US Stocks Jump After Democrats Win House and Senate in Midterm Elections

US stocks rose sharply on Wednesday after Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections. Shortly after trading opened, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 1,200 points, or 2.4%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.7% and the Nasdaq Composite 2.1%. Analysts said gridlock between a Democratic Congress and President Donald Trump, who can veto bills, could limit sharp policy swings, and Stephen Brown of Capital Economics said Democrats still lack a filibuster-proof Senate majority. Oil fell, with Brent crude down 0.7% to $102.87 and WTI down 0.2% to $94.97 a barrel. Retailers that rely on imports gained, with Walmart up 1.3% and Target up 3.3%, amid possible tariff changes. CVS Health fell 12% and UnitedHealthcare 2.9%, while Cigna rose 1.6%. Oracle and Nvidia opened lower, while Alphabet rose 3.5%. Dan Ives of Yorkville Ives estimated that 10% of data centers will not now be built. Trump's social media post saying he would accept the results also eased uncertainty.

Left-leaning CBS News and The New York Times lead with the Democratic takeover and the market surge. CBS cites the Dow's 2.4% gain, lists issues the shift could affect, from the data center buildout to crypto regulation and credit card interest caps, and quotes Brown's view that gridlock is historically good for markets. The Times notes that global markets first fell as results arrived and later rose. The right-leaning New York Post uses nearly the same index figures and Brown quote, but puts the 1,200-point Dow jump in its headline, calls the sweep historic, and adds Reuters-sourced analyst Michael Krautzberger's view that Washington remains structurally constrained. It also covers oil prices and hopes that Trump might rein in foreign policy decisions. Both sides agree on the index moves and the gridlock reasoning. Al Jazeera offers a distinct angle with individual stock moves, health insurers, retailers and AI warnings.