Updated 18.00
Wall Street dipped quickly after a brisk opening, but in the last couple of hours the mood has picked up a bit again.
The Dow Jones added 0.5 percent to 38,086.24, the Nasdaq 0.9 percent to 15,751.71 and the S&P 500 0.5 percent to 5,042.91.
– We see the markets heaving a sigh of relief after the Federal Reserve meeting was less hawkish than feared. The base scenario is still that the interest rate cuts will be postponed, but not necessarily cancelled, says senior strategist Angelo Kourkafas at Edward Jones to CNBC.
The “10-year”, the ten-year US government bond yield, is pulling down somewhat and stands at 4.60 per cent, while the “fear index” VIX falls 2.6 per cent to 15.00.
Apple up before numbers
Peloton opened straight up, but quickly turned down on the news that CEO Barry McCarthy is stepping down after just over two years in the role. At the same time, the company announces that it will lay off 15 percent of its employees, around 400 people, close showrooms and change its international sales strategy in an attempt to cut costs by 200 million dollars. The share is down more than 13 percent.
Semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm rises over 9 percent on a stronger-than-expected quarterly figure, and a guidance that also came in on the strong side. Restaurant delivery service DoorDash plunges 13 percent after reporting weaker-than-expected numbers, while used car dealer Carvana jumps more than 30 percent after a record quarterly report was released after hours on Wednesday.
Among the Dow components, Boeing shows the way with a rise of 3 per cent, while Nike follows closely by rising 1.6 per cent. Apple is up 1.4 percent before the technology giant presents quarterly figures after closing time.
