The US markets settled higher on Wednesday, leaving the Nasdaq with its 31st record close this year, as investors embraced corporate earnings and service-sector data that surprised to the upside. Reports of some progress in Congress toward a fresh coronavirus relief package also offered some support for the bulls. reports suggested that, Trump administration officials and congressional Democratic leaders are working to reach a coronavirus aid bill deal by the end of the week even if the parties still remain far apart on the issues. As lawmakers wrangle over additional pandemic aid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the Trump administration might be able to unilaterally extend the federal moratorium on tenant evictions put in place in March by the CARES Act that expired on July 25.
Adding to the positive sentiment, a report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) showed an unexpected acceleration in the pace of growth in service sector activity in the month of July. The ISM said its non-manufacturing index inched up to 58.1 in July after spiking to 57.1 in June, with a reading above 50 indicating growth in service sector activity. Street had expected the index to drop to 55.0. Chair of the ISM Services Business Survey Committee Anthony Nieves said this reading represents growth in the services sector for the second straight month after contraction in April and May, preceded by a 122-month period of expansion. He added respondents remain concerned about the pandemic; however, they are mostly optimistic about business conditions and the economy as businesses continue to reopen.
Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 373.05 points 1.39 percent to 27,201.52, Nasdaq surged 57.23 points or 0.52 percent 10,998.4 and S&P 500 was up by 21.26 points or 0.64 percent to 3,327.77.
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