U.S. stocks mixed at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average up 0.55%

Investing.com – Canada stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Energy, Industrials and REITs sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.76%.

The best performers of the session on the S&P/TSX Composite were Cargojet Inc (TSX:CJT), which rose 7.49% or 6.37 points to trade at 91.47 at the close. Meanwhile, 5N Plus Inc. (TSX:VNP) added 7.09% or 1.29 points to end at 19.49 and Baytex Energy Corp (TSX:BTE) was up 6.98% or 0.30 points to 4.60 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Celestica Inc. (TSX:CLS), which fell 5.62% or 23.81 points to trade at 399.90 at the close. Ngex Minerals Ltd (TSX:NGEX) declined 4.79% or 1.38 points to end at 27.44 and Discovery Silver Corp (TSX:DSV) was down 4.65% or 0.41 points to 8.40.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 602 to 380 and 66 ended unchanged.

Shares in Baytex Energy Corp (TSX:BTE) rose to 52-week highs; rising 6.98% or 0.30 to 4.60.

The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/TSX Composite options, was down 2.25% to 12.14.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.50% or 22.10 to $4,484.60 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 4.72% or 2.64 to hit $58.63 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 4.94% or 2.96 to trade at $62.92 a barrel.

CAD/USD was unchanged 0.00% to 0.72, while CAD/EUR unchanged 0.18% to 0.62.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.25% at 98.67.

Investing.com -- Olin Corporation (NYSE:OLN) stock fell 6% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company significantly reduced its fourth quarter 2025 earnings forecast.

The chemical manufacturer now expects fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA to be approximately $67 million, down from its previous guidance of $110 to $130 million. This revised outlook represents a 45% reduction from the midpoint of the company’s earlier forecast and falls well below analyst expectations of $121.1 million.

According to Olin, most of the earnings shortfall occurred in its Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls business segment. The company cited an extended planned maintenance turnaround and unplanned downtime at its Freeport, Texas operations as key factors. Lower-than-expected pipeline chlorine demand also contributed to the reduced outlook.

"Late in the quarter, our Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls was impacted by a meaningful decline in chlorine demand as well as operational issues at our Freeport, Texas site related to a planned turnaround and interruption of raw material supply by a third party," said Ken Lane, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Lane added that the Freeport facility has returned to normal operations, and the company remains focused on operating its assets safely, achieving cost reduction targets, and maintaining its "disciplined value-first commercial approach."

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com – Colombia stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Industrials, Services and Agriculture sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Colombia, the COLCAP rose 0.70% to hit a new all time high.

The best performers of the session on the COLCAP were Banco Davivienda Pf (BVC:DVI_p), which rose 0.95% or 240.00 points to trade at 25,420.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Bancolombia Pf (BVC:BIC_p1) added 0.79% or 500.00 points to end at 63,700.00 and Cementos Argos SA (BVC:CCB) was up 0.72% or 80.00 points to 11,140.00 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Grupo Argos SA Pref (BVC:ARG_p), which fell 2.25% or 300.00 points to trade at 13,060.00 at the close. Ecopetrol SA (BVC:ECO) declined 1.73% or 35.00 points to end at 1,985.00 and Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana SA (BVC:SIS) was down 1.52% or 860.00 points to 55,640.00.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Colombia Stock Exchange by 1 to 0.

Shares in Bancolombia Pf (BVC:BIC_p1) rose to all time highs; rising 0.79% or 500.00 to 63,700.00.

US coffee C for March delivery was down 0.75% or 2.80 to $372.65 . Elsewhere in commodities trading, US cocoa for delivery in March rose 1.17% or 69.00 to hit $5,984.00 , while the February Gold Futures contract rose 0.49% or 21.85 to trade at $4,484.35 a troy ounce.

USD/COP was down 1.13% to 3,710.00, while BRL/COP fell 1.20% to 687.67.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.25% at 98.67.

Investing.com – Russia stocks were lower after the close on Thursday, as losses in the Mining, Oil & Gas and Telecoms sectors led shares lower.

At the close in Moscow, the MOEX Russia Index lost 0.98%.

The best performers of the session on the MOEX Russia Index were ROSSETI PJSC (MCX:FEES), which unchanged 2.65% or 0.00 points to trade at 0.08 at the close. Meanwhile, Federal Hydro Generating Company RusHydro PJSC (MCX:HYDR) added 1.26% or 0.01 points to end at 0.43 and Moskovskiy Kreditnyi Bank PAO (MCX:CBOM) was up 0.40% or 0.02 points to 6.07 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were MMC NORILSK NICKEL PJSC (MCX:GMKN), which fell 2.08% or 3.20 points to trade at 149.50 at the close. OZON (MCX:OZON) declined 2.02% or 88.50 points to end at 4,296.00 and T Tekhnologii MKPAO (MCX:T) was down 1.99% or 65.60 points to 3,236.40.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Moscow Stock Exchange by 165 to 74 and 12 ended unchanged.

