MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Markets confident US Senate will remain under Republican control

Democrats appeared less likely to win the Senate, easing investors’ worries about tighter regulations on Big Tech and a potential corporate tax hike

United States stocks jumped on Thursday as investors bet Republicans would hold onto the Senate and prevent changes under a possible Joe Biden White House that would crimp corporate profits.

With votes still being counted in battleground states, investors abandoned cautious pre-election positioning, driving Wall Street’s main indexes up for a fourth straight session.

S&P futures dipped 0.3% late in the day as Democratic candidate Biden edged closer to defeating Republican President Donald Trump, with the contest hinging on a dwindling number of uncounted votes.

While investors widely expect a fiscal stimulus package, the size of a deal reached in a divided Congress is likely to be much smaller than it would be under a Democratic-controlled Congress. That could pressure the U.S. Federal Reserve to pump more funds into the financial system, supporting equity prices.

Also on Thursday, the Fed kept its loose monetary policy intact and again pledged to do whatever it can to sustain an economy crippled by the coronavirus pandemic. In a post-statement press conference, Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed would not consider directly funding fiscal activities.

Betting odds heavily favor Biden, with the Smarkets betting website now reflecting a 10% expectation Trump will retain the presidency.

However, Democrats appeared less likely to win the Senate from Republicans. That eased investors’ worries about tighter regulations on Big Tech and a potential corporate tax hike.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.95% to end at 28,390.18 points, while the S&P 500 gained 1.95% to 3,510.45. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 2.59% to 11,890.93. Volume on U.S. exchanges was 10.42 billion shares, more than the 9.16 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.