A woman with a facial mask passes the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 3, 2020 at Wall Street in New York City.
Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty Images
Dow Jones Industrial Average rises 160 points
Fed to keep rates low for the long haul
In a statement, the Fed’s policymaking committee said U.S. economic activity and employment “have picked up somewhat in recent months but remain well below their levels at the beginning of the year.” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell told reporters the Fed will maintain its historic stimulus measures until they are confident the economy has “weathered” the crisis.
Tech shares rise as CEOs testify
Facebook closed 1.38% higher. Amazon ended the session up 1.11% and Alphabet rose 1.32%. Apple advanced 1.92%. These companies posted solid gains even as their CEOs testified in front of Congress over antitrust concerns.
What happens next?
Weekly jobless claims and quarterly gross domestic product data are set for release Thursday. It will also be the busiest day of the earnings season, with Eli Lilly, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook and Gilead set to report.
Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.