2,986.12.
Tech bellwether Apple
Colgate-Palmolive
Volume was relatively light, with just 6.18 billion shares traded on U.S. exchanges.
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the New York Stock Exchange by a ratio of about 3 to 2. On the Nasdaq, about seven stocks rose for every five that fell.
(Reporting by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian; Editing by Jan Paschal)
Relacionados
- El investigador Ángel Sody de Rivas recibe el Perejil de Plata de la Fundación Zenobia-Juan Ramón
- La Fundación Oso Pardo asegura que 'La Güela' estuvo diez meses "encerrada en malas condiciones" antes de morir
- Maria del Mar Blanco será la próxima presidenta de la Fundación de Víctimas del Terrorismo
- Maria del Mar Blanco será la presidenta de la Fundación de Víctimas del Terrorismo
- La Fundación de Estudios Financieros urge a la Administración "alternativas de financiación" para las pymes