-- Health care stocks were mixed late Wednesday afternoon with the NYSE Health Care Index down 0.1% and the State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) adding 0.2%.
The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) eased 0.1%.
In corporate news, Biogen (BIIB) shares rose 2.2% after UBS upgraded the biotechnology company's stock to buy from neutral and boosted its price target to $225 per share from $185.
Price: $46.09, Change: $+1.08, Percent Change: +2.40%
Skillz (SKLZ) said Thursday it is pleased with the jury's verdict in undisclosed legal proceedings, and the careful consideration of the facts.The company is committed to fair competition and a transparent experience for players and developers, according to the statement.Skillz is a mobile games platform dedicated to "bringing out the best in everyone through competition", added the statement.Shares of Skillz were 203% higher in Thursday afternoon trading.Price: $11.83, Change: $+8.15, Percent Change: +221.47%
The flash manufacturing reading from S&P Global rose to 47-month high of 54.0 in April from 52.3 in March after regional data from the New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve banks increased.The ISM's national manufacturing reading will be released on May 1.Released at the same time, the flash services reading from S&P Global rose to 51.3 in April from 49.8 in March, suggesting modest expansion. The ISM's services reading is scheduled for release on May 5.The Chicago National Activity Index declined to minus 0.20 in March from 0.03 in February, with most of the components making negative contributions to the index.The Kansas City Federal Reserve's manufacturing index fell to 10 in April from 11 in March.Initial jobless claims increased by 6,000 to 214,000 in the employment survey week ended April 18, lifting the four-week moving average by 750 to 210,750.Initial claims were at level of 205,000 in the employment survey week ended March 14.Insured claims rose by 12,000 to 1.821 million in the week ended April 11.Natural gas stocks rose by 103 billion cubic feet to 2.063 trillion cubic feet in the week ended April 17, up 7.4% from a year earlier and 7.1% higher than the seasonal average for the current week over the previous five years.