U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow industrials toppling records, as investors considered mixed economic reports on jobs and the housing market and continued to relish the Federal Reserve's renewed vow to keep benchmark rates low.
"We've got low inflation, improving earnings and a central bank that appears to be a constructive force; what's not to like in this picture," said Jim Russell, senior equity strategist for US Bank Wealth Management. "It all adds up to an environmental overlay that is extremely risk-asset friendly, Russell added.
Economic reports Thursday had the number of Americans filing for jobless benefits dropping to a two-month low and separately, housing starts declined in August. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's index of factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region decelerated in September, but its employment component rose to its highest level since the middle of 2011.
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD holds above 1.0650 after US data
EUR/USD retreats from session highs but manages to hold above 1.0650 in the early American session. Upbeat macroeconomic data releases from the US helps the US Dollar find a foothold and limits the pair's upside.
GBP/USD retreats toward 1.2450 on modest USD rebound
GBP/USD edges lower in the second half of the day and trades at around 1.2450. Better-than-expected Jobless Claims and Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index data from the US provides a support to the USD and forces the pair to stay on the back foot.
Gold is closely monitoring geopolitics
Gold trades in positive territory above $2,380 on Thursday. Although the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield holds steady following upbeat US data, XAU/USD continues to stretch higher on growing fears over a deepening conflict in the Middle East.
Ripple faces significant correction as former SEC litigator says lawsuit could make it to Supreme Court
Ripple (XRP) price hovers below the key $0.50 level on Thursday after failing at another attempt to break and close above the resistance for the fourth day in a row.
Have we seen the extent of the Fed rate repricing?
Markets have been mostly consolidating recent moves into Thursday. We’ve seen some profit taking on Dollar longs and renewed demand for US equities into the dip. Whether or not this holds up is a completely different story.