NEW YORK: Wall Street’s main indexes advanced on Wednesday, aided by gains in megacap stocks and a dovish turn by Japan’s top policymaker after a surprise interest rate hike last week that partly sparked heavy volatility in global markets.
Most technology stocks notched gains of at least 2%, with Amazon.com leading the charge, rising 2.6%. Tesla, however, dipped nearly 1%.
All major S&P sectors were trading higher, with information technology and energy leading the gains.
“Many investors are sitting on big gains in tech stocks ... so it’s important for investors to right size their risk,” said Michael Landsberg, chief investment officer at Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth Management.
“We expect this volatility to continue for a bit longer.” The CBOE Volatility index, also known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, declined to 23.09 points, from a high of 65.73 on Monday.
A surprise rate hike by the BOJ on July 31 to a level unseen in 15 years had sparked a global stocks rout as investors unwound their sharp yen carry trade positions following a surge in the low-yielding currency, widely used for acquiring high-yielding assets.
On Wednesday, global equity markets extended their rebound after Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida said the central bank would not raise rates when financial markets are unstable, pushing the yen lower and boosting market sentiment.
At 11:22 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 350.48 points, or 0.90%, to 39,348.14, the S&P 500 gained 71.02 points, or 1.36%, to 5,311.05 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 268.20 points, or 1.64%, to 16,635.06.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ended Tuesday more than 1% higher as comments from Federal Reserve officials eased worries of a US recession and the spotlight shifted back to earnings.
Fortinet jumped 24.6% after the cybersecurity firm raised its annual revenue forecast.
On the flipside, Airbnb slid 12.7% to log its biggest one-day percentage drop after the company forecast third-quarter revenue below estimates and warned of shorter booking windows, suggesting travelers were waiting until the last minute to book due to economic uncertainty.
Walt Disney fell 1.9% as it predicted a ‘moderation in demand’ at its theme park business in the coming quarters.
Super Micro Computer lost 16.3% after reporting quarterly adjusted gross margins below estimates. Rival Dell Technologies dropped 4.9%.
Amgen fell 4.4% as its second-quarter profit slipped 1% on higher expenses that offset a 20% increase in revenue.
Charles River Laboratories slipped 12.4% after the contract research firm trimmed its annual forecast.
The markets now await more commentary on monetary policy from US central bank officials next week, in the run-up to the Jackson Hole event where Fed Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 3.31-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.83-to-1 ratio on Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 posted 15 new 52-week highs and one new low while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 27 new highs and 84 new lows.