Dow Industrials Set New Intraday High
U.S. stocks climbed higher, propelling the Dow Jones Industrial Average to highs not reached for more than a year.
The Nasdaq Composite, a laggard in 2016, also surpassed its 2015 closing level for the first time.
The rally builds on the past two sessions of gains, which catapulted the S&P 500 to a record high on Monday.
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The blue-chip index added 131 points, or 0.7%, to 18357, on Tuesday, surpassing its previous closing record of 18312.39 and the previous intraday record of 18351.36, both hit on May 19, 2015.
The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.8%, putting its year-to-date gains at nearly 0.5%. The S&P 500 added 0.8%, with its year-to-date gains at more than 5%.
The Stoxx Europe 600 climbed 1.1%, lifted by auto and banking shares. The moves came after Japanese shares ended higher on hopes for fresh fiscal stimulus from Tokyo.
Government bond yields continued to rise from recent record lows, as investors moved out of haven investments and pushed down prices.
Financial markets, particularly in Europe, have been volatile since the U.K. voted to leave the European Union last month. The unexpected referendum result is the latest in a string of concerns to spook investors this year, including sinking commodity prices, slowing Chinese growth and Europe’s fragile banking system.
The British pound—a bellwether for investor sentiment toward the U.K.—rose 2.3% against the dollar to $1.3286 Tuesday as investors reacted to the news that the country’s home secretary, Theresa May, would soon replace David Cameron as prime minister. Ms. May’s appointment brings to a close three weeks of political upheaval since the June 23 vote.
Still, many investors predict markets will remain choppy in the coming months despite the recent rebound.
A pedestrian walks past the New York Stock Exchange last month. U.S. stocks surged to another record high on Monday.
A pedestrian walks past the New York Stock Exchange last month. U.S. stocks surged to another record high on Monday.Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg News
“There are several issues that are still to come this year that will probably cause some volatility,” said Matthias Hoppe, a portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton Investments, highlighting the U.S. presidential elections, a potential resurfacing of investor concerns over China as well as renewed jitters over Brexit when the U.K. begins the formal proceedings to leave the EU.
“The market recovered pretty quickly, but we think the market right now is underestimating the Brexit issue,” he said.
In Europe, investors bought up stocks that fell sharply following the Brexit vote. Italian banks gained after Germany’s finance minister said Monday that Italian and European institutions should wait for stress test results due later this month before agreeing on a potential bailout for the country’s lenders.
Shares in UniCredit SpA, Italy’s largest lender, gained 13% after the bank said it had raised around €328 million through the sale of part of its equity stake in financial services company FinecoBank SpA Tuesday, a move aimed at boosting its capital base.
British banks, which were also hammered following the Brexit vote, gained on the greater political certainty in the U.K.
Meanwhile, European auto shares—one of the worst performing sectors this year—rose 3.8%. Shares in Daimler AG rose 4.4% after quarterly results topped analyst expectations, while shares in Peugeot SA gained 6.5% after the company reported a rise in European demand for its cars.
Investors are now turning their attention to the earnings season in the U.S. which got under way Monday with Alcoa Inc. beating expectations for revenue and earnings.
Analysts expect corporate earnings in the S&P 500 to fall for a fifth straight quarter. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Wells Fargo & Co. and Citigroup Inc. are among the companies to report later this week.
A strong set of corporate earnings would be “the icing on the cake” for the Federal Reserve in terms of confirming the need to start raising interest rates, said Peter Westaway, chief European economist at Vanguard.
Mr. Westaway said the Brexit vote had given the Fed a reason to hold off raising rates for now, but that a December move is looking increasingly likely.
The Fed is going to be “pulled in two directions,” said Mr. Westaway. “A gloomy global picture, but underlying domestic data is going to get increasingly strong,” he said, citing last week’s jobs report and a pickup in core inflation.
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.501% Tuesday, from its record low of 1.366% on Friday, as demand for haven assets eased. Gold was down 1.7% at $1,333.30 an ounce.
In commodity markets, Brent crude oil prices rose 4.5% ahead of industry data on U.S. stockpiles expected later in the day. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries downgraded its forecast for global economic growth in 2017 Tuesday, meanwhile, but left its oil demand growth forecasts for next year unchanged.
S&P 500 Leaders and Laggards - 1 Day
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average closed 2.5% higher Tuesday after a 4% gain on Monday on continued hopes for fiscal stimulus. The moves come after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ’s ruling coalition increased its control of the upper house of parliament on Sunday.
Separately, former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke rejected the notion that the Bank of Japan is short of ammunition when he met Mr. Abe Tuesday, adding to speculation of a fresh round of monetary and fiscal stimulus in the country.
The yen weakened on the mounting stimulus expectations, with the dollar recently up 2.2% against the yen to ¥104.8730.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index closed 1.8% higher and the S&P ASX 200 ended up 0.3%.
In currencies, the euro was 0.2% higher against the dollar at $1.1086.
Write to Christopher Whittall at
christopher.whittall@wsj.com