The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced its most significant surge in over a month on Thursday as traders celebrated the initial public offering (IPO) of chip design company Arm.
After two consecutive days of declines, the Dow rose by 0.96 percent or 331.58 points to close at 34,907.11. The 30-stock index notched its first close above the 50-day moving average since September 1, marking its best performance since August 7.
Meanwhile, the broader market also reflected this positive sentiment. The S&P 500 climbed by approximately 0.84 percent, settling at 4,505.10, while the Nasdaq Composite registered a 0.81 percent uptick, closing at 13,926.05.
Arm made its highly anticipated debut on Thursday, sparking optimism among investors about revitalizing the "somewhat sluggish" IPO market. Its shares saw a 24.7 percent surge during the trading session, closing at $63.59 per share against the initial offering of $51.
"The successful IPO of Arm certainly helps confidence," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Financial.
"It's not the biggest deal we've ever seen, and it certainly was priced well and it's holding up well. So, getting that behind us sort of instills some confidence that perhaps the capital markets window is going to open again after virtually being closed for the last 18 months."
Economic data reinforce positive outlook
In addition to the IPO excitement, investors also digested a series of economic reports. These reports indicated that core inflation data remained under control, and the consumer sector demonstrated resilience.
Recent data revealed that core PPI, which excludes food and energy, increased by 0.2 percent in August, in line with earlier estimates. However, the headline figure rose by 0.7 percent, surpassing the anticipated 0.4 percent increase.
It followed Wednesday's release of the August consumer price index, which showed that core CPI, excluding food and energy, slightly exceeded monthly expectations.
August's retail sales figures also saw a 0.6 percent increase, compared to the anticipated 0.1 percent rise. Excluding automotive sales, retail figures rose by 0.6 percent, outpacing the forecasted 0.4 percent increase.
"I think you've got the perfect framework of inflation heading in the right direction, but the economy not falling apart," Hogan said.
"And that really paints the picture that the Fed has done the right thing and we may well be orchestrating that elusive soft landing. At least that's the impression we get this week."
In the United States, Fed funds futures pricing data from the CME FedWatch Tool suggests a 97 percent likelihood of rates remaining unchanged in the upcoming week.
While the Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep the current interest rate steady, the European Central Bank (ECB) increased its rate by a quarter of a percentage point. However, the ECB noted that inflation was easing and hinted at the possibility of nearing the conclusion of its rate-hiking campaign.
Oil surges
Meanwhile, oil futures experienced another surge on Thursday in the commodity market. It saw an over two percent increase, surpassing the $90 per barrel threshold for the first time since November 2022.
This significant uptick in oil prices is related to the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and fellow members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
In April, OPEC nations reduced production levels. It resulted in a 32 percent price hike over the past three months and a 12 percent increase since the beginning of this year.