* Wall Street climbs on defensive share gains
* ADP falls short of expectations
* Dollar edges away from two-year lows
(Updates with close of U.S. markets, oil settlement prices)
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, Sept 2 (Reuters) - A gauge of global stocks
rallied about 1% to an intraday record on Wednesday as investors
looked to improving economic data and U.S. congressional
negotiations for more stimulus to support the rebound from
coronavirus-fueled lockdowns.
On Wall Street, each of the three major equity indexes moved
higher, but gains were led by defensive sectors such as
utilities .SPLRCU as the high-flying tech sector .SPLRCT
paused.
Earlier data from the ADP National Employment Report showed
private payrolls rose by 428,000 jobs in August, well short of
expectations as the government's aid to support workers and
employers runs out. While July's data was revised higher, the
report indicated a slowing in the labor market recovery.
A separate report showed factory orders rose more than
expected in July, pointing to continued improvement in the
manufacturing sector. The mixed data may have fueled expectations Washington may
feel pressure to reach a deal on a new stimulus act, although on
Tuesday U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said
"serious differences" remain between Democrats and the White
House after a phone call with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin,
adding to the defensive tilt on Wall Street. "What you're seeing today is a bit of a rotation," said
Lindsey Bell, chief investment strategist at Ally Invest.
"Unless you really think tech is going to completely crash it
can take a breather and allow some of the other value oriented
and cyclical sectors to take the reins for a while."
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 454.45 points,
or 1.59%, to 29,100.11, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 54.13 points,
or 1.53%, at 3,580.78 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added
116.78 points, or 0.98%, at 12,056.44. The climb marked the
biggest daily percentage gain for the S&P since July 6.
The Federal Reserve's "Beige Book" report released later in
the session showed U.S. businesses saw a modest increase in
activity and employment generally increased through late August,
although some areas of the country saw sluggish growth.
While tech stocks underperformed the broader U.S. market,
they helped European stocks .STOXX snap a four-day streak of
declines. Tech shares .SX8P jumped 1.98% to close at the
highest in more than 19 years. The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX rose 1.66% and
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS gained
0.95%. MSCI's index reached an intraday record for a sixth
straight day.
The dollar strengthened against a basket of major currencies
for a second straight day from lows of more than two years,
while the euro pulled back from the key $1.20 level reached in
the prior session. The dollar index =USD rose 0.476%, with the euro EUR=
down 0.56% to $1.1843.
The Russian rouble dropped against the greenback, with
losses accelerating after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said
that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is in intensive care in
a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok
nerve agent in an attempt to murder him.
The rouble weakened 1.68% versus the greenback at 75.27 per
dollar.
Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last rose 7/32 in price
to yield 0.6494%, down from 0.671% late on Tuesday.
In commodities, oil retreated as weekly government data
showed U.S. gasoline demand fell in the latest week, an
indication that economic recovery from the pandemic may be
slower than expected. U.S. crude CLc1 settled down 2.92% at $41.51 per barrel
and Brent LCOc1 was at $44.43, down 2.52% on the day.
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Emerging markets http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV
MSCI All Country Wolrd Index Market Cap http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j
Global currencies vs. dollar http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Rouble tumbles https://tmsnrt.rs/31Rndf5
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