US markets end higher after signs of progress toward US-China trade deal

29 Mar 2019 Evaluate

The US markets ended higher on Thursday as traders reacted to reports on progress in the ongoing trade talks between the US and China. A senior US administration said that US and Chinese negotiators have made progress on the details of the written agreements to address US concerns. The report comes as US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrive in Beijing for a new round of high-level talks with Chinese officials. However, upside remain capped after the Commerce Department revealed the increase in US gross domestic product in the fourth quarter was downwardly revised by more than anticipated. The Commerce Department said Gross Domestic Product (GDP) climbed by 2.2% in the fourth quarter compared to the previously reported 2.6% increase. Street had expected the pace of growth to be downwardly revised to 2.4%.

With the downward revision, the pace of GDP growth in the fourth quarter is notably slower than the 3.4% jump in the third quarter. The slower than previously estimated fourth quarter GDP growth was partly due to a downward revision to consumer spending, which climbed by 2.5% compared to the previously reported 2.8% increase. The report also showed downward revisions to state and local government spending and non-residential fixed investment, which were partly offset by a downward revision to imports. Meanwhile, the Labor Department released a report unexpectedly showing a modest decrease in first-time claims for US unemployment benefits in the week ended March 23. The report said initial jobless claims dipped to 211,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level of 216,000. The drop came as a surprise to market participants, who had expected jobless claims to rise to 225,000 from the 221,000 originally reported for the previous week.

Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 91.87 points or 0.36 percent to 25717.46, Nasdaq gained 25.79 points or 0.34 percent to 7669.17 and S&P 500 was up by 10.07 points or 0.36 percent to 2815.44.

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