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NYSE Dow Jones finished today at:

Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, reversing a big slice of the market’s losses from a sharp sell-off the day before.

The rebound ended a five-day losing streak for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fueled largely by fears that the spread of a new virus in China could hamper global economic growth. The outbreak has killed more than 100 people, putting a chill on travel and tourism in China.

Investors placed their concerns about the virus’ potential economic impact on the back burner and snapped up stocks beaten down earlier in the week, particularly chipmakers and other technology companies. The sector notched the biggest gain Tuesday and powered much of the rally.

"There are always a few bargain hunters out there who will step in and start buying almost immediately,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. “But I'm quite surprised that it's been this quickly and that it has rebounded as much as it has.”

The S&P 500 index rose 32.61 points, or 1%, to 3,276.24. The Dow gained 187.05 points, or 0.7%, to 28,722.85. The Nasdaq climbed 130.37 points, or 1.4%, to 9,269.68. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 14.18 points, or 0.9%, to 1,658.31.

Markets in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China were closed Tuesday for Lunar New Year holidays.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to rebound on Wednesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise 39 points or 0.55% at the open.

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Stocks Indexes Gain on Wall Street a Day After a Big Drop
Stocks are closing broadly higher on Wall Street, reversing most of their losses from a sell-off the day before.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Jan. 28, 2020, at 5:16 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, reversing a big slice of the market’s losses from a sharp sell-off the day before.

The rebound ended a five-day losing streak for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fueled largely by fears that the spread of a new virus in China could hamper global economic growth. The outbreak has killed more than 100 people, putting a chill on travel and tourism in China.

Investors placed their concerns about the virus’ potential economic impact on the back burner and snapped up stocks beaten down earlier in the week, particularly chipmakers and other technology companies. The sector notched the biggest gain Tuesday and powered much of the rally.

"There are always a few bargain hunters out there who will step in and start buying almost immediately,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab. “But I'm quite surprised that it's been this quickly and that it has rebounded as much as it has.”

The S&P 500 index rose 32.61 points, or 1%, to 3,276.24. The Dow gained 187.05 points, or 0.7%, to 28,722.85. The Nasdaq climbed 130.37 points, or 1.4%, to 9,269.68. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 14.18 points, or 0.9%, to 1,658.31.

Bond prices fell, sending yields higher following a significant drop a day earlier. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 1.65% from 1.60% late Monday.

Despite the rebound, the major U.S. indexes are still down for the week. The losses have hit smaller company stocks hardest, erasing the Russell 2000’s gains for the year.

U.S. stocks were running at all-time highs at the start of the month. An index measuring volatility in the market was running at 12- month lows and the benchmark S&P 500 had climbed around 13% since early October after Washington and Beijing announced they would sign a preliminary trade deal.

That set the market up for a pullback, and investors’ jitters over the virus outbreak fit the bill.

“It may be symptomatic about how bullish overall people have been and how much money still sits on the sidelines,” Frederick said. “People are just looking for any opportunity to get a bargain right now, but it could ultimately end up being a little bit risky to do that.”

More than 4,500 people have been confirmed ill with the virus and 106 have died in the outbreak of a new coronavirus centered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, an industrial hub along the Yangtze river. The virus has now spread to more than a dozen countries.

Hong Kong has joined much of China in seriously restricting travel by cutting all rail links to the mainland. China's containment efforts began with the suspension of plane, train and bus links to Wuhan and has now expanded to 17 cities with more than 50 million people in the most far-reaching disease-control measures ever imposed.

The United States and several other nations were taking steps to airlift citizens out of a Chinese city at the center of the outbreak. Still, U.S. health officials said Tuesday that, for now, the risks to Americans is very low.

Apple was one of the big gainers in the technology sector Tuesday. The iPhone maker rose 2.8% and continued to climb in extended trading after it released quarterly results following the closing bell that topped analysts’ estimates.

Chipmakers also made solid gains. Intel added 2.5% and Nvidia rose 3.2%. Many of those companies are affected by China’s economy because they rely heavily on that nation for sales and supply chains.

Banks and other financial companies also climbed, along with communications stocks. Utilities, real estate companies and household goods makers notched the smallest gains as investors shifted less money into safe-play sectors.

Shares in casino operators, hotel chains, cruise lines and other travel-related companies recouped some of their losses over the past few days as worries about the virus outbreak's impact on tourism hammered the stocks. Wynn Resorts rose 0.9% and Las Vegas Sands gained 1.8%. Delta Air Lines added 1.1% and Carnival gained 2.7%.

Investors continued to assess company earnings reports. Pfizer slid 5% after the biggest U.S. drugmaker reported disappointing fourth-quarter earnings.

Harley-Davidson dropped 3% after the storied motorcycle maker reported weak fourth-quarter earnings and revenue. The company had a tough quarter for U.S. sales, which led the overall worldwide drop.

Wall Street is in the midst of a heavy week for corporate earnings. Boeing, McDonald’s, Facebook and Microsoft will all report results on Wednesday. Other big names reporting this week include Coca-Cola, Amazon, Caterpillar and Exxon Mobil.

The Federal Reserve is also set to deliver its latest interest rate and economic policy update Wednesday. The central bank lowered its key interest rate three times last year in a bid to shield the economy from slowing global growth and the fallout from the U.S.-China trade war.

Benchmark crude oil rose 34 cents settle at $53.48 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 19 cents to close at $59.51 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to $1.50 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 2 cents to $1.72 per gallon. Natural gas rose 3 cents to $1.93 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold fell $7.60 to $1,569.80 per ounce, silver fell 60 cents to $17.46 per ounce and copper fell 2 cents to $2.58 per pound.

The dollar rose to 109.14 Japanese yen from 108.93 yen on Monday. The euro was unchanged at $1.1017.

Markets in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China were closed Tuesday for Lunar New Year holidays. Indexes fell elsewhere, including a 3.1% tumble for South Korea’s benchmark. European markets closed broadly higher.
 
Major U.S. stock indexes ended mixed Wednesday after an early rally powered by strong gains in technology companies faded in the final minutes of trading.

The wobbly finish left the benchmark S&P 500 with a 0.1% loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a gain of less than 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite inched 0.1% higher. Bond prices rose, pulling yields lower.

Investors continued to assess quarterly reports from big companies, including solid results from General Electric and Apple. The iPhone maker’s shares climbed to an all-time high. Microsoft reported quarterly results after the close of regular trading that topped Wall Street estimates.

Stocks barely budged after Federal Reserve announced it is leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a low level. The move, which was widely expected, reflects the central bank’s mostly positive view of the U.S. economy.

“They seem to have gotten the porridge temperature just about right,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager with Globalt Investments. “Inflation isn’t budging one way or the other -- same thing with unemployment, same thing with wage growth.”

The S&P 500 index fell 2.84 points, or 0.1%, to 3,273.40. The index had earlier been up by 0.5%.

The Dow edged up 11.60 points, or less than 0.1%, to 28,734.45. The Nasdaq added 5.48 points, or 0.1%, to 9,275.16. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks slid 9.09 points, or 0.5%, to 1,649.22.

Gainers and losers closed nearly even on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Dow, S&P and Nasdaq are on track to end January with gains.

Chinese markets remained closed for Lunar New Year holidays

ASX looks set to be a subdued day of trade for the S&P/ASX 200 index on Thursday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open the day flat.

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Stocks give up early gains and end mixed on Wall Street
By ALEX VEIGA

Major U.S. stock indexes ended mixed Wednesday after an early rally powered by strong gains in technology companies faded in the final minutes of trading.

The wobbly finish left the benchmark S&P 500 with a 0.1% loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a gain of less than 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite inched 0.1% higher. Bond prices rose, pulling yields lower.

Investors continued to assess quarterly reports from big companies, including solid results from General Electric and Apple. The iPhone maker’s shares climbed to an all-time high. Microsoft reported quarterly results after the close of regular trading that topped Wall Street estimates.

Stocks barely budged after Federal Reserve announced it is leaving its benchmark interest rate unchanged at a low level. The move, which was widely expected, reflects the central bank’s mostly positive view of the U.S. economy.

“They seem to have gotten the porridge temperature just about right,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager with Globalt Investments. “Inflation isn’t budging one way or the other -- same thing with unemployment, same thing with wage growth.”

The S&P 500 index fell 2.84 points, or 0.1%, to 3,273.40. The index had earlier been up by 0.5%.

The Dow edged up 11.60 points, or less than 0.1%, to 28,734.45. The Nasdaq added 5.48 points, or 0.1%, to 9,275.16. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks slid 9.09 points, or 0.5%, to 1,649.22.

Gainers and losers closed nearly even on the New York Stock Exchange.

The Dow, S&P and Nasdaq are on track to end January with gains.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 1.58% from 1.64% late Tuesday.

Despite a rally Tuesday, stocks have been mostly pulled lower this week amid investor jitters over the outbreak of a new virus in China. The virus, which has infected more than 6,000 in mainland China and abroad, remains a potential threat to the global economy.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday afternoon, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell acknowledged that there’s a risk the outbreak could slow the global economy.

Turning to interest rates, the central bank said it would hold short-term rates in a range of 1.5% to 1.75%, far below levels that were typical during previous expansions. Powell and other Fed officials have indicated that they see that range as low enough to support faster growth and hiring.

Last year, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate three times after having raised it four times in 2018. Powell credits those rate cuts with revitalizing the housing market, which had stumbled early last year, and offsetting some of the drag from President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.

Losses in communication services, energy and health care stocks outweighed gains by technology, industrial and utilities companies Wednesday.

A report that Americans pulled back on signing contracts to buy homes last month dragged down homebuilder stocks. PulteGroup fell 1.8% and Hovnanian Enterprises dropped 3.7%.

Apple rose 2.1% after a strong holiday season helped propel profits beyond Wall Street forecasts. The iPhone maker’s surprisingly good report marks a turnaround from a year ago when sales of its marquee product appeared to be sliding. The company is also seeing gains in sales of smartwatches, digital services and wireless earbuds.

General Electric surged 10.3% after a strong showing from its aviation business pushed profits above expectations.

Norfolk Southern climbed 4.9% after the railroad reported surprisingly good fourth-quarter profits following cost cuts. The railroad industry has been experiencing weak demand for freight hauling and the company is trying to operate on a tighter schedule and move more freight with fewer people.

Union Pacific rose 1.2% and CSX climbed 1.7%.

Traders bid up shares in L Brands 12.9% following reports that the owner of Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret could change leadership and sell off some of its parts. The Wall Street Journal reported that Leslie Wexner, who has served as CEO for more than five decades, is in talks to step down. It also said the company is considering a full or partial sale of its lingerie business.

Wall Street’s busy week of company earnings reports continues Thursday, when Coca-Cola, UPS, Amazon and Visa are scheduled to release results. Caterpillar and Exxon Mobil will report results on Friday.

Benchmark crude oil fell 15 cents to settle at $53.33 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 30 cents to close at $59.81 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 3 cents to $1.53 per gallon. Heating oil declined 2 cents to $1.70 per gallon. Natural gas fell 6 cents to $1.87 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose 60 cents to $1,570.40 per ounce, silver rose 5 cents to $17.45 per ounce and copper fell 3 cents to $2.55 per pound.

The dollar fell to 109.06 Japanese yen from 109.14 yen on Tuesday. The euro strengthened to $1.1020 from $1.1017.

