Stock Market Today: Dow Rises, Ericsson Falls as Fed Chair Nomination

It could be a quiet week for markets, with investors getting a day off Thursday for Thanksgiving followed by a half-day Friday. Before that, many U.S. economic data are due Wednesday, including the latest minutes of the Fed’s monetary policy committee, jobless claims, and the core personal-consumption expenditure deflator—the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation. Meanwhile, the focus is landing on who Biden will nominate to lead the Fed.

“The most important market event this week is likely to be on the future leadership of the Federal Reserve, as it’s been widely reported that President Biden is expected to announce his choice on who’ll be the next Fed Chair by Thanksgiving on Thursday,” said Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank.

Current Fed Chair Jerome Powell remains the favorite to lead the central bank for another term, but betting odds have recently begun to show Fed Governor Lael Brainard—viewed by markets as more dovish—as a strong underdog.

Previous, self-imposed deadlines on the nomination—Biden said early last week it would come in four days—have slipped, but Reid noted that time was short given that Senate confirmation is needed before Powell’s term expires in early February.

“Biden will give a speech to the American people tomorrow on the economy and prices,” Reid added. “It’s possible the Fed Chair gets announced here and perhaps plans to release oil from the strategic reserve. We will see.”

Overseas, stocks were mixed in Asia, with Tokyo’s

Nikkei 225
inching up 0.1%. The pan-European

Stoxx 600
was 0.2% higher, as the prospect of lockdowns in Europe looms large. Austria entered a new national lockdown Monday, as countries including Germany and the Netherlands face their own surge in coronavirus infections and the possibility of new widespread restrictions.

Oil was bouncing back after prices hit their lowest levels since late September,…