The leading indices on Wall Street mostly ended with gains, while the Nasdaq Composite fell slightly.
At closing time, the indices ended as follows:
- The broad S&P 500 index ended up 0.11 percent.
- Industry-heavy Dow Jones ended up 0.12 percent.
- The technology index Nasdaq Composite ended down 0.12 percent.
An hour before the stock market opened, the fresh macro figures showed that US GDP grew by 3.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023.
In advance, it was expected that the final GDP figures would show growth of 3.2 percent, according to Trading Economics. In the previous quarter, the US economy grew by 4.9 per cent.
In addition, 210,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits for the first time in the week up to and including March 16, according to new jobless claims figures from the US Department of Labor. According to CNBC, a figure of 211,000 was expected in advance.
The volatility index VIX, often referred to as the fear index, is up 2.03 percent to 13.04 at closing time.
The Wall Street stock exchanges are closed on Good Friday, and Thursday was thus the last trading day of the week. On Friday, however, the important figures will arrive, such as PCE inflation, the US central bank’s preferred inflation target.
PCE inflation ended at 2.4 percent in January, while analysts expect an increase of 2.5 percent for February.
