U.S. Indices Strengthened On Wednesday: S&P 500, Nasdaq Buoyed Near Highs, Dow Jones Dropped

U.S. stock indices exhibited mixed dynamics on Wednesday, December 16. The S&P 500 has risen by 0.18% to 3,701.17 points, the industrial average of the Dow Jones finished down 0.15% at 30,154.54 points, and the high-tech industry’s Nasdaq composite index weighed 0.50 percent to 12,658.19 points, the historical high being revised. Yesterday, the US Congress came close to deciding on an approximately $900 billion stimulus package. The Fed agreed to keep the main interest rate at 0.25% after the outcome of the two-day meeting. Furthermore, once ‘progress is made’ in the economic recovery, the Central Bank will continue to buy back $120 billion worth of bonds per month.

In a statement, the Federal Open Market Committee said that over the long term, it targets full jobs and inflation at 2 percent. Taking into account the real inflation rate of 1.2% in November 2020, it can be inferred that the Fed’s approach towards more quantitative easing will be targeted in the immediate future.

In December, the PMI business activity index in the US manufacturing sector hit the 56.5 mark and was above the 55.7 consensus. On the contrary, retail sales data revealed an unexpected surprise for the market, dropping by 1.1% m/m with a forecast decrease of 0.3% m/m.

The Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) restaurant chain’s shares have increased +4.02 percent to $1400.62 on news about the improvement in stocks valuation. Chipotle shares were given a “Buy” recommendation by investment firm Stifel Nicolaus.

Stock price of household appliance maker Stanley Black & Decker Inc (SWK) increased by 1.76 percent to $179.44 after the company obtained new patents and news of Brinker Capital Investments’ additional investment in the company in the amount of approximately $3 million.

In addition, the shares of switch and cloud infrastructure manufacturer Arista Networks Inc (ANET) finished up 2.19% to $285.70 as Wolfe Research analysts increased their target price from $250 to $350 per share for the stock.

Stocks of Mettler-Toledo International Inc (MTD) which fell -3.30% to $1111.26 and Tyson Foods Inc (TSN) that dropped by -4.41 percent to $65.24 were among the stocks which lost in the trading session on Wednesday.