Stocks have moved mostly higher in morning trading on Friday, adding to the gains posted in the previous session. With the upward move, the Nasdaq has reached its best intraday level in over a year, while the S&P 500 has set a nearly ten-month intraday high.
The major averages have pulled back off their highs of the session in recent trading but remain in positive territory. The Nasdaq is up 76.13 points or 0.6 percent at 13,314.66, the S&P 500 is up 20.55 points or 0.5 percent at 4,314.48 and the Dow is up 113.04 points or 0.3 percent at 33,946.65.
The continued strength on Wall Street may partly reflect ongoing optimism about the Federal Reserve pausing its recent interest rates increases following next week’s monetary policy meeting.
Yesterday’s report showing initial jobless claims jumped to their highest level since October 2021 last week added to the optimism about a Fed pause.
The Fed, which has previously warned about the impact of labor market tightness, is due to announce its latest monetary policy decision next Wednesday.
Key inflation reports are also likely to be in the spotlight next week, as the data could impact whether the Fed resumes its rate hikes next month.
CME Group’s FedWatch Tool is currently indicating a 72.4 percent chance the Fed will leave rates unchanged next week but a 52.0 percent chance of another quarter point rate hike in July.
Despite the strength being shown by the broader markets, most of the major sectors are showing only modest moves on the day.
Airline stocks are seeing considerable strength, however, with the NYSE Arca Airline Index climbing by 1.4 percent to its best intraday level in over a year.
Software, semiconductor and computer hardware stocks have also moved to the upside, contributing to the advance by the tech-heavy Nasdaq.
On the other hand, gold stocks are seeing some weakness on the day despite a modest increase by the price of the precious metal.
In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region moved mostly higher during trading on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged by 2.0 percent, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index climbed by 0.6 percent.
Meanwhile, the major European markets are seeing modest weakness on the day. While the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index has slid by 0.4 percent, the German DAX Index is down by 0.2 percent and the French CAC 40 Index is down by 0.1 percent.
In the bond market, treasuries have moved back to the downside after turning higher over the course of the previous session. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, is up by 3.7 basis points at 3.751 percent.
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