<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div>U.S. stocks traded higher this morning, with the Nasdaq Composite gaining more than 1% on Thursday.Following the market opening Thursday, the Dow traded up 0.24% to 44,566.33 while the NASDAQ rose 1.26% to 21,395.66. The S&amp;P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.76% to 6,411.57.Check This Out: Top 2 Risk Off Stocks That May Keep You Up At Night This Month<div>Leading and Lagging SectorsCommunication services shares jumped by 2.9% on Thursday.</div>In trading on Thursday, health care stocks dipped by 0.7%.Top HeadlineMicrosoft Corp MSFT reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results and issued strong forecast for the current quarter on Wednesday.Microsoft reported fourth-quarter revenue of $76.44 billion, up 17% year-over-year. The revenue total beat a Street consensus estimate of $73.80 billion according to data from Benzinga Pro. The company reported fourth-quarter earnings per share of $3.65, beating a Street consensus estimate of $3.37.Equities Trading UP <ul> <li>Soligenix, Inc. SNGX shares shot up 73% to $2.1793 after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter EPS and sales.</li> <li>Shares of VerifyMe, Inc. VRME got a boost, surging 64% to $1.1250 after the company announced it entered into a 3-year UPS Digital Channel Program Agreement with the United Parcel Service.</li> <li>Psyence Biomedical Ltd. PBM shares were also up, gaining 55% to $8.32 after the company announced it, along with PsyLabs, achieved a breakthrough in GMP-aligned high-purity ibogaine production.</li> </ul>Equities Trading DOWN<div><div><div>Trending Investment Opportunities</div></div></div><ul> <li>Pulmonx Corporation LUNG shares dropped 37% to $1.9750 after the company reported second-quarter financial results and cut its FY25 sales guidance below estimates. Also, Piper Sandler downgraded the stock from Overweight to Neutral and cut its price target from $9 to $2.5, while D. Boral Capital cut its price target from $17 to $16.</li> <li>Shares of Align Technology, Inc. ALGN were down 31% to $140.66 after the company missed second-quarter earnings estimates and issued soft third-quarter guidance.</li> <li>GRI Bio, Inc. GRI was down, falling 31% to $1.43 as the company reported 6-week interim biomarker results from Phase 2a idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis study.</li> </ul><div>CommoditiesIn commodity news, oil traded down 0.8% to $69.46 while gold traded up 0.1% at $3,354.30.</div>Silver traded down 2.8% to $36.675 on Thursday, while copper fell 21.4% to $4.3860.Euro zoneEuropean shares were mixed today. The eurozone's STOXX 600 fell 0.4%, while Spain's IBEX 35 Index gained 0.2%. London's FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, Germany's DAX 40 declined 0.5% and France's CAC 40 fell 0.5% during the session.Asia Pacific MarketsAsian markets closed mostly lower on Thursday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 gaining 1.02%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng falling 1.60%, China's Shanghai Composite dipping 1.18% and India's BSE Sensex falling 0.36%.Economics<ul> <li>The core PCE price index rose 0.3% from the previous month in June.</li> <li>Personal spending rose 0.3% month-over-month in June, while personal income rose by 0.3% month-over-month to $25.794 trillion.</li> <li>U.S. initial jobless claims rose by 1,000 from the previous week to 218,000 in the fourth week of July, compared to market estimates of 224,000.</li> <li>U.S. employment costs rose by 0.9% in the second quarter.</li> <li>U.S.-based employers announced job cuts of 62,075 in July.</li> </ul>Now Read This: <ul> <li>Amazon Earnings Are Imminent; These Most Accurate Analysts Revise Forecasts Ahead Of Earnings Call</li> </ul>Photo via Shutterstock</div></div></div>

MSFT

U.S. stocks rose, with the Nasdaq Composite up over 1% as Microsoft reported strong fourth-quarter earnings, beating revenue expectations at $76.44 billion. The Dow increased by 0.24%, and the S&P 500 gained 0.76%. Notable stock movements included Soligenix surging 73% and Pulmonx dropping 37%. In commodities, oil fell 0.8%, while gold rose slightly. European markets were mixed, and Asian markets mostly declined. Economic indicators showed a 0.3% rise in personal spending and jobless claims increased to 218,000.

- U.S. stocks opened higher, with the Nasdaq Composite up over 1%, while Microsoft reported strong fourth-quarter results, exceeding revenue and earnings estimates.  
- Soligenix, VerifyMe, and Psyence Biomedical saw significant stock increases due to positive earnings and agreements, while Pulmonx and Align Technology faced sharp declines after disappointing financial results.  
- In economic news, the core PCE price index rose 0.3% in June, and initial jobless claims increased slightly, indicating mixed signals in the labor market.

Nasdaq Surges Over 1%; Microsoft Posts Upbeat Earnings