U.S. stocks climbed for a second day as strong economic data helped ease investors’ concerns about the risks posed by Covid-19 and inflation.
Investors have been worried that the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and surging consumer prices could threaten the economic recovery. They welcomed fresh data showing confidence among U.S. consumers increased in December to a level above what economists had expected. Consumers’ concerns about inflation declined, the Conference Board said.