Optimism for a strong economic recovery may be growing as COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out, and as larger stimulus checks remain a possibility. President Donald Trump, congressional Democrats, and some Republicans support boosting the $600 direct payments included in the latest stimulus bill to $2,000, although the measure may be a long shot.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) was up 0.53% at 12:10 p.m. EST Wednesday as investors weighed the current state of the pandemic against the coming relief from vaccines and the stimulus bill. Shares of Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) jumped after an analyst argued for buying the heavy-machinery stock, while shares of Nike (NYSE: NKE) were down slightly despite positive analyst commentary.
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