US markets end mostly higher on Wednesday

24 Dec 2020 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday on positive reaction a slew of US economic data, including a report from the Labor Department showing a significant pullback in first-time claims for unemployment benefits in the week ended December 19th. The report said initial jobless claims slid to 803,000, a decrease of 89,000 from the previous week's revised level of 892,000. Street had expected jobless claims to come in unchanged compared to the 885,000 originally reported for the previous week. The unexpected pullback came after jobless claims reached their highest level since early September in the previous week. The Commerce Department also released a report showing new orders for US manufactured durable goods increased by more than expected in the month of November.

However, buying interest was somewhat subdued, as separate reports from the Commerce Department showed steep drops in personal income and new home sales. Uncertainty about a coronavirus relief package approved by Congress also led to cautious trading after President Donald Trump slammed the bill as a disgrace. Trump called on Congress to amend the bill to increase the direct payments to individuals to $2,000 from $600 and get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items.

Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 114.32 points or 0.38 percent to 30,129.83 and S&P 500 was up by 2.75 points or 0.07 percent 3,690.01, while Nasdaq fell 36.8 points or 0.29 percent to 12,771.11.

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