Gold falls over 1%; UnitedHealth posts upbeat earnings
US stocks traded mostly lower with the Nasdaq down 1%, led by declines in technology stocks and a drop in gold prices. UnitedHealth Group surged after reporting strong Q2 earnings and raising its full-year guidance. Market movers included sharp gains for Growhub Ltd and losses for Nuvve Holding Corp. Economic data showed retail sales increased 0.2% in June and jobless claims fell to 208,000.
*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.
U.S. stocks traded mostly lower midway through trading on Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite falling around 1%. The Dow traded down 0.07% to 52,619.72 while the NASDAQ dipped 0.96% to 26,017.62. The S&P 500 also fell, dropping 0.36% to 7,545.24. Health care shares jumped by 2.2%, while information technology stocks fell by 1.3%.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. reported better-than-expected second-quarter results and raised its full-year 2026 earnings guidance. Adjusted earnings came in at $6.38 per share, topping the analyst consensus estimate of $4.86. Revenue increased to $112.03 billion from $111.62 billion a year earlier and exceeded Wall Street expectations of $110.83 billion. GAAP earnings were $6.04 per share.
Market Movers
Growhub Ltd shares shot up 80% to $1.46 after the company announced a $400 million merger agreement with EnChem. Twin Vee Powercats Co shares surged 45% to $38.50 after announcing a combination agreement with a USFM subsidiary. Agape ATP Corp shares gained 40% to $3.52 following a Securities and Exchange Commission filing disclosing a new stake held by Jane Street Group LLC.
Nuvve Holding Corp shares dropped 55% to $9.69 after announcing first-quarter results. Sobr Safe Inc shares fell 45% to $1.14 after announcing an exercise of warrants for $3.1 million gross proceeds. AST SpaceMobile Inc declined 13% to $57.64 after announcing the pricing of its $1.0 billion proposed public offering of Convertible Senior notes.
Commodities and Global Markets
In commodity news, oil traded down 0.2% to $79.46 while gold traded down 1.3% at $3,999.80. Silver traded down 2.2% to $56.175, while copper rose 0.3% to $6.3605.
European shares were lower. The eurozone’s STOXX 600 declined 0.4%, while Spain’s IBEX 35 Index fell 0.5%. London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.3%, Germany’s DAX declined 0.9%, and France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.7%.
Asian markets closed mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 dipped 2.79%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 1.33%, China’s Shanghai Composite dipped 1.85%, and India’s BSE Sensex gained 0.002%.
Economic Data
U.S. retail sales increased 0.2% month-over-month in June, compared to a revised 1% gain in May and in-line with market estimates. The New York Fed’s services business activity index jumped 19 points to a reading of 8.7 in July. The Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index rose to 41.4 in July from 10.3 in the previous month. U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 8,000 to 208,000 in the week to July 11, compared to market estimates of 217,000. U.S. natural-gas stocks rose by 41 billion cubic feet in the week ended July 10, compared to market estimates of a 43 bcf gain.
Will the surge in health care shares, led by UnitedHealth Group, sustain momentum amid broader market declines?
How will AST SpaceMobile's $1 billion convertible notes offering impact its long-term growth strategy and investor sentiment?
What does the divergence in Asian markets, particularly the Hang Seng's rise versus the Nikkei's drop, signal about regional economic trends?
15
Access Market Heat-map & Insights 
Create, Save & Share your Screener 
Use 200+ Screening Filters 
