(Updates to afternoon)
By Stephen Culp
NEW YORK, Oct 8 (Reuters) - U.S. stock indexes touched one-month highs and crude prices gained ground on Thursday amid signs of progress in fiscal aid negotiations.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said emergency aid for commercial airlines was a matter of national security and could only pass through Congress with assurances that negotiations will continue toward crafting a broader pandemic relief package. while White House adviser Larry Kudlow said the Trump administration would like to see "standalone" bills to provide additional unemployment assistance and extend the Paycheck Protection Program, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell warned there remain "vast differences" between Democrats and Republicans regarding the size of a more comprehensive deal.
"We're seeing the broad market lift and certainly cyclical sectors are doing well," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment strategist at Inverness Counsel in New York. "That shows that the market is anticipating some kind of package."
Democratic nominee Joe Biden has been advancing in the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, now less than a month away. the market seems very accepting of a potential Biden win and Democratic gains in the Senate," Ghriskey added. "The market usually tends to prefer gridlock where change happens slowly, but in the short-term you'd get a stimulus bill if there's a clean sweep by either party."
The U.S. Labor Department reported that jobless claims, while edging lower last week, remain stubbornly high and well above the highest levels reached at the nadir of the Great Recession, suggesting recovery of the labor market could be stalling. Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 102.15 points, or 0.36%, to 28,405.61, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 25.62 points, or 0.75%, to 3,445.07 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 57.04 points, or 0.5%, to 11,421.64.
European stocks joined the world rally, hitting near three-week highs as signs of movement in coronavirus aid talks lifted the global mood. pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX rose 0.78% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS gained 0.76%.
Emerging market stocks rose 0.93%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS closed 0.84% higher, while Japan's Nikkei .N225 rose 0.96%.
Treasury prices firmed and the yield curve flattened a bit amid weaker-than-expected economic data. 10-year notes US10YT=RR last rose 6/32 in price to yield 0.7669%, from 0.785% late on Wednesday.
The 30-year bond US30YT=RR last rose 17/32 in price to yield 1.5656%, from 1.589% late on Wednesday.
Crude prices topped $43 per barrel as output shutdowns related to hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and an ongoing oil worker strike in Norway, and possible OPEC production cuts pressured supply. crude futures CLcv1 gained 3.10% to settle at $41.19 per barrel, while Brent settled at $43.34 per barrel, advancing 3.22% on the day.
The dollar inched lower against a basket of world following Pelosi's remarks.
The dollar index .DXY fell 0.03%, with the euro EUR= down 0.03% to $1.1757.
The Japanese yen weakened 0.04% versus the greenback at 106.03 per dollar, while Sterling GBP= was last trading at $1.2933, up 0.12% on the day.
Election uncertainty and pandemic relief optimism also lifted gold. gold XAU= added 0.3% to $1,892.01 an ounce.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Global assets
http://tmsnrt.rs/2jvdmXl Global currencies vs. dollar
http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh Emerging markets
http://tmsnrt.rs/2ihRugV MSCI All Country Wolrd Index Market Cap
http://tmsnrt.rs/2EmTD6j Stocks versus COVID
https://tmsnrt.rs/2GCoYoa
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>