US Close 19 Aug 16: US markets higher helped by oil and gold and Walmart’s results.

US sharemarkets recorded modest gains on Thursday as the lift in energy, base metals and gold prices supported commodity stocks. The S&P energy sector was the best performer gaining 2.1%, while the material sector lifted by 0.6%. The world's largest retailer Wal-Mart, reported a lift in sales driven by increased foot traffic. Wal-Mart also raised full-year profit forecasts. It's shares gained 1.9% to 14-motnh highs. The Dow Jones index rose by 24 points or 0.1%. The S&P 500 index rose by 0.2%. The Nasdaq rose by 11 points or 0.2%.   

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