Stocks rise broadly on Wall Street, travel companies rebound

Stocks rose on Wall Street Monday, led by banks and a mix of travel-related companies that stand to benefit from more reopening of the economy.
The S&P 500 rose 0.9% as of 12:06 p.m. Eastern. More than 80% of stocks in the index gained ground. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 613 points, or 1.7%, to 35,193 and the Nasdaq rose 0.1%.

Bond yields rose, which benefits banks that rely on higher yields to charge more lucrative interest on loans. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 1.40% from 1.33% late Friday. JPMorgan Chase rose 2.1%.

Airlines and a wide range of travel-related companies made solid gains. Delta Air Lines jumped 8% and Expedia Group rose 7.2%. The travel industry has been under pressure over concerns about the latest coronavirus variant and the potential for it to crimp economic activity in the midst of the busy holiday season.

U.S. crude oil prices rose 3.1% and helped send energy stocks higher. Exxon Mobil rose 1.3%.

The potential impact from the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is still unknown, though Wall Street was encouraged to see that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, said early indications suggested that it may be less dangerous than the delta variant.

The broader market is coming off of a choppy week as investors gauged the threat from COVID-19, along with a mixed batch of job market data and lingering inflation concerns.

Investors are still reacting to the Federal Reserve’s plan to hasten the withdrawal of its support for the market and economy, said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors.

The central bank plans to speed up the pace at which it trims bond purchases, which have helped keep interest rates low. That has raised concerns that the Fed will raise its benchmark interest rates next year sooner than expected.

“What you’re seeing now is that is being priced into markets and that underlying shift in expectations is starting to play out in market leadership,” Arone said.

Banks and other sectors that benefit from higher interest rates are starting to lead the market higher, while industries that typically suffer from higher rates, like technology stocks, are lagging, he said.

Investors will get more economic data this week that could help give them a clearer picture of the economy.

The Labor Department will release its job openings and labor turnover survey for October on Wednesday, along with its weekly unemployment benefits report on Thursday. Wall Street will get another update on inflation when the Labor Department releases the Consumer Price Index for November on Friday.

A mix of corporate news helped send several stocks higher. Del Taco Restaurants surged 66% on news it is being bought by Jack in the Box.

Department store operator Kohl’s rose 7.9% after activist investor Engine Capital LP pushed for a sale or spin off.

BuzzFeed fell 4.7% in its market debut after the digital media company went public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company.