U.S. equities jumped as investors moved past the hurdle of uncertainty presented by the midterm elections and embraced an outlook for Washington gridlock.

Canadian stocks also closed higher. The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 76.72 points to 15,369.43.

Riskier assets were in favor after Democrats won control of the House of Representatives and Republicans held the Senate. The outcome dims chances that Donald Trump’s signature tax cuts will be reversed, but also makes less likely major fiscal initiatives that might have pushed up interest rates. The dollar slid and Treasuries climbed.

Tech stocks, which absorbed the brunt of October’s sell-off, led gains as the Nasdaq 100 surged more than 3 per cent. Amazon.com and Netflix were among the best performers. Health-care shares rallied as investors saw reduced risk for major changes to the health system, while marijuana stocks gained after Michigan voted to permit recreational use and Attorney General Jeff Sessions -- a critic of legalization -- resigned. A gauge of volatility expectations declined.

“We’ve gotten the broad uncertainty out of the way,” said Chad Morganlander, senior portfolio manager at Washington Crossing Advisors.

The outcome largely matched polling going into the vote, and it’s likely investors will now refocus their attention on other issues. The biggest macro theme remains the trade war after recent warnings from major names including the IMF’s Christine Lagarde and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is set to decide interest rates Thursday, and Theresa May is pushing on with efforts to agree a Brexit deal.

Elsewhere, European stocks rallied and Asian shares were mixed. Shares of Spanish banks surged after they escaped paying billions of euros in back taxes. The euro rallied as data showed German industrial output picked up steam in September.

And these are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

The S&P 500 Index rose 2.1 per cent as of the close of trading in New York; the Nasdaq Composite added 2.6 per cent; the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1 per cent. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 1.1 per cent. The MSCI Emerging Market Index rose 0.9 per cent.

Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index slipped 0.1 per cent. The euro climbed 0.1 per cent to US$1.144. The Japanese yen rose 0.1 per cent to 113.52 per dollar. The British pound strengthened 0.3 per cent to US$1.3135.

Bonds

The yield on 10-year Treasuries fell one basis point to 3.22 per cent. Germany’s 10-year yield rose one basis point to 0.44 per cent. Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 1.53 per cent.

Commodities

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1 per cent to US$61.59 a barrel, its eighth consecutive decline. Copper rose 0.4 per cent to US$2.743 a pound. Gold slipped 0.2 per cent to US$1,225.37 an ounce.