A setback in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout has renewed demand for pandemic-era winners, helping to fuel gains in technology stocks and US government bonds.
Companies and asset classes that prospered in the past year as governments rolled out stay-at-home orders got an unexpected boost on Tuesday as US agencies called on distributors to cease using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine temporarily as it investigated incidents of severe side-effects.
The Nasdaq Composite, which is stacked with technology and healthcare stocks, closed up 1.1 per cent. Ecommerce site Overstock.com posted gains of 7.6 per cent, while Zoom, the video conferencing platform, rose 6.6 per cent.