Now for a third consecutive session we’ve had triple-digit gains, today even a little bit better than yesterday with the Dow climbing another 264.  A few days ago, we had a very serious rout when the White House put out the statement that we might be having trouble with China.  Today the statement was that things with China were “moving along nicely” and that’s all it took to start another furious round of buying.  Q3 still solidly in command helped too with 77 percent of 348 of the S&P companies beating estimates.  After taking a substantial beating, the Nasdaq has had a 5.4 percent lift in the last three sessions, its biggest 3-day gain in 2-1/2 years, but not to be too rosy about things since the S&P has had its worst month in seven years.  (In other news Apple is reported to have turned in a bad Q3 after today’s closing bell, so we might see a dip tomorrow.)  Volume remains very high at 9.1 billion. 

thu  NOVEMBER 1, 2018 / 4:20 pm 

Wall Street climbs for third day, trade optimism helps

Caroline Valetkevitch

DJ:  25,380.74  +264.98      NAS:  7,434.06  +128.16        S&P:   2,740.37  +28.63     11/1

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose for a third straight session on Thursday as President Donald Trump said trade talks with China were “moving along nicely,” reviving hopes that the two countries can resolve their trade dispute.  Adding to the upbeat mood, the latest round of results from companies was mostly positive.

Trump said he plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Argentina at the end of the month.  The trade-sensitive S&P industrial sector .SPLRCI rose 1.7 percent, with Boeing Co (BA.N) and Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N) among companies leading the gains.  “Maybe there’s going to be some hope that a trade deal with China will actually come through,” said Robert Pavlik, chief investment strategist and senior portfolio manager at SlateStone Wealth LLC in New York.

Beyond that, investors are feeling a bit more comfortable after gains this week, he said.  “Now you get a little bit of fear of missing out, mixing in with, ‘I don’t believe this is actually happening,’” he said. “The fear of missing out seems to be on the winning side.”

Despite ending higher on Wednesday, the S&P 500 closed out its worst month in seven years, following fears of a widening global trade dispute, rising borrowing costs, and that U.S. earnings growth may slow more than forecast in 2019.

The S&P materials index .SPLRCM was up 3.0 percent, with DowDuPont Inc (DWDP.N) surging after it reported strong results and plans for a $3 billion sharebuyback.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) was up slightly ahead of its results, due after the bell. The technology index .SPLRCT rose 1.2 percent, continuing to recover from the recent selloff. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 264.98 points, or 1.06 percent, to 25,380.74, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 28.63 points, or 1.06 percent, to 2,740.37 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 128.16 points, or 1.75 percent, to 7,434.06. 

Also helping were robust earnings reports from three Apple suppliers, NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.O), Dialog Semiconductor (DLGS.DE) and Qorvo Inc (QRVO.O).  Technology-related stocks, which have led the stock market’s bull run in recent years, helped lead the selling in October, with the S&P 500 tech index down 8 percent in the month.

The Nasdaq is up 5.4 percent for the last three sessions, its biggest three-day gain since February 2016. 

Of the 348 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported results so far, 77 percent have reported earnings above analysts’ expectations, pushing the aggregate third-quarter earnings growth estimate for S&P 500 companies to 26.2 percent, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 3.21-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 3.46-to-1 ratio favored advancers.  The S&P 500 posted 11 new 52-week highs and 3 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 32 new highs and 57 new lows.

About 9.1 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges. That compares with the 8.7 billion daily average for the past 20 trading days.