🎈 Up Big Today: Find today's biggest gainers with our free screenerTry Stock Screener

S&P 500 blows past 6,000 points on Trump presidency

Published 11/07/2024, 10:23 PM
Updated 11/08/2024, 04:55 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. one hundred dollar notes are seen in this picture illustration taken in Seoul February 7, 2011. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won/File Photo
US500
-

By Dhara Ranasinghe and Koh Gui Qing

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -The U.S. S&P 500 zoomed past 6,000 points on Friday to a new record while Treasury yields retreated, as investors again cheered Donald Trump's decisive victory, although disappointment about China's latest fiscal support dampened the mood elsewhere.

A day after the Federal Reserve delivered a quarter-point rate cut, as anticipated, the focus returned to the fallout of Tuesday's U.S. presidential election and headlines out of Beijing.

The offshore yuan weakened, while U.S.-listed shares of Chinese firms and China exposed-sectors in Europe sank as investors took in news that China's stimulus did not directly inject money into the struggling economy.

But investors on Wall Street shrugged off frustration about the lack of a Chinese fiscal bazooka and bought U.S. stocks. The S&P 500 index climbed to an intra-day high of 6,012.45 points before pulling back to finish up 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6%, and the Nasdaq Composite ended flat%.

The S&P 500 and the Dow had their best week in a year, while the Nasdaq had its best week in two months. [.N]

Shares of electric car maker Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), whose chief executive, Elon Musk, became one of Trump's biggest supporters in the last leg of his reelection campaign, shot up 8.2%, catapulting its market capitalization to $1 trillion for the first time since 2022.

Nicholas Colas, a co-founder of DataTrek Research LLC, said there are several reasons for buying U.S. stocks: "The Fed is cutting rates, and the U.S. economy is still strong."

In addition, the Republican party won not only the White House this week, but also control of the Senate, and may win control of the House of Representatives - a similar scenario, Colas said, to the November 2016 election outcome that preceded the S&P 500's 22% gain in 2017.Investors are betting that a Trump administration will bring lighter regulation and tax cuts that could boost the U.S. economy.

Outside the United States the mood was more subdued. The pan-European STOXX 600 lost 0.7%, while a MSCI index for world stocks was flat after hitting a record high on Friday. Still, the index for world stocks had its best week in three months.

"What you are going to get because of the clean sweep is a mandate to improve the U.S. economy. So, taxes will come down, bureaucracy will ease and regulation will become lighter," said Guy Miller, chief markets strategist at Zurich Insurance Group (OTC:ZFSVF).

"Between now and year-end, there is a tailwind for U.S. stocks. The U.S. market has potential," he said.

Germany's DAX stock index fell 0.8% a day after posting its best daily performance of 2024 so far, helped by expectations that Germany could scrap its debt brake.

CHINA DISAPPOINTS

China unveiled a 10 trillion yuan ($1.40 trillion) debt package to ease local government financing strains and stabilize flagging economic growth.

Finance Minister Lan Fo'an said more stimulus was coming, with some analysts saying Beijing may not want to fire all its financial weapons before Trump takes over officially in January.

Mainland blue chips fell 1%, a day after rising 3%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng also slid in a sign of some caution ahead of the announcement.

The offshore Chinese yuan fell 0.7% to 7.2011 per dollar. China-exposed European luxury and mining stocks each fell over 3%.

FED CUTS

U.S. Treasury yields fell after Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday signaled continued, patient policy easing.

The Fed's rate cut followed a quarter-point cut from the Bank of England and a large half-point cut by Sweden, also on Thursday.

Ten-year Treasury yields fell 8.3 basis points to 4.343%, reversing sharp rises following the U.S. election result.

Powell said Tuesday's election result would have no "near-term" impact on U.S. monetary policy.

"The Fed pointed to a more uncertain economic outlook and inflation remaining elevated," said Mahmood Pradhan, head of global macroeconomics at the Amundi Investment Institute.

"Together with a likely change in policy direction under the new administration, we expect a more uncertain and measured pace of easing next year."

The dollar index, which measures the currency against six major peers, rose to 104.91, following a 0.7% drop on Thursday, its biggest since Aug. 23. On Wednesday, it soared 1.53%, the most in over two years, a sign of increased volatility as investors assess the new Trump administration's policies.

The euro and sterling both fell against the dollar, while the dollar slipped 0.3% to 152.46 yen.

Bitcoin was up 0.8% after hitting a record high, following a nearly 10% surge this week. Trump has vowed to make the United States "the crypto capital of the planet."

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A trader reacts at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the end of the trading day, after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump became U.S. president-elect, in New York City, U.S., November 6, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

After a roller-coaster week, gold fell 0.9% to $2,683.87. It slumped more than 3% on Wednesday, but bounced 1.8% overnight. Last week it surged to an all-time high of $2,790.15.

Brent crude oil futures pared losses during London trade and were last down 2.1% at $74.01, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 2.6% to $70.45. [O/R]

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.