Stocks surge amid signs of outbreak easing

The S&P 500 jumped to a one-month high while giant technology companies pushed the Nasdaq 100 through its 50-, 100- and 200-day moving averages. Johnson & Johnson surged after posting stronger sales and boosting its quarterly dividend. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. slumped as their profits were hit by major provisions. Treasuries rose, the U.S. dollar retreated against its major peers and oil tumbled.

Equities extended gains after a report that President Donald Trump will make some "important announcements" in the next few days regarding state guidelines on reopening the economy. Separately, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said a May 1 target to reopen is "a bit overly optimistic" for many areas of the country.

As the earnings season gets underway, investors will get a sense of how bad the pandemic could hit global companies. The International Monetary Fund said the "Great Lockdown" recession would be the steepest in almost a century and warned the world economy's contraction and recovery would be worse than anticipated if the coronavirus lingers or returns. Traders also focused on whether trillions of dollars in stimulus and rescue plans will sustain the rally in risk assets amid uncertain corporate profits.

"This will be a unique earnings season," Tom Essaye, a former Merrill Lynch trader who founded the "Sevens Report" newsletter, wrote in a note. "But it remains critically important because it'll give us microeconomic insight into the question of 'How bad is the damage?' - which remains the single most important question we all need to answer to successfully navigate this market over the medium and longer term."

Investor pessimism over the pandemic's economic damage is at "extreme" levels with cash positions at the highest since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to a Bank of America survey.

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In focus this week:

- Citigroup, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs Group report results Wednesday; BlackRock's earnings are set for Thursday.

- South Korea holds parliamentary elections and the Bank of Canada has a rate decision Wednesday.

- Also on Wednesday, U.S. retail sales are poised to fall in March by the most ever.

- China releases GDP, industrial production and retail sales and jobless figures Friday.

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These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

- The S&P 500 increased 3.1% as of 4 p.m. New York time.

- The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.6%.

- The MSCI Asia Pacific Index climbed 2.1%.

Currencies

- The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.5%.

- The euro increased 0.7%, to $1.0986.

- The Japanese yen appreciated 0.6%, to 107.15 per dollar.

Bonds

- The yield on 10-year Treasuries fell two basis points, to 0.75%.

- Germany's 10-year yield decreased three basis points, to -0.38%.

- Britain's 10-year yield gained four basis points, to 0.341%.

Commodities

- The Bloomberg Commodity Index decreased 0.5%.

- West Texas Intermediate crude dipped 7.7%, to $20.68 a barrel.

- Gold fell 0.5%, to $1,753.40 an ounce.