At the close of U.S. trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.32%, the S&P 500 index gained 0.46%, while the Nasdaq 100 index declined 0.45%.

Earlier in the day, official data showed that Manufacturing activity in the state of Philadelphia rose unexpectedly to a seasonally adjusted 8.7 last month from -17.5 in the preceding month.

Analysts had expected Philly Fed manufacturing index to fall -9.5 last month.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, European stock markets closed lower. France’s CAC 40 was down 2.32%; Germany’s DAX shed 2.49%; Britain’s FTSE 100 declined 1.21%; and the EURO STOXX 50 fell 2.50%. Read More