NEW YORK, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended higher on Tuesday, as investors continued to debate the possibility of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 141.24 points, or 0.37 percent, to 38,521.36. The S&P 500 added 11.42 points, or 0.23 percent, to 4,954.23. The Nasdaq Composite Index increased 11.32 points, or 0.07 percent, to 15,609.00.
Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in green, with materials and real estate leading the gainers by adding 1.70 percent and 1.49 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, technology and communication services led the laggards by dropping 0.48 percent and 0.21 percent, respectively.
"The market is trying to make heads and tails out of Powell's statement and the latest earnings," said Adam Sarhan, CEO of 50 Park Investment, referring to the recent comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell that dashed hopes for a March cut.
Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said Tuesday that the central bank could lower interest rates "later this year," warning it would be a "mistake" to cut too soon. "It would be a mistake to move rates down too soon or too quickly without sufficient evidence that inflation was on a sustainable and timely path back to 2 percent," Mester said in a speech in Columbus, Ohio. But "if the economy evolves as expected, I think we will gain that confidence later this year, and then we can begin moving rates down."
Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari also said that recent inflation data has been surprisingly positive but that the Federal Reserve is "not all the way there yet" when it comes to tackling higher prices.
Fourth-quarter earnings season has passed the midway point. Shares of DuPont jumped Tuesday morning after the chemicals giant raised its dividend and approved a new buyback program. Spotify shares jumped after the music streamer's strong guidance, while Eli Lilly's stock popped after the company's 2024 profit forecast topped estimates.
