U.S. stocks kick off new week with stylish advance

U.S. stocks kick off new week with stylish advance

Lola Evans
17 Mar 2026, 01:40 GMT+

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed firmly in positive territory on Monday, building momentum throughout the session to finish near their best levels of the day. A broad-based rally, led by strength in technology shares, pushed all three major indices to solid gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 387.94 points, or 0.83 percent, to settle at 46,946.41. The blue-chip index traded within a range of 46,707.40 and 47,176.14 during the session, showing resilience after last week's volatility.

The Standard and Poor's 500 posted a strong advance, rising 67.19 points, or 1.01 percent, to close at 6,699.38. The broad market index moved between 6,674.37 and 6,729.79 on the day, with trading volume reaching 3.001 billion shares.

The NASDAQ Composite led the charge higher, jumping 268.82 points, or 1.22 percent, to end the day at 22,374.18. The tech-heavy index saw healthy trading volume of 6.054 billion shares as investors rotated back into growth stocks

Global Markets Mixed as European Bourses Rise, Asian Indices Falter

Global stock markets delivered a mixed performance on Monday, with European exchanges posting broad gains driven by optimism in the region, while several major indices in the Asia-Pacific region closed in negative territory.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index in Toronto rallied sharply, adding 334.72 points to close at 32,876.65. The gain of 1.03 percent came on volume of 292.791 million shares, reflecting broad-based strength across multiple sectors as investor sentiment improved on both sides of the border.

In London, the FTSE 100 advanced by 0.55 percent, adding 56.54 points to close at 10,317.69. The gains were mirrored on the continent, where Germany's DAX P rose by 0.50 percent, climbing 116.72 points to finish at 23,564.01. France's CAC 40 also moved higher, gaining 24.44 points, or 0.31 percent, to settle at 7,935.97.

The positive sentiment was reflected in broader European indices. The pan-European EURO STOXX 50 I rose 0.39 percent to 5,739.01, while the Euronext 100 Index added 0.46 percent, closing at 1,760.81. Belgium's BEL 20 also joined the rally, finishing up 0.38 percent at 5,128.99. This broad strength was captured by the MSCI EUROPE index, which saw a solid gain of 1.03 percent, rising 26.77 points to 2,622.08.

In Asia, the trading day ended with a more divided outcome. Hong Kong's HANG SENG INDEX was a standout performer, surging 1.45 percent with a gain of 368.42 points to close at 25,834.02. India's S&P BSE SENSEX also posted a strong session, jumping 938.93 points, or 1.26 percent, to end at 75,502.85. South Korea's KOSPI Composite Index added 1.14 percent, closing at 5,549.85.

However, other major regional markets struggled. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.39 percent to 8,583.40, and the broader ALL ORDINARIES index fell 0.52 percent to 8,793.40. Japan's Nikkei 225 edged down 0.13 percent, losing 68.46 points to close at 53,751.15. In mainland China, the SSE Composite Index dipped 0.26 percent to 4,084.79. Taiwan's TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock Index also saw a slight decline of 0.17 percent.

Southeast Asian markets were mostly lower. Indonesia's IDX COMPOSITE dropped sharply by 1.61 percent, falling 114.92 points to 7,022.29. Malaysia's FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI posted a modest loss of 0.13 percent, closing at 1,696.56. Singapore's STI Index bucked the regional trend slightly, managing a gain of 0.55 percent to finish at 4,868.69.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific, New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 INDEX edged down 0.17 percent to 13,164.58, while Israel's TA-125 index slipped a marginal 0.07 percent to 4,115.26.

In other markets, the Top 40 USD Net TRI Index in South Africa was the day's strongest performer, rallying 2.54 percent to close at 6,976.68. In contrast, Egypt's EGX 30 Price Return Index was a significant laggard, tumbling 1.61 percent to end at 45,187.70.

On the currency front, the US Dollar Index weakened, falling 0.59 percent to 99.77. The British Pound Currency Index strengthened by 0.69 percent to 133.25, and the Euro Currency Index rose 0.62 percent to 115.08. The Australian Dollar Currency Index was a notable mover, jumping 1.33 percent to 70.74, while the Japanese Yen Currency Index inched up 0.35 percent to 62.82.

(This report incorporates quotes retrieved with the assistance of artificial intelligence).

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