NEW YORK: Wall Street’s main indexes advanced on Thursday, a day after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and signaled a dovish tilt, with focus moving to a crucial job report later in the week.
While Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated that stubbornly high inflation would see a long-expected US rate cut pushed back, he refused to entertain talk that rates might actually need to go up again.
Money markets see a 59% chance of the first rate cut of at least 25 basis points (bps) being delivered in September, but have priced in a greater 70.8% chance of a cut in November, according to CME FedWatch tool.
“Inflation remains higher than desired in the United States, the Fed remains in wait-and-see mode and not ruling out (rate) cuts altogether,” Naomi Fink, global strategist at Nikko Asset Management, said.
On Wednesday, US stocks initially rose, but the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed lower for the day after the Fed decision.
Meanwhile, the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits held steady at a low level last week, pointing to a still fairly tight labor market.
A separate reading showed new orders for US-manufactured goods increased solidly in March, boosted by demand for commercial aircraft and motor vehicles, but gains elsewhere were moderate.
Focus now moves to the key nonfarm payrolls data on Friday for a clearer outlook on the labor market and the interest rate path.
Of the 373 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings this quarter, 77.2% have surpassed earnings estimates, compared with the historical average of 67%, according to LSEG data.
At 11:51 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 183.16 points, or 0.48%, to 38,086.45, the S&P 500 gained 23.07 points, or 0.46%, to 5,041.46, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 133.09 points, or 0.85%, to 15,738.57.
Seven of the 11 major S&P 500 sectors were trading higher, with information technology stocks up 1% and leading gains.
Apple gained 1.5% ahead of the iPhone maker’s quarterly results due after the closing bell.
Qualcomm rose nearly 9.2% after the smartphone chips supplier forecast quarterly sales and adjusted profit above Wall Street expectations.
Carvana surged 33.8% as the used-car seller forecast a surprise rise in current-quarter retail sales and core profit.
MGM Resorts added 2.6% after the casino operator beat first-quarter Wall Street estimates, driven by strength in its China operations.
DoorDash lost 12% as the food delivery firm projected second-quarter core profit below estimates.
Etsy shed 13.8% after the online marketplace missed Wall Street expectations for first-quarter gross merchandise sales and profit.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 2.62-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and a 1.86-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 posted ten new 52-week highs and seven new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 56 new highs and 75 new lows.
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