US equity markets rallied in the final hour of trading to start May on a positive footing – Dow settled +84-points or +0.26% higher, recovering from an earlier drop of as much as -527 points. Boeing Co (down -0.15% at US$148.61), paring an earlier decline of more than >3% that saw the stock touch its lowest intraday level (US$143.38) since 2 November, 2020. The aircraft manufacturer has logged a nine session losing streak that has seen the stock lose more than >22% following a weaker-than-expected first quarter result last week. The broader S&P500 rose +0.57% after hitting a fresh 2022 low earlier in the session. Communication Services (up +2.42%), Information Technology (+1.56%), Energy (+1.37%) and Consumer Discretionary (+1.36%) all advanced over >1% to lead six of the eleven primary sectors higher. Real Estate (down -2.55%) was the worst performing sector overnight. The Nasdaq rebounded +1.63%, clawing back some of the previous session’s -4.17% drop. Apple Inc added +0.20% despite European Union (EU) antitrust authorities telling the company that they have formed a preliminary view that it has abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets. The small capitalisation Russell 2000 gained +1.01%.