European markets finished higher. Asian markets were mixed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 2.8% after its markets reopened from Lunar New Year holidays, while other Chinese markets remained closed.
 
Major U.S. stock indexes finished higher Thursday after a late burst of buying led by technology and financial companies reversed an early slide.

News of a spike in the number of confirmed cases and fatalities from a virus outbreak in China put investors in a selling mood for most of the day, overshadowing a batch of mostly solid company earnings reports.

Traders have been worried that the outbreak could end up dampening global economic growth. But those concerns appeared to ease by late afternoon, after the director general of the World Health Organization said that the organization was not recommending limiting travel or trade to China.

“There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva after the WHO officially declared the outbreak a global emergency.

Technology and financial companies led the market's rebound. Companies that rely on consumer spending also notched solid gains. Health care and communication stocks fell the most.

Amazon reported its quarterly results at the close of regular trading. The company's earnings and revenue blew past Wall Street's expectations, sending its shares sharply higher in extended trading.

The S&P 500 index rose 10.26 points, or 0.3%, to 3,283.66. The index had been down 0.9% earlier in the day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 124.99 points, or 0.4%, to 28,859.44. The Nasdaq added 23.77 points, or 0.3%, to 9,298.93.

Smaller company stocks recovered most of the way after taking the brunt of the selling. The Russell 2000 index slipped 1 point, or 0.1%, to 1,648.22.

Markets in mainland China are still closed for Lunar New Year holiday.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to shake off declines in Europe and on Wall Street and push higher on Friday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to open the day 9 points or 0.1% higher.

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Stocks Post Modest Gains at End of a Wobbly Day of Trading
A late wave of buying left major U.S. stock indexes with modest gains on Wall Street after spending most of the day in the red.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Jan. 30, 2020, at 5:15 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Major U.S. stock indexes finished higher Thursday after a late burst of buying led by technology and financial companies reversed an early slide.

News of a spike in the number of confirmed cases and fatalities from a virus outbreak in China put investors in a selling mood for most of the day, overshadowing a batch of mostly solid company earnings reports.

Traders have been worried that the outbreak could end up dampening global economic growth. But those concerns appeared to ease by late afternoon, after the director general of the World Health Organization said that the organization was not recommending limiting travel or trade to China.

“There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva after the WHO officially declared the outbreak a global emergency.

Technology and financial companies led the market's rebound. Companies that rely on consumer spending also notched solid gains. Health care and communication stocks fell the most.

Amazon reported its quarterly results at the close of regular trading. The company's earnings and revenue blew past Wall Street's expectations, sending its shares sharply higher in extended trading.

The S&P 500 index rose 10.26 points, or 0.3%, to 3,283.66. The index had been down 0.9% earlier in the day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 124.99 points, or 0.4%, to 28,859.44. The Nasdaq added 23.77 points, or 0.3%, to 9,298.93.

Smaller company stocks recovered most of the way after taking the brunt of the selling. The Russell 2000 index slipped 1 point, or 0.1%, to 1,648.22.

Stocks have given up some ground after a strong start to the year amid uncertainty over the virus outbreak. Still, the major indexes remain on track to end January with gains.

The indexes spent much of Thursday in the red as investors assessed the latest company earnings reports and monitored developments in the outbreak of a new virus in China.

The new type of coronavirus is starting to spread to people outside China, which is essentially on lockdown. There are currently more than 7,800 confirmed cases, mostly in central China, and 170 deaths, mostly in Hubei province.

The WHO's move to declare the outbreak a global emergency Thursday came after the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week. The declaration means the WHO sees the virus as a risk to other countries that requires an international response.

"While the WHO declaration was anticipated to come at some point, they did stop short of suggesting travel and trade restrictions with China were necessary to prevent the spread of the virus," said Mike Stritch, chief investment officer of BMO Wealth Management. "The aversion of a 'worst case scenario' put a floor under equities with airlines, for example, moving higher in the afternoon."

Companies have been issuing warnings over the potential impact to profits and revenue from the outbreak. Align Technology, which makes tooth-straightening systems, gave investors a weak profit forecast because of the virus. Starbucks has already held back on raising its forecast for the year and airlines are starting to curtail flights to Chinese cities because of weak demand.

Jitters over the virus outbreak had many investors initially seeking less risky assets Thursday. That drove up the prices of U.S. government bonds and gold. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note moved lower for much of the day, but recovered, ending up little changed at 1.59%.

The price of gold climbed $13.10 to $1,583.50 per ounce. Gold prices are up 20% over the past year.

Investors bid up shares in companies reporting solid quarterly results.

Microsoft rose 2.8% after the software maker handily beat Wall Street’s fiscal second-quarter profit forecasts on its growing cloud computing business. The company said that revenue from its Azure cloud computing business grew 62% percent.

Tesla surged 10.3% after the electric vehicle maker blew past Wall Street’s fourth-quarter earnings forecasts on record sales. The company also told investors that it is ramping up production of the Model Y small SUV, which is a key product because consumers are buying smaller utility vehicles.

Other companies failed to impress traders, however.

Altria slid 4.2% after the maker of Marlboro cigarettes reported hefty costs because of its investment in e-cigarette maker Juul. Altria took a 35% stake in Juul at the end of 2018 and that company has since faced a surge in federal and state investigations into its marketing amid an explosion of underage vaping teenagers.

Shares in UPS skidded 6.7% after the package delivery company gave investors a disappointing profit forecast.

Benchmark crude oil fell $1.19 to settle at $52.14 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, dropped $1.52 to close at $58.29 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline fell 4 cents to $1.49 per gallon. Heating oil declined 6 cents to $1.64 per gallon. Natural gas fell 4 cents to $1.83 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In other commodities trading, silver rose 50 cents to $17.99 per ounce and copper fell 3 cents to $2.52 per pound.

The dollar fell to 108.78 Japanese yen from 109.06 yen on Wednesday. The euro strengthened to $1.1031 from $1.1020.

Markets in Europe and Asia finished lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was hit particularly hard, shedding 2.6%. Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 1.7%. Markets in mainland China are still closed for Lunar New Year holiday.
 
The stock market got off to roaring start in January, until a virus outbreak that started in China wiped out its gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average skidded more than 600 points Friday as the outbreak continued to widen, stoking fears that the travel restrictions and other uncertainties caused by the health emergency in the world's second-largest economy could dent global growth.

Technology companies, which do a lot of business with China, led the losses. Airlines fell after Delta and American suspended flights to and from China. The sell-off erased the S&P 500's gains for January and gave the benchmark index its biggest weekly loss since August.

Just two weeks ago, the S&P 500 had closed at an all-time high, having climbed around 13% since early October. A preliminary trade deal signed by the U.S. and China earlier in the month eased a big source of uncertainty in the markets. Volatility was running at 12-month lows and even a dust up between the U.S. and Iran didn’t rock markets.

Then came the virus outbreak in China.

Markets around the globe have sold off on concerns about the potential economic impact of the outbreak. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 6.7% this week and South Korea’s Kospi dropped 5.7%. China’s stock markets reopen Monday after being closed since Jan. 23 for the Lunar New Year. The U.S. stock market, which had calmly been setting record after record, suffered its worst January since 2016 and its first monthly loss since August.

The virus has infected almost 10,000 people in just two months, mostly in China. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global emergency, a designation that signals that the virus is now a significant risk to other countries and requires a global response. The death toll stood at 213, including 43 new fatalities, all in China.

"It seems like the equity market is now coming around to the realization that maybe this is something that may linger for some time," said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

American Airlines fell 3.2% and Delta Air Lines slipped 2.4%. Apple, which relies on Chinese consumers for sales and factories for supplies, fell 3.9%. Nvidia slid 3.8% and other chipmakers slipped.

The S&P 500 sank 58.14 points, or 1.8%, to 3,225.52. The Dow Jones industrials fell 603.41 points, or 2.1% to 28,256.03 The Nasdaq dropped 148 points, or 1.6%, to 9,150.94.

China’s stock markets reopen Monday after being closed since Jan. 23 for the Lunar New Year.

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Stocks Sink on Fears Virus Outbreak Will Dent the Economy
Stocks fell sharply on Wall Street as investors feared that a virus outbreak that originated in China will dent the global economy.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Jan. 31, 2020, at 4:43 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

The stock market got off to roaring start in January, until a virus outbreak that started in China wiped out its gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average skidded more than 600 points Friday as the outbreak continued to widen, stoking fears that the travel restrictions and other uncertainties caused by the health emergency in the world's second-largest economy could dent global growth.

Technology companies, which do a lot of business with China, led the losses. Airlines fell after Delta and American suspended flights to and from China. The sell-off erased the S&P 500's gains for January and gave the benchmark index its biggest weekly loss since August.

Just two weeks ago, the S&P 500 had closed at an all-time high, having climbed around 13% since early October. A preliminary trade deal signed by the U.S. and China earlier in the month eased a big source of uncertainty in the markets. Volatility was running at 12-month lows and even a dust up between the U.S. and Iran didn’t rock markets.

Then came the virus outbreak in China.

Markets around the globe have sold off on concerns about the potential economic impact of the outbreak. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 6.7% this week and South Korea’s Kospi dropped 5.7%. China’s stock markets reopen Monday after being closed since Jan. 23 for the Lunar New Year. The U.S. stock market, which had calmly been setting record after record, suffered its worst January since 2016 and its first monthly loss since August.

The virus has infected almost 10,000 people in just two months, mostly in China. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global emergency, a designation that signals that the virus is now a significant risk to other countries and requires a global response. The death toll stood at 213, including 43 new fatalities, all in China.

"It seems like the equity market is now coming around to the realization that maybe this is something that may linger for some time," said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

American Airlines fell 3.2% and Delta Air Lines slipped 2.4%. Apple, which relies on Chinese consumers for sales and factories for supplies, fell 3.9%. Nvidia slid 3.8% and other chipmakers slipped.

The S&P 500 sank 58.14 points, or 1.8%, to 3,225.52. The Dow Jones industrials fell 603.41 points, or 2.1% to 28,256.03 The Nasdaq dropped 148 points, or 1.6%, to 9,150.94.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 1.51% from 1.55% late Thursday. In another sign of how much fear is in the market, the yield on teh three-month Treasury rose above the 10-year yield, a relatively rare ocurrence that hasn't happened since October. Investors see such inversions as a fairly reliable warning signal of a recession within a year or so, though its track record isn't perfect.

European markets closed broadly lower. The United Kingdom is officially leaving the European Union later Friday after more than three years of wrangling over the terms of its exit. It’s the first time a country has left the trading bloc.

Markets in Asia finished mostly lower, though Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1%.

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Investors are bracing for the worst day for Australian shares this year, on escalating fears about the damage to economic growth from the deadly coronavirus.

The ASX is set to tumble when trading starts today, with futures pointing to a 1.7 per cent, or 119 point, drop in the S&P/ASX 200 index as investors try to gauge the impact of the virus on growth.

Steep losses are also expected across the rest of Asia today, with Nikkei 225 futures pointing to a 2.1 per cent loss. Wall Street tumbled hard on Friday, with the Dow down 2.1 per cent, the S&P 500 dropping 1.8 per cent and the Nasdaq shedding 1.6 per cent.

Chinese financial markets are set to reopen today for the first time since January 23 as investors return from the extended Lunar New Year holiday. Futures for the mainland CSI 300 index were showing a 3.6 per cent loss when they last traded on January 23.

