New York (AFP)
Wall Street ended up green for the third session in a row on Wednesday, as investors looked less worried about the Chinese viral pneumonia epidemic and after solid job numbers in the United States.
The highly technological Nasdaq, which appreciated by 0.43%, to 9,508.68 points, and the widened S&P 500 index, which gained 1.13% to 3,334.69 points, finished at new levels.
The star index of the New York place, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, won 1.68% to 29,290.85 points.
Despite the persistence of uncertainties around the new Chinese coronavirus, whose balance sheet is approaching 500 dead, the market did not seem animated by a wind of panic on Wednesday.
Chinese officials have said they fear they will run out of hospital beds and equipment to care for the growing number of patients.
New companies, including Adidas and Nike, have also announced the closure of stores in China.
But the titles of groups particularly affected when the virus began to spread widely continued to recover, like the airlines Delta Airlines (+ 1.66%) or American Airlines (+ 2.36%) as well as cruise lines Carnival (+ 1.33%) and Norwegian Cruise Line (+ 0.66%).
According to Lilian Currens of Schaeffer, "rumors that a treatment for the coronavirus is about to be found" also supported the New York indices.
Wall Street brokers were also reassured on Wednesday by figures from the monthly survey of the business services firm ADP showing that the private sector in the United States had created 291,000 jobs in January, a level more seen since almost five years and well above what analysts expected. These statistics bode well before the official report of the American authorities on the labor market expected Friday.
On the bond market, the 10-year rate on the American debt continued to rise and moved to 1.647% around 9.40 p.m. GMT, against 1.599% on Tuesday at the close.
© 2020 AFP