schema:articleBody
| - US stocks followed up a record close with a tepid open on Friday, amid protracted political uncertainty over a new spending package and weak European economic indicators. About 20 minutes into the final trading session of the week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.1 percent at 27,772.42, while the broad-based S&P 500 was barely changed at 3,386.13. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index, which has scaled new heights this week, eked out a 0.1 percent rise to 11,278.25. The index has closed at records more than 30 times in 2020. Despite the unimpressive start, "one can't necessarily take for granted that it will translate into a lower close for the stock market," analyst Patrick J. O'Hare of Briefing.com said. He pointed to "the well-known fact that this stock market has generally greeted any weakness as a buying opportunity." Late August is a notoriously slow trading period, which can produce big price swings on the least bit of news. Investor enthusiasm was tamped down by the continued failure of the White House to agree with Democratic leaders in Congress on a new aid bill, and reports House Speaker Nancy Pelosi again rejected pleas to accept a narrow package that would continue some assistance. The $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March included loans and grants to companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as extra payments to people who are unemployed, but those programs have expired in recent weeks. "If not extended or replaced, the fading support for the unemployed raises the risk of weakening economic momentum," Schwab's Chief Global Investment Strategist Jeffrey Kleintop said in an analysis. Stock watchers also noted a dip in the IHS Markit data on the eurozone economy. Apple climbed another 2.0 percent in a week that saw it become the first US company to hit $2 trillion in market value. Farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Co surged 4.4 percent on a strong earnings report. hs/cs
|