New Zealand NZ 50 is currently down -2.03%

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Stocks rose in much of the world Monday and recovered some of their losses from earlier weeks, but markets are still far from giving the all-clear on the virus that has spread to more than 20 countries and infected more than 17,000 people.

Chinese stocks tumbled nearly 8% after investors there got a chance to catch up to losses that already swept through other markets. Monday was the first day of trading in more than a week in Shanghai, and the losses would likely have been bigger if not for moves by Chinese authorities, including the pumping of $173 billion into the financial system.

In the United States, meanwhile, a warning signal of recession in the bond market continued to flash red. The price of crude oil also kept sliding on worries that a global economy weakened by the virus will burn less fuel, and prices fell for copper and other building blocks of the economy.

The S&P 500 rose 23.40 points, or 0.7%, to 3,248.92 and clawed back some of its losses following its first back-to-back weekly drops of 1% since August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 143.78, or 0.5%, to 28,399.81, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 122.47, or 1.3%, to 9,273.40. Each of the three indexes remains 1.4% to 3.2% below their records set last month.

All the unsettled trading is a sharp departure from 2019, which saw stocks and bonds make powerful moves higher, and it’s the result of growing uncertainty. Nobody knows how much the virus will ultimately hurt economies and corporate profits, let alone human lives, around the world. Past disease outbreaks have seen stocks hit bottom when the number of new cases peaked.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to rebound slightly from yesterday’s selloff on Tuesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise a few points at the open.

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Stocks Rise on Wall Street, but Virus Worries Remain
Stocks rose on Wall Street and across Europe on Monday to recover some of their losses from earlier weeks, but markets are still far from giving the all-clear on the virus outbreak that has spread to more than 20 countries.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 3, 2020, at 4:39 p.m.

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose in much of the world Monday and recovered some of their losses from earlier weeks, but markets are still far from giving the all-clear on the virus that has spread to more than 20 countries and infected more than 17,000 people.

Chinese stocks tumbled nearly 8% after investors there got a chance to catch up to losses that already swept through other markets. Monday was the first day of trading in more than a week in Shanghai, and the losses would likely have been bigger if not for moves by Chinese authorities, including the pumping of $173 billion into the financial system.

In the United States, meanwhile, a warning signal of recession in the bond market continued to flash red. The price of crude oil also kept sliding on worries that a global economy weakened by the virus will burn less fuel, and prices fell for copper and other building blocks of the economy.

The S&P 500 rose 23.40 points, or 0.7%, to 3,248.92 and clawed back some of its losses following its first back-to-back weekly drops of 1% since August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 143.78, or 0.5%, to 28,399.81, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 122.47, or 1.3%, to 9,273.40. Each of the three indexes remains 1.4% to 3.2% below their records set last month.

All the unsettled trading is a sharp departure from 2019, which saw stocks and bonds make powerful moves higher, and it’s the result of growing uncertainty. Nobody knows how much the virus will ultimately hurt economies and corporate profits, let alone human lives, around the world. Past disease outbreaks have seen stocks hit bottom when the number of new cases peaked.

This new virus that first spread from China has already shut factories there, halted some global air traffic and caused economists to cut their 2020 growth forecasts for China, the world’s second-largest economy.

The most immediate threat seems to be for travel and tourism companies. But with supply chains running around the world and China providing more revenue to S&P 500 companies than any country besides the United States, CEOs from a wide range of industries have said they expect some kind of hit to their businesses.

The fears have also struck just as investors believed economic growth would re-accelerate around the world, thanks in large part to interest-rate cuts and bold actions by the Federal Reserve and other central banks around the world. A report on Monday said U.S. manufacturing returned to growth in January for the first time in six months, but many investors discounted it because it doesn’t fully reflect all the virus concerns.

“Think about what global central bankers are thinking about now,” said Emily Roland, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management. She imagined them saying: “Are you kidding me? We pumped so much liquidity into the economy last year, and now the yield curve is inverting again?”

The yield curve is a tool inside the bond market which investors see as a rather reliable predictor of recessions, though it doesn’t have a perfect track record. It triggers when it becomes “inverted,” or when short-term Treasurys offer higher yields than longer-term Treasurys.

On Monday, the three-month yield was at 1.56%, above the 1.52% yield of the 10-year, which itself rose from 1.51% late Friday.

“Sentiment builds on sentiment, and there’s so much uncertainty right now,” Roland said. “We’re not ready to call the all-clear until we see a sustained re-acceleration not only in earnings estimates but also in the economic data.”

In the U.S. stock market, gains were relatively widespread on Monday with close to two stocks rising for every one falling. Tesla surged 19.9% for its biggest gain since 2013, bringing its one-year return to nearly 150%, following optimistic research reports by analysts.

Nike jumped 3.1% to help drive Dow Jones Industrial Average higher as investors try to handicap how much its earnings will be hurt by the virus. Like other companies that do lots of business with China, it had dropped sharply in earlier weeks. Nearly 18% of its revenue last quarter came from China.

Toy companies that ship summer products like pool toys need to have factories in China ramp up production by March 1, according to Steve Pasierb, CEO of the Toy Industry Association. He said he hears nervousness from executives across the industry about possible delays in production.

“There’s complete uncertainty,” he said. “This could be huge if it goes on for months.”

Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun, said that he’s on “eggshells” right now, hoping that the factories in China will resume production by early April, which he considers the best-case scenario.

European stock markets were higher on Monday. France’s CAC 40 rose 0.5%, Germany’s DAX returned 0.5% and the FTSE 100 in London was up 0.6%.

The 7.7% loss for stocks in Shanghai was the headliner in Asia, but other markets were mixed. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 0.2%, the Nikkei 225 in Japan lost 1% and the Kospi in South Korea was virtually flat.

Benchmark U.S. crude tumbled another $1.45, or 2.8%, to settle at $50.11 per barrel on worries about demand. It had been above $63 toward the start of the year, before the virus worries exploded. Brent crude, the international standard, fell $2.17, or 3.8%, to settle at $54.45 per barrel.

In other commodities trading, wholesale gasoline fell 3 cents to $1.47 per gallon. Heating oil declined 5 cents to $1.58 per gallon. Natural gas fell 2 cents to $1.82 per 1,000 cubic feet. Gold fell $5.70 to $1,577.20 per ounce, silver fell 33 cents to $17.64 per ounce and copper fell 1 cent to $2.51 per pound.

The dollar rose to 108.67 Japanese yen from 108.37 yen on Friday. The euro weakened to $1.1063 from $1.1089.
 
Technology companies led a broad rally on Wall Street Tuesday that drove the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than 400 points higher and gave the S&P 500 its best day in more than five months.

The gains also pushed the tech-heavy Nasdaq to an all-time high and added to a solid start to February for the broader market after a downbeat January.

Investors welcomed a decision by China’s central bank to inject $57 billion into its markets. The move is the latest step by Beijing to soften the financial blow of the recent virus outbreak. Worries about the potential global economic impact of a protracted outbreak rattled markets in recent weeks, erasing the S&P 500’s gains last month.

“If China’s going to do what they can to support their markets, then maybe we don’t have as much cause for concern for our markets,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird.

Apple and Microsoft were among the tech-sector standouts. Like other major technology companies, they rely heavily on doing business with China. Health care, industrial, financial stocks also notched solid gains.

Utilities, real estate companies and other safe-play assets lagged the market as investors became more comfortable taking on risk. Prices for U.S. government bonds fell sharply, sending yields higher, and the price of gold also fell.

The S&P 500 index rose 48.67 points, or 1.5%, to 3,297.59. It was the index’s biggest single-day gain since early August. The Dow climbed 407.82 points, or 1.4%, to 28,807.63.

The Nasdaq gained 194.57 points, or 2.1%, to 9,467.97, a record high. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 24.56 points, or 1.5%, to 1,656.77.

China’s latest measure to shore up its markets follows an announcement from Monday that the government would put $173 billion into its markets as they reopened from an extended break.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to storm higher on Wednesday following a positive night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise 50 points or 0.7% at the open.

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https://www.usnews.com/news/busines...-open-broadly-higher-following-gains-in-china

Tech Stocks Lead Indexes Broadly Higher, Nasdaq Sets Record
Technology companies led a broad rally for stocks, giving the S&P 500 its best gain since early August.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 4, 2020, at 4:55 p.m.

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writers

Technology companies led a broad rally on Wall Street Tuesday that drove the Dow Jones Industrial Average more than 400 points higher and gave the S&P 500 its best day in more than five months.

The gains also pushed the tech-heavy Nasdaq to an all-time high and added to a solid start to February for the broader market after a downbeat January.

Investors welcomed a decision by China’s central bank to inject $57 billion into its markets. The move is the latest step by Beijing to soften the financial blow of the recent virus outbreak. Worries about the potential global economic impact of a protracted outbreak rattled markets in recent weeks, erasing the S&P 500’s gains last month.

“If China’s going to do what they can to support their markets, then maybe we don’t have as much cause for concern for our markets,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird.

Apple and Microsoft were among the tech-sector standouts. Like other major technology companies, they rely heavily on doing business with China. Health care, industrial, financial stocks also notched solid gains.

Utilities, real estate companies and other safe-play assets lagged the market as investors became more comfortable taking on risk. Prices for U.S. government bonds fell sharply, sending yields higher, and the price of gold also fell.

The S&P 500 index rose 48.67 points, or 1.5%, to 3,297.59. It was the index’s biggest single-day gain since early August. The Dow climbed 407.82 points, or 1.4%, to 28,807.63.

The Nasdaq gained 194.57 points, or 2.1%, to 9,467.97, a record high. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 24.56 points, or 1.5%, to 1,656.77.

China’s latest measure to shore up its markets follows an announcement from Monday that the government would put $173 billion into its markets as they reopened from an extended break.

The world’s second-largest economy is in a lockdown that is threatening economic growth there and globally. More companies, including Sony, are warning investors of a potential hit to revenue and profit because of the virus. More than 20,000 cases have been confirmed globally, along with over 400 deaths. The cases have been mostly in China.

The moves by China signal to investors around the globe that the country’s leadership is doing what it can to provide liquidity to their economy, Delwiche said.

“That limits some of the worst-case views that were out there from a financial perspective,” he said.

The bond market was also signaling more confidence among investors Tuesday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped to 1.60% from 1.52% late Monday. Perhaps more importantly, the 10-year yield also jumped above the three-month Treasury yield of 1.56%.

The leapfrog move silenced a recession warning that had been ringing in the bond market, at least for now. Yields for short-term Treasurys are rarely higher than for longer-term Treasurys, and when it does happen, a rule of thumb says a recession may be on the way in about a year or so. This recession warning signal, which has a fairly accurate but not perfect history, had begun flashing in recent days on worries about the virus for the first time since October.

Rising expectations of further rate cuts by the Federal Reserve may have also helped lift stocks. Investors now foresee an overwhelming likelihood of at least one Fed rate cut this year, with nearly half expecting two cuts, according to data from CME Group.

The Fed has recently indicated that it’s comfortable with rates at their current level. But traders seem to expect that economic anxiety and damage resulting from China’s viral outbreak will lead the Fed to further ease borrowing rates.

Wall Street continued to assess another busy round of corporate earnings Tuesday. Ralph Lauren jumped 9.2% and Clorox gained 5% after reporting solid financial results. Shares in Google’s parent, Alphabet, dropped 2.5% after the company gave investors a disappointing revenue report.

