Market Overview - U.S. stocks experienced a decline, with the Dow Jones index dropping over 250 points, down 0.54% to 49,394.62, while the NASDAQ fell 0.59% to 22,619.58 and the S&P 500 decreased by 0.43% to 6,851.73 [1] Sector Performance - Energy shares saw an increase of 1.5% on Thursday, while consumer discretionary stocks fell by 1% [1] Employment Data - Initial jobless claims in the U.S. decreased by 23,000 to 206,000 during the second week of February, which was better than market estimates of 225,000 [2] Commodity Prices - In commodity trading, oil prices rose by 2.1% to $66.55, gold increased by 0.1% to $5,012.00, silver went up by 0.6% to $78.04, while copper fell by 1.7% to $5.7120 [3] European Market Performance - European shares were lower, with the eurozone's STOXX 600 declining by 0.7%, Spain's IBEX 35 Index down 1.2%, London's FTSE 100 falling by 0.7%, Germany's DAX decreasing by 1.1%, and France's CAC 40 down by 0.9% [4] Asian Market Performance - Asian markets closed mixed, with Japan's Nikkei gaining 0.57% and India's BSE Sensex falling by 1.48% [5]
Dow Falls Over 250 Points; US Initial Jobless Claims Decline
Benzinga·2026-02-19 14:45