Equity markets in the United States saw a downturn in mid-session trading on Thursday, with notable declines in major indices. The Nasdaq Composite suffered a significant drop of 1.36% closing at 23,533.76 points, reflecting a broad pullback in technology-heavy stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average displayed a slight loss, easing down 0.16% to 48,939.41, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.66% to 6,931.67. This mixed market environment was accompanied by divergent sector performance during the session.
The energy sector emerged as a clear standout, registering an increase of approximately 1.7%. This boost in energy stocks coincided with a 3.1% climb in the price of crude oil, which reached $65.18 per barrel. Other commodities also experienced movement: gold prices declined marginally by 0.6% to $5,271.60; silver fell 1.3% to $112.120; and copper advanced 4.3% to $6.1815, signaling heterogenous investor responses across precious and industrial metals.
Among companies reporting earnings, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) delivered a strong fourth-quarter performance that exceeded market expectations. The industrial equipment manufacturer posted revenues of $19.133 billion, marking an 18% increase compared to $16.215 billion a year earlier. The adjusted earnings per share reached $5.16, beating estimates that predicted $4.66. Notwithstanding the top-line growth, GAAP earnings per diluted share slightly declined to $5.12 from $5.78 in the prior year's corresponding quarter. Operating profit declined to $2.660 billion, a 9% drop, with operating margins contracting to 13.9% from 18.0%, indicating some margin compression despite higher sales volume.
Investor response lifted Caterpillar shares by more than 3% Thursday. The company’s positive results underscore resilience in its core business amid varied macroeconomic conditions. Other notable equity movers included Liberty Energy Inc. (NYSE: LBRT), whose shares surged 21% to $26.38 following favorable quarterly financial disclosure.
Further contributing to upward stock movements, Modine Manufacturing Co. (NYSE: MOD) saw its shares jump 20% to $177.00 after announcing a strategic spin-off of its Performance Technologies unit, set to merge with Gentherm. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) also posted impressive gains, climbing 15% to $334.68 after reporting robust fourth-quarter financials and providing adjusted earnings guidance for fiscal year 2026 that surpassed analysts’ projections.
Conversely, several companies faced substantial stock declines amid disappointment or significant corporate developments. Fractyl Health Inc. (NASDAQ: GUTS) plummeted 68% to $0.58 following the release of six-month randomized clinical trial data from the ongoing REMAIN-1 Midpoint Cohort. Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE: JOBY) shares dropped 18% to $10.98 after filing registration for a $1 billion fundraising round. SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) declined 17% to $196.02 amid weaker-than-expected quarterly sales figures.
Turning to international markets, European indices displayed a mixed response. The STOXX 600 across the eurozone receded 0.24%, with Spain’s IBEX 35 declining 0.29%. However, London’s FTSE 100 advanced slightly by 0.19%, and France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.21%, contrasting with Germany’s DAX which dropped 2.12%. Asia-Pacific markets ended mostly higher as well, with Japan’s Nikkei marginally up 0.03%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gaining 0.51%, China’s Shanghai Composite rising 0.16%, and India’s BSE Sensex increasing by 0.27%.
On the economic data front, U.S. jobless claims gave a modest signal of labor market stability, falling by 1,000 to 209,000 claims for the week ending January 23. This was slightly higher than market expectations of 205,000 claims. The monthly trade deficit expanded sharply in November to $56.8 billion, nearly doubling from the prior month’s $29.2 billion gap, suggesting increased import activity or weaker export performance. Productivity data showed growth in the nonfarm business sector labor productivity by 4.9% in the third quarter, an improvement over the previous quarter’s 4.1% rise. Unit labor costs declined 1.9%, following a previous quarter decrease of 2.9%, indicating cost efficiencies within the workforce.
Additional indicators demonstrated economic dynamics with November wholesale inventories rising by 0.2% to $915 billion and factory orders increasing 2.7% month-over-month to $621.6 billion. Natural gas stocks decreased by 242 billion cubic feet during the week, reflecting seasonal demand or supply factors affecting storage levels.