Dow jumps 600 points led by tech, financials on economic recovery optimism
US House passes $1.9T COVID-19 relief package
U.S. equity markets rallied Monday as investors celebrated the approval of a third COVID-19 vaccine and as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1.9 trillion relief package. The combination fueled optimism on the economic recovery.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I:DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGES | 41583.9 | -715.80 | -1.69% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 5580.94 | -112.37 | -1.97% |
| I:COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 17322.990889 | -481.04 | -2.70% |
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 603 points, or 1.95%, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 2.38% and 3.01%, respectively.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLF | FINANCIAL SELECT SECTOR SPDR ETF | 49.21 | -0.97 | -1.93% |
| QQQ | INVESCO QQQ TRUST - USD DIS | 468.94 | -12.68 | -2.63% |
Technology and financial stocks led the broad gains in U.S. equities.
The gains came as the 10-year yield slipped 1.5 basis points to 1.44%. The benchmark yield last week touched a one-year high of 1.61%, causing jitters among stock-market investors as it topped the S&P 500's dividend yield.
President Biden’s COVID-19 relief package cleared the House in a 219 to 212 vote, mostly along party lines, that saw two Democrats vote against the measure.
The bill, which gives $1,400 checks to most Americans and extends unemployment benefits among other things, has been criticized by Republicans as a “blue state bailout” with only 9% of the money going towards pandemic relief.
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In stocks, Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine received emergency-use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is expected to begin shipping 4 million doses immediately.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JNJ | JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 163.71 | +0.58 | +0.36% |
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 43.83 | -2.31 | -5.00% |
| RCL | ROYAL CARIBBEAN GROUP | 207.58 | -9.66 | -4.45% |
| MAR | MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL INC. | 237.01 | -7.44 | -3.04% |
News of another vaccine boosted airlines, cruise ship operators and other companies that have been hit hard by restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Elsewhere, GameStop Corp. and other heavily shorted stocks, including AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and Koss Corp. continued to squeeze higher.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GME | GAMESTOP CORP. | 21.74 | -0.35 | -1.58% |
| AMC | AMC ENTERTAINMENT | 2.88 | -0.08 | -2.70% |
| KOSS | KOSS | 4.85 | -0.02 | -0.41% |
ExxonMobil Corp. shares spiked after CNBC reported activist investor Jeff Ubben will join the company's board of directors.
Boeing tacked on over 5% on word that United Airlines is buying 25 737 Max Jets.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | THE BOEING CO. | 173.23 | -5.88 | -3.28% |
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 70.23 | -3.30 | -4.49% |
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In earnings, Berkshire Hathaway reported operating income, Warren Buffett’s preferred performance measure, rose 14% from a year ago. The company, which bought back $25 billion of stock in 2020 plans to continue share repurchases in the current fiscal year.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DKNG | DRAFTKINGS INC. | 35.29 | -1.75 | -4.72% |
DraftKings Inc. received multiple upgrades and price target hikes after the sports-betting platform last week raised its outlook for the current fiscal year.
In commodities, West Texas Intermediate crude oil ticked lost 86 cents to $60.64 per barrel and gold slipped $5.60 to $1,722.50 an ounce.
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Global markets were higher across the board.
Germany's DAX 30 paced the advance in Europe, trading up 1.64%, while Britain’s FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 climbed 1.62% and 1.57%, respectively.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 2.41%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 1.63% and China’s Shanghai Composite index rose 1.21%.