The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it did not plan to raise interest rates in the near future, signaling it expects economic growth in the United States to slow down from its recent breakneck speed. European stock markets rose some after the news that interest rates in the United States would remain steady, as did markets in China, India, and Japan. The U.S. Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a slight increase Thursday morning.
Late Thursday rally could save Wall Street’s wild week
by Rachel Lynn Aldrich
Posted 12/28/18, 11:58 am
Wall Street tried to maintain momentum Friday after a rally Thursday afternoon erased a 600-point loss for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, finishing the day with a gain of 260 points. Although the New York Stock Exchange had its best day in 10 years on Wednesday, it’s still on track for the worst December on record since 1931, with the Dow and the S&P 500 both down around 9 percent for the month. Meanwhile, most global markets advanced Friday, but Japan’s Nikkei was down slightly.
The New York Stock Exchange had its best day in 10 years Wednesday, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped by more than 1,000 points, its largest single-day gain ever. Gains in technology, retail, healthcare, and internet stocks drove the rally. This month brought extreme volatility to markets, which overall are having their worst December since 1931. Though trading volume was light Wednesday, the rebound helped erase a Christmas Eve slump that plunged stocks close to bear market territory.
Most Popular

Trading punches
China | New tariffs raise economic tensions between the world’s two largest economies