NEW YORK, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks gained on Monday as Wall Street balanced optimistic corporate earnings against the logistical disruptions of a partial government shutdown.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 515.19 points, or 1.05 percent, to 49,407.66. The S&P 500 added 37.41 points, or 0.54 percent, to 6,976.44, and the Nasdaq Composite Index increased by 130.29 points, or 0.56 percent, to 23,592.11.
Performance across the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors was largely positive, with eight finishing in the green. Consumer staples and industrials led the gainers, advancing 1.58 percent and 1.26 percent respectively. Energy and utilities sectors lagged, declining 1.98 percent and 1.54 percent respectively.
The session featured resilient economic data. The Institute for Supply Management reported that U.S. factory activity expanded in January for the first time in a year, exceeding analyst expectations. However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the January nonfarm payrolls report, originally scheduled for Friday this week, will be delayed indefinitely due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. The closure, which began Jan. 31, stems from a congressional impasse over Department of Homeland Security funding.
In corporate news, Apple jumped 4.04 percent as investors continued to digest its record-breaking fiscal first-quarter results. The tech giant reported a 16 percent increase in revenue to 143.8 billion U.S. dollars, driven by unprecedented iPhone demand and an all-time high in services revenue.
Nvidia fell 2.86 percent following reports that its planned 100 billion dollars investment in OpenAI has stalled. Oracle declined 2.75 percent after the company revealed plans to raise up to 50 billion dollars in 2026 to expand cloud infrastructure capacity for major clients including Meta and TikTok. Disney dropped 7.3 percent despite an earnings beat, as management warned of slowing international tourism at its domestic theme parks.
Despite these individual declines, Deutsche Bank strategists highlighted that overall corporate earnings are on track for their strongest growth in four years. Of the approximately one third of S&P 500 companies that have reported thus far, 78 percent have exceeded consensus estimates.
The earnings per share (EPS) with S&P 500 members is now tracking to see 11 percent year-on-year growth for the fourth quarter of 2025, pushing the index toward its fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit EPS growth, said Savita Subramanian, equity and quant strategist with BofA Securities, in a research note on Monday.
