U.S. Stocks Surge to Cap Wild Quarter, Bonds Gain: Markets Wrap

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks jumped, with tech shares leading the way, as equity markets ended a tumultuous quarter on a high note. Treasuries rose while the dollar slipped.

Gains in the S&P 500 Index were led by energy companies and chipmakers, and were helped by a recovery in Amazon.com Inc. after a White House spokeswoman said Donald Trump isn’t planning to take action against the company after he accused it of not paying taxes. Ten-year Treasury yields fell below 2.75 percent after data showed U.S. consumer spending lagged behind income growth for a second month in February.

Volumes were subdued ahead of a long weekend. The S&P 500 closed the first three months of the year down 1.2 percent, marking the first quarterly loss for the gauge since 2015. The dollar posted its fifth straight quarterly decline, and oil its third consecutive quarterly gain.

The arrival of the holiday will be a relief for many investors following a roller coaster start to the year in which stellar global equity gains gave way to a volatility blowup in February and a technology-led rout in recent days. Most Western markets are set to close on Friday and many European countries are also out on Monday.

“Let’s get out of this quarter and take a breather,” said Rich Guerrini, the chief executive officer of PNC Investments. “We need some market stability at this point and hopefully we get to some calmer waters.”

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose for a third day, with automakers leading the way after Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. were said to be in talks to merge. Stocks were mixed in Asia.

Elsewhere, West Texas oil rallied toward $65 a barrel. Bitcoin fell past $7,500.

Terminal users can read more in our markets live blog.

These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• The S&P 500 rose 1.4 percent at the close of trading in New York.
• The Nasdaq 100 Index rose 1.9 percent.
• The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.4 percent.
• The MSCI All-Country World Index climbed 0.9 percent.
• The MSCI Emerging Market Index advanced 0.8 percent.

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index declined 0.2 percent.
• The euro was little changed at $1.2303.
• The British pound decreased 0.4 percent to $1.4027.
• The Japanese yen advanced 0.4 percent to 106.41 per dollar.

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined four basis points to 2.74 percent, the lowest in more than seven weeks.
• Germany’s 10-year yield fell one basis point to 0.49 percent.
• Britain’s 10-year yield slipped one basis point to 1.35 percent, the lowest in more than two months.

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.9 percent to $64.95 a barrel.
• Copper gained 0.9 percent to $3.029 a pound, the highest in more a week.
• Gold was little changed at $1,325.60 an ounce.

--With assistance from Blaise Robinson Adam Haigh Samuel Potter Natasha Doff and Christopher Anstey

To contact the reporters on this story: Brendan Walsh in Austin at bwalsh8@bloomberg.net, Sarah Ponczek in New York at sponczek2@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeremy Herron at jherron8@bloomberg.net.

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.