U.S. equities and stock exchange traded funds bounced higher Tuesday as financials and industrials took charge.
The S&P 500 Index, along with related funds including the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: SPY), iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: IVV) and Vanguard 500 Index (NYSEArca: VOO), were 0.3% higher Tuesday.
The financial and industrials sectors led the markets higher. The Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLF) was up 0.7%, with Navient, American Express and Allstate among the best performers. Meanwhile, the Industrial Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLI) was up 0.6%, with United Continental Holdings, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines strengthening the sector.
The equities market has been supported by bets that President-elect Donald Trump will implement fiscal stimulus and tax cuts ahead. Speculating on the supportative economic measures, many investors believe stocks will continue to rally, but after the initial euphoria, traders are calming down and waiting on Trump to make good on promises.
“Equities have begun the year in somewhat of a wait-and-see mode following the robust runup since the election,” Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management, told the Wall Street Journal. “Now we have to watch for fourth-quarter results.”
Investors are watching the upcoming corporate earnings season to justify the high valuations in the equities market.
Nevertheless, others anticipate rising inflation and an expanding economy will continue to support market growth.
“This inflation is quite healthy for U.S. equities, particularly some sectors like banks and financials,” Nandini Ramakrishnan, global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, told the WSJ.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasuries dipped lower while the U.S. dollar depreciated against other major currencies and gold rose to a five-week high.
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