US markets rebound on the back of good corporate results and economic reports

17 Apr 2013 Evaluate

The US markets edged higher on Tuesday, rebounding from their hardest knock this year as investors cheered a full slate of corporate results and economic reports. Johnson & Johnson, the maker of drugs and medical devices reported first-quarter revenue that beat expectations. The Coca-Cola Company reported first-quarter results that too beat expectations. On the economy front, industrial production increased in March as consumers cranked up the heating, capping off the best quarter in a year for output in which demand for cars and construction supplies grew. The Federal Reserve stated that industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in March, and February’s growth was revised higher to 1.1% from the initially reported 0.8% advance. The construction on new US homes in March hit the highest rate in almost five years, as starts for apartments jumped. The report pointed to an ongoing rebound in housing activity: starts in March were up 47% from the same period in the prior year, the largest year-over-year growth since 1992. Separately, consumer inflation pressures eased in March as gasoline prices dropped, which could add to fears of renewed deflationary pressure in the economy. The consumer price index decreased 0.2% in March, led by lower energy and apparel costs. The decrease was larger than the 0.1% decline expected. Core prices - which exclude volatile food and energy costs - increased 0.1%, softer than the 0.2% gain expected.

Meanwhile, New York Fed President William Dudley, a key voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, stated that the current rate of bond purchases at the Fed is appropriate given the benefits so far, the lack of substantial improvement in the labor market and inflation running well below the Fed’s 2% target. While, Philadelphia Fed Bank President Charles Plosser stated that the Federal Reserve should take two steps right away to prepare for the eventual exit from its ultra-loose monetary policy. Plosser added that three years have now passed since the last increase, and the Fed’s other emergency lending programs have ended. He also wants the Fed to start buying short-term Treasurys with the proceeds from the maturing mortgage-backed securities on its balance sheet. Plosser added that he wants the Fed to reconsider its exit strategy, which was last articulated publicly in June 2011.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 157.58 points or 1.08 percent to 14,756.80, the S&P 500 added 22.21 points or 1.43 percent to 1,574.57 and the Nasdaq edged higher 48.14 points or 1.50 percent to 3,264.63.

The Indian ADRs closed in green on Tuesday, ICICI Bank was up 2.32%, Tata Motors was up 1.53%, Dr. Reddy’s Lab was up 1.31%, HDFC Bank was up 1.10% and Infosys was up 1.05%.

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