US markets end mostly higher on Tuesday

31 May 2023 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly higher on Tuesday. The initial strength on markets came following news President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reached an agreement in principle to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a potentially disastrous default by the U.S. government. Private reports said the agreement in principle will raise the debt ceiling for two years and keep non-defense spending roughly flat for fiscal 2024 and increase it by 1 percent in fiscal year. However, upside rained capped amid concerns the agreement is likely to face opposition from some Republicans who were seeking bigger spending cuts, potentially prolonging the process of passing the bill. Also, traders looked ahead to the monthly jobs report on Friday amid concerns about further interest rate hikes.

On the economic data front, consumer confidence in the U.S. saw a modest decrease from an upwardly revised level in the month of May, according to a report released by the Conference Board. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index edged down to 102.3 in May from an upwardly revised 103.7 in April. Street had expected the consumer confidence index to slip to 100.0 from the 101.3 originally reported for the previous month. On the sectoral front, Energy stocks declined amid a steep drop in oil prices. Gold stocks fell as well.

Nasdaq rose 41.74 points or 0.32 percent to 13,017.43 and S&P 500 was up by 0.07 points to 4,205.52, while Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 50.56 points or 0.15 percent to 33,042.78.  


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