Stock in Etsy, which soared last year as consumers sought out homemade masks, jumped 3.2 percent. Investors also bought shares of Clorox, the grocery chain Kroger, Campbell Soup and the toilet tissue maker Kimberly-Clark. Such consumer staples companies fared extraordinarily well during the worst period of last year’s pandemic panic, as consumers stockpiled essentials. They poured their money into government bonds in a rush to safety, pushing bond yields — which move in the opposite direction of prices — sharply lower. The Vix, an index widely known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, soared more than 20 percent, its biggest leap since May.

Source: New York Times July 19, 2021 16:50 UTC