Roundup: Nasdaq closes at all-time high amid earnings, data

U.S. stocks ended mildly higher Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite Index setting a new closing record for the first time in 15 years, as investors assessed a heavy day of earnings and economic data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 20.42 points, or 0.11 percent, to 18,058.69. The S&P 500 gained 4.97 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,112.93. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 20.89 points, or 0.41 percent, to 5,056.06.

Facebook shares fell 2.62 percent to 82.41 dollars apiece Thursday, a day after its posting of quarterly revenue that missed analysts' estimates. The social networking service company's revenue for the first quarter of 2015 totaled 3.54 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 42 percent when compared with 2.50 billion dollars in the first quarter of 2014.

General Motors delivered quarterly profit and revenue that missed expectations Thursday, causing its shares to drop 3.34 percent to 35.92 dollars apiece Thursday.

AT&T Inc. surged 4.17 percent to 34.23 dollars apiece after reporting better-than-expected quarterly earnings. Its diluted earnings per share in the first quarter were 61 cents, compared with 70 cents diluted earnings per share a year ago.

PepsiCo reported quarterly earnings that beat market expectations, but its quarterly net revenue declined 3 percent from a year earlier. Its shares were down 1.59 percent to 95.73 dollars apiece Thursday.

Analysts thought the first-quarter earnings for the most part have come in better than expected.

Latest data from Thomson Reuters showed that the S&P 500 companies' blended earnings in the first quarter of 2015 are expected to fall 1.5 percent year on year, which was better than its initial estimate of a 2.7-percent decline.

A strong rebound in oil prices provided some upward jolts to the stock market. Oil prices jumped Thursday amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, with the Brent crude for June delivery rising more than 3 percent.

U.S. economic data came out negative. In the week ending April 18, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims increased 1,000 from the previous week's unrevised level to 295,000, exceeding market estimates, the U.S. Labor Department said Thursday.

Sales of new single-family houses in March 2015 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 481,000, well below market consensus, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce Thursday.

"In an ominous turn following yesterday's boost to existing home sales, it seems momentum in home sales was short-lived. The quick recovery in long-term rates in February seems to have taken a toll on home sales, bringing them right back down to earth," said Jay Morelock, an economist at FTN Financial, in a note.

The CBOE Volatility Index, often referred to as Wall Street's fear gauge, decreased 1.81 percent to end at 12.48 Thursday.

In other markets, oil prices rose amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Light, sweet crude for June delivery gained 1.58 dollars to settle at 57.74 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The U.S. dollar decreased against other major currencies as economic data from the country were overall negative.

In late New York trading, the euro climbed to 1.0825 dollars from 1.0742 dollars in the previous session, while the dollar bought 119.49 Japanese yen, lower than 119.87 yen of the previous session.

Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange bounced back as soft U.S. economic data dragged the U.S. dollar lower and increased the appeal of the dollar-denominated precious metal.

The most active gold contract for June delivery rose 7.4 dollars, or 0.62 percent, to settle at 1,194.30 dollars per ounce. Endite