All told, the S&P 500 rose 22.44 points to 5,995.54. The Dow gained 259.65 to 43,988.99, and the Nasdaq composite edged up 17.32 to 19,286.78.
In the bond market, longer-term Treasury yields eased.
A preliminary report in the morning suggested sentiment among US consumers rose for a fourth straight month to its highest level in six months. The survey from the University of Michigan, which was conducted before Tuesday’s election, also said expectations for inflation in the coming year eased to the lowest level since 2020.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.30 per cent from 4.33 per cent late Thursday. But it’s still well above where it was in mid-September, when it was close to 3.60 per cent.
Treasury yields climbed in large part because the US economy has remained much more resilient than feared. The hope is that it can continue to stay solid as the Federal Reserve continues to cut interest rates in order to keep the job market humming, now that it’s helped get inflation nearly down to its 2 per cent target.
Some of the rise in yields has also been because of Trump. He talks up tariffs and other policies that economists say could drive inflation and the US government’s debt higher, along with the economy’s growth.
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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.
In stock markets abroad, Trump’s talk about tariffs has raised worries about possible trade tensions and disruptions to the global economy.
European indexes mostly sank to close out a losing week.
Financial markets worldwide have swung sharply as investors lay bets on what Trump’s plans for higher tariffs, lower tax rates and lighter regulation could mean for the global economy. But many professional investors have also urged caution, saying snaps back in prices could occur as it becomes more clear what proposals will become policy versus just starting points for negotiations.
“Our experience is that such narrow reactions have not historically made for durable investment opportunities, and we favour pausing to look more closely at the likely main policy initiatives,” according to Paul Christopher, head of global investment strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
US banks and the stocks of more domestically focused companies have seen some of the wildest moves, as some of the poster children of the “Trump trade.”
The stock that’s become most synonymous with the president-elect, Trump Media & Technology Group, rose 15.2 per cent Friday in its latest sharp swing to wipe out what had been a loss for the week.
AP
