stocks eye gains as gold, bitcoin rise

U.S. stocks rose in early trading on Wednesday, as market news included gold popping further above $4,000 and Bitcoin attempting to rally above $123,000.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.4%  to set eyes on fresh gains following Tuesday’s negative close, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 0.7% as Nvidia’s stock rose.

Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 80 points in early trading to highlight the upbeat mood across Wall Street.

Market news: eyes on FOMC minutes

On the investor menu across the stock market is today’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes. 

The minutes are scheduled for release at 2:00 p.m. ET. Investor focus will be on details from the September meeting and the decision to cut rates. Traders expect volatility to pick up, and prices may rise amid fresh bullish sentiment.

Gold surges above $4,000, Bitcoin reclaims key support

While gold and Bitcoin (BTC) prices showed recent divergence, investor sentiment across both remains extremely bullish.

The pullback seen on Oct. 7 coincided with broader market weakness as the U.S. dollar strengthened to 98.91. 

Historically, a surging DXY weighs on Bitcoin and gold as tighter global liquidity and rising real yields add to selling pressure. Even so, safe-haven appeal has pushed both assets higher.

Analysts have forecast a rally for BTC in coming months, eyeing $135,000 as anticipation builds ahead of a potential double rate cut by the Fed at next meetings in October and December.

“No stopping the price of gold for now,” said economist Mohamed El-Erian. “Up more than 50% so far this year, it has more than doubled over the past two years.”

As for why gold prices have soared above $4,060 an ounce, the economist added:

“Consistent buying by some foreign central banks is being reinforced by growing institutional and retail allocations, and a more volatile speculative overlay.”