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US stock markets rally despite armed threat, Nasdaq surges 3%

In a somewhat unexpected shift, the major US stock markets all finished higher on Thursday despite facing the threat of being forced to join armed conflict in Ukraine in the coming months.

On some levels, given that many of the companies listed on US markets will be impacted by anything more than risk appetite, it wasn’t surprising to see the Nasdaq surge back 3.3% after an early selloff with one in 10 constituents moving sharply higher.

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) gained 6% and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) closer to 5% with neither company likely to be hurt by the global events.

The likes of JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) and Travelers (NYSE: TRV) detracted from the Dow Jones, which finished 0.3% higher, whilst the flood to quality that has dominated the last few years continued, with the S&P 500 gaining 1.6% on rallies in Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).

Outside of geopolitical concerns, Ukraine is an important part of the supply chain for a number of commodities including grain, which puts more pressure on the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision to hike rates; bond yields fell in response.

Back home on the ASX, the S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) is expected to follow this strong global lead to open higher this morning. For a round-up of the latest news, check out my ASX 200 morning report.

The Golden Rules of Investing

We might be experts in retirement, but with combined financial advice experience of 35+ years, we’ve nearly seen it all. 

In mid-2023, our senior team at Wattle Partners Financial Planning put the finishing touches on a brand-new report “The Golden Rules of Investing“.

In this free report, we outline the key principles that determine all of the portfolio construction and investment decisions of Wattle Partners. Collated over decades, this paper should be seen as a work-in-progress, constantly under review in light of the ever-evolving nature of markets. 

You’ll find the free report on my Author page. Simply click the button below to view the Golden Rules.

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At the time of publishing, the author of this article does not have a financial or commercial interest in any of the companies mentioned.

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Wattle Partners is a financial advice firm, servicing clients around Australia, specialising in retirement planning (pre and post retirement). 

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