Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Stock Market Today: A Widespread Rally on Wall Street Sends Stocks Rising, Both Big and Small
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 months ago on
July 26, 2024

Wall Street rallies as stocks across sectors rise, marking a shift from recent market trends and boosting investor confidence. (AP File)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rallying in near unison on Friday as they close out a bumpy week that had been dominated by sharp, market-cleaving swings.

The S&P 500 was 0.9% higher in morning trading following stronger-than-expected profit reports from 3M and several other big companies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 602 points, or 1.5%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher.

Widespread Gains Across Market Sectors

The market’s gains were widespread, including both Big Tech behemoths and smaller stocks. That’s a departure from much of the week, where a divide deepened between the handful of elite stocks that had dominated the market earlier this year and almost everyone else.

Nvidia rose 1.2% to cut into what had been a 4.8% loss for the week. Most of the other members of the small group of stocks known as the “Magnificent Seven” also rose to claw back some of their losses from earlier in the week.

They were under pressure after the latest profit results from Tesla and Alphabet raised worries that investors had gotten carried away by the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology and taken Magnificent Seven prices too high.

Smaller Stocks and Industrial Companies Rally

As those old leaders of the market’s leaderboard tumbled, formerly downtrodden areas of the market turned higher, and they continued their momentum Friday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks climbed 1.3%. It’s up more than 10% this month, far better than the slight dip for the big stocks in the S&P 500.

Industrial companies and other businesses whose profits are closely tied to the strength of the economy also rallied. They had lagged this year as high interest weighed on the U.S. economy and slowed its growth.

Norfolk Southern jumped 11% to erase what had been a loss for the year so far after the rail company reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It got a boost from insurance payments related to last year’s disastrous East Palestine derailment. The company also made progress in reducing its expenses and improving efficiency.

3M rose 17.4% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company behind the Scotch-Brite and Nexcare brands also raised the bottom end of its forecasted range for profit for the full year of 2024.

Inflation Update Boosts Market Sentiment

Stocks generally got another boost from the latest update on inflation, which investors saw as further evidence their expectations for coming cuts to interest rates will prove true.

U.S. consumers paid prices in June that were 2.5% higher than a year earlier, down from May’s inflation rate of 2.6%, the Commerce Department said on Friday. That’s according to the personal consumption expenditures index, which the Federal Reserve pays more attention to than the consumer price index, or CPI.

With inflation resuming its slowdown following a discouraging start to the year, traders are continuing to bet on a 100% probability that the Fed will begin easing its main interest rate in September, according to data from CME Group. The Fed has been keeping its federal funds rate at the highest level in more than two decades for roughly a year.

“Income growth is slow, spending growth is moderating, goods prices are in deflation, service price inflation is tame,” according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “If this doesn’t give the Fed confidence to cut, nothing will.”

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.20% following the inflation report from 4.25% late Thursday and from 4.70% in April. That’s a significant move for the bond market and offers support for stock prices.

Notable Stock Performances

Among the other winners on Wall Street, where nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 were rising, Deckers Outdoors climbed 9.1% after it breezed past Wall Street’s earnings expectations on the strength of its Ugg and Hoka brand footwear. The California company also raised its full-year profit forecast.

Newell Brands soared 36.6% after the owner of Coleman camping supplies and Sharpie markers easily topped analysts’ profit targets.

Among the relatively few stocks to drop was DexCom, which tumbled nearly 40%. The diabetes care company reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected, but its revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations. So did its forecast for revenue in the current quarter.

In stock markets abroad, stock indexes were higher across much of Europe and Asia. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was an outlier and slipped 0.5% amid expectations the Bank of Japan may raise interest rates at a policy meeting next week.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Are Fresno Bike Lanes Safe? Not With This Driver on the Road

DON'T MISS

Herbert and Burrow Face off for 2nd Time as Chargers Host Bengals in Prime Time

DON'T MISS

Fresno DA Secures $665,900 Grant to Tackle DUI ‘Epidemic’

DON'T MISS

How California’s New Emission Rules May Kill the Motorhome Market

DON'T MISS

Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’

DON'T MISS

Rams Mired in First-Quarter Struggles, Hope Healthier O-Line Helps

DON'T MISS

Netflix’s Big Test: Paul-Tyson Fight Paves Way for NFL and WWE Streaming

DON'T MISS

Rock Great Jeff Beck’s Guitars Are Going up for Auction

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Is Now 3 Years Sober Thanks to a Local Nonprofit and Community Support

DON'T MISS

This Central Valley Program Helps Californians Get Six-Figure Jobs

UP NEXT

Herbert and Burrow Face off for 2nd Time as Chargers Host Bengals in Prime Time

UP NEXT

Fresno DA Secures $665,900 Grant to Tackle DUI ‘Epidemic’

UP NEXT

How California’s New Emission Rules May Kill the Motorhome Market

UP NEXT

Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’

UP NEXT

Rams Mired in First-Quarter Struggles, Hope Healthier O-Line Helps

UP NEXT

Netflix’s Big Test: Paul-Tyson Fight Paves Way for NFL and WWE Streaming

UP NEXT

Rock Great Jeff Beck’s Guitars Are Going up for Auction

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Is Now 3 Years Sober Thanks to a Local Nonprofit and Community Support

UP NEXT

This Central Valley Program Helps Californians Get Six-Figure Jobs

UP NEXT

Sacramento Man Convicted for Visalia Catalytic Converter Thefts That Grounded AT&T’s Truck Fleet

How California’s New Emission Rules May Kill the Motorhome Market

30 minutes ago

Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’

50 minutes ago

Rams Mired in First-Quarter Struggles, Hope Healthier O-Line Helps

54 minutes ago

Netflix’s Big Test: Paul-Tyson Fight Paves Way for NFL and WWE Streaming

60 minutes ago

Rock Great Jeff Beck’s Guitars Are Going up for Auction

1 hour ago

Fresno Man Is Now 3 Years Sober Thanks to a Local Nonprofit and Community Support

2 hours ago

This Central Valley Program Helps Californians Get Six-Figure Jobs

2 hours ago

Sacramento Man Convicted for Visalia Catalytic Converter Thefts That Grounded AT&T’s Truck Fleet

2 hours ago

Fresno Marine Recruiter Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

3 hours ago

Dan Forrest’s ‘Creation’ Is a Feast for the Ears. Fresno Master Chorale Performs It Sunday.

3 hours ago

Are Fresno Bike Lanes Safe? Not With This Driver on the Road

A driver narrowly avoided a collision Tuesday as another motorist sped through the bike lane at Princeton and Palm avenues, using the blocke...

11 minutes ago

Bike lane on Palm Avenue in Fresno.
11 minutes ago

Are Fresno Bike Lanes Safe? Not With This Driver on the Road

16 minutes ago

Herbert and Burrow Face off for 2nd Time as Chargers Host Bengals in Prime Time

23 minutes ago

Fresno DA Secures $665,900 Grant to Tackle DUI ‘Epidemic’

30 minutes ago

How California’s New Emission Rules May Kill the Motorhome Market

50 minutes ago

Scientists Fear What’s Next for Public Health if RFK Jr. Is Allowed To ‘Go Wild’

Rams
54 minutes ago

Rams Mired in First-Quarter Struggles, Hope Healthier O-Line Helps

60 minutes ago

Netflix’s Big Test: Paul-Tyson Fight Paves Way for NFL and WWE Streaming

1 hour ago

Rock Great Jeff Beck’s Guitars Are Going up for Auction

Search

Send this to a friend