Stock Market Live Updates: Stocks surge at open – Yahoo Finance

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Posted on January 2, 2020

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9:45 a.m. ET: Markit U.S. Manufacturing PMI

IHS Markit final U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) reading ticked slightly lower to 52.4 during the month of December, from 52.6 in November. December’s data illustrated a sustained improvement in operating conditions in the manufacturing sector, according to IHS Markit.

“The latest data indicated a modest improvement in the health of the U.S. manufacturing sector. The final quarterly average of 2019 was in fact the strongest since the opening three months of the year,” IHS Markit said in a statement.

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9:30 a.m. ET: Stocks open higher, Dow surges 100+ points

Stocks soared at the open Thursday on the first trading day of the new year.

Here were the main market moves, as of the market open:

S&P 500 (^GSPC): 3,244.39, up 13.61 points or 0.42%
Dow (^DJI): 28,651.35, up 112.91 points or 0.40%
Nasdaq (^IXIC): 9,045.47, up 72.87 or 0.81%
Crude oil (CL=F): $61.15 per barrel, up $0.09 or 0.15%
Gold (GC=F): $1,531.10 per ounce, up $8 or 0.53%

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8:30 a.m. ET: Initial jobless claims tick lower

The U.S. Labor Department announced Thursday morning that 222,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits the week ended Dec. 28. The prior week’s figure was revised upward to 224,000 from 222,000 claims previously reported. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected initial jobless claims to total 220,000 for the week.

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8 a.m. ET: Stock futures indicate higher open

U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open for the major indices Thursday on the first trading day of the new year.

Here were the main pre-market moves, as of 8 a.m. ET:

S&P futures (ES=F): 3,249, up 18 points or 0.56%
Dow futures (YM=F): 28,667, up 159 points or 0.56%
Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): 8,815, up 62.75points or 0.72%
Crude oil (CL=F): $61.05 per barrel, down $0.01 or 0.02%
Gold (GC=F): $1,525.70 per ounce, up $0.04 or 0.17%

2019’s stock market rally looks to continue into 2020. Last year, stocks logged their best year since 2013 with the S&P 500 (^GSPC) rising 28.9%, Dow (^DJI) jumping 22.3% and the Nasdaq (^IXIC) gaining 35%.

Meanwhile, global stocks got a boost after China’s central bank announced in a statement Wednesday it was cutting the reserve requirement ratio for commercial banks in the country. The move means that banks will be required to hold less cash on hand for emergencies, and thus, will free up around 800 billion yuan, which can then be invested into China’s economy. The cut was the fourth such cut over the past 12 months.