S&P 500, Dow futures surge to record high as Trump wins U.S. presidency

(Reuters) - Futures tied to the S&P 500 and the Dow soared to record highs on Wednesday as Republican Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, capping his return four years after he was voted out of the White House.

Wall Street is anticipating the potential for lower taxes, deregulation and a U.S. president who is quick to sound off on everything from the stock market to the dollar.

Dow futures jumped more than 1,200 points, while those tracking the S&P 500 inched closer to the psychologically significant 6,000 level.

Trump's victory powered a rally in so-called Trump trades, while U.S. Treasury yields surged, bitcoin hit a record high and the dollar gained. [US/]

"He (Trump) has a massive endorsement and will move much faster than before. The market will price that in very quickly. What's really important here is the markets like clarity, and they have that," said Hendrik Du Toit, CEO of Ninety One.

Futures tracking the small cap Russell 2000 rose 5.4% to their highest levels since early 2022 as domestic-focused stocks expect to benefit from an easier regulatory and tax regime, as well as be less exposed to likely import tariffs.

Stocks that are expected to perform well under a second Trump term jumped.

Trump Media & Technology Group soared 37%, while Tesla leapt 13.2% as top shareholder and CEO Elon Musk has supported Trump throughout his electoral campaign.

Bank shares soared as yields rose and investors expected them to benefit from less regulation. JPMorgan Chase rose 6.7%, Bank of America added 6.9%, while the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF gained 8.9%.

Strong gains were also seen in shares of cryptocurrency companies, energy firms and prison operators, while renewable energy shares fell.

Focus turned to whether the Republican party could maintain a majority in the House of Representatives after gaining control of the U.S. Senate.

A so-called "clean sweep", in which one party captures the presidency, the House and the Senate would give Trump an easier route to push through desired legislation.

"The big question for markets now is whether Trump's win will bring full Republican control or a split government," said Russell Shor, senior market specialist at trading platform Tradu.

"If Republicans take both chambers, Trump could have more room to cut corporate taxes — a potential boost for investor confidence."

The VIX, a measure of market volatility, dropped sharply to its lowest since September. Investors have been bracing for several days of uncertainty over who the winner of the presidency would be.

Dow E-minis were up 1,249 points, or 2.95%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 121.5 points, or 2.09% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 295.5 points, or 1.45%.

Wall Street analysts expect Trump's plans for restricted immigration, tax cuts and sweeping tariffs to put upward pressure on inflation and bond yields, while corporations could benefit from his tax and regulatory policies.

Later in the day, the Federal Reserve will start its two-day meeting where the central bank is expected to ease benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points.

However, bets on a December rate cut reduced slightly to 68% from nearly 80% on Monday, as per CME FedWatch.



(Reporting by Lisa Mattackal in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)