Stocks - Dow Eases From Session Highs as U.S. Extends Containment Measures

Investing.com

Published Mar 30, 2020 12:49PM ET

Updated Mar 30, 2020 02:17PM ET

By Yasin Ebrahim

Investing.com – The Dow eased from session highs on Monday, as investors continued to digest a surge in cases in the U.S. on the heels of President Trump's announcement to measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic through April.

The Dow 1.47%, or 317 points, after rising more than 500 points during the session. The S&P 500 added 2.16% and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.38%.

Anticipating a climb in coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S., President Donald Trump said on Sunday the U.S. containment measures, which include social distancing, would be extended to April 30.

Infections in the U.S. rose to nearly 145,000, with about 2,600 deaths so far, with New York accounting for the bulk of cases and fatalities.  

Cases in New York jumped to 66,497 from 59,568 on Sunday, with deaths rising to 1218 from 965, NY Gov. Andrew Mark Cuomo said on Monday.

"(I)f we do things together well, almost perfectly, we could get in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 fatalities,” Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said in an interview on "TODAY."

The extensions of the measures come as Italy, the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe, signaled that its somewhat aggressive lockdown measures were taking shape, with infections falling to 4,050 from 5,217 on Sunday, the lowest daily number of infections in two weeks.

The gains on Wall Street comes just days after President Donald Trump signed the $2 trillion stimulus package, the largest aid package in U.S. history, to ensure the economy bounces back quickly from a widely expected recession.

Tech spearheaded the rally in the broader market, with chip and FANG stocks among the biggest gains.

Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) were all sharply higher.

Energy, meanwhile, also participated in the broader rally, even as oil prices fell to 17-year lows, with no end in sight to the ongoing Saudi Arabia and Russia oil price war at a time when oil demand has been hurt by the coronavirus outbreak.

Get The News You Want
Read market moving news with a personalized feed of stocks you care about.
Get The App

Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.

Sign out
Are you sure you want to sign out?
NoYes
CancelYes
Saving Changes