US markets end higher as traders continue to express optimism about economic outlook

01 Jul 2020 Evaluate

The US markets ended higher on Tuesday, extending the strong upward move seen in the previous session, as traders continued to express optimism about the economic outlook despite the continued spike in new coronavirus cases across several states.  Adding to the positive sentiment, the Conference Board released a report showing a bigger than expected improvement in consumer confidence in the month of June. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index jumped to 98.1 in June from a downwardly revised 85.9 in May. Street had expected the consumer confidence index to climb to 90.0 from the 86.6 originally reported for the previous month. Meanwhile, a separate report released by MNI Indicators showed a continued contraction in Chicago-area business activity in the month of June. MNI Indicators said its Chicago business barometer rose to 36.6 in June from 32.3 in May, but a reading below 50 still indicates a contraction in regional business activity. Street had expected the index to jump to 45.0.

Traders also kept an eye on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's testimony before the House Financial Services Committee regarding the response to the coronavirus pandemic. In prepared remarks, Powell noted that output and employment remain far below their pre-pandemic levels and cautioned that the outlook for the economy is extraordinarily uncertain. Powell said a full recovery is unlikely until people are confident that it is safe to reengage in a broad range of activities. He added the path forward will also depend on the policy actions taken at all levels of government to provide relief and to support the recovery for as long as needed.

Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 217.08 points or 0.85 percent to 25,812.88, Nasdaq rose 184.61 points or 1.87 percent 10,058.76 and S&P 500 was up by 47.05 points or 1.54 percent to 3,100.29.

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