Stocks are opening broadly higher on Wall Street, starting the week on a positive note following two straight weeks of losses for most major indexes. The S&P 500 was up 0.6% in the early going Monday. Semiconductor companies were doing especially well in early trading, with Nvidia and Micron both up more than 2%. Virgin Galactic jumped 17% after the company made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle over the weekend. Overseas markets were mixed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.61%.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
TOKYO (AP) — European benchmarks were little changed Monday after a mixed close in Asia that echoed a similar end to last week on Wall Street.
France's CAC 40 inched up 0.1% in early trading to 6,395.50, Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 7,032.32. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures adding 0.4% to 34,293.0. S&P 500 futures added 0.5% to 4,170.38. Germany's markets were closed for a holiday.
The Japanese government is preparing to extend a “state of emergency” to curb coronavirus infections in some areas, beyond the initial ending date of May 31, because of concerns over outbreaks ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, set to begin in July.
The uneven rollout of vaccinations against COVID-19 remains a risk factor for regional markets. Vaccinations have gradually started in Japan, for medical professionals and the elderly, and a separate effort to inoculate people at different sites began Monday. So far, about 5% of the population has gotten at least one shot.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei added 0.2% to finish at 28,364.61. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.4% to 3,144.30, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.2% to 7,045.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.2% to 28,412.26, while the Shanghai Composite edged up 0.3% to 3,497.28.
Several central bank rate decisions are expected in the region this week, in New Zealand, South Korea and Indonesia.
Worries remain that inflation may cause central banks to pull back on efforts to support growth. The U.S. Federal Reserve has said it expects any bump in inflation to be temporary.
Analysts have also said investors are looking further ahead, beyond the recovery, and are wary about potential tax changes and the impact they may have on growth. Also on investors' minds is Bitcoin, whose pricing has turned choppy lately.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained 95 cents to $64.53 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained $1.64 to $63.58 on Friday. Brent crude, the international standard, gained $1.00 to $67.44 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar slipped to 108.76 Japanese yen from 108.91 yen late Friday. The euro cost $1.2203, up from $1.2181.
Before you consider TWO, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and TWO wasn't on the list.
While TWO currently has a "hold" rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Which stocks are major institutional investors including hedge funds and endowments buying in today's market? Click the link below and we'll send you MarketBeat's list of thirteen stocks that institutional investors are buying up as quickly as they can.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.