US jobs figures calm index – New York Report
WALL STREET ended slightly higher yesterday as investors, on edge after recent turmoil in China’s markets, looked towards a key US jobs report that may figure in the Federal Reserve’s decision about when to lift interest rates.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.14 per cent to 16,374.76 and the S&P 500 gained 0.12 per cent to 1,951.13 points. The Nasdaq Composite ended 0.35 per cent lower at 4,733.50.
The CBOE Volatility index, Wall Street’s “fear gauge”, fell 2.11 per cent to 25.54, just above the long-term average of 20. The index spiked as high as 53.29 last week.
Apple was the biggest drag on S&P 500 with a 1.75 per cent drop while Exxon Mobil’s 0.76 percent gain helped push the index higher.
Joy Global’s shares fell 14.60 per cent after the mining equipment maker reported a fall in quarterly profit and cut its full-year forecast. Caterpillar also fell 2.1 per cent and was the biggest drag on the Dow.