US markets end marginally higher on Wednesday

03 Jun 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended marginally higher on Wednesday with the S&P 500 hovering near an all-time high. The strength on Wall Street partly reflected continued optimism about the outlook for the global economy following Tuesday's upbeat manufacturing data. However, trading activity remained relatively light as traders seemed wary of making significant moves amid lingering concerns about inflation. Traders largely shrugged off the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, which said the US economy increased at a somewhat faster rate from early April to late May due in part to the positive effects of increased Covid-19 vaccination rates and relaxed social distancing measures. The Beige Book, a compilation of anecdotal evidence on economic conditions in each of the twelve Fed districts, still described the pace of economic growth as moderate.

The Fed said the effects of expanded vaccination rates were most notable in consumer spending, as increased leisure travel and restaurant spending augmented ongoing strength in other spending categories. On the sectoral front, Oil service stocks once again outperformed driving the Philadelphia Oil Service Index up by 7.2 percent to its best closing level in over a year. The continued strength among oil service stocks came as the price of crude oil saw further upside, with crude for July delivery jumping $1.11 to a new more than two-year closing high of $68.83 a barrel. On the other hand, housing stocks showed a substantial move to the downside, dragging the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index down by 2 percent.

Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 25.07 points or 0.07 percent to 34,600.38. Nasdaq rose 19.85 points or 0.14 percent to 13,756.33 and S&P 500 was up by 6.08 points or 0.14 percent to 4,208.12.

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