US markets closed mostly higher amid US debt ceiling talks

19 Jan 2013 Evaluate

The US markets closed mostly higher on Friday, posting gains for a third consecutive week after strong earnings from General Electric Company and encouraging news about the US debt ceiling. The benchmark index rallied after Speaker John Boehner stated that House Republicans plan to vote on a three-month extension of US borrowing authority in an effort to force the Democratic-led Senate to adopt a budget plan. House Republicans next week will take up a bill to raise the US debt ceiling for three months in an attempt to push the deadline to mid-April and force the Senate to pass a budget, Majority Leader Eric Cantor stated. Unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, the US government will run out of money to pay its bills. A short-term extension of the debt limit would be positive, though it will not provide a long-term solution to the US deficit.

However, Lawmakers in Washington remain divided about raising the debt ceiling and cutting government spending.  The Treasury Department has added that the US will exceed its $16.4 trillion borrowing authority sometime from mid-February to early March. Since 1960, Congress has raised or revised the limit 79 times, including 49 times under Republican presidents, according to the department. On the economy front, a gauge of consumer sentiment declined in January, hitting the lowest level since December 2011, according to a report from the University of Michigan-Thomson Reuters. The consumer-sentiment gauge declined to 71.3 in a preliminary January reading from a final December level of 72.9.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 53.68 points or 0.39 percent to 13,649.70, the Nasdaq lost 1.30 points or 0.04 percent to 3,134.71 and the S&P 500 closed higher by 5.04 points or 0.34 percent to 1,485.98.

Indian ADRs closed mixed on Friday, Dr. Reddy’s Lab was up 0.33%, ICICI Bank was up 0.21% and HDFC Bank was up 0.08%. On the other hand, Wipro was down by 0.71% and Tata Communication was down 0.14%.

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