- The Nasdaq closed 0.7% higher at 14,763 on Wednesday.
- Apple exceeded analyst expectations for Q3 results with US$81.4bn revenue.
- Pfizer rallied 3% on upgraded sales forecast & booster shot being tested.
The US markets closed mixed on the midweek session as the Fed concluded its policy meeting yesterday, making no change to short-term interest rates but did hint at easing its bond buying program in the coming months. Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer also told lawmakers to be ready to vote on the long awaited US$1tn infrastructure bill on Wednesday night.
The Dow Jones fell 0.36% to finish the trading day down 128 points to close at 34,931 points .
The tech heavy NASDAQ rose 0.7% to finish the trading day up 102 points to close at 14,763 points with Facebook and Amazon gaining 1.49% and 0.11% respectively.
One bitcoin is worth US$40,128 going into the Asian trading day.
The Australian dollar is stronger against the major currencies and is buying 73.76 US cents.
Apple reported excellent third quarter results yesterday beating analysts expectations across the board. The tech giant reported revenues of US$81.4bn, up 36% YoY, well exceeding analyst forecasts of US$73.3bn. Net income for Apple lept to US$21.7bn from US$11.2bn for the same period a year earlier, while earnings per share was US$1.31/share, well above the expected US$1.01/share.
US biotech giant Pfizer surged more than 3% on Wednesday after the company updated its full-year sales expectation of its COVID-19 vaccine from US$26bn to US$33.5bn. Pfizer is also testing a booster dose of its vaccine with potential to protect against the Delta and other strains of the virus.
And Twitter is testing new shopping features for its users, allowing a handful of brands to place a ?Shop Module? on their profiles with links to products their followers can buy.