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 U.S. stocks trade modestly higher as investors dig through a heavy round of corporate earnings reports and the latest weekly data on jobless claims.
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Stocks got back on the horse on Wednesday, with both the Dow and S&P 500 indexes finishing at their second-highest levels ever, as investors continue to smile on strong economic growth prospects.
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 The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness rose to 143.96 million on Thursday, as the death toll increased to 3,061,478, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. continues to lead the world in cases and deaths by wide margins, with 31.86 million cases, or 22.1% of the global total, and 569,404 deaths, or 18.6% of the worldwide total. The U.S. added at least 62,956 cases on Wednesday, down from 64,530 on Tuesday, while new deaths slipped to at least 720 from 729, according to a New York Times Tracker. But the U.S. also leads the world in vaccines administered, at 215.95 million. At least 134.45 million people, or 40.5% of the total population, have received at least one dose as of Wednesday evening, according to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 87.59 million people, or 26.4% of the total population, have been fully vaccinated.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
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The market traded roughly flat today as it struggled to find a direction. Make the most of it with today's top buys from Q.ai's deep learning algorithms.
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Existing-home sales declined in March, reflecting the challenges buyers continue to face in the competitive real-estate market. Existing home-sales fell 3.7% to a seasonally-adjusted, annual rate of 6.01 million in March, the National Association of Realtors reported. Compared with a year ago, home sales were up more than 12%. Home prices hit a high of $329,100, reflecting a record pace of price growth at 17.2% from last year.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Thursday that domestic supplies of natural gas rose by 38 billion cubic feet for the week ended April 16. That just about matched an average increase of 37 billion cubic feet forecast by analysts polled by S&P Global Platts. Total stocks now stand at 1.883 trillion cubic feet, down 251 billion cubic feet from a year ago but 12 billion cubic feet above the five-year average, the government said. Following the data, May natural gas was up 4.3 cents, or 1.6%, to $2.74 per million British thermal units. It traded at $2.69 shortly before the data.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
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