Traders also continued to drive up shares in Tesla, pushing the stock 13.7% higher , following a 19.9% surge on Monday. The electric vehicle make r reported strong fourth-quarter sales last week and its second-straight quarterly profit. The stock is now up more than twofold since the start of the year.

Shares in eBay jumped 8.8% after The Wall Street Journal reported that the owner of the New York Stock Exchange has offered to buy the online marketplace for more than $30 billion, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The owner of the NYSE, Intercontinental Exchange, slumped 7.4%.

Cruise ship operators steamed forward as Royal Caribbean climbed 1.3% after taking tougher measures to screen and restrict passengers amid the virus outbreak, including cancelling eight cruises in China. The cruise line also gave Wall Street a solid quarterly earnings report and profit forecast for the new fiscal year. Carnival rose 1.9% and Norwegian Cruise Line gained 1%.

Benchmark crude oil fell 50 cents to settle at $49.61 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, dropped 49 cents to close at $53.96 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline fell 3 cents to $1.44 per gallon. Heating oil was unchanged at $1.58 per gallon. Natural gas rose 5 cents to $1.87 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold fell $26.80 to $1,550.40 per ounce, silver fell 11 cents to $17.53 per ounce and copper rose 4 cents to $2.55 per pound.

The dollar rose to 109.51 Japanese yen from 108.67 yen on Monday. The euro weakened to $1.1042 from $1.1063.

Markets in Europe and Asia finished higher.
 
Health care and financial stocks led another milestone-setting rally on Wall Street Wednesday, extending the market’s gains for the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed more than 480 points and the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq composite each hit an all-time high.

The latest gains came as another batch of solid corporate earnings reports and encouraging economic data overshadowed concerns about the potential economic fallout from the virus outbreak that originated in China.

The latest jobs survey by payroll processor ADP indicated hiring accelerated better than expected last month. A separate report showed economic activity increased in January.

“The earnings numbers that we've gotten for the most part have been pretty solid, and the ADP report was a blowout on the good side,” said Scott Ladner, chief investment officer for Horizon Investments.

The S&P 500 index rose 37.10 points, or 1.1%, to 3,334.69. The Dow climbed 483.22 points, or 1.7%, to 29,290.85. The average briefly climbed above 500 points.

The Nasdaq gained 40.71 points, or 0.4%, to 9,508.68. The index, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, also notched a record high on Tuesday.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 25.15 points, or 1.5%, to 1,681.92.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to jump higher on Thursday following another positive night of trade on Wall Street. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise 55 points or 0.8% at the open.

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https://www.newser.com/article/dacc...nd-rally-sp-500-nasdaq-at-all-time-highs.html

US stocks extend rally; S&P 500, Nasdaq at all-time highs
By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press
23 minutes ago

Health care and financial stocks led another milestone-setting rally on Wall Street Wednesday, extending the market’s gains for the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed more than 480 points and the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq composite each hit an all-time high.

The latest gains came as another batch of solid corporate earnings reports and encouraging economic data overshadowed concerns about the potential economic fallout from the virus outbreak that originated in China.

The latest jobs survey by payroll processor ADP indicated hiring accelerated better than expected last month. A separate report showed economic activity increased in January.

“The earnings numbers that we've gotten for the most part have been pretty solid, and the ADP report was a blowout on the good side,” said Scott Ladner, chief investment officer for Horizon Investments.

The S&P 500 index rose 37.10 points, or 1.1%, to 3,334.69. The Dow climbed 483.22 points, or 1.7%, to 29,290.85. The average briefly climbed above 500 points.

The Nasdaq gained 40.71 points, or 0.4%, to 9,508.68. The index, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, also notched a record high on Tuesday.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 25.15 points, or 1.5%, to 1,681.92.

Markets in Europe and Asia closed higher.

Industrial and technology stocks also helped lift the market. Crude oil prices jumped 2.3%, giving energy stocks a boost. Exxon Mobil gained 4.6%.

Real estate stocks were the only decliners as investors shifted away from safe-play holdings and took on more risk. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.64% from 1.60% late Tuesday.

The recent virus outbreak has infected more than 24,500 people globally, but has been mostly confined to China. The world's second largest company remains on lockdown and companies continue to warn of an expected impact to revenue and profit, though the extent of the damage for many remains unclear.

Tesla plunged 17.2% on reports that the shutdowns in China will delay production at its Shanghai factory. The company warned investors last week that production delays in China were possible.

Anxiety about the outbreak fueled a mid-January slump for U.S. stocks, but investors appear to have set aside those jitters this month.

“We're not only focused on what's going on with this virus, we're focused on all the other things that are out there, and all the other things that are out there are systematically and consistently positive,” Ladner said.

Investors got more encouraging news about the U.S. economy on Wednesday. Payroll processor ADP said that private U.S. companies added 291,000 jobs in January, a big increase from December. The report came out ahead of the Labor Department’s release of its January jobs tally on Friday. Many analysts expect that report will show a job gain of 150,000 in January, compared to 145,000 jobs in the government’s report in December.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Supply Management said its index of business activity by service sector companies increased in January, an indicator of continued steady expansion of the economy.

Traders also continued to weigh a mixed batch of company earnings reports Wednesday.

Versace parent Capri Holdings jumped 8.3% and CoverGirl owner Coty vaulted 14.5% for some of the strongest gains as Wall Street rewarded their latest quarterly results, which easily beat analysts' forecasts.

Humana climbed 6.4% after the health insurer reported surprisingly good fourth-quarter profit and revenue.

Merck fell 2.9% after the drug maker reported weak fourth-quarter revenue and said it will spin off some of its operations, including the women’s health division.

Ford slumped 9.5% after the automaker reported weak fourth-quarter earnings to cap off a disappointing year. The company’s profit plunged in 2019 because of slowing sales, the cost of a botched SUV launch and some big pension expenses. It also gave investors a weak profit forecast for 2020.

So far, about 53% of S&P 500 companies have reported their results for the October-December quarter. Of those companies, nearly 70% have issued results that beat analysts' forecasts for profits, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Investors also bid up shares in Macy’s after the department store giant said it will cut 2,000 corporate jobs and close 125 of its least productive stores. The store closures represent about one fifth of Macy's current total. The stock climbed 6%.

Benchmark crude oil rose $1.14 to settle at $50.75 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained $1.32 to close at $55.28 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 5 cents to $1.49 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 7 cents to $1.65 per gallon. Natural gas fell 1 cent to $1.86 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $7.40 to $1,557.80 per ounce, silver rose 4 cents to $17.57 per ounce and copper rose 3 cents to $2.58 per pound.

The dollar rose to 109.83 Japanese yen from 109.51 yen on Tuesday. The euro weakened to $1.0997 from $1.1042.
 
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street Thursday, extending the market’s solid rebound this week and delivering another round of record highs for the major indexes.

The S&P 500 index, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq each hit all-time highs as they extended their winning streak to a fourth day.

The latest gains came as investors assessed more company earnings reports. China’s decision to cut tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. imports also helped keep investors in a buying mood. The reductions, which follow U.S. tariff cuts last month on Chinese goods, are part of a previously signed “Phase 1” trade agreement with Washington.

“It's certainly good news and something unexpected,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA. “The Chinese, in a sense, are showing deference and offering an olive branch to the U.S. ahead of the ‘Phase 2’ negotiations."

The S&P 500 index rose 11.09 points, or 0.3%, to 3,345.78. The Dow gained 88.92 points, or 0.3%, to 29,379.77. The Nasdaq climbed 63.47 points, or 0.7%, to 9,572,15. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks fell 4.46 points, or 0.3%, to 1,677.46.

Markets in Europe and Asia finished broadly higher.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to continue its positive run on Friday after Wall Street pushed higher for a fourth session in a row. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise 10 points or 0.15% at the open.

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https://www.usnews.com/news/busines...ut-gains-in-early-trading-after-gains-in-asia

Stocks Post 4th Gain in a Row, Extending a Weeklong Rally
Stocks are ending mostly higher on Wall Street, enough to extend the market's gains to a fourth straight day.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 6, 2020, at 4:54 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Stocks closed higher on Wall Street Thursday, extending the market’s solid rebound this week and delivering another round of record highs for the major indexes.

The S&P 500 index, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq each hit all-time highs as they extended their winning streak to a fourth day.

The latest gains came as investors assessed more company earnings reports. China’s decision to cut tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. imports also helped keep investors in a buying mood. The reductions, which follow U.S. tariff cuts last month on Chinese goods, are part of a previously signed “Phase 1” trade agreement with Washington.

“It's certainly good news and something unexpected,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA. “The Chinese, in a sense, are showing deference and offering an olive branch to the U.S. ahead of the ‘Phase 2’ negotiations."

The S&P 500 index rose 11.09 points, or 0.3%, to 3,345.78. The Dow gained 88.92 points, or 0.3%, to 29,379.77. The Nasdaq climbed 63.47 points, or 0.7%, to 9,572,15. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks fell 4.46 points, or 0.3%, to 1,677.46.

Markets in Europe and Asia finished broadly higher.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 1.64% from 1.65% late Wednesday.

China’s tariff reductions apply to several categories of U.S. imports, including pork, soybeans and auto parts. The cuts follow last month's signing of a "Phase 1" agreement toward ending a long-running tariff war over Beijing's technology ambitions and trade surplus. Both sides have made conciliatory gestures, but the lingering dispute threatens to chill global economic growth.

Beijing is also promising tax cuts and other help to businesses in a bid to offset the economic blow from the virus outbreak that has put the world's second-largest economy on lockdown. Companies continue to warn of an expected impact to revenue and profit, though the extent of the damage for many remains unclear.

Worries about the potential global economic fallout from the outbreak spurred a mid-January slump for U.S. stocks. Investors appear to have set aside those concerns this week, focusing instead on encouraging U.S. economic data and company earnings reports.

Cognizant led the gainers in the technology sector Thursday, vaulting 9.8%. The information technology consulting firm’s fourth-quarter earnings topped Wall Street’s expectations.

Twitter surged 15% after the messaging service reported surprisingly good growth for daily users and solid revenue in the fourth quarter. The most recent quarter marks the first time the company’s revenue topped $1 billion. The stock’s gains helped pull the communication services sector higher.

Industrial stocks and household goods makers also rose. Those gains were outweighed by losses in energy stocks, banks and companies that rely on consumer spending.

Traders welcomed solid quarterly results from Coach parent Tapestry. The company, which also owns Kate Spade, warned investors about a potential hit to its sales and profit because of the virus outbreak in China. Its shares rose 2.1%.

Yum Brands fell 2.8% after the operator of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC restaurants reported weak fourth-quarter profit. The company also faces financial pain moving forward from the virus outbreak impact. China made up 27% of KFC's total sales and 17% of Pizza Hut's sales in the fourth quarter.

Online mattress pioneer Casper Sleep jumped 12.5% in its stock market debut. The company, which was founded in 2014, has expanded beyond online selling, opening 60 Casper stores and selling to 18 retail partners like Target and Amazon. It has plans to eventually expand to more than 200 stores in North America.

The government will release its closely watched monthly jobs report on Friday, along with several other economic indicators. A solid jobs market has been a key factor behind the strong U.S. economy. Economists expect the January jobs report to show more growth and they expect the unemployment to remain stable at 3.5%.

