Markets rise amid US stimulus delay and new COVID-19 restrictions

Markets rose on Thursday.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5 percent and the STOXX Europe 600 rose 0.2 percent.

Markets rose despite a dearth of positive news.

In the US, discussions on additional fiscal stimulus have made little progress, and Goldman Sachs analysts in a recent report called the prospect of a new round of fiscal stimulus before the year’s end “unlikely”.

In Europe, the COVID-19 pandemic remained a concern as Italy extended its state of emergency until January, the Spanish capital Madrid goes back under lockdown and the UK announced an extension of localised restrictions in northern England.