Dow jumps 647 points as omicron volatility fades

U.S. stocks rallied as investor fears over the omicron variant eased, even as rising inflation and uncertainty over the Federal Reserve's tapering plan remain top of mind.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 647 points or 1.9% after gaining over 750 points earlier in the session. It was the best day since March. 

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite gained 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
I:DJI	DOW JONES AVERAGES	44755.89	-154.76	-0.34%
SP500	S&P 500	6046.65	+14.27	+0.24%
I:COMP	NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX	19410.662282	+192.50	+1.00%

Most of the 30 Dow stocks rose, with Walgreens, Boeing and Amgen among the best performers. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
WBA	WALGREENS BOOTS ALLIANCE INC.	9.06	+0.33	+3.78%
BA	THE BOEING CO.	152.42	+1.70	+1.13%
AMGN	AMGEN INC.	280.07	+0.06	+0.02%

West Texas Intermediate crude also rose over 4% to the $69.49 per barrel level, giving Exxon Mobil and Chevron a lift. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
USO	UNITED STATES OIL FUND - USD ACC	71.04	-0.57	-0.80%
XOM	EXXON MOBIL CORP.	117.83	-0.23	-0.19%
CVX	CHEVRON CORP.	162.21	+0.28	+0.17%

On Monday, the National Association of Business Economists released a fresh survey signaling inflationary pressures may increase. The NABE panelists project that the overall consumer price index will rise 6% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to September's forecast of 5.1%. CPI inflation is expected to remain elevated by the end of 2022 at 2.8% year-over-year, compared to September's forecast of 2.4%. 

On Friday, data on the Consumer Price Index will be released. 

In stocks, cruise lines, hotels and airlines rose as fears over fatalities linked to the variant eased. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
AAL	AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC.	14.64	0.00	0.00%
DAL	DELTA AIR LINES INC.	63.60	-0.54	-0.83%
CCL	CARNIVAL CORP.	25.15	-0.20	-0.79%
MAR	MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC.	285.60	-2.58	-0.90%

Kohl's shares are in focus after activist firm Engine Capital called for the retailer to sell itself or break up.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
KSS	KOHL'S CORP.	15.23	-3.11	-16.96%

Shares of Lucid Motors traded down after the company disclosed it is the subject of a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission via subpoena over the SPAC deal which took the company public.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
LCID	LUCID GROUP INC.	2.17	+0.07	+3.33%

Tesla is also in focus after Reuters reported the SEC is looking into its Solar City arm and issues with its solar panels. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
TSLA	TESLA INC.	357.09	+11.93	+3.46%

In M&A news, Jack in the Box is buying Del Taco in a deal valued at $575 million or $12.51 per share. The company noted the deal targets the second-largest player in the Mexican QSR space. 

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
JACK	JACK IN THE BOX INC.	46.87	+0.28	+0.60%
TACO	NO DATA AVAILABLE	-	-	-

Investors are also eyeing bitcoin after a volatile weekend that saw the cryptocurrency trade below the $50,000 where it remained on Monday. 

In global markets, European shares rose across the board. The STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 5.94 points or 1.28% to 468.7, The FTSE 100 Index rose 109.96 points or 1.54%to 7232.28, The DAX is up 210.81 points or 1.39% to 15380.79 and the CAC 40 Index ended up 100.26 points or 1.48% to 6865.78.

This after a lackluster day in Asia, where shares fell in Hong Kong and Shanghai after troubled Chinese property developer Evergrande warned it may run out of money.

Moving to reassure investors and keep growth from stalling, China’s central bank cut the amount of funds banks are required to keep in reserve. That freed up 1.2 trillion yuan ($190 billion) for banks to lend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.