93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
(AP) – An incredible day on Wall Street, where major indexes finished at least 5 percent higher, lifted Japanese stocks Thursday, but received a mixed reaction in Asia as some traders returned from a Christmas break.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index rebounded 3.9 percent, South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.2 percent and the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.1 percent. The Hang Seng index was 0.5 percent lower. Australia’s S&P-ASX 200 jumped 1.9 percent. Stocks climbed in Taiwan and throughout Southeast Asia.
On Wednesday, U.S. markets snapped a four-day losing streak and clocked their best day in more than 10 years. Investors were reassured by an official signal that President Donald Trump, who has heavily criticized the Fed on Twitter, will not try to oust Chairman Jerome Powell. The broad S&P 500 index soared 5 percent to 2,467.70. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added more than 1,000 points – its biggest point gain in a day – or 5 percent to 22,878.45. The Nasdaq composite picked up 5.8 percent to 6,554.36. The Russel 2000 index of smaller-company stocks rose 5 percent to 1,329.81.
