Major U.S. stock indexes set record intraday highs on Tuesday as optimism about the world economy and upbeat corporate results from Alcoa boosted risk appetite, while European shares rose for the fourth straight day. The benchmark S&P 500 hit 2,155.32, topping Monday’s intraday record high by more than 12 points, while the Dow Jones industrial average rose to 18,363.72 to top its previous record intraday high touched in May 2015. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite also gained, wiping out its losses for the year. Increasing prospects of global economic health boosted shares, while Alcoa (AA.N) reported a smaller-than-expected drop in quarterly profit, sending the aluminum producer’s shares up more than 5 percent and helping boost optimism about the earnings season. Investors’ appetite for equities has increased after robust economic data, including a stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report for June last Friday, and low yields on government bonds. Easing political uncertainty in Britain and Japan have reduced some global uncertainties. The FTSEurofirst 300 and STOXX Europe 600 indexes ended higher for a fourth straight session and notched their highest closes since Britain voted to leave the European Union on June 23. Gains in shares of Italian banks helped fuel the rise, with UniCredit (CRDI.MI) ending up more than 13 percent. “There are no good alternatives, from an income standpoint, to the U.S. equity markets at this point, and that’s driving the momentum today,” said Bill Northey, chief investment officer at Private Client Group of U.S. Bank. “But we need to see some supporting earnings growth to accompany this move.” MSCI’s all-country world equity index .MIWD00000PUS was last up 3.98 points, or 0.98 percent, at 408.86. The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI was last up 120.64 points, or 0.66 percent, at 18,347.57. The S&P 500 .SPX was up 16.46 points, or 0.77 percent, at 2,153.62. The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC was up 36.98 points, or 0.74 percent, at 5,025.62. Europe’s broad FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 closed up 1.14 percent, at 1,330.46. Oil prices surged more than 4 percent in a technical rebound and on short covering after hitting two-month lows in the previous session. Brent crude LCOc1 was last up $ 1.98 at $ 48.23 a barrel. U.S. crude CLc1 was last up $ 1.84 at $ 46.6 per barrel. Safe-haven assets such as U.S. Treasuries, the Japanese yen and gold fell in price. Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields, which move inversely to prices, hit a 1-1/2-week high of 1.508 percent. Yields rose as expectations of new stimulus in Japan boosted stocks and reduced demand for safe-haven bonds, and ahead of this week’s new supply. “Some of the uncertainty, 'flight-to-quality' type of unknown bid is leaving the markets,” said Tom Tucci, head of Treasuries trading at CIBC in New York. The U.S. dollar hit its highest level in more than two weeks against the yen JPY= of 104.92 yen on the global risk appetite and anticipation of more Japanese stimulus. The euro was last 0.2 percent higher against the dollar, however, at $ 1.1082. Gold fell for a second straight day. (Additional reporting by Vikram Subhedar in London, Yashaswini Swamynathan in Bangalore and Karen Brettell and Richard Leong in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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