The Russian Volatility Index – RVI, which measures the implied volatility of MOEX Russia Index options, was down 1.65% to 23.87 a new 52-week low.

Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.47% or 20.94 to $4,483.44 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in February rose 4.68% or 2.62 to hit $58.61 a barrel, while the March Brent oil contract rose 4.90% or 2.94 to trade at $62.90 a barrel.

USD/RUB was unchanged 0.01% to 80.50, while EUR/RUB fell 0.16% to 93.81.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.25% at 98.67.

Investing.com--The S&P 500 swung between gains and losses Thursday, as the melt-up in tech took a breather, but cyclical sectors including consumer and energy stocks kept broader market losses in check just a day ahead of a vital monthly jobs report.

At 1:22 p.m. ET (18:22 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 293 points, or 0.6%, the S&P 500 index dropped 0.1%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.6%.

Tech takes breather but consumer stocks shine

Tech stocks took a breather on Thursday as memory stocks continued to lose steam following a stellar start to the year.

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:WDC), SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ:STX), and Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) were down sharply, putting a dent in the chip sector that was already under pressure from a 2% dip in NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA).

But consumer stocks helped offset broader market losses, with Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) in the ascendency, with the latter in rally mode after reporting a  jump in sales for December compared to the same month a year ago. 

Key monthly jobs report looms 

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits rose moderately last week, suggesting that layoffs were relatively low at the end of 2025, though demand for labor remained sluggish.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 208,000 for the week ended December 27.

That said, U.S. worker productivity grew at its fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, gaining at a 4.9% annualized rate, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Thursday. 

That was the quickest pace since the third quarter of 2023 and followed an upwardly revised 4.1% growth rate in the second quarter.

Attention now turns to Friday’s closely watched nonfarm payrolls report, which is expected to provide a clearer picture of employment conditions and wage growth.

The data will be a key input for markets assessing the likelihood and timing of potential Federal Reserve rate cuts in the coming months.

Stephen Miran, a Federal Reserve governor whose term ends at the end of January, said Thursday that he is looking for 150 basis points of interest-rate cuts this year to boost the U.S. labor market.

“I’m looking for about a point and a half of cuts. A lot of that is driven by my view of inflation,” Miran said. “Underlying inflation is running within noise of our target, and that’s a good indication of where overall inflation is going to be going in the medium term.”

Data from payrolls processor ADP, released on Wednesday, showed that private sector employment increased by less than expected in December, pointing to a moderation in hiring momentum toward the end of the year. While the report is often viewed as volatile and not always a reliable predictor of official government data, it reinforced signs that the labor market may be gradually cooling.

Energy stocks jump as U.S.-Venezuela tensions remain

Energy stocks were boosted by higher oil prices following a Wall Street Journal report that the U.S. was planning to control Venezuelan oil for the long term.

Oil prices found some relief after tumbling for two straight sessions, amid concerns that a global supply glut will be accentuated by a potential increase production in Venezuela. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said Venezuela will turn over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to Washington, worth as much as $3 billion.

APA Group (ASX:APA), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), and ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) were among the biggest gainers in energy.  

Defense stocks in spotlight

In the corporate sector, the housing and defense sectors remained in focus after a raft of policy announcements from President Trump, including a plan to prevent institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes to help with a nationwide housing crunch.

Trump also said he would ban defense contractors from issuing dividends or stock buybacks and demanded that the U.S. lift defense spending by over 50% to $1.5 trillion by 2027.

Still, it remained unclear if Trump can put these mandates into effect without approval from Congress.

Investors this week are also awaiting the Supreme Court’s opinions on the legality of tariffs imposed by Trump, which are expected on Friday.

Ayushman Ojha and Scott Kanowsky contributed to this report.

Investing.com -- Revolution Medicines (NASDAQ:RVMD) stock rose 5% Thursday following a Financial Times report that Merck (NYSE:MRK) is in talks to acquire the biotech company.

Unlock the hottest news by upgrading to InvestingPro - get 55% off today

According to the FT, citing people familiar with the matter, Merck has been pursuing an acquisition of the Redwood City-based biotech firm, though a deal has not been finalized. Any potential agreement would be at least several weeks away, sources indicated.

The report also suggested that other large pharmaceutical companies remain interested in Revolution Medicines, and another suitor might ultimately prevail. However, a transaction is not guaranteed at this stage.

This development comes just a day after Abbvie (NYSE:ABBV) denied it was in discussions to purchase Revolution Medicines, following rumors published in the Wall Street Journal. These acquisition rumors have created significant volatility in Revolution’s stock, though shares have generally trended upward in recent days.

Revolution Medicines, which focuses on developing targeted therapies for cancer treatment, has become an attractive target in the pharmaceutical industry’s ongoing consolidation trend, as larger companies seek to bolster their drug pipelines through acquisitions.