US stocks rose in a volatile session as investors parsed the latest corporate news and the potential for geopolitical risks in Europe. The dollar gained, while the euro fell as Italy’s government looked set to collapse. 

The S&P 500 posted its first back-to-back gain in almost two weeks, with advances in tech and consumer discretionary stocks offsetting declines in defensive sectors, utilities and health care. While tech stocks briefly pared their advance after Google said it will pause hiring for two weeks, gains in Netflix Inc. on better-than-feared earnings underpinned rallies in streaming peers as well as confidence in consumers’ resilience. 

In extended trading, Tesla Inc. jumped after electric-vehicle maker reported earnings that beat Wall Street estimates, reflecting progress in getting production back on track. Alcoa Corp. also gained on better-than-anticipated earnings.

Stocks advanced for third day in four amid optimism over the earnings season and growing speculation markets may have bottomed out. While that debate continues, with Sanford C. Bernstein strategists saying markets have yet to see full capitulation, rates markets have discarded bets the Federal Reserve will hike rates by a full percentage point next week, bolstering optimism the central bank will take a more measured approach to policy tightening.

“The fact that companies are showing a certain resilience to the current environment is reassuring market operators who have now started betting on a less aggressive monetary tightening than initially expected,” said Pierre Veyret, a technical analyst at ActivTrades. “Even if we’re not out of the woods yet, more and more traders now tend to believe the worst is behind for equity markets this year.”

The euro tumbled as Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi appeared set to fall in a confidence vote after three key parties announced they wouldn’t support him.

Risk sentiment also took a hit earlier on news the European Union is preparing for a scenario where Russia halts gas exports to retaliate against sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled Europe will start getting gas, but warned that unless a spat over sanctioned parts is resolved, flows will be tightly curbed.

Oil edged lower as growing stockpiles of crude and gasoline tempered fears of a tight market. Bitcoin gained for a third straight day, rising above US$24,000 for the first time in more than a month.

More market commentary

• “While I hope markets have bottomed, and I hope extreme pessimism can result in capitulation, it’s my job to point out the underlying factors behind market moves, and the bottom line is neither the economy nor corporate earnings have felt the full brunt of Fed tightening,” Tom Essaye, a former Merrill Lynch trader who founded The Sevens Report newsletter, said in a note.
• “Netflix earnings can be interpreted that the US consumer can be doing a little bit better than anticipated,” said Ellen Hazen, chief market strategist and portfolio manager at F.L.Putnam Investment Management.
• “Without Fed support from the corner, selling pressure has been severe and finally reached the washed-out level readings we have been watching for since the S&P 500 first broke down from its head and shoulders top formation,” Craig Johnson, chief market technician at Piper Sandler, said in a note.

Key events to watch this week:

• Earnings this week include Tesla
• Bank of Japan, European Central Bank rate decisions. Thursday
• Nord Stream 1 pipeline scheduled to reopen following maintenance. Thursday

Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

• The S&P 500 rose 0.6 per cent as of 4 p.m. New York time
• The Nasdaq 100 rose 1.6 per cent
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2 per cent
• The MSCI World index rose 0.5 per cent

Currencies

• The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.2 per cent
• The euro fell 0.5 per cent to US$1.0177
• The British pound fell 0.2 per cent to US$1.1975
• The Japanese yen was little changed at 138.22 per dollar

Bonds

• The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 3.03 per cent
• Germany’s 10-year yield declined two basis points to 1.26 per cent
• Britain’s 10-year yield declined four basis points to 2.14 per cent

Commodities

• West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.9 per cent to US$102.26 a barrel
• Gold futures fell 0.9 per cent to US$1,713.30 an ounce