U.S. stocks climbed in volatile trading on Wednesday amid rising hopes for further coronavirus stimulus, but major averages still posted their first down month since March.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 329.04 points, or 1.2%, to 27,781.70, after jumping 573 points at its session high. The S&P 500 rose 0.8%, or 27.53 points, to 3,363.00, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.7%, or 82.26 points, to 11,167.51.
Stocks cut gains in the final hour of trading after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin failed to strike a coronavirus aid deal. The pair will continue talks as they try to craft a fifth package that could pass both chambers of Congress. The market soared earlier in the session after Mnuchin said lawmakers were giving the bill “a serious try.”
Sentiment was helped by better-than-expected economic data. ADP’s monthly private-sector jobs count showed growth of 749,000 in September, ahead of the 600,000 expected from a Dow Jones economist survey. Meanwhile, pending home sales soared 8.8% in August, marking its highest pace on record, according to the National Association of Realtors survey.
Stocks sensitive to the economic recovery, including banks and cruise operators, were among the biggest winners on Wednesday. Goldman Sachs gained more than 2%, while Citigroup rose 1.6%. Norwegian Cruise popped more than 3%, and Boeing climbed 1%.
Still, major averages suffered their first monthly declines since March partly due to a tech-led correction earlier in September. The S&P 500 dropped 3.9% this month, while the Dow and the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.3% and 5.2%, respectively, in September.
Vicious first debate
Investors digested the first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden Tuesday evening, which turned out to be particularly vicious with constant interruptions and insults. Wall Street remained concerned that it will be a drawn-out electoral process that could hit the market.
“It was a long night and there’s a lot that needs to be sorted out,” said Daniel Deming, managing director at KKM Financial. “It became pretty apparent that this thing is not going to be over on Nov. 3 and I think the market is probably not too crazy about that.”
“The short-term volatility pressures probably won’t abate anytime soon after this debate. In a sense, it’s creating even more uncertainty,” Deming said.
Trump and Biden sparred on a number of issues, including their qualifications to manage the U.S. economy, the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, as well as the U.S.’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many market strategists have cited uncertainty around the election as a key headwind for the market before year-end with each outcome bringing its own risks and benefits. Some investors have raised concerns about a potential Biden win as they fear it could lead to higher corporate taxes and tighter regulations. But at the same time, it could ease concerns about the trade war and lack of stimulus to bolster the economy in the wake of the coronavirus.
Investors are also worried about the potential that the Nov. 3 result is too close to call and neither candidate concedes. That uncertainty could particularly weigh on the market.
Trump frequently claims that mail-in balloting leads to voter fraud even though experts have repeatedly said there’s no evidence of that ever having been a problem in the United States.
“Questions on election fraud were raised, which will add to concerns about a volatile post-election period if there is a close or uncertain electoral outcome,” wrote Ed Mills of Raymond James in a note entitled “Dumpster Fire Debate.”
Virus treatment hopes
Positive data regarding a potential coronavirus treatment from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals helped boost sentiment on Wall Street.
Regeneron said after the close Tuesday its REGN-COV2 drug reduced viral levels and improved symptoms in non-hospitalized coronavirus patients.
Meanwhile, Moderna’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine appears safe and shows signs of working in older adults, according to study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine. However, Financial Times reported Wednesday Moderna’s vaccine won’t be ready before the November election.
Disney shares lost more than 1% on Wednesday after the company said it would lay off 28,000 people in its theme parks division.
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