Dow climbs modestly as Congress passes another stimulus bill and oil prices continue to recover

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 180 points Friday as the markets opened. the S&P 500 added 0.7%.

U.S. stock futures were up this morning. But the Bespoke Investment Group warns that throughout 2020, Fridays have consistently been the worst trading day of the week, with most indexes seeing gains only 25% of the time. The S&P 500 is down 2.5% this week, and has remained flat for the past two weeks.

Thursday evening, the House passed a nearly half-trillion dollar stimulus package to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program, assist hospitals that have been devastated by the crisis, and rapidly expand testing availability, a move that is expected to bring some additional assurance to investors. President Trump is expected to sign the bill, which the Senate passed earlier this week.

Voting with face masks on and in alphabetical sections to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus, House members passed the bill by a vote of 388-5-1. 

Oil prices continue their rally, WTI added 2.6% and is now trading at nearly $17, while Brent crude rose 3% to $22 per barrel.