- The Dow jumped to a record high for a second straight day, but the S&P (struggled to tread water.)
- Strong economic data beat estimates and quieted recession fears.
- The Dow received a particular boost from Boeing.
The US economy passed a critical test with flying colors, sending the Dow deeper into uncharted waters above the 27, 500 level.
Shortly before the closing bell, theDow Jones Industrial Averagehad rallied 88. 26 points or 0. 31%, lifting the index to 27, 550. 37.
The Nasdaq and S&P 500 trailed the Dow, rising 0. 16% and 0. 03%.
Gold and silver suffered severe corrections. Thegold price droppedmore than 1.% to $ 1, 485, while silver’s 2.5% retrace reduced its value to $ 17. 61. Platinum and palladium also trended lower, though copper managed to rise more than 1.2%.
Oil prices also rose more than 1%, responding positively to the news that Washington and Beijing might begin unwinding their tangled web of retaliatory tariffs. The US and China are the world’s two largest consumers of oil.
US Economy Passes Critical Test With Flying Colors
Today’s uneven market bounce didn’t earn a new self-congratulatory tweet from Donald Trump, but the president did retweet his post from yesterday touting the Dow’s race to a new zenith.
Perhaps that praise should have gone to the US economy, which survived acrucial testthis morning. The ISM Non-Manufacturing Index, a leading indicator of the health of the services sector, beat economist estimates by a substantial margin, printing a 54 .7 versus an expected 5.
Services account for around 80% of the overall economy, and recent data had provided amixed picture of the sector’s integrity. While the outlook forUS manufacturing remains fraught, today’s better-than -expected non-manufacturing reading suggests that the bull case for the broader economy remains intact.
Writing atThink ING, Chief International Economist James Knightley said that today’s data dump confirms that although US growth is slowing, a recession does not appear to be imminent.
He says,
“[T] he manufacturing and non-manufacturing ISM readings are pointing to a slowdown in the rate of US growth, but are not signaling recession is imminent. ”
Meanwhile, the trade war rumor mill continues togrind in the right direction, though nothing is certain until Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping put the caps back on their pens at the “phase one” signing ceremony.
Elsewhere, stock market analysts continue to pound the drum on thedangers of a “Blue Wave” electionin 2020. The latest warning comes from Paul Tudor Jones, who says that his employees believe the outcome of the presidential election could eitherspur a (% rally in the S&P)if Trump wins – or a 25% plunge if he’s defeated by a progressive Democrat like Elizabeth Warren.
Dow 30 Stocks: Boeing Booms, Visa Flounders, and Walgreens Eyes an Exit
The Dow had its most heavily weighted component, Boeing, to thank for its second straight record-setting session. BA shares traded 2.5% higher afterCEO Dennis Muilenberg offered to forgo his annual bonusesand received a vote of confidence from the aerospace giant’s new chairman, Dave Calhoun. Investors also remain bullish on the day-old news that the737 Max could return to service in Europeduring the first quarter of 2020.
McDonald’s stock rose 1. 95% as investors came to grips with thescandal-linked departure of former CEO Steve Easterbrook.
The index’s top performer was Walgreens, whose shares surged 4.8% in response to a report that the companymight pursue a deal that would take its stock private.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Visa stock slid 1.5%, Home Depot stock dipped 1.4%, and Coca-Cola shares traded 1.2% lower.
This article was edited by Sam Bourgi.
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