Major Averages Holding Modestly Above The Unchanged Line

(RTTNews) - Stocks are seeing modest strength in mid-day trading on Thursday, partly offsetting the sharp pullback seen in the previous session. Buying interest has remained relatively subdued, however, limiting the upside for the markets.

Despite the modest strength being shown by the broader markets, most of the major sectors are showing only small moves on the day.

Health care stocks are seeing some strength, however, with traders reacting positively to news the Supreme Court has upheld the Obamacare subsidies.

The ruling allows the government to continue providing lower-income Americans with subsidies to purchase insurance through either the federal or state exchanges.

Meanwhile, oil service stocks have shown a notable move to the downside on the day, dragging the Philadelphia Oil Service Index down by 1 percent.

The weakness among oil service stocks comes as the price of crude oil for August delivery is falling $0.36 to $59.91 a barrel.

Currently, the major averages are holding on to slim gains. The Dow is up 29.93 points or 0.2 percent at 17,996.00, the Nasdaq is up 12.14 points or 0.2 percent at 5,134.55 and the S&P 500 is up 4.66 points or 0.2 percent at 2,113.24.