12:42 PM EDT, 07/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes rose in choppy trading Thursday as investors weighed the durable goods orders and economic growth data amid a slew of quarterly results.

The Nasdaq rose 0.6% to 17,450.2, with the S&P 500 up 0.8% to 5,471.4 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 1.2% higher at 40,335.6. Earlier in the session, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq declined. All sectors were up intraday, with energy, industrials, and financials among the top gainers.

New orders for US durable goods fell 6.6% in June following a gain of 0.1% in the previous month, compared with expectation for a 0.3% increase in a Bloomberg survey. Excluding a 20.5% drop in transportation orders, new orders would have been up 0.5% in June after a 0.1% decrease in May. Expectations were for a 0.2% gain.

Gross domestic product rose 2.8% in Q2, versus a 1.4% increase in Q1 and a 2% gain expected in a Bloomberg survey.

US initial jobless claims fell sequentially to 235,000 during the week ended July 20 from an upwardly revised 245,000 in the previous week, compared with expectations for 238,000 in a Bloomberg survey.

Gold slumped 2.4% to $2,357.22 an ounce, and silver sank 4.18% to $28.1.

Most Treasury yields fell, with the 10-year down 3.9 basis points to 4.25%.

In company news, shares of Molina Healthcare ( MOH ) soared 15% intraday, the top performer on the S&P 500, after the company overnight reported a stronger-than-expected increase in Q2 adjusted earnings and sales and reiterated its full-year 2024 income outlook.

The worst performer on the index was Edwards Lifesciences ( EW ) , with shares down 29% intraday after the company reported, late Wednesday, a weaker-than-forecast growth in Q2 sales.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.6% to $78.08 a barrel.