Benchmark crude oil rose 20 cents to settle at $50.95 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell 35 cents to close at $54.93 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to $1.50 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 2 cents to $1.67 per gallon. Natural gas was unchanged at $1.86 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $7.30 to $1,565.10 per ounce, silver rose 22 cents to $17.79 per ounce and copper rose 2 cents to $2.60 per pound.

The dollar rose to 109.97 Japanese yen from 109.83 yen on Wednesday. The euro weakened to $1.0995 from $1.0997.
 
Wall Street closed out the market’s best week in eight months Friday with a broad slide as technology and health care stocks gave back some of their recent gains.

The pullback, which followed a sell-off in markets around the world, snapped a four-day winning streak for the major U.S. stock indexes. Even so, the benchmark S&P 500 notched its biggest weekly gain since June.

Stocks rallied strongly for most of the week, erasing all their earlier losses from worries about the severity of the economic fallout from a new virus from China that’s rapidly spreading. Stronger-than-expected reports on corporate profits and the U.S. economy helped assuage the fears, as did increasing hope that central banks and governments around the world can support markets with rate cuts and stimulus.

But with health experts still unsure about how far the virus will spread, how deadly it may be and how much damage it will ultimately cause the global economy, many investors opted to sell Friday to lock in some of their recent gains in case there are potential negative headlines about the outbreak over the weekend.

“The market is trying to digest all of this going into the weekend after a pretty volatile past couple of weeks,” said Ben Phillips, chief investment officer at Eventshares. “This is just a little profit-taking because there are still these risks out there and it's unclear if this coronavirus really does drive a broader global market slowdown.”

The S&P 500 fell 18.07 points, or 0.5%, to 3,327.71. That trims its gain for the week to 3.2%, which is still its best performance since June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 277.26 points, or 0.9%, to 29,102.51. The Nasdaq slid 51.64 points, or 0.5%, to 9,520.51.

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https://www.usnews.com/news/busines...on-wall-street-still-on-track-for-weekly-gain

S&P 500 Slips for First Time This Week as Momentum Stalls
Stocks closed lower for the first time this week but still had their best weekly gain since June.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 7, 2020, at 4:58 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA and STAN CHOE, AP Business Writers

Wall Street closed out the market’s best week in eight months Friday with a broad slide as technology and health care stocks gave back some of their recent gains.

The pullback, which followed a sell-off in markets around the world, snapped a four-day winning streak for the major U.S. stock indexes. Even so, the benchmark S&P 500 notched its biggest weekly gain since June.

Stocks rallied strongly for most of the week, erasing all their earlier losses from worries about the severity of the economic fallout from a new virus from China that’s rapidly spreading. Stronger-than-expected reports on corporate profits and the U.S. economy helped assuage the fears, as did increasing hope that central banks and governments around the world can support markets with rate cuts and stimulus.

But with health experts still unsure about how far the virus will spread, how deadly it may be and how much damage it will ultimately cause the global economy, many investors opted to sell Friday to lock in some of their recent gains in case there are potential negative headlines about the outbreak over the weekend.

“The market is trying to digest all of this going into the weekend after a pretty volatile past couple of weeks,” said Ben Phillips, chief investment officer at Eventshares. “This is just a little profit-taking because there are still these risks out there and it's unclear if this coronavirus really does drive a broader global market slowdown.”

The S&P 500 fell 18.07 points, or 0.5%, to 3,327.71. That trims its gain for the week to 3.2%, which is still its best performance since June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 277.26 points, or 0.9%, to 29,102.51. The Nasdaq slid 51.64 points, or 0.5%, to 9,520.51.

Smaller company stocks bore the brunt of the selling. The Russell 2000 index lost 20.68 points, or 1.2%, to 1,656.78. Stocks markets in Europe and Asia also closed lower.

Uncertainty over the outbreak overshadowed the latest encouraging data point on the U.S. economy. A government report Friday showed that many more jobs were created in January than economists expected. Employers added 225,000 last month, comfortably above forecasts for 161,500 and December’s pace of 147,000.

Economic reports from outside the United States, meanwhile, were more discouraging and helped lead markets lower before trading opened in New York.

In a sign of the market's caution, Treasury yields fell as prices for ultra-safe U.S. government bonds rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to 1.58% from 1.64% late Thursday.

The encouraging U.S. jobs report notwithstanding, the big wild card for the economy is how much damage the outbreak of a virus spreading from China will do.

The virus has infected more than 31,400 people around the world, and killed more than 630, nearly all of them in China. The director-general of the World Health Organization said Friday that a drop in the number of new virus cases for two days is “good news” but also cautioned against reading too much into that.

Chinese factories and offices are starting to reopen following an extended Lunar New Year holiday, but companies are forecasting big revenue declines due to the closure of stores, amusement parks, cinemas and other businesses.

Japan's Fast Retailing announced it has closed 350 stores, or about half of its 750 outlets in China to comply with quarantine regulations, while Toyota Motor said it was extending production stoppages at its China factories by an extra week, to Feb. 16. Nissan Motor said January sales of the company and its local partners fell nearly 12% in January from a year earlier due to the virus outbreak and the prolonged holidays.

Investors were encouraged earlier this week after China promised tax cuts and other help to businesses in a bid to offset the economic blow from the outbreak. Beijing also cut tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. imports as part of a “Phase 1” trade deal with Washington signed last month.

“They’ve pumped in $200 billion of liquidity in their markets and they’re doing lots of other things to goose their economy,” Phillips said. “You’re going to see some slower growth in China this year.”

Payment products company FleetCor Technologies led the tech sector slide Friday, dropping 6.7%. Abiomed was the biggest decliner in the health care sector, falling 4.6%.

Financial, industrial and material stocks also fell, outweighing slight gains by household goods makers and communication services and real estate companies.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 63 cents to settle at $50.32 per barrel. It dropped below $50 earlier this week, after being above $60 toward the start of the year. Brent crude, the international standard, slid 46 cents to close at $54.47 per barrel.

The price of crude oil has swung violently in recent weeks with worries about the virus, and how much it will sap away demand for fuel because of drop-offs in tourism, travel and other economic activity.

The latest drop in oil prices weighed on energy stocks. Halliburton fell 2.1%.

Energy stocks in the S&P 500 are down 11.5% over the last month. Every other sector in the S&P 500 is up over the same time.

In other commodities trading, wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to $1.52 per gallon. Heating oil declined 3 cents to $1.64 per gallon. Natural gas was unchanged at $1.86 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $3.50 to $1,568.60 per ounce, silver fell 12 cents to $17.67 per ounce and copper fell 4 cents to $2.56 per pound.

The dollar fell to 109.74 Japanese yen from 109.97 yen on Thursday. The euro weakened to $1.0946 from $1.0997.

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The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to start the week on a mildly positive note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to edge 7 points or 0.1% at the open.
 
Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Monday, sending the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes to all-time highs.

Technology stocks accounted for much of the rally, which added to the market’s gains from last week. Retailers, restaurant chains and other companies that rely on consumer spending also notched solid gains.

Traders also shifted money into U.S. government bonds, sending yields lower, and they bid up the price of gold. Both can signal uneasiness in the market. Investors mostly shunned energy and materials stocks , which depend upon economic growth more than other sectors do.

The latest gyrations in the market come as investors weigh encouraging U.S. economic data and company earnings against lingering uncertainty over the potential global economic fallout from the virus outbreak in China.

"If this virus didn't exist, there would be a lot of good things for the market to hang on to,” said Brian Nick, chief investment strategist at Nuveen. “It's prudent that you'd be paring back your cyclical bets, while trying to maintain a posture that will still benefit from what we think was going to be a positive year for the global economy and the markets.”

The S&P 500 index gained 24.38 points, or 0.7%, to 3,352.09. The index’s set record highs twice last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 174.31 points, or 0.6%, to 29,276.82.

The Nasdaq climbed 107.88 points, or 1.1%, to 9,628.39. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 10.89 points, or 0.7%, to 1,667.67.

Markets in Europe and Asia closed mostly lower.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to return to form on Tuesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to jump 43 points or 0.6% at the open.

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Technology Companies, Retailers Lead U.S. Stocks Higher
Stocks are closing higher on Wall Street, led by gains in technology companies and retailers.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 10, 2020, at 5:12 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Monday, sending the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes to all-time highs.

Technology stocks accounted for much of the rally, which added to the market’s gains from last week. Retailers, restaurant chains and other companies that rely on consumer spending also notched solid gains.

Traders also shifted money into U.S. government bonds, sending yields lower, and they bid up the price of gold. Both can signal uneasiness in the market. Investors mostly shunned energy and materials stocks , which depend upon economic growth more than other sectors do.

The latest gyrations in the market come as investors weigh encouraging U.S. economic data and company earnings against lingering uncertainty over the potential global economic fallout from the virus outbreak in China.

"If this virus didn't exist, there would be a lot of good things for the market to hang on to,” said Brian Nick, chief investment strategist at Nuveen. “It's prudent that you'd be paring back your cyclical bets, while trying to maintain a posture that will still benefit from what we think was going to be a positive year for the global economy and the markets.”

The S&P 500 index gained 24.38 points, or 0.7%, to 3,352.09. The index’s set record highs twice last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 174.31 points, or 0.6%, to 29,276.82.

The Nasdaq climbed 107.88 points, or 1.1%, to 9,628.39. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 10.89 points, or 0.7%, to 1,667.67.

Markets in Europe and Asia closed mostly lower.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged lower to 1.56% from 1.57% late Friday.

Wall Street kicked off this week following the biggest weekly gain for the benchmark S&P 500 index since June. Stronger-than-expected company earnings reports and solid economic data on hiring have helped assuage traders’ fears over the virus outbreak in China. Investors are also feeling hopeful that central banks and governments around the world can support markets with rate cuts and stimulus.

Businesses around the world are continuing to feel the impact of the new corona virus. Sony and Amazon became the latest companies to pull out of a major European technology show due to fears over the outbreak.

The virus has now infected more than 40,600 people, with most of those cases and almost all the deaths occurring in China. The world’s second-largest economy has been taking more measures to soften the economic blow, including funding low-interest loans to businesses while promising tax cuts and subsidies.

"It seems like whatever kind of momentum there might have been in the global economy has been arrested for now,” said Nick. “And, if you do see a stabilization, it's going to be a delayed one that probably takes place more in the second quarter or third quarter."

I nvestors continued to bet that stocks, particularly technology companies, will weather any economic bumps from the outbreak. Chipmakers led the sector’s gains Monday. Advanced Micro Devices climbed 5% and Nvidia rose 4.5%. Microsoft added 2.6%.

Amazon led a rally in consumer-focused companies, which include restaurant chains, homebuilders and car dealership operators. The online retail giant rose 2.7%. Home Depot climbed 1.4%.

Strong earnings helped push Botox maker Allergan 1.3% higher.

Exxon Mobil dropped 1.1% along with most other energy stocks after U.S. crude oil fell 1.5%.

Taubman Centers soared 53.2% after the mall operator agreed to be acquired by rival Simon Property Group in a deal valued at around $3.6 billion. Taubman manages or leases 26 shopping centers in the U.S. and Asia. Simon, the nation's largest operator of shopping malls, owns or has a stake in 204 properties in the U.S. Shares in Simon rose 1.4%.

Edgewell Personal Care surged 27.5% after the owner of Schick razors said it would end its $1.37 billion buyout pursuit for upstart shaving company Harry’s. Edgewell, the No. 2 razor maker in the U.S., behind Gillette, made the decision shortly after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the sale.

