On Thursday, February 1st, U.S. stock markets closed higher, driven by anticipation of major earnings reports and the upcoming employment data.
In economic data, U.S. initial jobless claims rose to 224,000 last week, exceeding the expected 212,000. At the same time, the ISM manufacturing PMI climbed to a high of 49.1 in January, surpassing expectations and marking its highest level since October 2022.
Among the 11 S&P 500 sectors, 10 experienced gains, with consumer discretionary leading the way, closely followed by consumer staples.
Meta Platforms’ (NASDAQ:META) stock rose in after-hours trading due to higher-than-expected revenue and its first dividend announcement. Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares also increased after earnings, while Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) fell due to China sales not meeting targets despite beating profit and revenue …
