The main US stock indexes show mixed performances in early trading on Tuesday. Wall Street shows no clear direction, but two of the indices hit record highs, as investors slowly lose their fear of Covid-19 Omicron variant.
The benchmark index S&P 500, made up of the shares of the 500 strongest issuers, as well as the Dow Jones, of 30 industrial giants touched ceilings of 4,817.88 and 36,902.91 units, respectively. The index Nasdaq, with a high technological component, is stained red and operates with a moderate decline.
Investors seem confident that, despite increases in the numbers of new Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths will remain under control because this variant causes a less serious illness. The United States had a million new cases of Covid-19 reported yesterday.
The S&P 500 index gained 0.25% to 4,808.59 points and the Dow Jones, 0.79% to 36,872.92 points, while the Nasdaq lost -0.61% and settled at 15,736.61 units. Financial sector companies led earnings, while tech fell after a historic mark reached by Apple.
In this context, the actions of the construction machinery firm Caterpillar they lead the advances with a gain of 3.73 percent. This company has been considered one of the companies that will benefit the most from the recovery of the economy and the reactivation of activities such as construction.
The advance of financial companies could be related to the interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve (Fed) this year, as this sector benefits from high-rate environments. The actions of JP Morgan rose 3.36%, followed by Goldman Sachs, with 3.29 percent.
jose.rivera@eleconomista.mx