Xerox rose 1.4% after the copier maker raised its offer for computer and printer maker HP to nearly $35 billion. HP, which rose 0.8%, had rejected a prior bid that it considered too low. Both companies are struggling as the demand for printed documents and ink have waned, and both are cutting costs.

Companies are more than halfway through their latest round of earnings and 65 companies in the S&P 500 will report this week. Toy maker Hasbro and hotel operator Hilton will release results on Tuesday. CVS Health will release its results on Wednesday and Kraft Heinz will report earnings on Thursday.

Investors will also have several economic reports to consider this week, including the government’s consumer price index update for January, along with retail sales and industrial production reports.

Benchmark crude oil fell 75 cents to settle at $49.57 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, dropped $1.20 to close at $53.27 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline was unchanged at $1.52 per gallon. Heating oil fell 3 cents to $1.61 per gallon. Natural gas fell 9 cents to $1.77 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $6.10 to $1,574.70 per ounce, silver rose 10 cents to $17.76 per ounce and copper was unchanged at $2.56 per pound.

The dollar fell to 109.70 Japanese yen from 109.74 yen on Friday. The euro weakened to $1.0914 from $1.0946.
 
Major U.S. stock indexes closed mostly higher Tuesday, led by health care companies, retailers and banks.

The modest gains nudged the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to all-time highs for the second straight day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished essentially flat.

Investors weighed another batch of mostly solid company earnings reports. Sprint soared after a federal judge cleared a major obstacle to the company being acquired by T-Mobile. Microsoft and Facebook slumped after federal regulators announced they've ramped up an antitrust probe into the two companies as well as Amazon, Apple and Google parent Alphabet.

Cruise operators, hotels and other companies that focus on travel made solid gains, the latest sign that traders are feeling less worried about the economic impact from the virus outbreak that began in China.

“Stocks are collectively saying, ‘hey, maybe we can work past some of the noise with the virus; maybe the fallout won’t be as big as we thought," said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. “And the U.S. economy, so far at least, looks like it's weathering it pretty well.”

The S&P 500 index rose 5.66 points, or 0.2%, to 3,357.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.48 points, or less than 0.1%, to 29,276.34. It had been up 0.5%.

The Nasdaq composite gained 10.55 points, or 0.1%, to 9,638.94. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 9.85 points, or 0.6%, to 1,677.51.

Markets in Europe and Asia rose.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to edge higher on Wednesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise 0.1% or 6 points at the open.

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US Stocks Extend Gains as Investors Focus on Latest Earnings
Stocks are closing mostly higher as investors weigh another round of mostly solid company earnings reports.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 11, 2020, at 5:01 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Major U.S. stock indexes closed mostly higher Tuesday, led by health care companies, retailers and banks.

The modest gains nudged the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to all-time highs for the second straight day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished essentially flat.

Investors weighed another batch of mostly solid company earnings reports. Sprint soared after a federal judge cleared a major obstacle to the company being acquired by T-Mobile. Microsoft and Facebook slumped after federal regulators announced they've ramped up an antitrust probe into the two companies as well as Amazon, Apple and Google parent Alphabet.

Cruise operators, hotels and other companies that focus on travel made solid gains, the latest sign that traders are feeling less worried about the economic impact from the virus outbreak that began in China.

“Stocks are collectively saying, ‘hey, maybe we can work past some of the noise with the virus; maybe the fallout won’t be as big as we thought," said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. “And the U.S. economy, so far at least, looks like it's weathering it pretty well.”

The S&P 500 index rose 5.66 points, or 0.2%, to 3,357.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.48 points, or less than 0.1%, to 29,276.34. It had been up 0.5%.

The Nasdaq composite gained 10.55 points, or 0.1%, to 9,638.94. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 9.85 points, or 0.6%, to 1,677.51.

Markets in Europe and Asia rose.

Bond prices fell, sending bond yields higher. The 10-year Treasury yield rose to 1.60% from 1.54% late Monday.

After a downbeat January, U.S. stocks have been mostly notching gains this month as traders brush off fears about the virus outbreak and its impact on businesses and the global economy. Beijing has promised to take measures to soften the blow to China’s economy and investors are hopeful that other governments will do the same if necessary.

China remained mostly closed for business Tuesday as the daily death toll from a new virus topped 100 for the first time, pushing the total deaths above 1,000. The outbreak has infected more than 43,000 people globally, though most of the cases and deaths are in China.

Travel-related stocks, which have been hammered by traders in recent weeks, notched gains Tuesday. Hilton Worldwide rose 1.4%, Carnival climbed 2.8% and American Airlines gained 3.6%.

Wall Street got some encouragement Tuesday from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. In his semiannual monetary report to Congress, Powell said it was too early to assess the threat the virus poses to the U.S. economy, but he noted that the economy “is in a very good place” with strong job creation and moderate growth.

Traders welcomed a federal judge’s decision to reject claims by a group of states arguing T-Mobile’s proposed $26.5 billion buyout of rival Sprint would mean less competition and higher phone bills. Shares in Sprint surged 77.5%, while T-Mobile jumped 11.8%.

Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it has ordered Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Google's parent Alphabet to turn over detailed information on their acquisitions going back to 2010 as part of an investigation into the five giant tech companies' market dominance.

The FTC, the Justice Department and a House committee have been investigating the conduct of big tech companies and whether they aggressively bought potential rivals to suppress competition. Some critics have pointed to Facebook's acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp, for example, as deals that should be questioned.

Microsoft slid 2.3%, Facebook fell 2.8% and Apple dropped 0.6%. Amazon rose 0.8%, while Alphabet inched up 0.1%.

Investors also assessed the latest batch of company earnings reports Tuesday.

AutoNation climbed 6.3% after the car dealership’s latest quarterly results topped Wall Street’s forecasts, aided by higher demand for used cars.

Cloud-based phone system provider RingCentral also posted surprisingly good earnings and issued a solid forecast. The stock rose 6.8%.

Strong fourth-quarter results also gave shares in Brighthouse Financial a boost. Shares in the annuity and life insurance company, which announced a $500 million share buyback program, jumped 10.7%.

Results from other companies failed to impress traders.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber slumped 12.4% after the tire maker's fourth-quarter earnings and revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts.

Under Armour plunged 18.9% after the athletic gear company said it may need to restructure this year, which may involve scuttling the opening of its New York City flagship store. The company also gave investors a weak profit forecast for the year and said the virus outbreak in China will drag first-quarter sales down by $50 million to $60 million.

Benchmark crude oil rose 37 cents to settle at $49.94 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 74 cents to close at $54.01 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline fell 1 cent to $1.51 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 2 cents to $1.63 per gallon. Natural gas rose 2 cents to $1.79 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold fell $9.10 to $1,565.60 per ounce, silver fell 19 cents to $17.57 per ounce and copper rose 3 cents to $2.59 per pound.

The dollar rose to 109.76 Japanese yen from 109.70 yen on Monday. The euro strengthened to $1.0922 from $1.0914.
 
Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Wednesday, driving the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes to more record highs.

Technology stocks powered much of the rally as investors focused on the latest batch of mostly solid company earnings reports. The latest gains came as worries about the economic impact of the virus outbreak that originated in China continued to subside.

Health officials raised hopes that the spread of the virus is peaking after new cases dropped for a second straight day. Worries about the economic impact of the outbreak fueled a wave of selling that erased the market's gains in January, but traders have since largely set aside their jitters.

The S&P 500 index is up 4.8% so far this month, on pace for its biggest monthly gain since June.

“You have the continuing good news on the coronavirus potentially slowing and being under control, and that's obviously powerful,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager with Globalt Investments.

The S&P 500 index rose 21.70 points, or 0.6%, to 3,379.45. The Nasdaq climbed 87.02 points, or 0.9%, to 9,725.96. Both indexes have set all-time closing highs every day this week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 275.08 points, or 0.9%, to 29,551.42. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 11.86 points, or 0.7%, to 1,689.38.

Major indexes in Europe and Asia finished higher.

The S&P/ASX 200 index is expected to jump higher on Thursday after a very positive night of trade in the United States. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to 34 points or 0.5% higher at the open.

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Solid Earnings Send Stock Indexes Higher on Wall Street
Stocks are closing broadly higher on Wall Street Wednesday, driving the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes to more record highs.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 12, 2020, at 5:10 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Stocks closed broadly higher on Wall Street Wednesday, driving the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes to more record highs.

Technology stocks powered much of the rally as investors focused on the latest batch of mostly solid company earnings reports. The latest gains came as worries about the economic impact of the virus outbreak that originated in China continued to subside.

Health officials raised hopes that the spread of the virus is peaking after new cases dropped for a second straight day. Worries about the economic impact of the outbreak fueled a wave of selling that erased the market's gains in January, but traders have since largely set aside their jitters.

The S&P 500 index is up 4.8% so far this month, on pace for its biggest monthly gain since June.

“You have the continuing good news on the coronavirus potentially slowing and being under control, and that's obviously powerful,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager with Globalt Investments.

The S&P 500 index rose 21.70 points, or 0.6%, to 3,379.45. The Nasdaq climbed 87.02 points, or 0.9%, to 9,725.96. Both indexes have set all-time closing highs every day this week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 275.08 points, or 0.9%, to 29,551.42. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks picked up 11.86 points, or 0.7%, to 1,689.38.

Major indexes in Europe and Asia finished higher.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.63% from 1.59% late Tuesday.

Stronger-than-expected company earnings reports and positive U.S. economic data have helped keep investors in a buying mood. Traders are also banking that central banks and governments around the world will support markets with rate cuts and stimulus to stem any potential economic fallout from the virus outbreak.

Investors got some encouraging news Wednesday when health officials reported that the number of new cases of the coronavirus in China declined for a second straight day. The outbreak has infected over 45,000 people worldwide and killed more than 1,100.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised tax cuts and other aid to industry as the ruling Communist Party tries to limit the mounting damage to the economy.

Shares in companies focusing on travel made some of the strongest gains Wednesday. United Airlines rose 2.1%, Wynn Resorts climbed 3.7% and Royal Caribbean Cruises gained 3.7%.

Cruise lines, hotels and other companies have been more sensitive than other companies to the spread of the virus.

Technology stocks led the broader market’s gains. Micron Technology climbed 3.5% and Apple rose 2.4%.

Companies that rely on consumer spending also did well. Nike gained 3% and Gap jumped 4.7%.

Communication services stocks notched solid gains. Twitter added 3.2% and video-game developer Activision Blizzard rose 2.6%.

Crude oil jumped 2.5%, which gave energy companies a boost. Hess led the gainers, climbing 4.7%. The energy sector remains the market’s worst-performer this year. It’s down 9.1%.

The pickup in bond yields weighed on several homebuilders, including Toll Brothers, which slid 1.6%. Mortgage rates tend to track the 10-year Treasury yield, so an increase in the yield means less attractive rates.

Utilities and household goods makers lagged the market in another sign that investors were more confident and shifting money into investments that carry more risk.

Investors continued to assess the latest company earnings reports.

Akamai Technologies rose 1.1% after the cloud services provider beat analysts' profit and revenue forecasts. Generic drug developer Teva jumped 9.1% and e-commerce company Shopify vaulted 7.8% after reporting solid financial results.

