Major stock indexes rose yesterday while the dollar edged higher as investors focused on key market data later this week that could help to gauge the outlook for Federal Reserve policy.
Oil prices eased.
Investors were monitoring developments in Venezuela. The country’s main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, has vowed to return home quickly, praising US President Donald Trump for toppling her enemy, Nicolas Maduro, and declaring her movement ready to win a free election.
Trump’s administration plans to meet executives from oil companies later this week to discuss boosting production in Venezuela.
“There’s a lot of retooling that would need to get done to get these downstream producers ready for this type of crude oil. It could be done - and it probably will be. How long ... how much investment it will take, and who makes that investment are still the big questions,” said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial.
The raid on Venezuela provided a boost to on Monday, as investors bet Washington would give US firms access to Venezuela’s oil reserves.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 173.14 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 49,150.32, the S&P 500 gained 27.19 points, or 0.39pc, to 6,929.24 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 110.14 points, or 0.47pc, to 23,505.95. MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe added 5.53 points, or 0.54pc, to 1,033.55. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.66pc.
Indexes in Germany and Spain hit record highs, as investors remained confident in the economic outlook despite escalating geopolitical tensions.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, rose 0.18pc to 98.56.
The upbeat mood in markets was driven by expectations for US interest rate cuts. Traders were focused on a US monthly employment report, due on Friday, which will influence the market’s monetary policy expectations. Financial markets are pricing in two Fed rate cuts this year, according to LSEG data.
The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes rose 2 basis points to 4.185pc, from 4.163pc late on Monday.
US crude fell 0.27pc to $58.16 a barrel and Brent dipped to $61.65 per barrel, down 0.18pc.
Gold extended gains yesterday, buoyed by safe-haven demand.
Spot gold was up 0.9pc at $4,486.12 per ounce by yesterday afternoon, after a nearly 3pc gain in the previous session.
Copper soared to an all-time high and nickel leapt more than 9pc to an 18-month peak as supply concerns fuelled an early-year rally in industrial metals.
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