Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq edge higher as Wall Street regains its footing
US stocks edged higher on Tuesday, eyeing a cautious comeback after a fragile start to December trading that saw sharp losses on Wall Street and in crypto.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) added roughly 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) also gained around 0.3%.
Stocks are poised to regain some ground as markets begin to shake off the risk-off sentiment that dominated on Monday, snapping five-day winning streaks for the three major US indexes. The losses marked a rocky start to December — typically a strong month for equities — and added fuel to a debate over the chances of a so-called Santa Claus rally.
In another sign of recovering spirits, bitcoin (BTC-USD) edged into the green to trade above $88,000, putting the brakes on a weeks-long skid. On Monday, the top cryptocurrency tumbled to as low as $84,000 in its worst day since March. Meanwhile, shares of crypto-linked names Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD) also turned upbeat after getting hit the day before.
Investors are now watching for catalysts that could revive a year-end rally, against a background of persistent concerns over stubborn inflation, stretched market valuations and the uncertain payoff from heavy AI spending.
Data on the economy is in focus, as delayed government reports are slowly released and feed into prospects for a December interest-rate cut — though signs that tariffs are undermining US factory activity on Monday left expectations broadly intact.
Bets on easing have ramped up sharply ahead of the central bank’s two-day meeting next week. Markets are pricing in an 87% probability of a cut on Dec. 10, up significantly from mid-November, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
No notable updates are expected on Tuesday in the countdown to this week’s marquee release: the September print of the consumer inflation index watched by the Fed.
On the earnings front, Marvell (MRVL) is set to release results after market close. The US chipmaker’s stock rose in premarket after The Information reported it is in advanced talks to buy chip start-up Celestial AI in a multibillion-dollar deal. Crowdstrike (CRWD) and Okta (OKTA) are also on Tuesday’s light docket.
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