America’s main stock index hit record highs today – as shares rallied on optimism about President Donald’s Trump’s return to office.
The S&P 500 index hit the 6,100 milestone just after midday in New York. Only nine months ago the S&P hit 5,000.
Investors cheered streaming giant Netflix‘s strong quarterly performance and Trump’s multi-billion dollar support to bolster AI infrastructure.
Data pointing to a strong economy amid cooling inflation and Trump’s moderate approach to tariffs have helped risk-taking since last week, with the S&P 500 and the Dow at their highest in over a month.
On the day, Netflix jumped 10.9 percent. The company reported a record number of subscribers for the holiday quarter, enabling it to increase price by up to $2 a month.
Wall Street’s other two main indexes rose too. Midday in New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.29 percent, to 44,152, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.50 percent to 20,054.
The S&P’s climb to record highs marks a full recovery for investors following am early 2025 downturn. Prior to that dip, it had done something not seen in decades – the S&P rose by more than 20 percent for two years in a row.
Despite this week’s rally, America’s most powerful banker Jamie Dimon this morning issued a warning over the US stock market just hours after Trump took office.
S&P 500 hit a record high above 6,100 aruond midday on Wednesday. It later dipped slightly but was trading above 6,090 – up on the day
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York on January 21, 2025
US stocks are coasting to the close of their best week in a year with some modest moves on Friday
Meanwhile, Oracle gained 6.5 percent, a day after Trump said the company would invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure with OpenAI and SoftBank.
A sweeping Trump victory powered bets of a business-friendly agenda and an expected interest-rate cut eased pressure on the US economy.
Both the indexes are set for their best week since last November, while the Nasdaq – which hit a record high on Thursday – is on track for its best in two months and second-best week in 2024.
Expectations of lower corporate taxes and looser regulations under Republican Donald Trump helped the benchmark index and Dow notch intraday record highs for the third straight session.
Server makers Dell and Super Micro added 2.5 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively, while AI winners Microsoft added 3.5 percent and Nvidia rose 3.9 percent.
Investors also are awaiting clarity on Trump’s trade policies after he warned that tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union could be issued on February 1, a reminder for markets that risks of a potential trade war and fresh inflation pressures prevailed.
The president has ordered federal agencies to complete comprehensive reviews of a range of trade issues by April 1 – the date that analysts at Barclays say markets should wait for to get more clarity on his tariff policy.
Traders expect the Federal Reserve to leave interest rates unchanged when it meets next week and expect it to deliver its first rate cut this year in July, according to data compiled by LSEG.
The relatively quiet trading follows big gains and more records for indexes earlier in the week after Donald Trump won the presidential election and the Federal Reserve cut interest rates again to make things easier for the economy
‘The combination of a resilient economy, easing inflation, stabilization in interest rates, an earnings season off to a strong start, and less day-one focus on tariffs by President Trump has provided a solid backdrop for the market,’ Keith Lerner, Truist’s co-chief investment officer, told CNBC.
‘Tech is reasserting its leadership on the back of the Stargate project, which highlights the secular tailwinds and transformative potential of AI.’
In the cryptocurrency market, which has surged amid hopes that President Donald Trump will make Washington friendlier to the industry, bitcoin was below $105,000. It had set a record record above $109,000 on Monday.
Some sourness is lingering after Trump and his wife launched meme coins, which critics said looked like an unseemly cash grab.