“It really looks like a little bit of weakness ahead of the long holiday weekend,” said Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist for LPL Financial. U.S. markets will be closed Monday for Memorial Day.
The report expands on President Donald Trump’s get-tough rhetoric that he hopes will resonate with voters angry about China’s handling of the disease outbreak. Despite a week of uneven finishes, Wall Street is on track to recoup its losses from last week amid fresh hopes for a U.S. economic recovery in the second half of the year and optimism about a potential vaccine for COVID-19. A strong rally on Monday reversed all of the market’s losses for the month. The index is still down about 13% from its high in February.Investors are betting that the economy and corporate profits will begin to recover from the coronavirus pandemic as the U.S.
The National Association of Realtors said sales of previously occupied U.S. homes plunged 17.8% in April as the housing market remained hobbled by the coronavirus shutdowns. Oil prices closed higher for the sixth day day in a row. Benchmark U.S. crude oil for July delivery rose 43 cents, or 1.3%, to settle at $33.92 a barrel. July Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 31 cents, or 0.9%, to close at $36.06 a barrel.