S&P 500 top movers: Energy and financial shares post strong gains on Thursday

• Wall Street's main indexes trade with small gains.
• National Oilwell Varco Inc (NOV) is up more than 8% as the top performer.
• Investors remain cautious as coronavirus cases in the US continue to rise.

Major equity indexes in the US started the day in the negative territory on Thursday but staged a rebound during the first half of the session. However, with investors staying cautious while assessing the impact of the growing number of coronavirus cases, the recovery remained limited.

As of writing, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite were both up 0.08% on the day while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged at 25,460 points.

The S&P 500 top movers

Supported by a 2% increase in West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices, National Oilwell Varco Inc (NOV) is trading at $12,15, gaining 8.6% on the day as the top-performer. Meanwhile, The S&P 500 Financials Index is up nearly 2% as the biggest gainer among 11 major sectors. Ameriprise Financial Inc (AMP) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC) are rising 5.6% and 4.15% to lead the financials' rally.

On the other hand, Pultegroup Inc (PHM) and Kohl's Corp (KSS) are both down around 5% on the day as the top-decliners.