Stocks rose on Tuesday, pushing the S&P 500 to another record, as investors continued to shrug off rising Covid cases from the delta variant.
A $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill was set to pass the Senate and that may help soothe concerns about slowing economic growth as pandemic drags on. The yield on the 10-year yield bounced on Tuesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose just about 150 points to hit a new intraday high. The S&P 500 rose 0.25% to an intraday record. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite was flat.
Energy stocks rebounded on Tuesday, after leading the market’s declines on Monday spurred by a drop in oil prices. Exxon Mobil and Chevron popped more than 1% on Tuesday and Diamondback Energy rebounded more than 2%. U.S. oil prices rose 1.6% on Tuesday.
Stocks tied to the economic reopening also made back some of their losses from Monday. Norwegian Cruise Line gained 2% and American Airlines rose 1%.
During regular trading on Monday, the Dow fell more than 100 points amid fears that a wave of Covid cases could lead to a demand slowdown. The S&P 500 traded down 0.1% and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.16%.
“Despite the delta variant surge in cases across the U.S., recent mobility data suggest that consumer spending should remain robust,” Jason Pride, chief investment officer of private wealth at Glenmede, said in a note Monday. “Weekly foot traffic data gathered by Placer.ai for sectors sensitive to COVID-19 such as hotels, dining, leisure, and fitness continues to increase to sit near or surpass prepandemic peaks. However, as summer comes closer to an end, any significant declines or changes to the narrative are worth watching.”
The Senate could pass a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill as soon as Tuesday. The plan, which includes $550 billion in new spending on transportation and broadband, could help give the economy a boost as peak growth slows following the reopening from the pandemic.
AMC‘s stock jumped 4.7% after reporting a lower loss than expected. The company also announced it would begin accepting bitcoin at all U.S. locations this year.
Earnings season continues Tuesday, with Coinbase set to report. Its stock, which trades closely with the price of bitcoin, dropped 3% Tuesday. SoftBank and Sysco are also set to report.
The price of bitcoin fell 1.5% on Tuesday after jumping 5% on Monday to its highest price since May.
Investors await the consumer price index and producer price index data, both of which measure inflation and are scheduled to come out Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. A handful of central bank speakers, including Chicago Fed President Charles Evans and Kansas City Fed President Esther George, are also expected this week. Investors will be listening for clues on how the Fed is approaching dialing back its bond purchases.
