The whole session today was up almost 300 points on the Dow until about 3 pm when it took a dive and lost about half of its gains closing up 159, triggered by a drop in tech shares.  Still, it is a sign of optimism for a recovery when investors are rotating into cyclical stocks, the kind that will do well in a recovered economy.  The S&P is now into positive territory for the year almost 1%, the Nasdaq leads with a 19% gain since January and the Dow is now only 6% down for the year. Though the COVID-19 news remains bleak, everyone is looking to the Congress for another stimulus package and they have less than two weeks to produce one. Q2 now stands at 58 companies reporting and 77.6% beating estimates.  Coca-Cola and Lockheed both beat estimates.  Volume is now in line with recent averages at 11.8 billion. 

Tue JULY 21, 2020 / 4:43 pm 

S&P 500 closes slightly higher as stimulus hopes lift cyclical stocks

Stephen Culp

DJ: 26,680.87  +8.92        NAS: 10,767.09  +263.90       S&P: 3,251.84  +27.11     7/20

DJ: 26,840.40  +159.53    NAS: 10,680.36  -86.73          S&P: 3,257.30  +5.46       7/21

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 edged higher on Tuesday, as investors rotated into economically sensitive cyclical stocks, optimistic that Washington will deliver a new round of stimulus to sustain the U.S. economic recovery from a pandemic-induced recession.  Financial, industrial and energy stocks gave the biggest boosts to the bellwether S&P 500 and blue-chip Dow as investors pivoted back to cyclicals. The march upward lost steam late in the session, and a drop in tech shares pulled the Nasdaq lower.

The S&P 500 has moved into positive territory year-to-date, up 0.8%. The Nasdaq has gained 19% since Jan. 1, while the Dow remains down 6%.  The S&P 500 is now within 4% of its record closing high reached late in February.  “Economically sensitive areas are doing very well today,” said Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia. “My guess is it’s because of the stimulus here and in Europe and decent earnings reports from a variety of different companies.”

As new infections of COVID-19 surged in the United States, lawmakers on Capitol Hill wrestled to craft a new stimulus package with less than two weeks until the expiry of extended unemployment aid for millions of Americans. “A pick-up in demand is being seen throughout the economy as things have opened up,” Tuz added. “We’re at the cusp of continuing with the recovery or stagnation.”  Elsewhere, the 27-member European Union reached an agreement on a massive $857 billion pandemic recovery plan at the conclusion of a rocky, five-day summit.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 159.53 points, or 0.6%, to 26,840.4, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 5.46 points, or 0.17%, to 3,257.3 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 86.73 points, or 0.81%, to 10,680.36.  Of the 11 major sectors in the S&P 500, seven ended the session in the black. Energy companies .SPNY rose 6.2%, the largest daily jump since June 5, as crude prices CLc1 climbed amid signs of rebounding demand. [O/R] 

Second-quarter reporting season rolled on, with 58 constituents of the S&P 500 having reported. Of those, 77.6% have come in above consensus, according to Refinitiv data.  But expectations have set a low bar. Analysts now see aggregate S&P 500 earnings for the April to June period having declined by 41.8% year-on-year, per Refinitiv.

Coca-cola Co (KO.N) shares gained 2.3% after the beverage maker beat earnings estimates and said demand is improving.  Defense industrial Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) topped quarterly consensus estimates and raised its full-year profit and revenue estimates, sending its shares up 2.6%.  Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) fell 4.5%, retreating from Monday’s record closing high after JPMorgan Chase downgraded the electric car maker’s stock to “market perform.” 

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 3.26-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.58-to-1 ratio favored advancers.  The S&P 500 posted 44 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 126 new highs and 14 new lows.

Volume on U.S. exchanges was 11.82 billion shares, compared with the 11.37 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.

United Airlines Holdings Inc (UAL.O) shares rose more than 1% in after-hours trading. After the bell, the commercial air carrier posted an adjusted net quarterly loss of $2.6 billion but reported improved cash burn.