US equity markets advanced after a choppy session to end the week - Dow up +260-points or +1.11% Boeing Co fell -6.4% following a report in The Wall Street Journal that said that the Max jet return is expected to be delayed until late summer or early fall. The broader S&P500 gained +1.39%, with Information Technology (up +2.11%) leading all eleven primary sectors higher. Gilead Sciences rebounded +% after Reuters reported that a U.S. government-led trial of remdesivir was running ahead of schedule. The report said those results could be ready by mid-May, with preliminary numbers possibly out earlier. NASDAQ +1.65%. Facebook Inc gained +2.7% after the social-media platform said it is launching a new video chat feature that appears to be a rival to Zoom Video Communications Inc (down -6.1%) US:ZM and Microsoft Corp’s (up +1.8%) Teams service. The small-capitalisation Russell 2000 index gained +1.6%. Retailer J.C. Penney Co fell -11.3% after The Wall Street Journal reported that it was in advanced talks for bankruptcy financing. The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a US$484B coronavirus relief bill – the fourth passed to address the impact of the pandemic - funding small businesses and hospitals and pushing the total spending response to the crisis to an unprecedented near US$3 trillion. The measure passed the Democratic-led House by a vote of 388-5, with one member voting present. House members were meeting for the first time in weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. For the week, the Dow fell -1.93% S&P500 -1.32% Nasdaq -0.18%
