Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended the regular trading day Thursday at record closing levels, and the Dow ended just short of its own record high.
If confirmed, Janet Yellen’s immediate task will be selling Congress on the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package. But the former Fed chair will also have her hands full on a number of other issues.
Global shares slipped off record highs on Friday as gloomy data reminded investors of the struggles facing the economic recovery, curbing a rally fuelled by hopes of U.S. stimulus by newly inaugurated President Joe Biden. Sentiment in Europe was already more cautious after Thursday's European Central Bank meeting, in which the bank's message was perceived as more hawkish than expected. The yield on Italian 10-year benchmark bonds touched its highest since early November on reports that Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte may be tempted by the prospect of a snap election.