Major US stock indices registered a slight increase after investors heard evidence of former FBI director James Komi.

The Komi, which investigated the alleged interference of Russia in the presidential election in 2016 in the US, said that it did not doubt that Russia was trying to interfere in the elections, but was sure that this did not affect the vote.

In addition, as it became known, the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting that the labor market is tightening, despite the recent slowdown in employment growth. Initial applications for unemployment benefits fell by 10,000 to 245,000, seasonally adjusted for the week ending June 3, the Ministry of Labor said on Thursday.

At the same time, the data from IBD / TIPP showed that the index of economic optimism in the US, calculated by the Investor's Business Daily newspaper and the research firm TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics, was 51.3 points in June, which coincided with the indicator for May. Experts expected that the figure will rise to 51.6 points.

Most components of the DOW index closed in the red (17 out of 30). Most fell shares of The Walt Disney Company (DIS, -1.46%). The leader of growth was the shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS, + 1.57%).

Most sectors of the S & P index recorded an increase. The leader of growth was the financial sector (+ 0.8%). The utilities sector fell most of all (-0.8%).

At closing:

DJIA + 0.04% 21,182.60 +8.91

Nasdaq + 0.39% 6.321.76 +24.38

S & P + 0.03% 2.433.78 + 0.64

U.S. stock-index futures were flat on the back of the news the European Central Bank left rates unchanged but adopted a more hawkish tone, and ahead of former FBI Director James Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Stocks:

Nikkei 19,909.26 -75.36 -0.38%

Hang Seng 26,063.06 +88.90 +0.34%

Shanghai 3,150.93 +10.61 +0.34%

S&P/ASX 5,676.60 +9.42 +0.17%

FTSE 7,463.46 -15.16 -0.20%

CAC 5,315.37 +46.15 +0.88%

DAX 12,707.59 +35.10 +0.28%

Crude $45.36 (-0.79%)

Gold $1,285.60 (-0.60%)

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

McDonald's (MCD) target raised to $165 from $157 at Credit Suisse

European stocks ended a choppy session slightly lower on Wednesday, as investors took a cautious approach ahead of a jam-packed Thursday session that has the potential to shake up financial markets significantly. "On Thursday, markets will face the ECB monetary policy meeting, the testimony of former FBI James Comey and the U.K. General Election," said Richard Perry, market analyst at Hantec Markets, in a note.

U.S. stocks closed slightly higher Wednesday as the financial sector helped to cap a sharp drop in energy shares, ahead of potentially market moving events on Thursday, including the U.K. election and former FBI director James Comey Senate testimony.

Equity markets in the Asia-Pacific region were relatively quiet ahead of a number of news events with global implications, though South Korean stocks underperformed following the latest North Korean missile launch.

(index / closing price / change items /% change)

Nikkei +4.72 19984.62 +0.02%

TOPIX +0.65 1597.09 +0.04%

Hang Seng -22.98 25974.16 -0.09%

CSI 300 +40.99 3533.87 +1.17%

Euro Stoxx 50 -5.34 3548.84 -0.15%

FTSE 100 -46.33 7478.62 -0.62%

DAX -17.63 12672.49 -0.14%

CAC 40 -3.69 5265.53 -0.07%

DJIA +37.46 21173.69 +0.18%

S&P 500 +3.81 2433.14 +0.16%

NASDAQ +22.32 6297.38 +0.36%

S&P/TSX -92.42 15372.14 -0.60%