| | | Stocks recoup early losses and finish higher; energy outperforms
28-Aug-19 16:20 ET
Dow +258.20 at 26036.08, Nasdaq +29.94 at 7856.91, S&P +18.78 at 2887.94
briefing.com
[BRIEFING.COM] U.S. stocks finished higher on Wednesday in a broad-based advance. The S&P 500 increased 0.7%, quickly overcoming a negative start that was attributed to declining Treasury yields and finished near session highs.
The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 1.0%, the tech-sensitive Nasdaq Composite increased 0.4%, and the small-cap Russell 2000 increased 1.2%.
Wednesday's session didn't include any market-moving news or notable economic data, and it was mostly quiet on the U.S.-China trade front. In turn, there was an early fixation on the Treasury market, where the continued decline in yields fed into concerns about economic and corporate earnings growth.
Yields came off session lows soon after stocks opened for trading, though, allowing risk sentiment to ease its way back into a flustered stock market. The 2-yr and 10-yr yields declined two basis points each to 1.51% and 1.47%, respectively. The U.S. Dollar Index increased 0.3% to 98.26.
Ten of the 11 S&P 500 sectors finished the day in positive territory. Energy (+1.4%), consumer discretionary (+1.1%), and industrials (+1.1%) set the pace, while the utilities sector (-0.3%) was the lone holdout. The energy sector entered today's session down over 10% in August, but it found some reprieve amid higher oil prices ($55.76/bbl, +$0.86, +1.6%) following bullish inventory data.
Coty (COTY 9.33, +0.53, +6.0%) and Tiffany & Co. (TIF 85.16, +2.49, +3.0%) outperformed following their earnings reports. Autodesk (ADSK 140.08, -10.13, -6.7%) fell after it provided some disappointing guidance that put some pressure on other software stocks within the information technology sector (+0.1%).
Separately, Tropical Storm Dorian strengthened into a hurricane as it threatened to make its way toward Puerto Rico. Many of the insurance stocks underperformed throughout the day. Elsewhere, Queen Elizabeth II approved UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to suspend Parliament until Oct. 14, increasing the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31.
Wednesday's economic data was limited to the weekly MBA Mortgage Applications Index, which declined 6.2% following a 0.9% decline in the prior week.
Looking ahead, investors will receive the following data on Thursday: the advance reports for International Trade in Goods, Retail Inventories, and Wholesale Inventories for July; the second estimate for second-quarter GDP; Pending Home Sales for July; and the weekly Initial and Continuing Claims report.
- Nasdaq Composite +18.4% YTD
- S&P 500 +15.2% YTD
- Dow Jones Industrial Average +11.6% YTD
- Russell 2000 +9.2% YTD
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