US stock market closes with a decline, Dow Jones drops by 1.63%

The US stock market closed lower on Wednesday due to negative performance from the finance, oil and gas, and utility sectors.

At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell by 1.63%, the S&P 500 index dropped by 1.65%, and the NASDAQ Composite index declined by 1.60%.

Among the Dow Jones index components, Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) stocks were the top gainers in today’s trading, falling by 0.09 points (0.06%), closing at 143.99. Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO) quotes fell by 0.27 points (0.45%), closing at 60.05. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) shares fell by 1.49 points (0.54%), closing at 272.29.

The leaders of the decline were the shares of Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE), whose price fell by 6.11 points (4.86%) and closed the session at 119.50. Meanwhile, the shares of Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) rose by 8.54 points (4.17%) and closed at 196.16. On the other hand, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA) saw a decrease in price by 1.04 points (3.10%) and ended trading at 32.50.

The leaders in growth among the components of the S&P 500 index at the end of today’s trading were Match Group Inc (NASDAQ: MTCH) shares, which rose by 2.27% to the level of 39.22, Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ: AMD), which gained 1.72%, closing at the level of 97.58, as well as NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) shares, which rose by 1.03% and ended the session at the level of 264.68.

The leaders of the fall were the stocks of First Republic Bank (NYSE:FRC), which decreased in price by 15.85%, closing at 13.27. The shares of Comerica Inc (NYSE:CMA) lost 8.45% and finished the session at 44.52. The quotes of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) fell by 7.90% to 20.75.

Among the top gainers among NASDAQ Composite index components in today’s trading were the shares of Maxpro Capital Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: JMAC), which rose by 56.84% to reach 13.88, Lixiang Education Holding Co Ltd (NASDAQ: LXEH), which gained 35.14%, closing at 1.00, and EZGO Technologies Ltd (NASDAQ: EZGO), which climbed 33.65%, closing the session at 1.41.

The leaders of the decline were the shares of Qutoutiao Inc (NASDAQ: QTT), which fell in price by 38.43% and closed at 0.18. The shares of Color Star Technology Co Ltd (NASDAQ: ADD) lost 36.48% and ended the session at 1.55. Meihua International Medical Technologies Co Ltd’s (NASDAQ: MHUA) quotes fell in price by 33.60% to 8.20.

At the New York Stock Exchange, the number of declining stocks (2236) exceeded the number of those that closed in the positive (747), while the quotes of 113 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2699 companies saw a drop in their stocks, 934 increased, and 146 remained at the previous day’s closing level.

The stocks of Maxpro Capital Acquisition Corp (NASDAQ: JMAC) reached a historical high, rising by 56.84%, $5.03, and ended trading at $13.88. The stocks of Qutoutiao Inc (NASDAQ: QTT) fell to a historical minimum, decreasing by 38.43%, $0.11, and ended trading at $0.18.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on options trading data on the S&P 500, rose by 4.12% to 22.26.

The April delivery futures for gold increased by 1.66% or $32.20, reaching the $1,000 mark per troy ounce. As for other commodities, May delivery futures for WTI crude oil rose by 0.36% or $0.25, to $69.92 per barrel. May delivery futures for Brent crude oil fell by 0.04% or $0.03, to $75.78 per barrel.

Meanwhile, on the Forex market, the EUR/USD pair remained largely unchanged, increasing by only 0.04% to 1.09, while the USD/JPY dropped by 0.02% to 131.41.

The futures for the USD index fell by 0.69% to 102.18.