U.S. stocks struggle for direction Thursday

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed a touch higher on Thursday, in the face of a minimal move lower in U.S. Treasury yields. "I think there's some fatigue in the bond market. We moved 50 basis points in 18 trading days after Fed Chairman Warsh kind of messaged at Jackson Hole that indeed a rate hike was coming," Jeff Kilburg, CEO of KKM Financial told CNBC Thursday. "I think there's also a little bit of optimism that this is going to be a short-lived move to 5 percent. Of course there has to be an Iranian solution for that to be enabled," Kilburg said. The Standard and Poor's 500 rose 15.15 points, or 0.20 percent, to close at 7,666.69. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 21.28 points, or 0.04 percent, to 50,927.33. The Nasdaq Composite advanced 10.53 points, or 0.04 percent, to 26,871.60. U.S. Dollar Strengthens Against Most Major Currencies Thursday; Canadian Dollar Flat The U.S. dollar advanced against nearly every major currency in Thursday's foreign exchange markets, with only the Canadian dollar holding steady, according to the latest quotes. The euro weakened against the dollar, with EUR-USD plummeting to 1.1239, a move of 0.80 percent. The dollar gained on the Japanese yen, with USD-JPY last trading at 158.0800, up 0.43 percent. The British pound also slipped versus the greenback, with GBP-USD at 1.3193, a decline of 0.54 percent. The Australian dollar fell against the US currency, with AUD-USD at 0.6925, down 0.32 percent. The Canadian dollar was the lone exception to the dollar's broad strength, with USD-CAD essentially unchanged at 1.4233, a move higher of just 0.01 percent. The dollar also rose against the Swiss franc, with USD-CHF at 0.8312, up 0.55 percent. Thursday's session saw the greenback make gains across five of the six pairs quoted, with the loonie the only currency to avoid losses against it. Global Markets Close Mixed Thursday as Asia Rally Clashes With Canadian, UK and European Selloff World stock markets finished Thursday's session on a sharply divided note, with Canadian, UK, and European benchmarks tumbling while several major Asian indices posted solid gains, according to closing quotes. In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 81.11 points, or 0.23 percent, to 35,154.76. In London, the FTSE 100 in London closed at 10,428.27, down 177.73 points or 1.68 percent, after trading between a low of 10,390.73 and a high of 10,606.39. The index's 52-week range stands at 9,276.90 to 10,989.50. Germany's DAX P ended at 24,939.35, a decline of 259.84 points or 1.03 percent, with a session range of 24,831.60 to 25,232.18 and a yearly range of 21,863.81 to 26,618.74. The CAC 40 in Paris closed at 7,835.31, down 129.20 points or 1.62 percent. It moved between 7,820.98 and 7,935.85 on the day, within a 52-week range of 7,505.27 to 8,755.03. The EURO STOXX 50 I finished at 6,175.45 on Thusday, losing 93.57 points or 1.49 percent, after trading from 6,169.57 to 6,257.98. Its yearly range is 5,376.81 to 6,577.20. The Euronext 100 Index closed at 1,857.50, down 27.42 points or 1.45 percent, with a daily range of 1,855.12 to 1,883.97 and a 52-week range of 1,643.41 to 1,984.60. Belgium's BEL 20 ended at 5,508.67, down 97.39 points or 1.74 percent. It traded between 5,508.67 and 5,590.67 on the day, within a yearly range of 4,774.82 to 5,905.83. In Asia, the picture was brighter. The HANG SENG INDEX in Hong Kong closed at 24,613.27, up 89.70 points or 0.37 percent, after moving between 24,332.64 and 24,637.65. Its 52-week range is 22,518.00 to 28,056.10. Japan's Nikkei 225 posted the strongest gain of the session, closing at 68,956.72, up 2,203.00 points or 3.30 percent, after trading between 67,081.66 and 68,995.30. Its yearly range is 44,659.22 to 72,831.73. In mainland China, the SSE Composite Index closed at 3,842.19, up 11.74 points or 0.31 percent, on volume of 2.801B. It moved between 3,833.09 and 3,851.22, within a 52-week range of 3,741.11 to 4,258.86. Singapore's STI Index finished at 5,667.67, down 8.21 points or 0.14 percent, with a session range of 5,652.82 to 5,700.59 and a yearly range of 4,311.65 to 5,828.50. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 [XJO] closed at 8,614.40, down 174.90 points or 1.99 percent. It traded between 8,613.20 and 8,789.30, within a 52-week range of 8,262.40 to 9,296.70. The ALL ORDINARIES [XAO] ended at 8,794.40, down 174.80 points or 1.95 percent, after ranging from 8,793.40 to 8,969.20 on the day and 8,454.90 to 9,474.80 over the year. Across the Tasman, inNew Zealand, the S&P/NZX 50 INDEX GROSS finished at 13,810.51, down 23.88 points or 0.17 percent, after ranging from 13,672.99 to 13,853.55 on the day, within a yearly range of 12,689.78 to 14,069.22. India's S&P BSE SENSEX closed at 71,909.70 on Thursday, down 570.59 points or 0.79 percent, with a daily range of 71,292.88 to 72,572.90. Its 52-week range is 71,292.88 to 86,159.02. In Indonesia, the IDX COMPOSITE ended at 6,009.50, down 61.64 points or 1.02 percent, after trading between 5,973.16 and 6,095.23, within a yearly range of 5,317.91 to 9,174.47. The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI closed at 1,630.36, down 20.81 points or 1.26 percent, with a session range of 1,630.10 to 1,649.87 and a 52-week range of 1,597.68 to 1,771.25. South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index was a standout gainer, closing at 6,971.35, up 133.31 points or 1.95 percent, with a 52-week high of 9,385.59. In Taiwan, the TSEC CAPITALIZATION WEIGHTED ST closed at 48,353.49, up 413.36 points or 0.86 percent, after trading between 47,893.42 and 48,353.49. Its yearly range is 26,330.25 to 48,601.53. Israel's TA-125 ended at 4,072.30, down 3.32 points or 0.08 percent Thursday, with a daily range of 4,069.91 to 4,110.73 and a 52-week range of 3,225.30 to 4,588.51. Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index closed at 53,055.00, up 1,160.20 points or 2.24 percent, on volume of 257.901M. It traded between 51,875.90 and 53,059.30, matching its 52-week range of 51,875.90 to 53,059.30. In South Africa, the Top 40 USD Net TRI Index finished at 6,458.02, down 149.80 points or 2.27 percent, after ranging from 6,430.99 to 6,609.41 on the day and 6,105.70 to 8,184.71 over the year. (This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence). 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