Stocks open higher on Wall Street, continuing strong streak

Stocks opened higher yet again today, adding to a streak that gave the market its best weekly gain since November last week. Investors continue to be focused on company earnings and the higher prospects for more economic stimulus to combat the impact of the coronavirus.

The S&P 500 was up 0.5% as of 8:55 a.m. Central Time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6%. Small-company stocks continued to far outpace the rest of the market, with the Russell 2000 index of small company stocks up 1.1%, That’s a sign investors are feeling optimistic about the economy.

Investors have been encouraged by surprisingly good corporate earnings reports, news that a recent surge in new coronavirus cases is easing, and progress in the distribution of vaccines.

In another sign of optimism, Treasury yields continued to push higher. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.19%, more than double where it was six months ago. While there have been near-zero signs of inflation in recent months, investors believe improving economic fortunes and trillions of dollars in stimulus could make stocks more attractive, and therefore make bond yields rise as their prices fall.

Tesla rose 2.5% after the company said it had purchased $1.5 billion in Bitcoin and pIans to allow customers to pay for their electric vehicles with the digital currency. Bitcoin was up 14% to $43,715 according to digital currency brokerage Coinbase.

Investors continue to watch shares of GameStop, AMC Entertainment and other beaten-down companies who have been a focus of online investors the last several weeks. GameStop shares were up slightly, but are still reeling from the massive drop the stock felt last week. Just this month GameStop shares are down 80%.