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By Will Horner and Paul Vigna U.S. stocks turned higher Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated his intention to maintain ultralow interest rates and continue the bank s asset-purchase policies. After opening in the red, the major indexes climbed higher after Mr. Powell s comments on the second day of his Congressional testimony. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4%, the S&P 500 gained 1.1% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 0.8%. Speaking to the Senate Banking Committee, Mr. Powell reaffirmed his commitment to keeping easy-monetary policies unchanged for the foreseeable future, and was generally dismissive of any inflation concerns. That gave investors a reason to ignore rising interest rates or worries that an overheating economy would alter the Fed s thinking.
SARAJEVO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) China Sinopharm International Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinopharm (China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation), has donated a batch of epidemic prevention supplies to a hospital in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), according to the Chinese Embassy on Friday. The donation ceremony was held Thursday at the Sveti Apostol Luka Hospital in Doboj, an ancient city in the Republika Srpska (RS), one of the two entities in BiH, according to the embassy. The company handed over 36 boxes of anti-epidemic supplies, including protective suits and surgical masks, to the hospital, a representative of China Sinopharm International Corporation Central Eastern Europe Branch told Xinhua.
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By Joe Wallace and Michael Wursthorn Political unrest in Washington didn t dent the stock market s ongoing rally Thursday, with U.S. stocks climbing toward fresh records. Financial and technology stocks led Thursday s gains, pushing the S&P 500 up 1.5% and putting the broad index on pace to close at its first record of 2021. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also rose, adding 237 points to 31067, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.5%, putting both of those benchmarks on track for new closing highs as well. Investors largely looked past Wednesday s violent clash between pro- Trump protesters and law enforcement in the Capitol building that left four people dead, instead focusing on what the shift of political power from Republicans to Democrats means for the market.
Provided by Dow Jones
By Michael Wursthorn and Joe Wallace Political unrest in Washington didn t dent the stock market s ongoing rally Thursday, with shares of U.S. companies big and small closing at fresh records. Investors largely looked past Wednesday afternoon s violent clash between pro- Trump protesters and law enforcement in the Capitol building, instead focusing on what the shift of political power from Republicans to Democrats means for the market. So far, many investors say they expect to see a glut of spending by Democrats aimed at shoring up the U.S. economy as the Covid-19 pandemic enters its darkest phase yet. Several Democrat lawmakers have already said initial priorities post-inauguration include boosting emergency relief payments to individuals to $2,000.
Provided by Dow Jones
By Joe Wallace and Xie Yu U.S. stock futures rose Thursday as investors looked past the political unrest to focus instead on prospects for higher government spending. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.4%, suggesting the index of blue-chip stocks may open the session with muted gains after closing at a record high Wednesday. Contracts tied to the benchmark S&P 500 index rose 0.5%. Futures on the Nasdaq-100 Index gained 0.8%, suggesting that technology stocks may recoup some of their losses. The sector took a beating Wednesday when investors pushed into other stocks that are more dependent on economic growth.