New York (AFP)

Wall Street opened higher on Thursday, after closing the quarter the previous day on a good note, with investors hoping for progress on a new economic aid package.

At 13:50 GMT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained + 0.64% to 27,958.40 points.

The Nasdaq, with strong technological coloring, rose 0.95% to 11,314.39 points.

The extended S&P 500 index rose 0.96% to 3,395.23 points.

The day before, the index of leading stocks DJIA had gained 1.20% and the Nasdaq + 0.74%.

The S&P 500, which represents the 500 largest companies on the New York Stock Exchange, ended up 1.05%.

“US stocks start the new quarter on a positive note. Markets continue to digest recent global economic data which suggests the recovery continues to gain momentum, supported by jobless claims and spending data at the national level, "Schwab analysts said.

Investors were encouraged by declining and better than expected weekly jobless claims.

Another indicator also showed that household consumption continued to improve, with spending increasing more than expected in August (+ 1%).

But, as Chris Low of FHN Financials pointed out, "they are still $ 500 billion lower than they were before the pandemic hit the United States in February."

"And it is clear that Americans are suffering on the income side," he said while they fell again by 2.7% in August.

But investors had their eyes riveted on the negotiations between the White House and the opposition on a new economic aid plan.

"There might be a stimulus deal in Washington, but there might not be," Briefing's Patrick O'Hare commented in a note.

"This idea seems to be the swing factor right now for the stock market. It worked well yesterday," he added as the indices were boosted by this prospect.

The title of top-secret data analysis and monitoring firm Palantir, which was listed on the NYSE on Wednesday via direct listing, rose 5.26%.

That of the American group Pepsico advanced modestly (+ 0.28%) after better than expected results thanks to sales of sodas and snacks which took advantage of the confinement.

The Bed Bath and Beyond home equipment chain jumped more than 28% after a better-than-expected quarter.

In the bond market, the 10-year rate on US debt rose to 0.6988% from 0.6840% Wednesday night.

© 2020 AFP