© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A passerby walks past an electric monitor displaying recent movements of various stock prices outside a bank in Tokyo, Japan, March 22, 2023. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
By Stephen Culp
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rallied and the dollar reached a seven-week peak on Thursday as discount retail giant Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Inc raised its sales outlook and strong economic data calmed recession fears while also dampening hopes the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates before year-end.
Investors continued to closely monitor debt ceiling negotiations in Washington for signs that Democrats and Republicans could be inching closer to a deal.
Among the three major U.S. stock indexes, tech shares boosted the Nasdaq to the biggest gain, while healthcare capped the blue-chip Dow's advance.
Walmart reported better-than-expected quarterly results and hiked its full-year sales forecasts, citing resilient consumer spending and countering this week's downbeat forecasts from Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) and Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT)
"Walmart put a nice cherry on top at the end of a solid earnings season for corporate America," said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group in Omaha.
Optimism about debt ceiling talks ebbed and flowed, with hopes for a deal that avoids a catastrophic default.
"Traders are tiptoeing through possibility that Washington can get a deal sooner than later," Detrick added. "We have seen this show before, and Washington does not want to have a default right ahead of a major election."
"But for some reason, in the U.S. we do like our drama."
Data showed fewer-than-expected Americans filed initial jobless claims last week, supporting the likelihood of a "soft landing" but also lowering odds that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates before year-end.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 115.14 points, or 0.34%, to 33,535.91; the S&P 500 gained 39.28 points, or 0.94%, at 4,198.05; and the Nasdaq Composite added 188.27 points, or 1.51%, at 12,688.84.
European stocks closed higher and the German DAX rose to its highest level since January 2022 on optimism about the U.S. debt ceiling talks.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.39% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe gained 0.64%.
Emerging market stocks rose 0.25%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed 0.32% higher, while Japan's Nikkei rose 1.60%.
The greenback extended its ascent against a basket of world currencies to reach a seven-week high, powered by the economic data and debt ceiling hopes.
The dollar index rose 0.63%, with the euro down 0.62% to $1.0772.
The Japanese yen weakened 0.73% versus the greenback to 138.71 per dollar, while Sterling was last trading at $1.2408, down 0.62% on the day.
The 10-year Treasury yield continued to climb, reaching its highest level since March, after the economic data and hopes for a debt limit resolution.
Benchmark 10-year notes last fell 19/32 in price to yield 3.6534%, versus 3.581% late on Wednesday.
The 30-year bond last fell 18/32 in price to yield 3.9105%, versus 3.878% late on Wednesday.
Crude prices dropped as the U.S. economic data spurred the dollar to a two-month high on growing expectations the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates again in June.
U.S. crude dropped 1.33% to settle at $71.86 per barrel, while Brent settled down $1.10, or 1.43%, at $75.97.
Gold moved in opposition to the dollar, with the precious metal losing some luster as the economic data lowered the likelihood of a Fed rate cut before year-end.
Spot gold dropped 1.2% to $1,957.09 an ounce.
