Stocks jump based on economic data
US stocks jumped yesterday, pushing the S&P 500 up for a fourth day, as economic data boosted confidence in the recovery and strong results from Cisco Systems suggested a rebound in technology spending.
The market’s advance was broad-based, and the Dow ended above 10,000 for the first time in two weeks.
Shares of Cisco, which makes computer network equipment, rose 2.8 per cent to $23.93 and helped lead the session’s gains, a day after it posted a stronger-than-expected profit and said business was recovering.
Data showed US non-farm productivity rose more than expected in the third quarter as companies squeezed more output from a smaller pool of labor. A separate report showed fewer US workers filed new jobless insurance claims than forecast last week — hitting a 10-month low.
The claims report boosted investor sentiment, and created “some anticipation that maybe tomorrow’s employment report may be better than expected,” said Peter Jankovskis, co-chief investment officer at OakBrook Investments.
The US government is scheduled to release its key monthly jobs report this morning, with economists forecasting a loss of 175,000 jobs in October, sharply below the 263,000 jobs cut in the previous month. But the US unemployment rate is forecast to rise to 9.9 per cent in October from September’s rate of 9.8 per cent, which was a 26-year high.
The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 203.82 points, or 2.08 per cent, to end at 10,005.96. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 20.13 points, or 1.92 per cent, to 1,066.63. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 49.80 points, or 2.42 per cent, to close at 2,105.32.
After the bell, shares of coffee chain operator Starbucks rose 1.5 per cent to $20 as it posted quarterly results. Tech stocks climbed across the board, with the NYSE Arca Network index up 2.1 per cent, while the PHLX Semiconductor index advanced 2.6 per cent.
Shares of DuPont rose 3.7 per cent to $33.38 after its chief executive outlined plans for growth in 2010 and after.