WALL Street stocks finished solidly higher yesterday, shrugging off a mixed session in overseas markets on hopes for an agreement to avert a US debt default.

Although there is still no compromise to lift the nation’s debt ceiling, President Joe Biden said he was “confident” the country would not default, while Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he was “optimistic about our ability to work together.”

Markets continue to watch the talks.

“We’ve seen that many times before, it always gets resolved,” said LBBW’s Karl Haeling. “But the unknown factor is the politics of the hard-core Republican representatives.”

Biden was scheduled to attend a G7 summit in Japan, but has scrapped subsequent stops planned in Papua New Guinea and Australia, and will instead return to Washington on Sunday as time to reach a deal runs low.

Sam Stovall of CFRA Research pointed to an underlying caution until the standoff in the capital is resolved.

“Though there seems to be some movement in the debt default discussion, the downside risk is greater than the upside potential since a debt ceiling agreement would only result in the lessening of headwinds, as the Fed would still remain in focus,” Stovall said.

The improved sentiment about the debt ceiling talks also boosted the dollar and contributed to gains in oil prices.

Traders were also looking at company news.

Big-box retailer Target reported a dip in quarterly earnings, but said it had made progress in cutting excess inventory that has weighed on earnings in a slowing consumer economy.

Analysts said the market was cheered by an update from Western Alliance Bancorporation, which said it had added US$2 billion in deposits so far in the second quarter.

Worries about deposit flight have slammed regional bank shares since early March. Western Alliance jumped 10.2%, while Zions Bancorporation and Comerica International both won more than 12%.

Japan growth boosts Nikkei

Asia indices enjoyed mixed fortunes but star performer Tokyo jumped after figures showed Japan’s economy grew more than expected in January-March thanks to a surge in tourism after pandemic border restrictions were lifted.

The figures helped push the Nikkei 225 to a 20-month high and it has now piled on more than 15% since the turn of the year.

Analysts said the strong market performance has been helped by corporate reforms and Bank of Japan’s ultra-loose monetary policies.

Key figures around 2030 GMT

New York - Dow: UP 1.2% at 33,420.77 (close)

New York - S&P 500: UP 1.2% at 4,158.77 (close)

New York - Nasdaq: UP 1.3% at 12,500.57 (close)

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.4% at 7,723.23 (close)

Frankfurt - DAX: UP 0.3% at 15,951.30 (close)

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN less than 0.1% at 7,399.44 (close)

EURO STOXX 50: UP 0.2% at 4,323.23 (close)

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.8% at 30,093.59 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 2.1% at 19,560.57 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.2% at 3,284.23 (close)

Euro/dollar: DOWN at US$1.0841 from US$1.0862 on Tuesday

Pound/dollar: FLAT at US$1.2488

Dollar/yen: UP at  ¥137.63 from  ¥136.39 

Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.79 pence from 87.00 pence

Brent North Sea crude: UP 2.7% at US$76.96 per barrel

West Texas Intermediate: UP 2.8% at US$72.83 per barrel – AFP, May 18, 2023.