US markets surge on spending cuts and tax increase deal

03 Jan 2013 Evaluate

The US markets surged on Wednesday, with the Dow industrials notching their largest first-session-of-the-year-point rise ever, markets welcomed an 11th-hour deal to avoid steep spending cuts and tax increases and pondered deficit moves still ahead. The so called fiscal cliff drama played out until the last minute as lawmakers haggled on the ideological biases and struck on respective party positions. Several Republicans in the House of Representatives joined Democrats to approve a deal struck by the Senate earlier. The agreement will increase taxes on wealthiest 2% of Americans and postpones most of the tax increase and spending cuts by two months. Yet the deal was not the grand bargain on cutting the nation’s red ink that lawmakers intended when they came up with tax-and-spending deadlines during the past few years.  Investors have now shifted attention to mid-February deadline when lawmakers have to approve the debt ceiling.

On the economy front, the US manufacturing expanded a fraction in December and construction spending declined in November, the first decline in eight months. The Institute for Supply Management stated that its index of manufacturing activity increased to 50.7 from 49.5. The reading above 50 indicates expansion and below 50 indicates contraction. The index rebounded from the 40-month low in November but still below the 54.1 in January 2012. On the other hand, the Commerce Department stated that construction spending declined 0.3% to an annual rate of $866 billion. Private spending on non-residential projects decreased 0.7% the fourth monthly fall in six months. Spending on private residential projects increased 0.4% and public sector construction spending increased 0.4%, state and local spending gained slightly by 0.1% and federal spending dropped 5.5%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 308.41 points or 2.35 percent to 13,412.50, the Nasdaq added 92.75 points or 3.07 percent to 3,112.26 and the S&P 500 closed higher by 36.23 points or 2.54 percent to 1,462.42.

Indian ADRs closed in green on Wednesday, ICICI Bank was up 1.89%, Tata Motors was up by 1.02%, Dr Reddy’s lab was up by 0.90%, Infosys was up 0.56% and HDFC Bank was up 0.47%. 

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