US markets end higher despite continued surge in oil prices

03 Mar 2022 Evaluate

The US markets ended higher on Wednesday despite a continued surge in oil prices amid the intensifying conflict between Russia and Ukraine. After reaching an intraday high of $112.51 a barrel, the highest level since May 2011, crude for April delivery gave back some ground but soared $7.19 to $110.60 a barrel. Stocks moved higher as Fed Chair Jerome Powell testified before Congress for his semiannual monetary policy update. The central bank chief said that rate hikes are likely to begin this month despite the highly uncertain impact of the war in Ukraine, and that the Fed would make progress on but not finalize a plan to reduce its balance sheet. On the sectoral front, a rebound by treasury yields contributed to significant strength among banking stocks, with the KBW Bank Index shooting up by 3.6 percent after ending the previous session at a five-month closing low.

Steel, semiconductor, networking and transportation stocks also moved notably higher, while gold stocks bucked the uptrend amid a steep drop by the price of the precious metal. On the economic data front, payroll processor ADP released a report showing US private sector employment jumped by much more than expected in the month of February. ADP said private sector employment surged by 475,000 jobs in February compared to street estimates for an increase of 388,000 jobs. The report also showed a substantial revision to the January data, with the revised data showing employment spiked by 509,000 jobs compared to the previously reported loss of 301,000 jobs.

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 596.4 points or 1.79 percent to 33,891.35, Nasdaq surged 219.56 points or 1.62 percent to 13,752.02 and S&P 500 was up by 80.28 points or 1.86 percent to 4,386.54.

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