In this June 16, 2021 file photo, the facade of the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street, Wednesday July 21, as the market continues to recover from a sharp drop at the beginning of the week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
By Alex Veiga
Stocks closed higher on Wall Street for a second straight day Wednesday following a sharp drop at the beginning of the week.
The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and is now on pace for a weekly gain. Technology stocks, banks and companies that rely on consumer spending helped drive the benchmark index's advance. Energy stocks also rose as the price of U.S. crude oil marched 4.3% higher. Utilities and real estate stocks were among the decliners.
The market’s swift rebound from Monday’s sharp sell-off reflects investors’ tug-of-war as they factor in signs of economic growth as the economy reopens, strong corporate earnings and a recovering job market against the potential risks of rising inflation and the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19.
The stock market has begun looking past the pandemic and toward what the recovery looks like, said Bill Northey, senior investment director at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.
"Now there is some degree of question: what is the pace, the degree of that economic recovery from here?” Northey said.
The S&P 500 gained 35.63 points to 4,358.69. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 286.01 points, or 0.8%, to 34,798, and the Nasdaq composite added 133.08 points, or 0.9%, to 14,631.95. The Dow and Nasdaq have also recouped their losses from Monday's sell-off.
Traders continued to bid up small company stocks. The Russell 2000 index outpaced the other major indexes with a gain of 39.74 points, or 1.8%, to 2,234.04.
The S&P 500, a benchmark for many index funds, has managed to keep gaining ground and notched new highs over the last few weeks despite bouts of choppy trading. What’s helped push stocks higher the last two days is better-than-expected results from big corporations.
Summer is typically a slow time for Wall Street, with investors and traders taking vacations and holding steady until later in the year. The dominant thing that will drive the market, with the exception of big economic reports, will be how well companies do versus expectations.
Dow component Coca-Cola rose 1.3% Thursday after the company raised its full-year forecast and reported better-than-expected results. Fast food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill jumped 11.5% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the company also reported much better than expected results after the closing bell Tuesday.
Not all earnings were positive. Netflix fell 3.3% after reporting its worst slowdown in subscriber growth in eight years.
Earnings season will kick into high gear next week, when more than 100 members of the S&P 500 will report their quarter results. So far earnings season has been strong, with more than 80% of the S&P 500 beating analysts' forecasts according to FactSet. That's despite the already high expectations that Wall Street has had for corporations.
Bond yields continued to recover from their sharp fall earlier in the week. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.29%, up from 1.20% the day before. The 10-year note's yield had fallen into the teens on Monday on concerns that the delta variant of the coronavirus might impact economic growth globally.
Among the big winners Thursday, Morgan Stanley rose 3.6%, chipmaker Lam Research gained 5% and Occidental Petroleum vaulted 7.1%. Cruise operators, big losers in Monday’s market slide, rallied again. Norwegian Cruise Line vaulted 10.1%, Carnival gained 9.4% and Royal Caribbean rose 5.4%.
Cheddar's Big Game Special gives you all the info you need heading into Sunday's event. Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, Big Game MVP Hines Ward, and Big Game Champion Emmanuel Sanders dissect the action set to take place on the field, Olivia Harlan Dekker delivers her winning wagers, Tom Morton breaks down what we should expect from advertisers, Azia Celestino showcases the atmosphere from Los Angeles, and Baker Machado discusses what viewers should expect to see unfold during the halftime show.
As the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams prep to face each other in the Big Game at SoFi Stadium in LA, 55 percent of a record number of bettors are projected to drop money on the Rams. Casey Clark, the senior vice president of strategic communications for the American Gaming Association, joined Cheddar News to share some data and predictions based on the greater interest in gambling on Super Bowl LVI. "You know that means that people are migrating away from the predatory illegal market and corner bookie and moving their action into the legal marketplace," he said. "So really encouraging for consumer protections and for those of us who might want to have a little action on the game."
Facebook parent Meta and Grammy Award-winning singer Ciara have joined forces to help black female-owned small businesses. Selected businesses will receive marketing mentorship from Meta along with $100,000 to put into their brand. One such business, The Self Care Suite, is a platform that supports mental health, and founder Tara Pringle Jefferson, along with Irene Walker, Meta Elevate founder and program manager, joined Cheddar News to discuss the program. "Having this opportunity with Meta, with Ciara, really will allow us to focus on our virtual programming, to focus on our e-commerce shop, and, as we kind of adjust, to the new normal in 2022," said Pringle Jefferson.
Tesla has been under mounting regulatory scrutiny by the NHTSA, and has issued numerous recalls, including four within the past two weeks. While the company has issued recalls over the years, the number seems to be increasing in recent months as the company issues fixes for seat belt chimes, pedestrian alerts, its self-driving software, and more. What's behind this uptick in recalls — and how might this impact brand loyalty? Al Root, Senior Writer at Barron's, joins Closing Bell to discuss.
Under Armour released a successful Q4 earnings report amid supply chain issues. The apparel company said it invested in analytics to decipher what drives consumers to its brand. However, the company warned of potential supply problems going forward due to COVID.
Hyperice is a technology company that specializes in physical recovery for athletes, and it's now partnering with the NFL. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers running back and Hyperice athlete-investor, and Jim Huether, Hyperice CEO, joined Cheddar News to discuss the partnership. "It's definitely for both for performance and for recovery, as somebody who plays a brutal sport and have to go through some of the unfortunate realities of injury," McCaffery said of the products. "You're always fighting for that 0.1 percent difference between winning and losing and and the little things and every second matters."
Aurora Cannabis showed a beat on sales for its quarterly earnings report, a positive sign despite a loss of $59 million. CEO Miguel Martin, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss its latest earnings and prospects for future growth. "If you look at our core businesses, they've all had a great quarter, so steady as we go. Our transformation plan is absolutely on track and we feel really good about where the company's going," he said. "Our balance sheet has never been stronger." Martin also discussed entering the U.S. market and the prospects for the medical marijuana market.
Elon Musk announced that he expects Starship to reach orbit in 2022. The SpaceX CEO delivered updates about the largest space vehicle to be constructed from its Texas facility. Jim Cantrell, CEO and co-founder at Phantom Space, joined Cheddar News to talk about the future of Starship. "I've always done wrong by betting against Elon," he said. "The one thing that I find very curious is it launches 100 metric tons into space, and last year, in the entire year, we launched 750. So, you know, with about seven launches, he could launch every satellite on Earth."
