NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2017 / U.S. markets continued to rise on positive economic data Thursday to close August with a monthly gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.25 percent to close at 21,948.10, up 0.26 percent for the month, while the S&P 500 Index increased 0.57 percent to close at 2,471.65, up 0.05 percent for the month. The NASDAQ Composite Index rose 0.95 percent to close at a record 6,428.66, up 1.27 percent for the month. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported consumer spending increased by 0.3 percent in July. Additionally, initial jobless claims grew by just 1,000 to 236,000 from August 20th to August 26th.

"In an environment where the economy and earnings continue to grow, markets will also climb. Geopolitics shake up markets from time to time, but usually, do not have long-lasting impact," said Arian Vojdani, investment strategist at MV Financial.

RDI Initiates Coverage on:

Nektar Therapeutics
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=NKTR

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc.
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=IONS

Nektar Therapeutics's stock jumped 7.79% Thursday, to close the day at $21.03. The stock recorded a trading volume of 1,231,609 shares, which was above its three months average volume of 1,143,530 shares. In the last year Nektar Therapeutics's shares have traded in a range of 11.41 - 24.88. The share price has gained 84.31% from its 52 week low. The company's shares are currently trading above their 200-day moving average. Moreover, the stock's 50-day moving average of $20.23 is greater than its 200-day moving average of $18.96. Shares of Nektar Therapeutics have gained approximately 71.39 percent year-to-date.

Access RDI's Nektar Therapeutics Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=NKTR

On Thursday, shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. recorded a trading volume of 1,223,256 shares, which was above the three months average volume of 1,198,300 shares. The stock ended the day 5.16% higher at 53.62. The share price has gained 118.14% from its 52 week low with a 52 week trading range of 24.58 - 60.01.The company's shares are currently trading above their 200-day moving average. Moreover, the stock's 50-day moving average of $50.78 is greater than its 200-day moving average of $47.35. Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. are trading at a Price to Earnings ratio of 257.79. Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals have gained approximately 12.11 percent year-to-date.

Access RDI's Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=IONS

Our Actionable Research on Nektar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NKTR) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) can be downloaded free of charge at Research Driven Investing.

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