US markets end mostly higher on Monday

19 Oct 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly higher on Monday as investors bet on a continuation of strong earnings reports from major companies. A number of big names are set to report in the week ahead, including Netflix, Johnson & Johnson, United Airlines and Procter & Gamble on Tuesday. Tesla, Verizon and IBM are among the other names on deck for the week. Strong results from the first week of earnings, including from the largest banks, have pushed the markets higher. However, upside remained capped  as the Federal Reserve in its latest report has said that industrial production in the US unexpectedly showed a steep drop in the month of September. The Fed said industrial production tumbled by 1.3 percent in September following a revised 0.1 percent dip in August. The sharp decline surprised participants, who had expected industrial production to edge up by 0.2 percent compared to the 0.4 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.

The report said manufacturing output fell by 0.7 percent, with the production of motor vehicles and parts plunging by 7.2 percent amid the semiconductor shortage. Utilities output also plummeted by 3.6 percent, as demand for cooling subsided after a warmer-than-usual August, while mining production slumped by 2.3 percent due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Ida. Besides, worries about the global economic outlook also weighed on the markets after data showed the Chinese economy hit its slowest pace of growth in a year in the third quarter, hurt by power shortages, supply bottlenecks, sporadic Covid-19 outbreaks and major wobbles in the property sector. China's GDP expanded 4.9 percent year-on-year in the third quarter of 2021, the National Bureau of Statistics said, missing forecasts for 5.2 percent and down sharply from 7.9 percent in the three months prior.

Nasdaq rose 124.47 points or 0.84 percent to 15,021.81 and S&P 500 was up by 15.09 points or 0.34 percent to 4,486.46, while Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 36.15 points or 0.1 percent to 35,258.61.

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