Ride-hailing service Lyft plunged 10.2%. Lyft stuck to a prediction that it won’t turn a profit until the fourth quarter of 2021. Rival Uber said earlier this month that it would make money in the fourth quarter of this year.

Wall Street appeared to largely ignore the outcome of Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary in New Hampshire, which Bernie Sanders won, edging out moderate rival Pete Buttigieg.

Despite Sanders' surge, it's still not clear which of the Democratic candidates will win the nomination, Martin noted.

“The feeling has been that Sanders, if he did become the candidate, has a platform that would not appeal to the country as a whole, so that if he was the candidate, Trump would easily beat him,” he said.

Sanders has energized young voters and liberals with his calls for a Medicare for All health care system and free college tuition, but moderates portray such policies as unrealistic and costly.

“As far as a more moderate candidate, those would be more competitive and that would be potentially a negative if you had a credible candidate that might make a national election between the Democrats and the Republicans competitive,” Martin said.

Benchmark crude oil rose $1.23 to settle at $51.17 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained $1.78 to close at $55.79 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 7 cents to $1.58 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 5 cents to $1.68 per gallon. Natural gas rose 5 cents to $1.84 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $1.80 to $1,567.40 per ounce, silver fell 9 cents to $17.48 per ounce and copper rose 2 cents to $2.61 per pound.

The dollar rose to 110.08 Japanese yen from 109.76 yen on Tuesday. The euro weakened to $1.0867 from $1.0922.
 
Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Thursday as investors turned cautious following a surge in cases of a new virus in China that threatens to crimp economic growth and hurt businesses worldwide.

The modest losses snapped a three-day streak of record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite. The selling marked only the second day this month that the market has declined.

Investors largely set aside worries about the economic impact of the virus outbreak the past two weeks. Markets rallied this week partly due to reports that the number of new cases of the new virus in China had declined.

Hopes that the spread of the virus had peaked were dashed Thursday, when China reported a sharp rise in cases and deaths after the hardest-hit province of Hubei took a new approach to classifying and diagnosing the virus.

“We’re in a data-dearth period in the sense that we’re not really going to know fully the effects of the impact of that on Asian and Chinese growth, as well as global growth, for at least several weeks,” said Lisa Erickson, head of traditional investments at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. “You’re just going to see some back-and-forth movement (in the market) until that time.”

The S&P 500 index dropped 5.51 points, or 0.2%, to 3,373.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 128.11 points, or 0.4%, to 29,423.31. It was down as much as 205 points earlier.

The Nasdaq fell 13.99 points, or 0.1%, to 9,711.97. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks rose 4.36 points, or 0.3%, to 1,693.74.

Markets in Europe and Asia finished mostly lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 1.62%.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to end the week on a positive note. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise 10 points or 0.15% at the open.

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US Stocks Edge Mostly Lower After China Virus Cases Spike
Stocks are ending a wobbly day mostly lower as investors turn cautious following news of a surge in cases of the new virus in China.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 13, 2020, at 4:55 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Stocks closed lower on Wall Street Thursday as investors turned cautious following a surge in cases of a new virus in China that threatens to crimp economic growth and hurt businesses worldwide.

The modest losses snapped a three-day streak of record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite. The selling marked only the second day this month that the market has declined.

Investors largely set aside worries about the economic impact of the virus outbreak the past two weeks. Markets rallied this week partly due to reports that the number of new cases of the new virus in China had declined.

Hopes that the spread of the virus had peaked were dashed Thursday, when China reported a sharp rise in cases and deaths after the hardest-hit province of Hubei took a new approach to classifying and diagnosing the virus.

“We’re in a data-dearth period in the sense that we’re not really going to know fully the effects of the impact of that on Asian and Chinese growth, as well as global growth, for at least several weeks,” said Lisa Erickson, head of traditional investments at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. “You’re just going to see some back-and-forth movement (in the market) until that time.”

The S&P 500 index dropped 5.51 points, or 0.2%, to 3,373.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 128.11 points, or 0.4%, to 29,423.31. It was down as much as 205 points earlier.

The Nasdaq fell 13.99 points, or 0.1%, to 9,711.97. The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks rose 4.36 points, or 0.3%, to 1,693.74.

Markets in Europe and Asia finished mostly lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 1.62%.

The major U.S. indexes wobbled for much of the day as investors weighed company earnings reports and the latest news on the virus outbreak in China.

The change in how Hubei determines and reports cases of the new virus pushed the number of cases worldwide to more than 60,000.

The spike came after two days in which the number of new cases dropped, complicating efforts to understand the trajectory of the outbreak.

Businesses have already been hurting due to the outbreak and more of them are warning that the effects will linger through the year. Organizers of the world’s biggest mobile technology fair cancelled the event, set to take place in Spain, because of health and safety concerns over the outbreak.

Travel-related companies fell broadly Thursday, shedding some of their gains from earlier in the week. Airlines helped pull industrial sector stocks lower. United Airlines fell 1.5%.

MGM Resorts International, which gets about 20% of its revenue from the gambling haven of Macau, pulled its profit forecast for 2020. The stock lost 5.5%. Cruise line operator Carnival slid 2%.

Technology and health care stocks were among the biggest decliners, along with companies that rely on consumer spending. Cisco Systems fell 5.2%, Mylan slid 2.3% and Hanesbrands dropped 2.6%.

Household goods makers, utilities, real estate companies and communication services stocks notched gains.

Fashion company Ralph Lauren warned that the viral outbreak cut into fourth-quarter sales by an estimated $55 million to $70 million. The stock fell 0.6%.

Alaska Air Group bucked the trend, adding 1.5% after the airline said it will cooperate more closely with American Airlines on West Coast service. The airlines asked for government permission to expand revenue-sharing to cover international flights in Seattle and Los Angeles.

Benchmark crude oil rose 25 cents to settle at $51.42 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 55 cents to close at $56.34 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline was unchanged at $1.58 per gallon. Heating oil was also unchanged at $1.68 per gallon. Natural gas fell 1 cent to $1.83 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $7.70 to $1,575.10 per ounce, silver rose 12 cents to $17.60 per ounce and copper rose 1 cent to $2.62 per pound.

The dollar fell to 109.79 Japanese yen from 110.08 yen on Wednesday. The euro weakened to $1.0843 from $1.0867.
 
Wall Street closed out a wobbly day of trading Friday with the major stock indexes notching their second straight weekly gain.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq eked out tiny gains, good enough to nudge each to an all-time high for the fourth time this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended with a slight loss.

Gains in the technology, real estate and utilities sectors outweighed losses in energy and industrial stocks, and in consumer-centric companies.

Trading was mostly subdued and cautious following China's report Thursday of a surge in cases of a new virus that raised fresh concerns about global economic growth.

“We were flat for most of the day,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. “But you're also seeing that there is concern. Gold is up, money has come into the bond market and the yields have come down.”

The mixed finish for the indexes likely indicates some traders elected to sell and pocket some profits ahead of the long holiday weekend to get ahead of potential negative headlines about the virus, analysts said. U.S. markets will be closed Monday for the President’s Day holiday.

The S&P 500 index rose 6.22 points, or 0.2%, to 3,380.16. The Nasdaq composite gained 19.21 points, or 0.2%, to 9,731.18. Both indexes had been down most of the afternoon.

The Dow dropped 25.23 points, or 0.1%, to 29,398.08.

Smaller company stocks finished lower. The Russell 2000 index slid 6.15 points, or 0.4%, to 1,687.58.

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US Stocks Post Small Gains, Major Indexes up for the Week
Stocks çlosed slightly higher on Wall Street Friday, as technology shares rose along with lower-risk sectors such as utilities.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 14, 2020, at 5:13 p.m.

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Wall Street closed out a wobbly day of trading Friday with the major stock indexes notching their second straight weekly gain.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq eked out tiny gains, good enough to nudge each to an all-time high for the fourth time this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended with a slight loss.

Gains in the technology, real estate and utilities sectors outweighed losses in energy and industrial stocks, and in consumer-centric companies.

Trading was mostly subdued and cautious following China's report Thursday of a surge in cases of a new virus that raised fresh concerns about global economic growth.

“We were flat for most of the day,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial. “But you're also seeing that there is concern. Gold is up, money has come into the bond market and the yields have come down.”

The mixed finish for the indexes likely indicates some traders elected to sell and pocket some profits ahead of the long holiday weekend to get ahead of potential negative headlines about the virus, analysts said. U.S. markets will be closed Monday for the President’s Day holiday.

The S&P 500 index rose 6.22 points, or 0.2%, to 3,380.16. The Nasdaq composite gained 19.21 points, or 0.2%, to 9,731.18. Both indexes had been down most of the afternoon.

The Dow dropped 25.23 points, or 0.1%, to 29,398.08.

Smaller company stocks finished lower. The Russell 2000 index slid 6.15 points, or 0.4%, to 1,687.58.

European and Asian markets ended mixed.

Investors had largely set aside uncertainty about the potential economic fallout from the virus outbreak that originated in China the past two weeks. Stocks ended lower on Thursday for only the second time this month.

Businesses have been hurting due to the outbreak and more of them are warning that the effects will linger through the year.

Still, uncertainty over the economic impact of the outbreak has been tempered by signals out of China’s government, which has taken steps to shore up businesses from the fallout.

The Federal Reserve has also helped reassure investors. This week, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said it was too early to assess the threat the virus poses to the U.S. economy, but he noted that the economy “is in a very good place” with strong job creation and moderate growth.

Technology companies led the gainers Friday. Chipmaker Nvidia was a standout, jumping 7% after it handily beat analysts’ profit forecasts for the fourth quarter.

The real estate and utilities sectors also held up well as government bond yields fell, making companies that pay higher dividends more attractive. Digital Realty Trust climbed 3.9% and American Water Works rose 1.7%.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 1.58% from 1.61% late Thursday.

Auto manufacturers, retailers and other companies that rely on consumer spending were among the decliners. Ford Motor dropped 1.8% and General Motors fell 1.5%. Target slid 1.4%.

Energy, industrial and financial sector stocks also declined. Marathon Oil slid 4.42, J.B. Hunt Transportation Services fell 3.6% and American International Group dropped 4.8%.

The price of U.S. crude oil closed 1.2% higher and notched its first weekly gain in six weeks. Benchmark crude oil rose 63 cents to settle at $52.05 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 98 cents to close at $57.32 a barrel.

The slide in oil prices has weighed on energy stocks. The sector is the biggest loser in the S&P 500, down 10.2% so far this year.

Investors continued to assess corporate earnings reports Friday. Online travel company Expedia surged 11% and Sharpie maker Newell Brands rose 3% on solid earnings.

Canadian cannabis company Canopy Growth surged 15.8% after its latest quarterly results topped Wall Street's forecasts.

More than three quarters of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings and the results so far show solid growth. Companies are expected to report overall profit growth of just under 1% when all the reports are in, according to estimates from FactSet.

Several big companies are on deck to report results next week. Walmart will release its report on Tuesday and Deere will report on Friday.

Investors are heading into a shortened week that is light on economic reports. Stock and bond markets are closed on Monday for the Presidents’ Day holiday. On Wednesday, the government will issue its report on producer prices, which measures inflation pressures before they reach consumers. Also, the Federal Reserve will release minutes from its January meeting.

Wall Street will also get some updates on the health of the housing industry. The government will release data on housing starts on Wednesday and the National Association of Realtors will release January home sales data on Friday.

