On Monday, the S&P 500 Index closed up 0.47%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached a new all-time high with a 0.04% gain, and the Nasdaq 100 increased by 0.77%. March E-mini S&P futures rose by 0.46%, while March E-mini Nasdaq futures increased by 0.79%. The markets rallied after a rebound in chipmakers and AI-infrastructure stocks, alongside significant gains in mining stocks, which followed a 2% increase in gold prices and a more than 6% surge in silver prices.
Investors are now focusing on upcoming economic data, including the Q4 employment cost index, which is expected to rise by 0.8%, and January nonfarm payrolls, projected to increase by 69,000 with an unemployment rate remaining steady at 4.4%. Additionally, 79% of the 297 S&P 500 companies that have reported Q4 earnings have exceeded expectations, with anticipated earnings growth of 8.4% year-over-year, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of growth.
Globally, European and Asian stock markets also closed higher, with the Euro Stoxx 50 rising by 1.01% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbing by 3.89%. U.S. Treasury yields fell slightly, with the 10-year T-note yield at 4.194%, following comments which suggested lower job growth expectations due to demographic shifts and productivity increases.
