By Yasin Ebrahim
Investing.com - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit intraday highs on Thursday, shrugging off another surge in jobless claims as investors bet on a stimulus rescue for the economy before year-end.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.40%, or 120 points. The S&P 500 was up 0.47%, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.69%.
The number of Americans filing for unemployed increased by 23,000 to a three-month high of 885,000 in the week ended Dec. 12, well above estimates for 800,000 claims.
"The labor market recovery was on a good track before this recent surge in COVID cases, which has caused a significant turn for the worse," Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) said. "This is why it is critical that Congress provide additional funding for aid to unemployed workers until the vaccine is more widely distributed."
The call from economists for Congress to agree on a stimulus deal sooner rather than later appears to have injected a sense of urgency on Capitol Hill as a relief package is expected to be agreed as soon as this week.
"We made some progress this morning, and waiting to hear back," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
President Donald Trump in a tweet claimed that stimulus talks were "looking very good." Earlier this week, lawmakers unveiled a new approach stimulus bill. Measures that have bipartisan support were grouped into a $900 billion bill, while divisive issues like liability protection local and state aid were excluded.
The broader market was led higher by materials, with Linde (NYSE:LIN) and Newmont Goldcorp (NYSE:NEM) among the biggest gainers in the sector.
On the earnings front, investors digested a slew of mostly better-than-expected earnings from General Mills , Rite Aid, and Accenture.
General Mills (NYSE:GIS) better-than-expected second-quarter earnings per share of $1.06 was driven by sales of pet food and baking products. Its shares rose 3%.
Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) swung to a surprise quarterly profit as growth in its retail pharmacy and pharmacy services businesses boosted revenue that topped estimated. Its shares surged more than 11%.
In technology, meanwhile, consulting firm Accenture (NYSE:ACN) raised its annual guidance after reporting first-quarter results that beat on both the top and bottom lines, sending its shares more than 8% higher.
Google's Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) fell 1% on increased regulatory concerns after the search engine giant was hit with its third antitrust lawsuit in as many as months.
A coalition of state attorneys general filed a new complaint against Google for alleged antitrust practices in online search.
Energy stocks were one of the few sectors in the red even as oil prices jumped to a nine-month high as concerns of the demand outlook persist.
In other news, Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) surged 3% after agreeing a deal on Wednesday with WarnerMedia to carry the HBO Max streaming service.