Indices closed well into the green zone on Monday. Consumer staples and financial brands led the upswing as stocks stepped up on French election inspiration. Centrist Emmanuel Macron won the first round of France’s presidential elections over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. European markets rallied on the news. On Tuesday, indices closed trading with gains as Caterpillar and McDonald’s led the Dow while the NASDAQ hit a new all-time high. Stocks climbed on a variety of economic news including new home sales which ticked up 5.8% to 621,000 in March. On another note, a measure of consumer confidence waned in April. Conference Board data showed sentiment hit 120.3 this month, down from 124.9 in March. Stocks moved marginally lower on Wednesday. Early market momentum faded late in the day as investors reacted with slight indifference to the White House’s highly anticipated tax plan. The release contained few surprises, but prompted many questions. U.S. stock indexes edged higher Thursday as gains in the shares of technology companies offset losses in the energy sector as shares of Google rose after the company reported growth in revenue and profit that topped analyst’s estimates. Also, the European Central Bank left its policy unchanged and said interest rates would remain at present or lower levels well past the horizon of asset purchases by the ECB. Stocks traded slightly lower Friday on a variety of economic news. Bureau of Economic Analysis figures showed the U.S. economy expanded at a pace of 0.7% in the first quarter. The results were shy of expectations for gross domestic product to climb 1.2%. On another note, manufacturing activity in the Chicago region ticked up in April. The Chicago PMI rose to 58.3 this month, from 57.7 in March. Analysts had expected a decrease to 56.5.
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