US markets end lower after coronavirus stimulus bill fails in Senate

24 Mar 2020 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Monday as a massive fiscal stimulus bill once again failed to clear a procedural hurdle in the Senate. In a largely party-line vote, Senators voted 49 to 46 in favor of the procedural motion, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill. Most Democratic Senators voted against advancing the bill amid complaints that the legislation does too much to bail out companies and not enough to provide assistance to workers. The lack of progress on Capitol Hill partly offset the positive sentiment generated by the Federal Reserve's announcement of extensive new measures to support the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Citing the tremendous hardship being caused by the outbreak, the Fed said it is committed to using its full range of tools to support households, businesses, and the US economy overall in this challenging time. The measures announced include an unlimited expansion of the Fed’s asset purchases, with the central bank saying it will purchase Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities in the amounts needed to support smooth market functioning and effective transmission of monetary policy to broader financial conditions and the economy. The Fed had previously announced it would purchase at least $500 billion of Treasury securities and at least $200 billion of mortgage-backed securities.

Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 582.05 points or 3.04 percent to 18,591.93, Nasdaq declined 18.84 points or 0.27 percent to 6,860.67 and S&P 500 was down by 67.52 points or 2.93 percent to 2,237.4.

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