US. stock indexes closed mostly at records in a choppy Thursday session, buoyed by upbeat earnings from chip company Nvidia Inc. and major retailers, while concerns about a seasonal rise in COVID-19 cases were seen capping gains. It wasn’t all good news on the earnings front, however, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average weighed down by a steep loss for Cisco Systems Inc.
- The Dow closed down 60.10 points, or 0.2%, at 35,870.95.
- The S&P 500 rose 15.87 points, or 0.3%, to end at a record 4,704.54.
- The Nasdaq Composite climbed 72.14 points, or 0.5%, finishing at a record 15.993.71
On Wednesday, the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite all lost ground in a subdued trading session. The S&P 500 remained just 0.3% away from its record close, with the Nasdaq Composite just 0.4% its all-time high finish. Stocks drifted between small gains and losses into the midday, before firming up in the afternoon and into the close. Analysts said concerns over a renewed rise in COVID-19 cases in Europe weighed on the market. Germany has seen the highest number of daily cases seen over the course of the pandemic, while other countries have weighed renewed lockdown measures. U.S. cases continue to average more than 88,000 a day, and more than 48,000 people were hospitalized. Michigan and Minnesota lead the U.S. by new cases as measured on a per capita basis. “The fourth wave is hitting our country with full force,” Merkel said in a speech on Wednesday. “The daily death toll is also frightening.” Stocks have noticed, said Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report Research, in a note, with cruise line names and hotel companies suffering modest declines in recent sessions. Essaye wrote that he doubted a rise in cases would result in renewed U.S. lockdowns, but if cases continue to rise, “we could see temporary headwinds on the ‘Get Out and Spend’ name such as cruise lines, theme parks, hotels and live-event companies.” Corporate earnings have beaten Wall Street estimates in the third quarter, as strong demand has helped to offset the pressure from supply-chain disruptions. New York Federal Reserve President John Williams on Wednesday defended the central bank’s new inflation-targeting strategy from critics who say it is holding the central bank from taking obvious moves to bring cool prices. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said late Wednesday that the disruptions have lasted longer than he anticipated, though he still expects the central bank to end its bond-buying program in the middle of 2022 as currently planned. “The reason why I think momentum will be good going into next year is because I think the supply-chain issues are going to be rectified,” said Evans on Thursday. Markets will be highly tuned into any signals on who President Joe Biden will pick to chair the Fed. Biden on Tuesday said a decision would come “in about four days.” The decision is widely seen as coming down to a choice between renominating Chairman Jerome Powell or choosing Fed Gov. Lael Brainard. “Stock markets have been resilient all year; they have looked through upside surprises in inflation, downside surprises in growth, and a dramatic change in central bank pricing,” said strategists at Barclays led by Ajay Rajadhyaksha. The Barclays strategists see limited upside to U.S. equities but also don’t expect a major selloff, as there’s significant downside hedging. NN: No doubt a 10% to 20% correction is coming. And then later on something much much uglier. Its a matter of timing. What may kick off the fun is Europe may be going into a 4th wave lockdown.