Stocks rose solidly in early trading Wednesday as investors regained an appetite for risk after two days of heavy losses.
The sharp drops, which wiped out the market's gains for the year, were brought on by worries over economic fallout from the virus outbreak that originated in China.
The virus continues to spread and threatens to hurt industrial production, consumer spending, and travel. More cases are being reported in Europe and the Middle East. Health officials in the U.S. have been warning Americans to prepare for the virus.
Investors are setting aside some of their concerns for the time being and bid up technology stocks. Microsoft rose 1.5 percent and Adobe rose 1.8 percent. The tech sector was among the worst hit by sell-offs this week as many of the companies rely on global sales and supply chains that could be stifled by the spreading coronavirus.
Health care companies also climbed. UnitedHealth Group rose 1.9 percent.
Bond prices fell and pushed yields higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.36 percent from 1.33 percent late Tuesday.
TJX, the parent of retailer TJ Maxx, surged 7.7 percent after beating Wall Street's fourth-quarter profit forecasts and raising its dividend.
Utilities and real estate companies lagged the market in another sign that investors were shifting away from safe-play stocks.
VIRUS UPDATE: The virus outbreak has now infected more than 81,000 people globally and continues spreading. Brazil has confirmed the first case in Latin America. Germany, France, and Spain were among the European nations with growing caseloads. New cases are also being reported in several Middle Eastern nations.
President Donald Trump will hold a news conference later Wednesday, along with representatives from the Centers for Disease Control, to discuss the virus.
KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index rose 1.2 percent as of 10:20 a.m. Following its two-day drop, it's still down 6.4 percent from the record high it reached last Wednesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 335 points, or 1.2 percent, to 27,423. The Nasdaq rose 1.5 percent. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks rose 0.6 percent.
European markets were mixed and Asian markets fell.
MOUSE EXIT: Disney fell 0.5 percent following Bob Iger's surprise announcement that he will immediately step down as CEO of the entertainment company. Iger steered the company's absorption of big moneymakers, including Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel and Fox's entertainment businesses. He also oversaw the launch of the Disney Plus streaming video service.
BUSTED BUILDERS: Toll Brothers fell 10.1 percent and weighed down other homebuilders after reporting disappointing fiscal first-quarter profit. D.R. Horton fell 2.7 percent and PulteGroup shed 2.9 percent.
Chipmaker NVIDIA easily beat its third quarter fiscal 2022 earnings expectations, reporting earnings per share of $1.17 on revenue of $7.1 billion, thanks to success in its gaming and data center divisions. The company is also poised for potential success as tech giants like Facebook and Microsoft push forward with metaverse projects and technology. Daniel Newman, Founding Partner and Principal Analyst at Futurum Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss NVIDIA's earnings results, chipmaker competition, and more.
Germany could be on track to legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis, which could represent a massive market opportunity for cannabis companies. Prohibition Partners' researcher Conor O'Brien joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the potential legalization of recreational marijuana in Germany, Luxembourg's recent legalization, and what those moves mean for the broader cannabis industry.
ETF and mutual fund manager VanEck has launched its XBTF - the third Bitcoin-linked futures ETF to enter the market. This comes after VanEck's application for a spot product Bitcoin ETF was denied by the SEC, and also as the broader crypto markets slump this week. Kyle DaCruz, Director of Digital Asset Product for VanEck, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the XBTF's debut, investor demand, and more.
Major U.S. retailers, including Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Target have all reported better than expected earnings heading into the holiday season. This comes as retail sales climbed in October, despite the biggest inflation surge in more than 30 years. David Steinberg, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Zeta Global, explains why inflation doesn't seem to be scaring consumers away.
Bitcoin is getting a makeover. It's the first upgrade in four years for the cryptocurrency. The Taproot update offers greater transaction privacy and efficiency and will unlock the potential for smart contracts. Jeff Roberts, executive editor of Decrypt, joins Cheddar News to breakdown what this upgrade means for investors.
The nation's largest alcohol e-commerce and delivery platform is getting even bigger. Drizly is now collaborating with 7-Eleven to deliver alcohol in under 60 minutes from 7-eleven's 1,200 stores. The companies plan to expand the collaboration in the coming months. Cathy Lewenberg, COO at Drizly, joins Cheddar News to talk about the new collaboration.
Netlify, a platform that builds, deploys and hosts websites and apps, raised $105 million dollars in a Series D round, now valuing the company at $2 billion. Along with the funding, Netlify is also announcing the acquisition of the company OneGraph. Netlify says OneGraph's technology will drive a new wave of innovation on its platform, by making it easier to compose apps with the best developer tools available. Netlify co-founder and CEO Matt Biilmann joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
