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Stock Market News for July 05, 2017

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Gain in bank and energy stocks led the Dow and the S&P 500 to finish in the green on Monday. Energy shares moved north due to increase in oil prices after a report showed that the number of active U.S. oil rigs declined. Additionally, financials were led higher by gain in bank stocks helped by rise in treasury yields. Separately, surge in shares of Walt Disney boosted the Dow, following a rumor that Verizon is considering a buyout of the entertainment company.

However, continued overvaluation concerns weighed on major tech stocks, which in turn led the tech-based Nasdaq to finish in negative territory. Meanwhile, investors digested a mixed bag of economic data.

For a look at the issues currently facing the markets, make sure to read today’s Ahead of Wall Street article.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) advanced 0.6% to close at 21,479.27, retreating from an intraday record high of 21,562.75. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% to finish at 2,429.01. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.5% to close at 6,110.06. A total of around 3.77 billion shares were traded on Monday, lower than the last 20-session average of 7.18 billion shares. The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) traded near 11.2. Advancers outnumbered declining stocks on the NYSE by a 2.55 to 1 ratio. The stock market remained closed on Monday, due to Independence Day.

Energy Shares Continue to Gain

Oil prices moved north on Monday for the eighth consecutive session, marking its longest streak of gains since 2010. Following a rise for 23 weeks in a row, oil-rig numbers recorded a decline for the second time this year. As per data released by Baker Hughes on Friday, the number of active U.S. oil rigs declined by two to 756 rigs this week.

Moreover, in the previous week, the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) reported that weekly oil production had declined by 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 9.25 million bpd, while gasoline stocks decreased by 894,000 barrels.

The decline in oil-rig counts along with fall in U.S. oil production had a positive impact on oil prices which ultimately had a positive impact on energy shares. WTI crude prices advanced by $1.03, or 2.2%, to $47.07 a barrel. The broader Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) gained 1.9%, emerging as the best performing sector of the S&P 500. Some of its key holdings, including Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM - Free Report) and Chevron Corp (CVX - Free Report) advanced 1.7% and 1.9% respectively. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Financials Surge

Financials were up on Monday, led primarily by gain in shares of banks. The recent increase in 10-year treasury yields helped bank shares move higher. The 10-year Treasury yield increased to 2.34% this week from 2.22% reported during last week.

The recent increase in treasury yields and positive results from Fed’s annual stress test had a positive impact on financials. The broader Financials Select Sector SPDR (XLF) advanced 1.5%, emerging as the second best sector of the S&P 500. Some of its key holdings, including JP Morgan Chase (JPM - Free Report) and Bank of America Corp (BAC - Free Report) rose 2% and 1.7% respectively.

Walt Disney Boosts the Dow

Shares of Walt Disney (DIS - Free Report) advanced 1.1% following rumors that Verizon Communications (VZ - Free Report) was considering a buyout of the media major. Gain in shares of Disney had a positive impact on the Dow.  

Technology Shares Drag Down the Nasdaq

Technology shares fell on Monday, as investors remained concerned about valuations of technology companies. Drop in shares of large-cap tech companies, including Microsoft (MSFT - Free Report) and Amazon.com (AMZN - Free Report) led to the day’s losses.

Shares of Microsoft and Amazon.com declined 1.1% and 1.5% respectively. The broader Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) declined 0.7%, emerging as the worst performing sector of S&P 500.

Manufacturing Jumps, Construction Spending Flat

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing index for June was recorded at 57.8, posting its highest level since 2014. The figure came well above the estimate of 55.1 and May’s reading of 54.9.

As per the Commerce Department, construction outlays for May remained flat at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.23 trillion. The figure came below the consensus estimate of 0.2% rise.

Auto Sales Dip

Separately, auto sales fell for the fourth successive month in June, coming in below the consensus estimate. As per Autodata, sales for June experienced decline of 3% and recorded at a seasonally adjusted level of 16.51 million units. During the first half of this year sales fell 2.1% from the similar period last year.

Stocks that made Headlines

Nokia and Xiaomi Ink Patent and Business Cooperation Pact

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