US stocks rebound on receding fears of a June Fed rate-hike

By FXStreet After weighing heavily on Wednesday and Thursday, Fed rate-hike fears seemed to recede that helped major US equity indices to open higher on Friday.

The only economic data from the US on Friday, existing home sales, confirmed robust demand despite of constrained supply. According to the data released by the National Association of Realtors just a short while ago, existing home sales rose 1.7% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.45 million, which was better than the 5.40 million pace forecast by economists.

Stocks gain across US, Europe and Asia

US stock indices extended their gains after existing-home sales data, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average adding 130 point to 17,565 and the S&P 500 up 16 point at 2,056. Meanwhile, tech heavy Nasdaq Composite index outperformed other indices and rose 56 point or 1.2% to begin trading at 4,768.

After taking Friday’s opening trade in to consideration, most major US indices are headed for a flat to positive close for the week. The weekly gains are despite of Thursday’s sharp losses led by worries that the Fed will move to hike interest rates in June.

Investors, however, seem to be shrugging off those worries on Friday, leading to an upbeat …read more

Source:: FX Street