Stocks Jump as Nasdaq Notches Best Day Since April: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) —

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Company trading price upward movements are displayed on a glass panel as visitor arrive in the lobby of the Euronext NV Paris stock exchange in the La Defense business district of Paris, France, on Thursday, July 16, 2020. The French government is due to unveil its longer-term stimulus plan for the euro area’s second-biggest economy at the end of August.

U.S. stocks climbed to an almost six-week high amid a rally in some of the world’s largest technology companies.

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The S&P 500 extended gains into a fourth day and the Nasdaq 100 posted its biggest advance since April after surging as much as 4.1%. Amazon.com Inc. soared ahead of its Prime Day while Apple Inc. jumped as the tech giant — whose price target was raised by RBC Capital Markets — is set to embrace 5G as one of its most significant additions to this year’s iPhones. Twitter Inc. rallied on an upgrade at Deutsche Bank, which also boosted its price estimates for other companies that derive their revenue from digital advertising such as Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.

After plunging into a correction last month, the tech-heavy gauge extended its surge from this year’s lows to more than 70%. Investors have once again turned back to the companies flush with cash that can thrive if the economic recovery slows down. Prospects for a quick end to the stalemate over a new stimulus faded Monday with members of the House being told not to expect any action this week and many Senate Republicans rejecting the White House proposal for a deal.

“People are going back to the trade that’s worked, and that’s the growth trade,” said Keith Gangl, a portfolio manager of Gradient Investments. “People are worried about missing out, so they are going right to the tech leaders.”

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The hearings for the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett began Monday in the Senate Judiciary Committee as Republicans try to cement a conservative majority on the court before the Nov. 3 election.

Elsewhere, oil slumped with workers in the U.S. Gulf heading back following Hurricane Delta’s landfall and Libya taking a major step toward reopening its biggest field. The offshore yuan sank after China’s central bank took steps to restrain the currency’s rally. The Treasury market was closed for a U.S. holiday.

Here are some key events coming up:

JPMorgan, Citigroup and BlackRock report earnings on Tuesday; results from Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs are due Wednesday; Morgan Stanley’s earnings are scheduled for Thursday.U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a deadline of Thursday to thrash out the outline of a European Union trade deal.European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde leads off the virtual annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. Through Oct. 18.

These are some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

The S&P 500 climbed 1.6% as of 4 p.m. New York time.The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.7%.The MSCI Asia Pacific Index advanced 0.9%.

Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index gained 0.1%.The euro fell 0.1% to $1.1812.The British pound climbed 0.2% to $1.3065.

Bonds

Germany’s 10-year yield fell two basis points to -0.55%.Britain’s 10-year yield declined one basis point to 0.271%.

Commodities

The Bloomberg Commodity Index fell 0.6%.West Texas Intermediate crude declined 2.8% to $39.47 a barrel.Gold weakened 0.4% to $1,923.01 an ounce.

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