US markets end mostly higher on Wednesday

21 Oct 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday as investors’ sentiment was boosted by better-than-expected earnings reports and a new record for bitcoin. Shares of Verizon saw notable strength after the telecom giant reported better than expected third quarter earnings and raised its full-year guidance. Bitcoin soared over $66,000, notching a fresh high for the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has been climbing for four weeks amid positive regulatory developments and anticipation of the first bitcoin-linked ETF. The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF began trading Tuesday. However, gains remained capped as the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, which noted the pace of US economic growth has recently slowed. The Beige Book, a compilation of anecdotal evidence on economic conditions in each of the twelve Fed districts, attributed the slowdown to supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and uncertainty around the Delta variant of COVID-19.

The Fed also said employment increased at a modest to moderate rate in recent weeks, as demand for workers was high, but labor growth was dampened by a low supply of workers. On the sectoral front, banking stocks turned in some of the market's best performances on the day, driving the KBW Bank Index up by 2 percent to a record closing high. Significant strength was also visible among housing stocks, as reflected by 1.7 percent gain posted by the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index. The index ended the session at its best closing level in over a month. Utility stocks also saw considerable strength on the day, resulting in a 1.5 percent advance by the Dow Jones Utilities Average. The average also reached a one-month closing high.

Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 152.03 points or 0.43 percent to 35,609.34 and S&P 500 was up by 16.56 points or 0.37 percent to 4,536.19, while Nasdaq fell 7.41 points or 0.05 percent to 15,121.68. 

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