US markets end mostly higher on Wednesday

01 Apr 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday. The rally by technology stocks reflected window dressing on the final day of the first quarter, as the tech-heavy Nasdaq underperformed the Dow and the S&P 500.  The advance on the day helped the Nasdaq surge up by 2.8 percent for the quarter, although that compares to a 5.8 percent jump by the S&P 500 and a 7.8 percent spike by the Dow. The Dow and the S&P 500 have also recently reached new record highs, while the Nasdaq remains well off its highs set last month. Meanwhile, traders were also reacting to the details of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure and economic recovery plan. The plan calls for spending approximately $2 trillion over eight years, with the proposal including investments in transportation infrastructure and accelerating the transition to clean energy.

A report from payroll processor ADP showing strong private sector job growth in the month of March also generated some positive sentiment. ADP said private sector employment surged up by 517,000 jobs in March after climbing by an upwardly revised 176,000 jobs in February. Street had expected employment to jump by 550,000 jobs compared to the addition of 117,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month. Besides, On Friday, the Labor Department is scheduled to release its more closely watched monthly jobs report, which includes both public and private sector jobs. Street currently expect employment to jump by 639,000 jobs in March after climbing by 379,000 jobs in February. The unemployment rate is expected to drop to 6.0 percent from 6.2 percent.

Nasdaq rose 201.48 points or 1.54 percent to 13,246.87 and S&P 500 was up by 14.34 points or 0.36 percent to 3,972.89, while Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 85.41 points or 0.26 percent to 32,981.55.

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