(New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments to U.S. market close)
* Schumer reportedly says McConnell agreed to new talks
* New aid for U.S. businesses seen supporting economic growth
* U.S. technology stocks drive Nasdaq higher
By Alwyn Scott
NEW YORK, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Stocks rallied while the dollar fell on Thursday, and oil settled lower but rose after hours following a report that U.S. lawmakers may restart negotiations on economic stimulus, which lifted gloom that had persisted through most of the global day.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had agreed to resume COVID-19 relief talks as cases surge across the country, CNBC reported. all about the restart of stimulus negotiations," Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York, said of the quick shift by markets. "This should be a strong market catalyst and have follow through in Asia" on Friday, Moya added.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 44.81 points, or 0.15%, to 29,483.23, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 14.08 points, or 0.39%, to 3,581.87 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 103.11 points, or 0.87%, to 11,904.71.
The Dow and S&P had been lower before the news, while tech shares had edged higher as the new lockdowns reinforced expectations of demand for online services. prices reversed losses and edged higher in after-market trade, after Brent LCOc1 settled down 0.3% at $44.20 per barrel with U.S. crude CLc1 0.2% lower at $41.70.
The dollar index =USD fell 0.235%, with the euro EUR= up 0.21% to $1.1877.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR rose 12/32 in price to yield 0.8423%, from 0.882% late on Wednesday.
POLITICAL PRESSURE
Politicians appeared pressured to act after small business owners warned in recent days their companies might not survive new lockdowns being prompted by the current wave of infections.
The report of talks, if confirmed, could prompt investors to price in prospects for a stimulus bill before President-Elect Joe Biden takes office, Moya said.
The news helped dispel the dark mood dominating markets earlier in the day.
Stocks had broadly declined and bond prices had risen on a weak reading for U.S. employment, with new COVID-19 restrictions seen possibly stifling economic recovery and tempering optimism about vaccines. The United States reported an unexpectedly large rise in jobless claims in the week ended Nov. 14 - 742,000 compared with 711,000 the prior week and forecasts of 707,000 among economists polled by Reuters. news about possible vaccines had helped push the MSCI World Index to a record high earlier in the week. But investors had pulled back after countries announced record infection rates and tougher lockdowns to curb the virus.
The MSCI benchmark for global equity markets .MIWD00000PUS fell 0.45% to 610.11. Europe's broad FTSEurofirst 300 index .FTEU3 dropped 0.75% to 1,496.62.
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