Business

Stock Market Gains This Pandemic

Published

4 years ago

July 21, 2020

Last Monday's market opened with a new round of confidence as stock market gains this pandemic Tech stocks continued their surge, adding $291.66 billion in combined market valuation. Investors also celebrated promising developments in the race for a coronavirus vaccine.

The Nasdaq Composite gained 2.5% and established a new record high of 10,767.09. S&P 500 rose 27.11 and managed to gain 0.8%. The Dow Jones hovered at a potential loss but managed to close the day with an additional 8.92 points, equal to less than 0.1% gain.

The slew of corporate earnings announcements scheduled for this week kickstarted the trading activity Monday. John Ham of the New England Investment & Retirement Group, says this week is all about earnings. While there is interest in large-cap tech stocks, the market will need “actual money managers” to help drive up lesser names. Ham noted that there are still “a lot of people sitting on the sidelines.”

TECH Stocks Leads the Way

NASDAQ Rides High

Nasdaq reached an all-time high of 10,767.09, a surge of 263.90 points or 2.5% gain. This peak is Nasdaq's 28th for the year. Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Netflix (NFLX), Google (GOOGL), Tesla (TSLA), Microsoft (MSFT), and Facebook (FB) all shot up, adding a total $291.66 billion in market valuation overnight.

After Goldman Sachs adjusted Amazon's price target to $3,800 per share, its stock rose 7.93%. This added $116.92 billion in the company's valuation. Amazon's total market cap is now $1.59 trillion. Owner Jeff Bezos added $13 billion to his net worth overnight.

Tesla gained 9.47% as investors anticipated the company's June earnings announcement. The automaker added $26.36 billion to its market cap. Microsoft gained 4.3% and added $66.82 billion. Apple closed with a 2.11% gain, added $35.53 billion. Google (Alphabet) was up 3.1% and added $32.08 billion. Facebook closed 1.40% higher and added $9.67 billion. Netflix gained 1.91% and increased its value by $4.28 billion.

S&P 500 Gains As Well

S&P 500 ended up with 3,251.84 points, or 0.8% higher than previous. Tech stocks also blazed the trail, with big gains in Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and Google.

Investors took notice of recent developments in the race for a coronavirus vaccine. The big winner was UK Biotech firm Synairgen, who shot up 552%.

Investors also digested a mix of news from trials of coronavirus drugs and vaccines. Shares of the UK biotech firm, Synairgen shot up to 552%. The company announced last Monday that its experimental drug prevented serious coronavirus symptoms. This meant that the chances of a patient dying or requiring a ventilator lowered.

AstraZeneca shares dropped 4%, despite the announcement of good results. Early-stage trials show that the company's experimental vaccine-induced antibody and T-cell production. While share prices increased 10% in London, the NYSE trades brought them back to earth. Analysts noted that trial results were only preliminary and below expectations.

With the US still dealing with outbreaks, the prospects for recovery get dimmer. Jason Pride, Private Wealth Chief Investment Officer, sees the market reacting to pharma. He said: “Renewed outbreaks in the U.S. highlight the reality that a return to normal economic activity may be very difficult, if not impossible, without a widely available cure/vaccine. As a result, markets are likely to remain sensitive to developments from this leading vaccine candidate.”

Holding its Breath for Stimulus Packages

Investors are also on alert for any changes in the political landscape.

People are on standby for the conclusion of the European Union meeting in Brussels. Leaders are discussing a $2.1 trillion budget that aims to serve as a coronavirus recovery fund.

People are also monitoring updates for the anticipated next round of stimulus aid in the US. What the final form of the bill is unknown at this point, as the two parties are worlds apart. Republicans want to limit the budget to $1.5 trillion while Democrats want it much higher. The only thing certain at this point is that both parties agree that relief will be much needed right now.

Watch this video as Heath Terry speaks about the Stock Market Gains This Pandemic: