NEW YORK : US stocks rose on Monday, led in part by healthcare stocks as investors looked for shares that have become cheap and can withstand the impact to the economy from efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The S&P healthcare sector jumped 4.67%, in part due to gains in Johnson & Johnson and Abbot Laboratories. JNJ surged 8.00% on the U.S.
government's plans to help fund the creation of enough manufacturing capacity for its coronavirus vaccine, currently under development.
Abbott Laboratories climbed 6.41% after winning U.S. approval for a diagnostic test for COVID-19. Along with healthcare, the technology sector also rose more than 4% on the day, as Microsoft shares jumped more than 7%, the biggest boost to the broad S&P 500.