US stocks hover near record highs on economic optimism and strong earnings -

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US stocks hovered near record highs on Friday as investors cheered strong economic data from around the globe and strong corporate earnings.

China said its economy grew 18% in the first quarter of 2021, with the nation saw retail sales soar 34.2% in March. In the US, housing starts surged 19.4% to a a 15-year high on Friday after jobless claims tumbled to a pandemic-era low the prior day.

“The stock market continues to validate the optimistic forecasts from last year which predicted a strong economy that was driven by consumers emerging from their homes, emboldened by vaccinations or by a belief that the worst of Covid was behind us,” said Chris Zaccarelli, Independent Advisor Alliance chief investment officer.

Here’s where US indexes stood at the 9:30 a.m. ET open on Friday:

Morgan Stanley concluded a blockbuster week for bank earnings, beating estimates in every major category – although the strong report was overshadowed by a $911 million loss linked to the Archegos Capital implosion.

Across Wall Street, Citigroup posted record profit, Goldman Sachs beat revenue and profit expectations on strong trading and investment-banking revenue, and JPMorgan and Wells Fargo turning in profit that surpassed Wall Street’s targets.

West Texas Intermediate crude fell as much as 0.4%, to $63.24 per barrel. Brent crude, oil’s international benchmark, rose 0.7%, to $67.38 per barrel, at intraday

Gold climbed as much as 1.1%, to $1,783.85 per ounce.