Stocks Rise on Hope for Fed Rate Cuts

Market Performance: The S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq 100 all closed higher on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching three-week highs, supported by a weaker-than-expected ADP employment report that lowered bond yields and increased expectations for a Fed interest rate cut.

Sector Highlights: Chipmakers saw significant gains, with Microchip Technology rising over 12% after a strong earnings forecast, while other tech stocks also performed well. Conversely, concerns over AI demand affected Microsoft, which saw a decline in stock price.

Economic Indicators: The November ADP employment report indicated an unexpected job loss of 32,000, the largest drop in over 2.5 years, while the ISM services index showed unexpected growth, suggesting mixed signals in the labor market and economic activity.

Upcoming Economic Focus: Market attention is on upcoming economic reports, including unemployment claims and personal spending, with a high probability of a 25 basis point rate cut anticipated at the next FOMC meeting on December 9-10.