Rates, debt hopes give Wall Street a lift
Wall Street stocks closed higher on Thursday on hopes that the US central bank could pause its interest rate hikes, while traders eyed progress on a deal to avert the nation's first-ever default. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5 percent to 33,062, while the broad-based S&P 500 closed 1.0 percent higher at 4,221. The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index surged 1.3 percent to 13,101. The moves came after the House of Representatives late Wednesday approved a bill to suspend the nation's debt limit – key to avoiding a default – and advanced it to the Senate. Hammered out between US President Joe Biden and Republican leaders, the pact suspends the debt ceiling until 2024, and slightly cuts government spending next year. On Thursday, investors also took in economic data suggesting the Federal Reserve could have room to hold back on further interest rate hikes in policymakers' upcoming meeting this month. A report by the Institute for Supply Management on the manufacturing sector indicated a fall in prices paid last month, providing a boost to a market that "wants to hear good news about inflation," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. The market is also "pricing a much less chance" for interest rate hikes at the next two Fed meetings following comments from central bank officials, he noted, bolstering it further. While private hiring cooled less than expected in May according to data from payroll firm ADP, "if the market can make the case that we can add jobs and not have inflation, then that's a good sign," said Sosnick. Among individual companies, shares of software firm Salesforce closed 4.7 percent lower while those of artificial intelligence company C3.ai slumped 13.2 percent, in a gloomy showing after their earnings reports. (AFP)