Stocks Dust Off Challenging Year to Close Near Record Highs, Dollar Slips

U.S stocks hit near record highs as traders weighed on economic optimism fueled by government aid, reports Bloomberg. Attention now shifts at how fast vaccines can be distributed even as the dollar slipped. Here are the key moves in the markets:

• Stocks
  • The S&P 500 Index rose 0.1% as of 10:55 a.m. New York time on Tuesday while the Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.8%
  • MSCI Asia Pacific Index jumped 1.4%, while the MSCI Emerging Market Index increased 1%.
  • Analysts expect a 10% upside for Asian stocks in 2021

• Currencies
  • The Dollar Spot Index sank 0.4% while the euro rose 0.3% to $1.2256.
  • The British pound gained 0.3% to $1.3492.
  • The Japanese yen strengthened 0.3% to 103.55 per dollar.

• Bonds
  • The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose one basis point to 0.93%.
  • Germany’s 10-year yield dipped less than one basis point to -0.58%.
  • Britain’s 10-year yield fell four basis points to 0.21%.

• Commodities
  • West Texas Intermediate crude gained 1.1% to $48.13 a barrel.
  • Gold strengthened 0.3% to $1,879.90 an ounce.

Global stocks are currently mixed as the dollar loses. SPY is down 0.18%, QQQ: NASDAQ is up 0.96%, Stoxx Europe 600 is up 0.85%, SSE Composite Index is down 0.54%, EURUSD is up 0.23%