Major stock markets in the United States traded mixed at the close of the Wednesday session after today's economic and data releases. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) report, crude oil inventories decreased by 8 million barrels, while the National Association of Realtors published data on the US existing home sales that show a decline in sales at the end of March.
Furthermore, the Federal Reserve revealed in its April Beige Book that US companies recorded higher wages as a result of inflation caused by geopolitical developments, and prices of palladium jumped 3.12% amid the Ukrainian crisis. In addition, US Treasury announced it will expand sanctions against Russia.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average index gained 0.72% or 249 points at the closing session with IBM as its best performer reaching 7.14%. The Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 lost 1.49% and 0.06% respectively at the closing bell. Netflix dragged both indexes down with a 35% fall. The euro was 0.62% higher compared to the dollar, going for 1.08541 at 3:59 pm ET.
