Stocks rallied a day after violence rocked the U.S. Capitol, with investors firmly focused on the prospect for more stimulus and the likelihood that calm will prevail as Joe Biden takes the presidency.

All major U.S. equity benchmarks notched all-time highs, with about 70 per cent of the companies in the S&P 500 in the green and the Nasdaq 100 jumping 2.5 per cent. The Dow Jones Transportation Average -- a proxy for economic activity -- also hit a record, while the Russell 2000 Index of small caps extended a three-day advance to almost 8 per cent. Tesla Inc. surged after RBC Capital Markets upgraded the stock, noting it was “completely wrong” with a previous bearish view. Another notable call came from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which said banks have “moved back into vogue” due to optimism about fiscal aid and rising rates. Bitcoin pared gains after topping US$40,000.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer demanded that President Donald Trump’s cabinet immediately remove him from office and threatened a new drive to impeach him if they don’t act. Democrats, who already have a majority in the House, are set to take control of the Senate and presidency, paving the way for Biden to bring his legislative agenda to life and reshape the economy. While campaigning in Georgia before the runoff elections, he vowed that US$2,000 stimulus checks would be sent out “immediately” if his party won the state.

Transports index hits record in Thursday trading on prospect of more stimulus

“Markets (rightly, in our view) see the U.S. government as ultimately a stable-enough set of institutions even if things occasionally go pear-shaped,” Nick Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, wrote in a note to clients. “Politics play second fiddle to economic and corporate fundamentals when it comes to setting asset prices. The country’s economic future coming out of the pandemic remains promising.”

Data Thursday showed that growth at U.S. service providers unexpectedly accelerated as gains in business activity and new orders helped offset a decline in a measure of employment. Friday’s jobs report is forecast to show a sharp slowdown in hiring. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Robert Kaplan said officials shouldn’t intervene to slow rising bond yields because that’s expected to happen as the economy recovers.

These are some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• The S&P 500 increased 1.5 per cent at 4 p.m. New York time.
• The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.5 per cent.
• The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 0.8 per cent.

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index jumped 0.6 per cent.
• The euro declined 0.5 per cent to US$1.2266.
• The Japanese yen depreciated 0.8 per cent to 103.82 per dollar.

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries rose four basis points to 1.08 per cent.
• Germany’s 10-year yield declined less than one basis point to -0.52 per cent.
• Britain’s 10-year yield climbed four basis points to 0.284 per cent.

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.6 per cent to US$50.95 a barrel.
• Gold lost 0.2 per cent to US$1,914.70 an ounce.

--With assistance from Gregor Stuart Hunter, Andreea Papuc, Anchalee Worrachate, Claire Ballentine, Katherine Greifeld, Nancy Moran and Sophie Caronello.