U.S. stocks rose after the Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rates by 50 basis points to a range of 4.75% to 5%. That was the first rate cut in over four years that marked the beginning of a monetary-easing cycle in the world's largest economy.

Shortly after market open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.3% to a new record of 42,105, the S&P 500 rose 1.6% to its new all-time high of 5,713 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq surged 2.3%, though it remains 4% below its July peak.