After moving higher over the course of morning trading on Wednesday, stocks continue to see some strength in the mid-afternoon. The major averages have pulled back off their highs for the session, but they remain in positive territory.
The strength seen earlier in the session came as traders reacted to some upbeat economic data, including a report from the Labor Department showing that weekly jobless claims fell below the 500,000 level for the first time since early January.
Stocks were unable to sustain the upward move, however, as traders appeared reluctant to continue buying stocks ahead of the Thanksgiving Day holiday. A lack of participation by financial stocks also helped to limit the upside for the broader markets.
Trading activity has trailed off even further since then, as some traders look to get a head start on the holiday. Subsequently, stocks could see some volatility in the latter part of the trading day.
The major averages have moved roughly sideways in recent trading, hovering modestly above the unchanged line. The Dow is currently up 26.38 at 10,460.09, the Nasdaq is up 7.48 at 2,176.66 and the S&P 500 is up 4.10 at 1,109.75.
Dow Components
A majority of the Dow components are trading in positive territory in mid-afternoon trading, helping to keep the blue chip index above the unchanged line.
Caterpillar (CAT) is turning in one of the Dow's best performances, with construction equipment maker currently up 1.8 percent. Despite the gain, shares of Caterpillar remain stuck in a narrow trading range.
Shares of Disney (DIS), DuPont (DD), and Boeing (BA) have also shown notable moves to the upside. Additionally, shares of Home Depot (HD) are currently up 1 percent, poised to end the session at a two-month closing high.
On the other hand, Kraft (KFT) and JP Morgan (JPM) have come under pressure, limiting the upside for the Dow. Shares of Kraft are currently down by 1.7 percent, while shares of JP Morgan are down 1 percent.
Sector News
Gold stocks continue to post strong gains in mid-afternoon trading, benefiting from a notable increase by the price of the precious metal. With gold for December delivery rising $21.20 to $1,187 an ounce, the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index is currently up 2.4 percent.
Similarly, a significant increase by the price of natural gas is contributing to considerable strength among natural gas stocks. The NYSE Arca Natural Gas Index is currently up 1.9 percent, as natural gas for January delivery is up $0.36 or 7.6 percent at $5.13 per million BTUs.
NiSource (NI) is turning in one of the natural gas sector's best performances, with the gas and electric utility currently up 2.9 percent. At its high for the session, NiSource was at its best intraday level in over a year.
Strength also remains visible in a variety of sectors, with steel, telecom, and retail stocks holding onto notable gains. Most of the other sectors are showing only modest moves.
In Focus: Economic News
As mentioned above, the Labor Department released a report before the start of trading showing that initial jobless claims in the week ended November 21st fell below the 500,000 level for the first time since early January.
The report showed that jobless claims fell to 466,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 501,000. Economists had been expecting jobless claims to edge down to 500,000 from the 505,000 originally reported for the previous week.
Additionally, a report from the Commerce Department showed that new home sales increased by much more than expected in the month of October, with the report also showing an increase in sales compared to the same month a year ago.
The Commerce Department said new home sales rose 6.2 percent to an annual rate of 430,000 in October from the revised September rate of 405,000. Economists had expected sales to edge up to 404,000 from the 402,000 originally reported for the previous month.
While the Commerce Department released a separate report showing that durable goods orders unexpectedly decreased in the month of October, the report also showed a notable upward revision to pace of order growth in September.
Other Markets
In overseas trading, stocks markets across the Asia-Pacific region moved back to the upside on Wednesday after moving lower over the course of the previous session. After ending Tuesday's trading down by 1 percent, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 Index closed up 0.4 percent.
The major European markets also rebounded after seeing some weakness on Tuesday, with the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index advancing by 0.8 percent, while the French CAC 40 Index and the German DAX Index rose by 0.7 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.
In the bond market, treasuries have shown a notable upward move following the Treasury's auction of seven-year notes. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, is currently down 4.4 basis points at 3.273 percent.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.