Stocks jump on stimulus hopes, Trump’s release
Wall Street rallied Monday as hopes for economic aid from Washington helped it recover all its knee- jerk losses after learning President Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Standard & Poor’s 500 jumped 60.19 points, or 1.8%, to 3,408.63 amid widespread gains, with 9 in 10 stocks in the index rising. Energy producers and tech companies led the way.
Treasury yields, stocks overseas and oil all climbed after Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi both noted the importance over the weekend of additional support for the economy. The market’s rally accelerated after Trump tweeted in the afternoon that he’ll leave the hospital, though his medical team said he “may not entirely be out of the woods yet.”
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 465.83 points, or 1.7%, to 28,148.64, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 257.47, or 2.3%, to 11,332.49. Smaller stocks rose even more in an indication of improved market optimism, with the Russell 2000 index jumping 42.67, or 2.8%, to 1,581.96.
The lift follows through on a comeback that helped markets cut their losses Friday, after Trump’s condition became publicized. Stocks initially tumbled as the jolt of uncertainty raised concerns that a White House victory for Democrat Joe Biden would mean higher taxes and tighter regulations for companies, which could drag down their profits. But analysts said a Democratic sweep of the election could also raise the probability of a big government support plan for the economy, something that investors have been clamoring for since jobless benefits and other stimulus Congress approved in March expired.
Stocks got an immediate lift Friday afternoon after Pelosi told airline executives to stop the furloughs of tens of thousands of workers because aid for the industry was “imminent,” either as a stand- alone effort or as part of a wider rescue package. A stand- alone bill for airlines failed to advance in the House on Friday, but hopes remain for a larger effort.
Over the weekend, Trump tweeted from the hospital that the country wants and needs more economic stimulus. “Work together and get it done,” he said Saturday.
A day later, Pelosi said that the two sides are making progress, but they still haven’t reached a breakthrough. “It just depends on if they understand what we have to do to crush the virus,” she said in an interview on CBS.
A report on Monday said growth for the nation’s service industries last month was stronger than economists expected. It’s an encouraging piece of data, but it follows a string of mixed reports that have shown some areas of the economy slowing since Congress’ last round of aid expired.
Shares of Regeneron rose 7.1% after Trump received an experimental drug from the company that supplies antibodies to help the immune system fight the virus.
Trump on Friday also began a f ive- day course of remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug currently used for moderately and severely ill patients. The drugs work in different ways — the antibodies help the immune system rid the body of virus, and remdesivir curbs the virus’ ability to multiply. Gilead rose 2.3%. MyoKardia, a biopharmaceutical company, surged 57.8% after Bristol Myers Squibb said it would buy the 8- year- old company for $ 13.1 billion, or $ 225 a share in cash.
On the losing side was DraftKings, which fell 5.1%. It and some of its existing investors are selling 32 million shares of the company’s stock after it nearly sextupled in 2020.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.2%, South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.3% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.3%.
Fujitsu President Takahito Tokita apologized Monday for the breakdown last week in the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s trading system, which the Japanese company had developed. He promised to work with the exchange to prevent a recurrence of the malfunction in Fujitsu’s Arrowhead system, which caused all trading to be halted in Tokyo on Oct. 1.
By Friday, trading had resumed after the problem was fixed.
The yield on the 10- year Treasury rose to 0.76% from 0.70% late Friday.