US stocks have a spring in their step

US stocks enjoyed their best week in three months last week, with the S&P 500 advancing 3.8% despite deadlock in Washington over a new stimulus bill.

Traders on the New York Stock Exchange floor © Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Bullish investors are shrugging off the threat of a rise in capital-gains tax
(Image credit: © Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

On Monday, the Nasdaq index had its best day since April. The rising odds of a clear victory for Joe Biden and a Democratic blue wave (see cover story) have raised hopes of a post-election stimulus binge.

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Markets editor

Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.