Stocks rally as Goldman Sachs earnings boom, retail sales surprise

Retail sales unexpectedly rose in September

U.S. stocks rallied Friday as investors digested blowout earnings from Goldman Sachs and an unexpected rise in retail sales. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 382 points, or 1.1%, while the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite index were higher by 0.75% and 0.5%, respectively. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
I:DJI DOW JONES AVERAGES 44782 -128.65 -0.29%
SP500 S&P 500 6047.15 +14.77 +0.24%
I:COMP NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX 19403.947849 +185.78 +0.97%

The early gains come after the Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.7% in September, exceeding the 0.2% decline that analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting. The results were boosted by back-to-school shopping and more workers returning to the office.  

In stocks, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. blew past earnings and revenue estimates as its investment banking and trading businesses posted blockbuster results. 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
GS THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC. 608.57 +3.14 +0.52%
JPM JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. 249.72 -0.07 -0.03%
BAC BANK OF AMERICA CORP. 47.51 -0.26 -0.54%

J.B. Hunt Transportation Services Inc. said quarterly profit rose 56% from a year ago as growth in all business units helped offset rising costs and a lack of network fluidity.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
JBHT J.B. HUNT TRANSPORT SERVICES INC. 190.23 -0.63 -0.33%

Elsewhere, a panel of Food and Drug Administration experts recommended a booster shot of both Moderna Inc.'s and Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for adults age 65 and older and other high-risk individuals. However, the FDA delayed the use of Moderna's vaccine for adolescents.  

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
MRNA MODERNA INC. 44.26 +1.20 +2.79%
JNJ JOHNSON & JOHNSON 154.80 -0.21 -0.14%

Crypto-related names, including Coinbase Global Inc. and Riot Blockchain Inc., gained as bitcoin neared $60,000 a token after a Bloomberg News report out Thursday evening said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will allow bitcoin futures exchange-traded funds.  

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
COIN COINBASE GLOBAL INC. 310.98 +17.69 +6.03%
RIOT RIOT PLATFORMS 12.37 +1.20 +10.79%

Space-tourism company Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. shares plunged after the company pushed back the rollout of its commercial service until late 2022 as it works on upgrading its vehicles.  

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
SPCE VIRGIN GALACTIC HOLDINGS INC. 7.03 +0.01 +0.21%

In commodities, West Texas Intermediate crude oil climbed 97 cents to $82.28 a barrel while gold slid $29.50 to $1,767.20 an ounce.

Overseas markets were broadly higher. 

In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 ticked up 0.37% while Germany’s DAX 30 rose 0.63% and France’s CAC 40 added 0.81%. 

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Asian bourses posted solid gains with China’s Shanghai Composite index edging higher by 0.4% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index and Japan’s Nikkei 225 rallied 1.48% and 1.81%, respectively.