US markets end higher amid easing Greenland tensions

23 Jan 2026 Evaluate

U.S. markets closed sharply higher on Thursday, as easing tensions over President Donald Trump’s efforts to take control of Greenland lifted stocks. Investors sentiments improved after Trump ruled out the use of military force to acquire Greenland during a speech on Wednesday and later said he had reached the framework of a deal on the arctic territory. As a result of the framework of a deal reached with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump pulled back from threats to impose sanctions on European countries that opposed his plans. However, traders overlooked the Labor Department released a report showing that a slight uptick in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended January 17. The report said initial jobless claims crept up to 200,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level of 199,000. Street had expected jobless claims to rise to 205,000 from the 198,000 originally reported for the previous month.

On the sectorial front, the Gold stocks showed substantial strength on the day as a sharp rise in gold prices lifted the sector, with the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index surging 4.4 percent to a record closing high. Telecom stocks also posted notable gains, with the NYSE Arca North American Telecom Index climbing 2.1 percent to end at a record close.

Nasdaq increased 211.19 points or 0.91 percent to 23,436.02, Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 306.78 points or 0.63 percent to 49,384.01, and S&P 500 added 37.73 points or 0.55 percent to 6,913.35.

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