In other commodities trading Friday, wholesale gasoline was unchanged at $1.58 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 2 cents to $1.70 per gallon. Natural gas rose 1 cent to $1.84 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $7.60 to $1,582.70 per ounce, silver rose 12 cents to $17.72 per ounce and copper fell 1 cent to $2.61 per pound.

The dollar fell to 109.76 Japanese yen from 109.79 yen on Thursday. The euro weakened to $1.0842 from $1.0843.

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Wall Street remained closed Monday for Presidents' Day.

Global stocks mostly rose Monday, with Shanghai's benchmark jumping over 2% after the central bank rolled out support for the economy amid a virus outbreak that has infected over 71,000 people globally. Japan's market slumped, however, on weak economic growth figures.

Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to close at 7,433.25, while France's CAC 40 gained 0.3% to 6085.95. Germany's DAX added 0.3% as well to end the day at 13,783.89. Wall Street remained closed for Presidents' Day. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.2% higher in electronic trading.

The Shanghai Composite index jumped 2.3% to 2,983.62 after the central bank and government announced a slew of measures to support the economy as the country battles an outbreak of a new virus that has killed 1,774 people.

The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo skidded 0.7%, to 23,523.24 after the government reported the economy contracted 6.3% in annual terms in the last quarter.

Elsewhere in the region, Sydney's S&P ASX/200 edged 1% lower to 7,125.10. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.1% to 2,242.17, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong climbed 0.5% to 27,959.60. India's Sensex shed 0.4% to 41,082.82.

The People's Bank of China cut its one-year medium-term lending rate to 3.15% from 3.25%. It also injected some 300 billion yuan ($43 billion) into the markets through short-term purchases of securities and other injections of cash.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to edge lower on Tuesday. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to drop 3 points at the open.

Wall Street remained closed for Presidents' Day.
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Rest of world trading on Monday
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https://www.usnews.com/news/busines...ts-mixed-japan-skids-china-helped-by-rate-cut

Stocks Mostly Rise but Japan Skids on Stark Economic Data
Global stocks mostly rose on Monday.
By Associated Press, Wire Service Content Feb. 17, 2020, at 11:56 a.m.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Global stocks mostly rose Monday, with Shanghai's benchmark jumping over 2% after the central bank rolled out support for the economy amid a virus outbreak that has infected over 71,000 people globally. Japan's market slumped, however, on weak economic growth figures.

Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to close at 7,433.25, while France's CAC 40 gained 0.3% to 6085.95. Germany's DAX added 0.3% as well to end the day at 13,783.89. Wall Street remained closed for Presidents' Day. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.2% higher in electronic trading.

The Shanghai Composite index jumped 2.3% to 2,983.62 after the central bank and government announced a slew of measures to support the economy as the country battles an outbreak of a new virus that has killed 1,774 people.

The People's Bank of China cut its one-year medium-term lending rate to 3.15% from 3.25%. It also injected some 300 billion yuan ($43 billion) into the markets through short-term purchases of securities and other injections of cash.

Such moves will likely be followed by more, said Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics, given that many of the companies worst affected by the virus outbreak are smaller ones that lack access to loans from major state-run banks.

The government has also announced plans for tax cuts and other measures to help companies struggling with shut-downs of cities and plunging consumer spending and travel.

“We think the People's Bank of China will need to expand its re-lending quotas and relax constraints on shadow banking in order to direct more credit to struggling (small- and medium-sized companies),” Evans-Pritchard said in a commentary.

The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo skidded 0.7%, to 23,523.24 after the government reported the economy contracted 6.3% in annual terms in the last quarter.

Analysts said the contraction in the Japanese economy, the world's third-largest, reflected the impact of typhoons, trade tensions and crimped consumer spending after the sales tax rose to 10% from 8% as of Oct. 1. The seasonally adjusted economic data was announced as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces pressure over spreading cases of the new viral illness COVID-19 and markets around the region see a mounting toll from its impact on travel and tourism as authorities strive to contain it.

“Consumer spending, which slumped following the tax hike in the fourth quarter of 2019, will now struggle to do anything except contract further in the first quarter as the impact of Covid-19 weighs on consumer sentiment, weighing in particular on the consumer services sector," analysts at ING bank wrote in a report to investors.

“Some further government spending may help to curb any further contraction in GDP beyond (the first quarter of 2020). But that will not stop what started off as a technical downturn from evolving into a full-blown recession," they said.

Elsewhere in the region, Sydney's S&P ASX/200 edged 1% lower to 7,125.10. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.1% to 2,242.17, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong climbed 0.5% to 27,959.60. India's Sensex shed 0.4% to 41,082.82.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil picked up 7 cents to $52.12 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It closed 1.2% higher on Friday, notching its first weekly gain in six weeks. Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 2 cents to $57.34 a barrel.

The slide in oil prices has weighed on energy stocks. The sector is the biggest loser in the S&P 500, down 10.2% so far this year.

More than three quarters of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings and the results so far show solid growth. Companies are expected to report overall profit growth of just under 1% when all the reports are in, according to estimates from FactSet.

In currency markets, the dollar rose to 109.91 Japanese yen from 109.77 yen on Friday. The euro edged down to $1.0836 from $1.0839.
 
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U.S. stock indexes closed with mostly modest losses Tuesday as the market gave up some of its solid gains from the past two weeks.

Banks and technology stocks accounted for most of the decline. The Nasdaq eked out a tiny gain that was good enough to nudge it to another record high.

The selling, which lost some of its momentum in the final hour of trading, came as investors weighed the impact of the virus outbreak in China on Apple and other major companies.

The tech giant said revenue will fall short of previous forecasts in the fiscal second quarter because production has been curtailed and consumer demand for iPhones has slowed in China. Apple’s stores there are either closed or operating on reduced hours.

The iPhone maker is among the most notable companies to warn investors that the virus will hurt its financial performance. Medical device maker Medtronic also warned Tuesday that the virus outbreak will impact its quarterly results.

“The longer this goes on, the greater the focus is going to be on how much is this going to impact companies like Apple, which is considered not only a bellwether in tech, but a bellwether for the market overall,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab.

The S&P 500 index fell 9.87 points, or 0.3%, to 3,370.29. The benchmark index remains just below its all-time high set on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 165.89 points, or 0.6%, to 29,232.19. It had been down as many as 281 points. The Nasdaq recovered from an early slide, inching up 1.57 points, or less than 0.1%, to 9,732.74.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks fell 4.06 points, or 0.2%, to 1,683.52.

The S&P/ASX 200 index looks set to edge higher this morning. According to the latest SPI futures, the ASX 200 is poised to rise 9 points or 0.1% at the open.
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https://apnews.com/4483bf770dfbb76c8331127bac171d53

Stocks fall on Apple revenue warning; Dow drops 165
By ALEX VEIGA

U.S. stock indexes closed with mostly modest losses Tuesday as the market gave up some of its solid gains from the past two weeks.

Banks and technology stocks accounted for most of the decline. The Nasdaq eked out a tiny gain that was good enough to nudge it to another record high.

The selling, which lost some of its momentum in the final hour of trading, came as investors weighed the impact of the virus outbreak in China on Apple and other major companies.

The tech giant said revenue will fall short of previous forecasts in the fiscal second quarter because production has been curtailed and consumer demand for iPhones has slowed in China. Apple’s stores there are either closed or operating on reduced hours.

The iPhone maker is among the most notable companies to warn investors that the virus will hurt its financial performance. Medical device maker Medtronic also warned Tuesday that the virus outbreak will impact its quarterly results.

“The longer this goes on, the greater the focus is going to be on how much is this going to impact companies like Apple, which is considered not only a bellwether in tech, but a bellwether for the market overall,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading & derivatives at Charles Schwab.

The S&P 500 index fell 9.87 points, or 0.3%, to 3,370.29. The benchmark index remains just below its all-time high set on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 165.89 points, or 0.6%, to 29,232.19. It had been down as many as 281 points. The Nasdaq recovered from an early slide, inching up 1.57 points, or less than 0.1%, to 9,732.74.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller company stocks fell 4.06 points, or 0.2%, to 1,683.52.

European and Asian markets declined. Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 1.56% from 1.58% late Friday.

Stocks opened lower Tuesday as U.S. markets reopened following the Monday’s President’s Day holiday.

As in recent weeks, traders reacted to the latest developments in the viral outbreak that began in China and has since infected more than 73,000 people. Most of of the cases and deaths remain centered in China.

Businesses worldwide are increasingly caught in the economic fallout from the outbreak. The Beijing auto show, the industry’s biggest global event of the year, is being postponed indefinitely from its April date.

Apple and Medtronic are only the latest notable examples of companies that have warned investors about the economic impact of the outbreak on their financial performance.

Technology and health care companies have been the most vocal about mentioning the new coronavirus in their earnings conference calls, according to FactSet.

While Apple’s projected revenue miss took Wall Street by surprise, some analysts played down the long-term impact of the iPhone production delay on the company.

In a research note Tuesday, Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley said that Apple continues to perform strongly across all business lines, including iPhone 11 demand outside of China.

Apple shares fell 1.8%, while Medtronic slid 4%.

Despite the ongoing uncertainty over the viral outbreak investors have been willing to buy back into the market after a dip.

The S&P 500 has ended higher the past two weeks and is holding onto a 4.5% gain this month.

For the most part, investors are betting that the economic fallout from the outbreak will be limited to the first three months of this year, Frederick said. But if companies signal that they expect lingering effects on their business into the second quarter, investors could become less eager to jump back into the market.

“There are just so many people out there that think every dip is a buying opportunity, and so far, they’ve been rewarded,” Frederick said. “We’re going to see that for a while, until we have a really big downturn and people really get hurt by it. We just haven’t had that in a long time.”

Technology stocks accounted for a big slice of the selling Tuesday. Several chipmakers, which rely heavily on China for sales and supplies, fell. Intel dropped 1.7% and Broadcom slid 2.2%.

Banks declined. HSBC said it will cut 35,000 jobs and shed $100 billion in assets. Its shares dropped 5.6%. Wells Fargo slid 2.5%.

Energy stocks also fell. Schlumberger dropped 2.2%.

Communication services stocks and utilities held up better than most of the market. T-Mobile US rose 3.5% and Xcel Energy rose 1.3%.

Traders continued to assess company earnings reports. Advance Auto Parts climbed 6.2% after the auto parts supplier’s results topped Wall Street’s forecasts. Conagra Brands dropped 6.1% after the food producer cut its fiscal 2020 profit and revenue forecasts, citing surprisingly weak consumption.

Among S&P 500 companies still to release their earnings, Progressive will report on Wednesday and ViacomCBS will report on Thursday.

Financial services company Franklin Resources jumped 6.9% after saying it is buying competitor Legg Mason for $4.5 billion. The deal will create a financial company with a combined $1.5 trillion in assets under management. Legg Mason shares vaulted 24.4%.

Benchmark crude oil was unchanged at $52.02 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 8 cents to close at $57.75 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline rose 3 cents to $1.61 per gallon. Heating oil declined 3 cents to $1.67 per gallon. Natural gas rose 14 cents to $1.98 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold rose $17.30 to $1,600.00 per ounce, silver rose 41 cents to $18.13 per ounce and copper was unchanged at $2.61 per pound.

The dollar fell to 109.88 Japanese yen from 109.94 yen on Monday. The euro weakened to $1.0794 from $1.0834.
 
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