AM Report: US Sharemarkets Closed Lower On Thursday

By Tom Piotrowski | More Articles by Tom Piotrowski

Investors focused on signs of an economic recovery, despite growing civil unrest across the US. Shares dipped in early trading following reports that Chinese officials had told agricultural companies to pause some purchases of US farm goods, threatening the US-China trade deal.

Apple (+1.2%), Amazon.com (+1.2%) and Facebook (+3%) shares boosted indexes. But Pfizer shares fell 7.2% after reporting disappointing trial results for a breast cancer drug. The Dow Jones index rose by 92 points or 0.4%, the S&P500 index rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq lifted by 62 points or 0.7%.