Investing.com – U.S. stocks were higher after the close on Friday, as gains in the Oil & Gas, Health Care and Basic Materials sectors led shares higher.
At the close in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.10%, while the S&P 500 index gained 1.34%, and the NASDAQ Composite index gained 1.39%.
The best performers of the session on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD), which rose 3.08% or 3.11 points to trade at 104.12 at the close. Meanwhile, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) added 2.43% or 2.16 points to end at 91.12 and Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was up 2.39% or 2.45 points to 105.12 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), which fell 0.71% or 1.26 points to trade at 177.23 at the close. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE:WMT) declined 0.70% or 0.61 points to end at 86.77 and Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) was down 0.55% or 0.46 points to 83.86.
The top performers on the S&P 500 were Newfield Exploration Company (NYSE:NFX) which rose 10.13% to 25.88, Cimarex Energy Co (NYSE:XEC) which was up 7.68% to settle at 98.95 and Mylan Inc (NASDAQ:MYL) which gained 6.31% to close at 56.07.
The worst performers were Precision Castparts Corporation (NYSE:PCP) which was down 9.14% to 199.63 in late trade, Avon Products Inc (NYSE:AVP) which lost 1.84% to settle at 7.47 and Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU) which was down 1.09% to 28.98 at the close.
The top performers on the NASDAQ Composite were Altisource Portfolio Solutions SA (NASDAQ:ASPS) which rose 49.10% to 27.39, Motricity (NASDAQ:VLTC) which was up 46.99% to settle at 1.220 and Courier Corporation (NASDAQ:CRRC) which gained 35.54% to close at 19.64.
The worst performers were The Wet Seal Inc (NASDAQ:WTSL) which was down 54.99% to 0.035 in late trade, Kingtone Wirelessinfo Solution (NASDAQ:KONE) which lost 18.69% to settle at 3.350 and Fibrocell S (NASDAQ:FCSC) which was down 12.34% to 3.48 at the close.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the New York Stock Exchange by 2406 to 394; on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, 2117 rose and 651 declined, while 3 ended unchanged.
Shares in Precision Castparts Corporation (NYSE:PCP) fell to 52-week lows; down 9.14% or 20.09 to 199.63. Shares in Avon Products Inc (NYSE:AVP) fell to all time lows; falling 1.84% or 0.14 to 7.47. Shares in Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT) fell to 52-week lows; down 0.55% or 0.46 to 83.86. Shares in The Wet Seal Inc (NASDAQ:WTSL) fell to all time lows; losing 54.99% or 0.043 to 0.035. Shares in Courier Corporation (NASDAQ:CRRC) rose to 3-year highs; rising 35.54% or 5.15 to 19.64.
The CBOE Volatility Index, which measures the implied volatility of S&P 500 options, was down 5.76% to 21.10.
Gold for February delivery was up 1.12% or 14.20 to $1279.00 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude Oil for delivery in February rose 4.84% or 2.24 to hit $48.49 a barrel, while the March Brent Oil contract rose 3.42% or 1.65 to trade at $49.92 a barrel.
EUR/USD was down 0.56% to 1.1565, while USD/JPY rose 1.27% to 117.61.
The US Dollar Index was up 0.52% at 93.00.