The Dow witnessed its biggest single-day point gain in history, marking a miraculous comeback Wednesday following its worst-ever Christmas Eve. Down climbed by 1,086 points, gaining 5 percent, while the S&P also gained 5 percent. Nasdaq too increased by 5.8 percent, straying from bear market territory. Overall, the day marked the largest percentage gain for all three indices since March 2009.
“Investors went bargain shopping the day after Christmas, where stocks just got too cheap relative to earnings, future earnings, any reasonable assessment of earnings,” said Chris Rupkey, managing director of MUFG. “The coast is clear, back up the truck, investors are saying enough already, the world is not ending.”
The record rebound comes just after a harsh Christmas Eve, in which Dow dove more than 600 points, trigging a sell-off in Asian markets as well. Despite nearly no news regarding stocks, thin trading and the lack of news typically sends stocks higher in the last week of December.
Though Wednesday was a great relief for investors after a very rough month, the S&P 500 remains close to entering a bear market, which would end the longest bull market in history, as CNN reports. According to S&P Global Indices, this month is still on track to become the worst December since 1931.
With a partial government shutdown, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s questions about banks’ health and signalshinting that President Donald Trump might fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, Dow declined by 653 points due to the upset markets. After markets took a brutal hit on Christmas Eve, Trump stated Tuesday that he “remains confident in Mnuchin,” though he continued his criticism of the Fed, accusing it of “hikinh rates too fast.”
These doubts come in addition to the worries regarding how sharply the US economy might lose steam next year. The only guaranteed thing about the market this month is definitely the uncertainty. The tiniest announcement of bad news could easily turn a rally into a rout.