The stock market recovered from an afternoon stumble Thursday and ended with some modest gains, enough to mark more record highs for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq composite.
Investors had a fresh batch of economic data to weigh as they gauge the economic recovery, but much of the focus will be on a key employment report from the Labor Department on Friday.
Trading remains quiet as the summer holiday season comes to a close and Wall Street heads into a three-day holiday weekend. Activity is expected to pick up next week once traders are back from vacation. Typically September is one of the market’s more volatile months.
The S&P 500 rose 12.86 points, or 0.3%, to 4,536.95, topping a record set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 131.29 points, or 0.4%, to 35,443.82. The Nasdaq rose 21.80, or 0.1%, to 15,331.18, also setting a record.
Small-company stocks fared better than the rest of the market in a sign that investors are feeling encouraged about the prospects for the economy. The Russell 2000 index rose 16.96 points, or 0.7%, to 2,304.02.
Health care companies made broad gains and energy stocks gained ground on a 2% jump in oil prices. Insurer Anthem rose 3.7% and Exxon Mobil rose 2.4%. Technology and communications stocks slipped.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 340,000, a pandemic low and another sign that the job market is steadily rebounding from the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
It's a preview of what traders are waiting for on Friday, when they will get the August jobs report from the Labor Department. Economists are expecting that U.S. employers created 750,000 jobs last month, pushing the unemployment rate down to 5.2%.
That jobs report will be closely watched by investors for its potential impact on the Federal Reserve's path forward on its support for the economy. The central bank has signaled that it could begin tapering its monthly bond purchases, but will likely keep interest rates low until it's comfortable with a recovery in the employment market. Low interest rates have been a key factor in the broader market's solid gains through the year.
“The market is likely to stay on track because of the Fed, but the risk is on the inflation side,” said Jay Hatfield, CEO of Infrastructure Capital Advisors.
Inflation remains a concern as supply chain issues prompt some companies to raise prices on goods. Those issues have been particularly painful for industries that rely on computer chips, where a shortage is getting worse and forcing big automakers to cut back on production, including General Motors and Ford. The problem is being worsened by the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19, which has hit employees at factories in southeast Asia hard.
The housing market, where rental and home prices have been rising, is also a key measure to monitor, Hatfield said, as it could push inflation higher into 2022 and put a dent in the broader market when the Fed eventually does ease back its support for low interest rates.
Bond yields were steady. The 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.29% from 1.30% from the day before.
Several companies made sharp gains on a mix of earning and deal news. Baxter International rose 4.8% after the medical products company said it is buying Hill-Rom for $10.5 billion in cash. Signet Jewelers rose 5.7% after reporting solid second-quarter financial results.
Virgin Galactic Holdings fell 3% after the Federal Aviation Administration grounded spaceflights after learning that the ship carrying founder Richard Branson and five Virgin Galactic employees veered off course during its descent back to earth in July.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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