U.S. stocks traded higher midway through trading, with the S&P 500 gaining around 0.5% on Thursday.

The Dow traded up 0.64% to 37,996.39 while the NASDAQ rose 0.41% to 15,747.36. The S&P 500 also rose, gaining, 0.46% to 5,045.07.

Leading and Lagging Sectors

Communication services shares climbed by 1.3% on Thursday.

In trading on Thursday, utilities shares rose by just 0.2%.

Top Headline

D.R. Horton, Inc.(NYSE:DHI) reported better-than-expected second-quarter financial results.

D.R. Horton posted GAAP EPS of $3.52, topping market estimates of $3.07. The company's sales came in at $9.100 billion versus expectations of $8.266 billion.

Equities Trading UP

AGBA Group Holding Limited (NASDAQ...