 500 gained 15 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq grew by 74. Oil futures traded lower today after downbeat data out of China underlined concerns about current crude demand. West Texas Intermediate Crude for August fell nearly 50 cents, enough for 0.6% to 81.72 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. September Brent Crude, the global benchmark, slid more than 20 cents to under 85 a barrel.