(Reuters) – The Dow Jones and the S & P-500 set closing records on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, as retailer stocks were buoyed by data suggesting strong Christmas sales in the US, relegating in the background concerns about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Dow Jones index gained 0.25%, or 90.42 points, 36,488.63 points.
The larger S & P-500 took 6.71 points, or 0.14%, 4,793.06 points.
The Nasdaq Composite fell 15.51 points (0.10%) 15,766.22 points.
If the Nasdaq ended in the red, the Dow Jones experienced a sixth consecutive day of rise, its longest streak since March 15 (seven sessions in a row in the green between March 5 and March 15). ).
Data released in the day show that imports of consumer goods into the United States hit a record high in November as the coronavirus epidemic limited spending in the service sector.
Regarding the health situation, investors have been reassured by initial elements which suggest that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus entails a limited risk of hospitalization, while the rapid spread of the variant has caused disruptions in travel.
“The market has started to admit that the Omicron variant is, oddly enough, good news, because it’s going to flare up and spread quickly but it shouldn’t overload hospitals,” commented Jay Hatfield, founder and CEO of ‘Infrastructure Capital Management, New York.
However, the Omicron variant should undoubtedly be a headwind for at least another month, he said.
Of the eleven major sectors of the S & P-500, three ended up in the red: energy, finance and consumer services.
It is usual for Wall Street to record increases between Christmas and New Years. Observers believe that daily movements should not be paid too much attention, given the weakness of trading volumes.
In stocks, Walgreens and Nike rose 1.59% and 1.42% respectively after the publication of a private survey indicating strong year-end sales for US retailers.
Victoria’s Secret jumped more than 12% after announcing a $ 250 million accelerated share buyback program.
(French version Jean Terzian)
by Echo Wang