Technology led the way. Shares in chipmaker Nvidia rose 6.7% after two analysts raised price targets on the stock. So-called ‘stay at home stocks’ continued to rise, including Amazon (up 1.1%).

While retail sales in July fell short of forecasts, production met expectations. Shares in chip maker Applied Materials rose 3.9% after it forecast fourth-quarter revenue above analyst estimates. The Dow Jones index rose by 34 points or 0.1%.

The ASX 200 is trading near the highs of the morning and is 28 points or 0.46% higher at 6,119. It was up 34pts or 0.55% at the best levels of the morning.

Investors mulled the stalemate in Washington stimulus negotiations and digested the better-than-expected jobs data.

Investors were encouraged by data showing higher consumer prices, suggestive of a firmer economy. Shares in Tesla jumped 13.1% as it announced a five-for-one stock split. Investors are awaiting a deal being agreed by US Congress on a job support package. The Dow Jones index gained 290 points or 1.1%; the S&P500 index rose 1.4% to just short of a record closing high, and the Nasdaq index rose by 229 points or 2.1%.

The Dow Jones and S&P500 indexes rose earlier in the trading session on news of Russia’s potential coronavirus vaccine. US President Trump’s announcement on Monday that he’s considering a capital gains tax cut had also boosted sentiment. But shares lost momentum in afternoon trade after US Senator Mitch McConnell said virus stimulus talks had hit a stalemate. And profit-taking continued in mega tech names with Apple (-3%) and Netflix (-3.4%) shares both down. The Dow Jones index fell by 104 points or 0.4% and the S&P500 index lost 0.8% -the first declines in 8 trading sessions. And the Nasdaq index fell by 185 points or 1.7%.

There are hopes that Congress can settle on a job relief package. On Saturday US President Donald Trump signed executive orders and memorandums aimed at unemployment benefits & payroll taxes until the more concrete stimulus bill could be passed.

ASX set to start the week with solid gains.

Sellers have pushed the sharemarket lower on Friday after the RBA predicted that the economy will take longer to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic compared to earlier forecasts.

US lawmakers pledged to keep working toward a virus relief package and US President Trump said he could act unilaterally on some measures. Sentiment was also boosted by Labor Department numbers which showed the first fall in jobless claims in three weeks.

Talks between the White House and Democrats in Congress on a new coronavirus relief package are apparently making progress, although the sides remain far apart. Shares in Walt Disney rose by 8.8% after recording a surprise quarterly profit.

Investors closely monitored efforts in Washington to negotiate a new virus relief package. Brent crude oil prices rose to the highest level since March 6, supporting shares of Exxon Mobil (+2.9%) and Chevron (+2%). American International Group shares tumbled 7.5% after posting a US$7.9 billion loss.

Shares in Microsoft rose 5.6% after saying it would push ahead with talks to buy the US operations of Chinese-owned TikTok. Shares in ADT surged 56.6% on news that Alphabet’s Google was buying a nearly 7% stake in the home security firm for $450 million. The Dow Jones index finished higher by 236 points or 0.9%. The S&P500 index rose by 0.7%. And the Nasdaq index climbed 157.5 points or 1.5%. to fresh record highs.

Aussie shares have recouped this morning’s 1 percent decline, with the ASX 200 up by 0.06 percent to 5,931.2 at lunch. Earlier in the day, the local market hit a five-week low.

The share price for Apple rose by 10.5%, Facebook shares rose 8.2%, shares in Amazon rose 3.7% but Alphabet (Google) shares lost 3.3%. The Dow Jones index finished higher by 115 points or 0.4%. The S&P500 index rose by 0.8%. And the Nasdaq index climbed 157.5 points or 1.5%. Over the week the Dow fell 0.15%; the S&P 500 gained 1.7% and the Nasdaq rose by 3.7%. Over the month: Dow rose 2.4%; S&P rose 5.5%; and Nasdaq rose 6.8%.

The S&P500 and Dow Jones indexes were lower after the release of economic data which painted a worrying picture of the US economy. President Donald Trump floated the possibility of delaying the November 3 US presidential election, unnerving investors.

Congress continued to wrangle over a US$1 trillion support package for jobseekers. But comments from the Fed chair soothed investor nerves. Shares in Advanced Micro Devices rose by 12.5% after the chipmaker raised its full-year revenue forecast.

Investors watched progress by Congress to come up with a coronavirus aid package. Investors also awaited the Federal Reserve decision to be announced on Wednesday. Economic data was mixed.

