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Wall Street rallies as Fed signals steadiness on rate increases


Investors were already on edge about interest rate hikes before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent markets spiraling.

Wall Street ended sharply higher on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled the central bank would likely raise interest rates less than some investors had feared.

Powell’s comments, in testimony to the United States House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, helped calm investors after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent markets into a tailspin.

Powell said he is inclined to support a 25 basis point rate hike in March, quelling some concerns about the potential for a more aggressive rate hike.

Traders now see a 95 percent probability of a 25 basis point hike in March.

All the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes advanced, with financials jumping 2.6 percent after falling sharply so far this week. The bank’s index rebounded 3 percent after hitting its lowest level since September 2021 in the previous session.

Energy shares resumed their march higher, with the S&P 500 energy index rallying 2.2 percent as Brent crude jumped to near eight-year highs after Western sanctions disrupted the transport of commodities exported by Russia.

Russia’s week-old invasion has yet to achieve its aim of overthrowing Ukraine’s government. Ukrainians said they were battling on in the port of Kherson, the first sizeable city Russia claimed to have seized, while air strikes and bombardment caused further devastation in other cities.

“From day to day you go from the fear of escalation that could make things very bad to the hope that it will not really happen and that cooler heads will prevail, and that the economy is strong enough to get through this,” said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager at GLOBALT Investments in Atlanta.

Apple ended 2.1 percent higher after announcing a product launch for March 8, when it is expected to promote a low-cost version of its popular iPhone with 5G.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.79 percent to end at 33,891.35 points, while the S&P 500 gained 1.86 percent to 4,386.54.

The Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.62 percent to 13,752.02.

Reflecting the breadth of Wednesday’s rally, the S&P 500 value index climbed 1.9 percent and the growth index added 1.7 percent.

Data showed US private employers hired more workers than expected in February as the labour market recovery gathered steam.

Nordstrom Inc surged 38 percent after the department store chain forecast upbeat full-year revenue and profit.



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