Most U.S. stocks rose Thursday, as the Federal Reserve cut interest rates again to make things easier for the economy.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% to add to its surge from the day before following Donald Trump’s presidential victory. The Dow Jones industrial average was virtually unchanged and edged down by less than a point, while the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.5%.
The Fed’s announcement that it was easing its main interest rate caused few ripples in the market because even the precise size of it was so well anticipated by investors.
The central bank began easing rates in September and indicated more cuts were likely to come. What’s less certain in the minds of investors now is how much Trump’s victory may upset the Fed’s plans.
Trump is pushing for tariffs and other policies that economists say could drive inflation higher, along with the economy’s growth. Traders have already begun paring forecasts for how many cuts to rates the Fed will deliver next year because of that. While lower rates can boost the economy, they can also give inflation more fuel.
On Wall Street, health care services company McKesson helped drive the market by jumping 10.6% after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
Lyft revved up by 22.8% after the ride-hailing app breezed past Wall Street’s sales and profit expectations, and Ralph Lauren rose 6.6% after customers in Asia and Europe helped it deliver a bigger profit than expected.
JPMorgan Chase fell 4.3%, a day after banks decisively led the market on expectations that a stronger economy and lighter regulation would mean fatter profits. It and Goldman Sachs were the biggest reasons for the Dow’s slight loss.
Smaller U.S. stocks also lagged the market, with the Russell 2000 index down 0.4%.
The stock that’s become most synonymous with the president-elect, Trump Media & Technology Group, fell 23%.
All told, the S&P 500 rose 44.06 points to 5,973.10. The Dow edged down by 0.59 to 43,729.34, and the Nasdaq composite gained 285.99 to 19,269.46.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.33% from 4.44% late Wednesday.
— Associated Press