Shares in cruise line operators and airlines are helping drive the rebound in the broader stock market
March 10, 2020, 8:57 PM
3 min read
NEW YORK -- The Latest on the financial markets (all times local):
4:10 p.m.
Shares in cruise line operators and airlines are helping drive the rebound in the broader stock market.
The rally in travel-related stocks Tuesday followed remarks by President Donald Trump, who said that he is planning to help the beleaguered industries.
The virus outbreak has led to cancellations of flight and cruise bookings. Cruise operators have been particularly hit hard after passengers had to be quarantined on some ships while they were tested for the virus.
Trump didn’t offer any specifics on the type of aid he has in mind for airlines and cruise operators.
American Airlines jumped 15.3% and Delta Air Lines rose 4.5%. Royal Caribbean Cruises climbed 7% and Carnival rose 10.5%.
The Dow and the S&P 500 gained 4.9% a day after suffering their biggest one-day losses since 2008.
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3:44 p.m.
Energy futures closed with broad gains Tuesday, recouping some of the ground they lost a day earlier.
Wholesale gasoline rose 2 cents to $1.16 per gallon. Heating oil climbed 9 cents to $1.25 per gallon. Natural gas rose 16 cents to $1.94 per 1,000 cubic feet.
The price of gold, which has surged 27% this year as investors sought safety in traditional safe-haven assets, fell $16.60 to $1,675.70 per ounce Tuesday.
Silver dropped 14 cents to $16.91 per ounce and copper rose 2 cents to $2.53 per pound.
In currency markets, the dollar rose to 105.14 Japanese yen from 102.08 yen on Monday. The euro weakened to $1.1292 from $1.1458.
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3:18 p.m.
Oil prices are surging a day after they plunged 25% amid a price war between producers Saudi Arabia and Russia, which are pulling more oil out of the ground even though demand is falling due to the coronavirus.
Benchmark U.S. crude climbed $3.23, or 10.4%, to settle at $34.36 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, rose $2.86, or 8.3%, to settle at $37.22 a barrel.
The pickup in oil drove energy company shares broadly higher. Marathon Oil led the sector, vaulting 16.5% in afternoon trading a day after dropping nearly 47%.
Occidental Petroleum gained 14.4% after the company slashed its quarterly dividend to 11 cents per share from 79 cents and said it will cut capital spending by about 30% this year. The company's shares dropped nearly 70% in the previous two trading sessions.
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2:00 p.m.
The S&P 500 is up about 4.1% so far Tuesday, but even with the gain the benchmark index remains just one big drop away from bear market territory.
After a three-week rout that included its biggest one-day drop since 2008, the S&P 500 is down about 15.7% from the high of 3,386.15 it reached on Feb. 19. If that decline stretches to 20% and stays at or below that level for an extended period, stocks will be in a bear market and the bull market that began back in 2009 will have ended.
The biggest factor behind the recent sharp drop in stocks has been fears that the coronavirus outbreak could severely crimp the global economy. A plunge in oil prices Monday added to investors' anxiety.
