U.S. equity markets traded mixed on Thursday, with technology stocks weighing on the Nasdaq Composite while consumer staples showed resilience through strong corporate results. US Foods Holding Corp (NYSE: USFD) reported second-quarter earnings that exceeded analyst expectations, posting $1.44 per share against a consensus estimate of $1.36 per share. The company’s quarterly sales also beat forecasts, reaching $10.532 billion compared to the expected $10.461 billion. This performance highlights divergent sector trends within the broader market, where energy shares gained 1.3% while information technology stocks declined by 0.5%.

Market Indices and Sector Performance

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed slightly higher, trading up 0.04% to 54,373.37. In contrast, the S&P 500 dipped marginally by 0.01% to 7,723.23, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.24% to 26,299.39, dropping over 50 points from the previous close. The divergence in index performance reflects the mixed sentiment across sectors, with energy leading gains and technology lagging.

Top Movers in U.S. Equities

Individual stock movements were driven by merger progress, shareholder approvals, and clinical trial results. Clearone Inc (NASDAQ: CLRO) surged 203% to $11.15 following an SEC filing revealing progress on its planned merger with Vivani Medical Inc.’s Cortigent unit. Wing Yip Food Holdings Group (NASDAQ: WYHG) jumped 179% to $9.33 after shareholders approved authority for the board to issue new shares and bonds. Ensysce Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: ENSC) rose 77% to $0.64 after announcing the acquisition of Cy Biopharma and securing up to $77 million in private financing.

Conversely, Yxt Com Group Holding (NASDAQ: YXT) dropped 65% to $8.18 after pricing a $1.05 million registered direct offering. ThredUp Inc (NASDAQ: TDUP) fell 47% to $3.36 following worse-than-expected Q2 EPS results and lowered FY2026 sales guidance. BioVie Inc (NASDAQ: BIVI) declined 44% to $1.14 after announcing topline results from its Phase 2 SUNRISE-PD trial of Bezisterim in early Parkinson’s disease.

Commodities and Global Markets

In commodities, oil prices rose 1.1% to $76.05, while gold increased 0.3% to $4,315.80. Silver fell 0.7% to $61.835, and copper rose 0.7% to $6.7765. European markets posted gains, with the STOXX 600 up 0.4%, Spain’s IBEX 35 rising 1.1%, and France’s CAC 40 climbing 0.7%. Asian markets closed mixed, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 down 0.93% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng falling 1.49%, offset by gains in China’s Shanghai Composite (+0.57%) and India’s BSE Sensex (+0.48%).

Economic Data

U.S. initial jobless claims rose by 1,000 to 199,000 in the final week of July, below market estimates of 202,000. Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased 1.4% in the second quarter, significantly outperforming the 0.6% gain estimated by analysts. Unit labor costs rose 1.3% in the second quarter, matching the revised pace from the previous quarter.

The Nasdaq Composite closed the trading session in negative territory, falling 182.01 points, or 0.69%, to finish unofficially at 26,402.99. The decline marked a notable retreat for the index over the course of the session.

Session Performance

The following table summarizes the Nasdaq Composite's unofficial closing figures for the session:

The Nasdaq Composite shed 182.01 points during the session, representing a decline of 0.69%. The index settled unofficially at 26,402.99 by the close of trade.