DM Monitoring
WASHINGTON: Global stocks rose Thursday on revived hopes for U.S. stimulus despite mixed signs on the state of negotiations in Washington and rising worries about the coronavirus in Europe that have prompted fresh restrictions.
Two days after calling off negotiations on a comprehensive bill, U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News said talks with Congress have restarted over further COVID-19 relief and that there was a good chance a deal could be reached. But he gave no other details about a possible agreement.
While late afternoon trading was choppy, indexes added to gains after a White House spokeswoman said Trump wanted a “skinny” coronavirus relief bill.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said legislation to help airlines was a matter of national security and could only move through Congress with guarantees of work continuing on the comprehensive deal.
The Dow Jones airlines index jumped 1.6 percent, extending recent gains.
“We’re clearly being pushed around by the prospect of getting further fiscal stimulus. That’s entirely the driver,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities in New York. “The market is just reacting to every utterance of where we stand on fiscal policy.” The S&P 500 energy index led sector percentage gains, rising 3.8 percent on the day, following a jump in oil prices. The Russell 2000 small-cap index was up 1.1 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 122.05 points, or 0.43 percent, to 28,425.51, the S&P 500 gained 27.38 points, or 0.80 percent, to 3,446.83 and the Nasdaq Composite added 56.38 points, or 0.5 percent, to 11,420.98. But Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare said the market is finding other reasons to push higher and doesn’t see a stimulus as likely. O’Hare said the market has become more confident the U.S. election will not be contested following recent polls showing challenger Joe Biden with a widening lead.
Investors have also taken heart from Trump’s improving health, believing his apparent recovery from COVID-19 after taking experimental drugs gives hopes that such therapeutics could be effective.
