U.S. stocks climbed as traders monitored corporate earnings, a second day of testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and developments with the coronavirus outbreak.
4:07 p.m. ET: S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq close at record highs as coronavirus fears ease
Here’s where the major indices had settled as of 4:07 p.m. ET:
S&P 500 (^GSPC): +0.65% or +21.70 points to 3,379.45
Nasdaq (^IXIC): +0.90% or +87.02 points to 9,725.96
Crude oil (CL=F): +3.28% or +1.64 to 51.58 a barrel
Gold (GC=F): -0.01% or -0.20 to 1,569.90 per ounce
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2:38 p.m. ET: S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq hover near record highs
The three major indices climbed intraday as risk-on trading continued. Each of the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq hit record highs during the session.
Shares of UnitedHealth and Nike led advances in the Dow. The S&P 500’s advances were led by the consumer discretionary and energy sectors, with U.S. crude oil prices up more than 2% for a second straight day of gains.
Haven assets declined, with gold prices edging slightly lower. Treasury yields rose across the curve, and the 10-year yield bounced back above 1.6%.
Here were the main moves in the market, as of 2:38 p.m. ET:
S&P 500 (^GSPC): +0.53% or +17.95 points to 3,375.5
Nasdaq (^IXIC): +0.74% or +71.69 points to 9,710.64
Crude oil (CL=F): +2.5% or +$1.25 to $51.19 a barrel
Gold (GC=F): -0.04% or -$0.60 to $1,569.50 per ounce
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12:00 p.m. ET: Stocks hold near the highs of the sessions
U.S. stocks held onto gains intraday during Wednesday’s session. The S&P 500 joined the Dow in hitting a record high, led by gains in the the consumer discretionary and real estate sectors.
Here were the main moves in the market, as of 12:00 p.m. ET:
S&P 500 (^GSPC): +0.53% or +17.83 points to 3,375.58
Nasdaq (^IXIC): +0.68% or +65.65 points to 9,704.59
Crude oil (CL=F): +2.42% or +$1.21 to $51.15 a barrel
Gold (GC=F) +0.2% or +$3.10 to $1,573.20 per ounce
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9:48 a.m. ET: S&P 500 aggregate earnings are beating expectations by 5.2% so far
To date, companies comprising just under 80% of the S&P 500’s market capitalization reported fourth-quarter results.
Among these, earnings have so far beaten consensus expectations by 5.2%, and 63% of companies have exceeded their bottom-line estimates, according to an analysis from Credit Suisse chief U.S. equity strategist Jonathan Golub. That compares to 5.2% and 71% over the past three years.
Aggregate earnings per share are on pace to rise 3.5% for the fourth quarter, Golub said. Heading into fourth-quarter earnings results, consensus analysts expected earnings to grow 3.1%.
Companies including Cisco, Applied Materials, MGM resorts and TripAdvisor are due to release results after market close Wednesday.
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9:33 a.m. ET: Stocks rise, Dow hits record high
The Dow hit a fresh record high just after market open Wednesday, led by shares of Dow Inc. and UnitedHealth Group. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also opened higher.
Here were the main moves in markets, as of 9:33 a.m. ET:
S&P 500 (^GSPC): +0.51% or +17.23 points to 3,374.98
Crude oil (CL=F): +3.3% or +1.65 to $51.59 a barrel
Gold (GC=F) -0.03% or -$0.40 to $1,569.70 per ounce
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9:05 a.m. ET: CVS beats 4Q expectations
CVS Health Corporation (CVS) posted fourth-quarter results that topped consensus estimates, driven by strong growth in its pharmacy services and health benefits businesses after its acquisition of Aetna. Sales guidance for the full year was better than expected, although the midpoint of its guidance for full-year adjusted EPS was slightly light.
Fourth-quarter adjusted earnings were $1.73 per share on net revenue of $66.89 billion, better than the $1.68 per share on net revenue of $63.95 billion expected. For 2020, CVS sees revenue in a range of between $261.97 billion to $265.48 billion, better than the $256.9 billion expected.
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7:47 a.m. ET: Lyft shares sink 5% in early trading after leaving profit guidance unchanged
In results delivered after market close Tuesday, Lyft said it still expected to be profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis by the fourth quarter of 2021. Uber, which also runs a number of other businesses including food-delivery and freight services, said it would be profitable by the fourth quarter of this year.
Shares of Lyft fell 5% to $51.24 each during the pre-market session. However, shares had been up 25% for the year to date through Tuesday’s close.
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7:46 a.m. ET: Dow futures look to open 100+ points higher
Contracts on the three major U.S. stock indices jumped as concerns over the coronavirus failed to meaningfully shake domestic equities for another session. Investors also monitored corporate earnings results and awaited a second day of congressional testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
The number of deaths from the coronavirus, now officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), has claimed the lives of 1,115 individuals globally, with the total number of confirmed cases topping 45,000. However, the number of suspected further cases in China’s Hubei province – the epicenter of the virus – fell by more than 5,000 to 16,000.
Powell addressed the coronavirus in his remarks to the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services Tuesday, saying there would “likely be some effects on the United States,” but that “it’s just too early to say” what the extent of the impact might be. Powell is expected to address the Senate Banking Committee starting at 9:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, after answering a bevy of questions about the labor market, Federal Reserve’s repo market operations and other topics on Monday.
Here were the main moves during the pre-market session, as of 7:46 a.m. ET:
S&P 500 futures (ES=F): 3,370.50, up 13 points or 0.39%
Dow futures (YM=F): 29,353.00, up 124 points or 0.42%
Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): 9,575.25, up 48 points or 0.5%
Crude oil (CL=F): $50.71 per barrel, up $0.77 or 1.54%
Gold (GC=F): $1,569.90 per ounce, down $0.20 or 0.01%
Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 3, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City. - Wall Street stocks rose early Monday, bouncing after Friday's rout as markets monitored the coronavirus at the start of a week with key economic data and earnings reports. The Dow suffered the worst losses of the year on Friday as the death toll from the virus continued to climb and the ailment spread to additional countries. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
