U.S. stocks lower at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.42%

Investing.com – U.S. stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Technology, Consumer Services and Basic Materials sectors led shares lower.

At the close in NYSE, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.42%, while the S&P 500 index declined 0.97%, and the NASDAQ Composite index fell 2.22%.

The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), which rose 2.70% or 13.99 points to trade at 531.75 at the close. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) added 2.60% or 4.62 points to end at 182.23 and Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) was up 2.32% or 3.52 points to 154.99 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Salesforce.com Inc (NYSE:CRM), which fell 4.44% or 9.32 points to trade at 200.82 at the close. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) declined 3.66% or 11.38 points to end at 299.50 and Visa Inc Class A (NYSE:V) was down 3.13% or 7.08 points to 219.01.

The top performers on the S&P 500 were Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) which rose 4.56% to 305.84, NRG Energy Inc (NYSE:NRG) which was up 4.23% to settle at 39.21 and Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) which gained 4.20% to close at 239.00.

The worst performers were Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE:NCLH) which was down 6.80% to 20.68 in late trade, Penn National Gaming Inc (NASDAQ:PENN) which lost 6.72% to settle at 39.02 and Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ:CZR) which was down 6.67% to 72.01 at the close.

The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Advent Technologies Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:ADN) which rose 79.70% to 3.63, Moxian Inc (NASDAQ:MOXC) which was up 39.76% to settle at 2.32 and Mobiquity Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:MOBQ) which gained 29.63% to close at 2.10.

The worst performers were Guardforce AI Co Ltd (NASDAQ:GFAI) which was down 32.54% to 1.14 in late trade, GWG Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:GWGH) which lost 25.14% to settle at 2.62 and Integrated Media Technology Ltd (NASDAQ:IMTE) which was down 21.44% to 20.52 at the close.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 2268 to 939 and 106 ended unchanged; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2790 fell and 1136 advanced, while 176 ended unchanged.

Shares in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) rose to all time highs; gaining 4.56% or 13.35 to 305.84. Shares in Penn National Gaming Inc (NASDAQ:PENN) fell to 52-week lows; falling 6.72% or 2.81 to 39.02. Shares in Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) rose to all time highs; gaining 4.20% or 9.64 to 239.00. Shares in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) rose to all time highs; up 2.70% or 13.99 to 531.75. Shares in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) rose to all time highs; rising 2.60% or 4.62 to 182.23. Shares in Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) rose to all time highs; up 2.32% or 3.52 to 154.99. Shares in GWG Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:GWGH) fell to all time lows; down 25.14% or 0.88 to 2.62.

The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was up 5.09% to 22.10.

Gold Futures for June delivery was down 0.12% or 2.40 to $1,925.10 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in May fell 4.89% or 4.99 to hit $96.97 a barrel, while the June Brent oil contract fell 4.57% or 4.87 to trade at $101.77 a barrel.

EUR/USD was unchanged 0.04% to 1.09, while USD/JPY rose 0.14% to 123.78.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.22% at 99.65.