New York (AFP)

The New York Stock Exchange opened higher on Thursday, buoyed by the announcement of additional measures by the Federal Reserve to support the US economy in the face of the consequences of the coronavirus: the Dow Jones rose by 1.42% and the Nasdaq by 0, 95%.

Around 1:50 p.m. GMT, the Wall Street flagship index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, rose 1.94% to 23,887.20 points.

The highly technological Nasdaq gained 1.45% to 8,208.37 points, and the S&P 500, which represents the 500 largest companies on Wall Street, appreciated by 1.89% to 2,802.05 points .

Wall Street ended clearly in the green on Wednesday, investors seeing the beginnings of a possible slowdown of the pandemic in the United States and in the world: the Dow Jones had climbed by 3.44% and the Nasdaq by 2.58% .

At the bedside of the American economy since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the Central Bank of the United States announced Thursday 2.3 trillion dollars in new loans, intended especially for businesses and local communities hit by the pandemic.

Fed boss Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak at 2:00 p.m. GMT by video conference from Washington at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution.

The new Fed measures have reassured the markets and somewhat limited the impact of the surge in the number of new unemployment benefit claimants in the United States.

6.6 million new weekly registrations have indeed been recorded, a figure that remains very high for the third week in a row, according to data published Thursday by the Labor Department.

"The equity market is on the rise as the damage to the economy, which is clearly reflected in unemployment benefit claims, is beyond comprehension while the Fed's response is easier to understand," notes Christopher Low , from FHN Financial.

"But at some point, market players will have to wonder not only about the Fed's response but the context in which it operates," said Low.

The main New York indices were in any case moving towards clear gains over the whole week. The New York Stock Exchange will be closed Friday for the Easter holidays.

On the bond market, the 10-year rate on the US debt was down slightly, standing at 0.7587% against 0.7722% the day before at the close.

© 2020 AFP