US markets settle considerably higher on Friday

26 Sep 2020 Evaluate

The US markets settled considerably higher on Friday as technology stocks moved sharply higher, once again attempting to rebound from recent weakness. Big-name tech stocks like Apple, Amazon and Microsoft posted significant gains on the day. The advance by Microsoft reflected substantial strength in the software sector, with the Dow Jones US Software Index surging up by 2.6 percent. Notable strength also emerged among biotechnology and healthcare stocks, with the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones US Healthcare Index both climbing by 1.8 percent. Within the biotech sector, Novavax (NVAX) posted a standout gain after announcing it has initiated a Phase 3 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Traders largely shrugged off a report from the Commerce Department showing a much smaller than expected increase in durable goods orders in the month of August. The Commerce Department said durable goods orders rose by 0.4 percent in August after soaring by an upwardly revised 11.7 percent in July. Street had expected durable goods orders to surge up by 1.5 percent compared to the 11.4 percent spike that had been reported for the previous month. Traders also kept an eye on developments in Washington amid reports House Democrats plan to unveil a new $2.4 trillion coronavirus relief bill. The price tag for the bill is $1 trillion less than a stimulus package the House passed back in May but may still be too high for Republicans.

Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 358.52 points or 1.34 percent to 27,173.96, Nasdaq jumped 241.3 points or 2.26 percent 10,913.56 and S&P 500 was up by 51.87 points or 1.6 percent to 3,298.46.

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