MARKET SNAPSHOT
U.S. stocks finished mostly higher with the Nasdaq Composite climbing on gains in Nvidia. Treasury yields fell to their lowest closing levels in more than a week and the dollar weakened after the Kremlin revised its nuclear doctrine. Oil rose as developments in the Russia-Ukraine increased the geopolitical risk premium. Gold futures continued their rebound.
MARKET WRAPS
EQUITIES
U.S. stocks finished mixed with the Nasdaq Composite climbing on gains in Nvidia
The Nasdaq Composite gained 1%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3%.
Nvidia rallied 4.9% as investors look forward to the chipmaker's latest quarterly earnings report on Wednesday.
Earlier Tuesday, Chinese shares ended higher amid stronger investor sentiment.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.7%, the Shenzhen Composite Index advanced 2.2%. The ChiNext Price Index ended 3.0% higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.4%.
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.5%, led by banks and nonferrous metals-related names.
Stocks in Australia rose as the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark Index increased 0.9%, the fourth consecutive day of increases.
New Zealand's NZX-50 added 0.4%, completing consecutive gains for the first time in two weeks.
COMMODITIES
Crude futures settled higher as traders tracked developments in the Russia-Ukraine war that looked to raise the risk of oil-supply disruptions.
West Texas Intermediate crude for December delivery rose 0.3% to settle at $69.39 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. January Brent crude climbed less than 0.1% to $73.31 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe.
Gold futures recovered for a second sgtraight day after falling for six straight sessions with the contract up 0.6% to $2,627.10.
"Gold is seeing some safe haven flows from geopolitical chaos," said Robert Yawger of Mizuho Securities USA.
TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES
Ukraine Uses U.S.-Provided Long-Range Missiles in Russia for First Time
KYIV, Ukraine-Ukraine fired long-range missiles provided by the U.S. into Russia for the first time Tuesday, posing a test for Russian President Vladimir Putin after Moscow's threats to retaliate for such a move.
Ukraine used the Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, to strike an ammunition storage facility in Russia's Bryansk region, a Ukrainian official said. The strike came just days after President Biden gave approval for their use.
"This is a signal that they want escalation," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in response to the attack on Tuesday, describing it as a new phase in the war.
Iran Sharply Expands Stockpile of Nuclear Fuel Ahead of Trump's Return
VIENNA-Iran sharply increased its stockpile of nearly weapons-grade uranium amid its confrontation with Israel, according to the United Nations atomic-energy agency, in a challenge to the incoming Trump administration.
Iran's decision to expand its stockpile of nuclear fuel and its failure to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, which monitors Tehran's work, is set to trigger fresh diplomatic pressure from Europe.
Concerns are growing in Western capitals that Iran could decide to develop a nuclear weapon, after comments by senior Iranian officials that Tehran has mastered most of the techniques for doing so. Israel's hollowing-out of Hezbollah, Iran's most powerful proxy in the Middle East, has also prompted a public debate in Iran about whether the country's best form of deterrence lies in having an atomic bomb.
New-home construction falls to three-month low as high rates and hurricanes impact builders
The numbers: Construction of new U.S. homes fell 3.1% in October as builders pulled back on new projects.
Housing starts fell to a 1.31 million annual pace from 1.35 million the previous month, the government said Tuesday.
That's how many houses would be built over an entire year if construction takes place at the same rate every month as in October.
Walmart Earnings: Holiday Shopping Is Off to a Strong Start
Walmart said U.S. sales rose during the most recent quarter, propelled by shoppers buying groceries, home goods and toys-a sign that spending is off to a steady start this holiday season. The retail giant raised its sales and profit estimates for the year.
The results were better than analysts expected and Walmart shares rose about 4% in premarket trading Tuesday. Walmart executives said they are watching potential policy moves by the incoming Trump administration, particularly on import taxes. The retailer said it is importing some products early in case of new tariffs or potential port strikes in January.
Volkswagen Chooses Rivian's Kjell Gruner to Lead U.S. Business
Volkswagen said Rivian Automotive executive Kjell Gruner will lead its U.S. business, a week after teaming up with the electric-vehicle startup in a $5.8 billion deal.
The German car maker said Gruner would take over as chief executive of Volkswagen's America operations on Dec. 12 from Pablo Di Si, who requested to step down last week. Gruner most recently served as chief commercial officer at Rivian and has experience at Porsche AG, DaimlerChrysler and Mercedes-Benz Cars.
His appointment comes a week after Volkswagen agreed to invest up to $5.8 billion in Rivian's stock and a joint venture in exchange for access to onboard computing and software that Rivian had developed for its own vehicles.
Expected Major Events for Wednesday
00:00/AUS: Sep Westpac-Melbourne Institute Indexes of Economic Activity
05:00/JPN: Oct Convenience Store Sales
06:00/JPN: Oct Revised Machine Tool Orders
06:30/INA: Nov Bank Indonesia Board of Governors meeting and decision
08:00/TAI: Oct Export Orders
08:20/TAI: 3Q Balance of Payments
09:59/CHN: People's Bank of China loan prime rate (LPR) announcement
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 19, 2024 16:53 ET (21:53 GMT)
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