The US markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday as stocks attempted to rebound from a technology-led sell-off in April. Microsoft gained nearly 5 percent after the software giant reported better than expected quarterly results and provided upbeat guidance. Microsoft reported earnings per share of $2.22 for the third-quarter, compared to street expectations of $2.19. The company has forecast double-digit revenue growth for the next fiscal year, driven by demand for cloud computing services. Meanwhile , Visa (V) shares rallied more than 6 percent after the payments processor reported better-than-expected quarterly results and said it expected further growth as spending on travel picks up pace. However, gains remained limited as the mood remained cautious amid concerns about inflation and looming interest rate hikes.
On the economic data front, pending home sales in the US decreased for the fifth straight month in March, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). NAR said its pending home sales slumped by 1.2 percent to 103.7 in March after plunging by 4.0 percent to a revised 105.0 in February. Street had expected pending home sales to tumble by 1.6 percent. A pending home sale is one in which a contract was signed but not yet closed. Normally, it takes four to six weeks to close a contracted sale. The continued decrease in pending home sales came as pending home sales in the Midwest plummeted by 6.1 percent. Pending home sales in the South also fell by 0.9 percent and pending sales in the West edged down by 0.2 percent, while pending sales in the Northeast spiked by 4.0 percent.
Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 61.75 points or 0.19 percent to 33,301.93 and S&P 500 was up by 8.76 points or 0.21 percent to 4,183.96, while Nasdaq fell 1.81 points or 0.01 percent to 12,488.93.
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