U.S. Markets Wrap: Stocks Increase as Treasuries, Dollar Fall

U.S. stocks rose, adding to the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s best two-week rally since 2000, as the biggest jump in new-home sales in eight years overshadowed disappointing results from Aetna Inc. and RadioShack Corp.

Centex Corp. rallied 9.1 percent to lead a gauge of homebuilders in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index to an almost three-month high, and Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. also climbed. Aetna and RadioShack lost at least 2.7 percent each.

The S&P 500 added 0.3 percent to 982.18 at 4:10 p.m. in New York, the highest level since Nov. 4. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 15.27 points, or 0.2 percent, to 9,108.51. The Russell 2000 Index added 0.4 percent to 550.88, the highest close since Oct. 14.

“When you’ve got a good rally, people want to jump in,” said Jonathan Vyorst, senior vice president at New York-based Paradigm Capital Management Inc., which oversees about $1.5 billion. “The potential for mediocre earnings is out there. But if there are a couple good surprises, the market will likely take off.”

The Dow average surged 12 percent in the two weeks before today after companies including Caterpillar Inc. and 3M Co. reported earnings that beat estimates and a gain in existing home sales added to signs the recession is easing. The S&P 500 ended July 24 at its most expensive valuation since September, trading for 16.23 times profit from the past year.

The Commerce Department reported U.S. new-home sales climbed the most in eight years in June, in a sign the deepest housing slump since the Great Depression is starting to stabilize.

Treasury Auctions

Treasuries fell, pushing the yield on the 10-year note to the highest in over a month, as the U.S. began selling a record $115 billion in notes. The U.S. sold $6 billion in 20-year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities at a yield of 2.387 percent, higher than forecast. The Treasury will sell 2-, 5-, and 7-year notes over three days starting tomorrow.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year note rose six basis points, or 0.06 percentage point, to 3.72 percent at 2:55 p.m. in New York, according to BGCantor Market Data. It touched 3.76 percent, the most since June 22. The 3.125 percent security maturing in May 2019 fell 15/32, or $4.69 per $1,000 face amount, to 95 5/32.

The dollar traded near the lowest level this year against the currencies of six major U.S. trading partners on speculation the global economy is shaking off the worst recession since World War II, sapping safety demand. link.....