Local shares were boosted by a solid lead from Wall Street where major US tech names helped to lift major indices. The daily COVID-19 infection rate in Victoria fell from yesterday’s record high but still remained elevated at 384 in the past 24 hours

There is speculation that the resurgence in virus cases will make the US Federal Reserve reinforce its accommodative policy stance this week.

The Dow Jones index slid by 182 points or 0.7%. The S&P500 index eased by 0.6%. And the Nasdaq index lost 98 points or 0.9%. Over the week the Dow Jones fell 0.7%, the S&P 500 dipped 0.2% and the Nasdaq lost 1.3%.

The ASX 200 is down by 1% at lunchtime following losses on Wall St and sellers gaining strength from a range of company updates that have reminded investors of the continuing impact of the Covid 19 crisis.

Investors reacted to a surprise lift in new claims for unemployment insurance. After releasing profit numbers, shares in Tesla fell 5.0% and Microsoft fell 4.4%.

Banks and miners are trading lower on Thursday hampering the efforts of the overall market. On Thursday after the Fiscal & Economic update saw Australian Treasury forecast a 2020-21 budget deficit of $184.5bn.

Investors continue to fret about the rising number of COVID-19 cases. And not helping sentiment was an increase in tensions between China and the US.

Local shares fell heavily at lunch, with the ASX 200 down 1.1 per cent to 6,088.7, receiving an extra push lower following a record 484 new COVID-19 cases in Victoria over the past day.

Investor sentiment was buoyed by progress shown on three potential COVID-19 vaccines. And the European stimulus deal also boosted investor sentiment. Investors were also hopeful about a new US stimulus package.

Hovering around intraday highs, the ASX 200 has lifted by 1.1 percent to 6,068.9. While most sectors are improving, gains from tech stocks, financials, healthcare, and materials are standing out.

Monday saw the S&P500 index turning positive for the year and the Dow Jones index erasing a 167 point drop earlier in the trading session. Pfizer (+0.7%) and BioNTech (+3.5%) reported early positive data on a joint COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The Aussie share market is off to a slightly softer start on Monday following heavy losses from the banks. The ASX 200 is down 30pts or 0.5% to 6003. Big banks are down by ~1.2%, while gold miners & BHP keeping the losses to a minimum for the index.

Investors balanced the scope for more fiscal stimulus against the potential for more lockdowns. Shares in Goldman Sachs lost 1.5%, weighing on the Dow Jones index.

Investors focused on signs of an economic recovery, despite growing civil unrest across the US. Shares dipped in early trading following reports that Chinese officials had told agricultural companies to pause some purchases of US farm goods, threatening the US-China trade deal.

US sharemarkets lifted following news of progress made by biotech, Moderna, on a COVID-19 vaccine. News on a potential vaccine from the University of Oxford could also be announced on Thursday.

The Dow Jones jumped more than 500 points, the S&P500 index briefly turned positive for the year and the Nasdaq hit record intra day highs earlier in the session.

Investors were encouraged by news that Gilead’s remdesivir drug was found to significantly improve clinical recovery and reduced the risk of death in COVID-19 patients. Shares in Gilead rose 2.2%. Shares in Netflix rose 8.1% on a broker upgrade.

Shares had opened higher after data showed the number of Americans filing for jobless benefits dropped to a near four-month low last week.

Investors looked past rising US-China tensions and sought out companies thought to be insulated from rising US virus infections. High flying tech megacaps Apple (+2.3%) and Microsoft (+2.2%) boosted all three indexes.

Investors focussed on news that some US states had re-instituted lockdown restrictions. Shares in Novavax rose 31.6% after being awarded a US$1.6 billion government contract to test, manufacture and commercialise a COVID-19 vaccine. The Dow Jones index fell by 397 points or 1.5% to near session lows. The S&P500 index fell by 1.1%. The Nasdaq index was lower by 90 points or 0.9%.

A revival in China’s economy and a record jump in US services sector activity boosted sentiment. Amazon (+5.8%) shares hits US$3,000 for the first time and Netflix (+3.6%) shares hit all-time highs pushing the Nasdaq index to fresh record highs.

On Thursday, the Dow Jones index rose by 92 points or 0.4%, supported by a 0.3% lift in Boeing shares. The S&P500 index lifted by 0.5%. The Nasdaq index was higher by 53 points or 0.5% to a record closing high.