NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2020) Wall Street posted a second straight month of gains as key stock indexes on the exchange settled flat to slightly higher on Friday, helped by a continuous build-in risk appetite amid optimism of US economic recovery from the effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the broadest equities gauge on the New York Stock Exchange, settled the day flat at 25,383 points. For May, the index rose 4.3 percent, adding to April's gain of 11.1 percent.
The S&P 500, a barometer for the top 500 US stocks, settled up 0.5 percent on the day at 3,046. For the month, it rose 4.6 percent, after April's 12.7 percent rally.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite finished up 1.3 percent at 9,490. For May, the Nasdaq was up 6.8 percent, extending the previous month's advance of 15.5 percent.
Wall Street has forerun the novel coronavirus economic recovery seen so far in official US data.
At Friday's settlement, the Dow was down 11 percent on the year after falling as much as 35 percent at one point in March due to the impact of the pandemic-imposed lockdowns. The S&P 500 is now off just around 6 percent on the year. The Nasdaq, meanwhile, is already in positive territory, with a 6 percent gain.
