(Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes rose on Monday as Microsoft's pursuit of TikTok's U.S. operations and a clutch of upbeat quarterly earnings reports lifted sentiment in the absence of a fiscal coronavirus relief deal. Microsoft jumped 3.7% as it said it would push ahead with talks to acquire the U.S. operations of Chinese-owned TikTok after President Donald Trump reversed course on a planned ban of the short-video app. Tech and healthcare led gains among the 11 S&P 500 sectors. A rally in tech-related stocks and historic stimulus have lifted the S&P 500 to within 4% of its peak, but faltering macroeconomic data and a gridlock on more government stimulus have made investors cautious again. After an extra $600-per-week in jobless benefits expired last week, Congressional Democrats and Trump administration officials faced increasing pressure to come to an agreement on new legislation.

Source: International New York Times August 03, 2020 14:15 UTC