U.S. stocks traded higher toward the end of trading, with the S&P 500 recording gains on Thursday.

The Dow traded up 0.24% to 43,179.49 while the NASDAQ rose 0.24% to 18,411.77. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.08% to 5,847.03.

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Leading and Lagging Sectors

Information technology shares jumped by 0.8% on Thursday.

In trading on Thursday, communication services shares fell by 0.7%.

Top Headline

U.S. crude oil inventories declined by 2.192 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 11, versus estimates of a 2.3 million gain, the EIA said.

Equities Trading UP

Gevo, Inc. ( GEVO ) shares shot up 18% to $2.6650 after the company announced it secured a DOE conditional commitment loan of $1.46 billion for its net-zero 1 sustainable aviation fuel plant in South Dakota.

Shares of Nixxy, Inc. ( NIXX ) got a boost, surging 52% to $3.6010 after the company provided updates on the business including its acquisition strategy in traditional markets and enhancing operations through technology and data analytics.

Iridium Communications Inc ( IRDM ) shares were also up, gaining 12% to $33.97 after the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter revenue results and raised its FY24 OEBITDA guidance.

Equities Trading DOWN

Proficient Auto Logistics, Inc. ( PAL ) shares dropped 28% to $10.10 after the company announced it expects its third-quarter net income to be significantly degraded due to a reduced level of revenue and resulting loss of operating leverage. Also, the company said it expects that the Longshoremen strike could have negatively impacted unit volumes during the fourth quarter and beyond.

Shares of Cerus Corporation ( CERS ). were down 18% to $1.4750 after the company provided updates on its INTERCEPT red blood cell programs in the US and Europe.

Lucid Group, Inc. ( LCID ) was down, falling 16% to $2.75 after the company announced the pricing of an offering and corresponding investment from an affiliate of the Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Commodities

In commodity news, oil traded down 0.3% to $70.19 while gold traded up 0.7% at $2,709.00.

Silver traded down 0.5% to $31.83 on Thursday, while copper fell 0.9% to $4.3270.

Euro zone

European shares closed mostly higher today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 gained 0.83%, Germany's DAX rose 0.77% and France's CAC 40 climbed 1.22%. Spain's IBEX 35 Index fell 0.77%, while London's FTSE 100 gained 0.67%.

The European Central Bank cut its three key interest rates by 25 bps in October. Annual inflation rate in the Eurozone fell to 1.7% in September versus initial estimates of 1.8% and compared to 2.2% in August.

Asia Pacific Markets

Asian markets closed lower on Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 falling 0.69%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index falling 1.02%, China's Shanghai Composite Index dipping 1.05% and India's BSE Sensex falling 0.61%.

Economics

Industrial production in the U.S. declined 0.3% from a month ago in September.

U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 19,000 in the week ending Oct. 12.

The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index climbed to 10.3 in October compared to 1.7 in September and topping market estimates of 3.

U.S. retail sales rose 0.4% month-over-month in September compared to a 0.1% increase in August and higher than market estimates of a 0.3% rise.

Total business inventories increased by 0.3% month-over-month in August.

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index climbed to 43 in October from 41 in the prior month.

U.S. natural-gas stocks increased 76 billion cubic feet during the week ended Oct. 11, compared to market estimates of a 78 billion cubic feet gain.

U.S. crude oil inventories declined by 2.192 million barrels in the week ended Oct. 11, versus estimates of a 2.3 million gain, the EIA said.

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