- The Nasdaq rose 1.7% to finish Thursday?s session at 14,823 points.
- Moderna rose 3% on US FDA advisory committee booster approval.
- Walgreens surged 7% after announcing expansion into health-care.
The US markets closed higher on Thursday following the release of better-than-expected earnings results from a number of companies, and the fall in Treasury yields for a third straight decline.
The Dow Jones rose 1.56% to finish the trading day up 535 points to close at 34,913 points.
The tech heavy NASDAQ rose 1.7% to finish the trading day up 252 points to close at 14,823 points with Google and Apple gaining 2.55% and 2.02% respectively.
One bitcoin is worth US$57,466 going into the Asian trading day.
The Australian dollar is firm against the major currencies and is buying 74.18 US cents.
Moderna shares rose 3.23% yesterday after the US FDA?s vaccine and related biological products advisory committee voted unanimously in favour of recommending the US FDA authorise Moderna?s COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for adults over 65 years old and anyone under 65-years who is vulnerable with underlying medical conditions.
Shares in America?s second-largest pharmacy store chain Walgreens surged 7.43% on Thursday after the company announced plans to expand into the health-care division. Walgreens is planning to open hundreds of doctors offices, offer in-store nurse consults and join the pharmacies onto the chains through the acquisition of primary care company VillageMD.
And McDonald's will begin selling plant-based Beyond Meat burgers in select US stores from next month to trial the patties as part of its deal with Beyond Meat.