Dow rises more than 200 points, turns positive for 2020; European markets close lower after Fed’s Powell unveils historic policy shift; BELEX15 down 0.22% 
Stocks rose in volatile trading on Thursday after the Federal Reserve unveiled a new framework that could keep interest rates lower for a longer period of time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 256 points, or 0.9%. Thursday’s gains pushed the Dow into positive territory for the year. The S&P 500 gained 0.4% and briefly topped 3,500 for the first time. The Nasdaq Composite was flat. 
The Labor Department said Wednesday the number of Americans who filed for unemployment benefits for the first time totaled 1 million last week, in line with expectations. It marked the second consecutive week that weekly jobless claims tallied more than 1 million. 
Meanwhile, second-quarter GDP was revised to a 31.7% decline, versus a 32.5% drop estimated. The initial reading on July 30 showed a 32.9% fall in economic activity. While the latest reading is slightly better, it still marks the largest quarterly plunge on record. 
Shares of Abbott Laboratories jumped 7.7% after the company won authorization for a $5 rapid coronavirus test. 

European stocks closed lower on Thursday, losing recent positive momentum, after a key speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index ended the session down by around 0.6%, with almost all sectors and all major bourses dipping into negative territory. 
Looking at individual stocks, shares of advertising giant WPP were up over 4% after the company posted a lower-than-expected fall in underlying net sales and resumed its dividend. And French conglomerate Bouygues climbed over 1% after reporting a lower-than-expected operating loss in its first-half results. 

BELEX15 lost 0.22%, as Energoprojekt and NIS lost 2.5% and 0.85%, respectively. Tehnogas was down 1.4% and it also contributed negatively. The most active was Energoprojekt as it generated RSD 28.4m in volume.  
On 26 August, the IMF Executive Board made the decision on the successful completion of the fourth, penultimate review of the results of Serbia’s economic programme supported by the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI). Owing to the earlier growth trend and the measures undertaken by the Serbian authorities, the IMF Executive Board assesses that against the backdrop of the global shock which has hit hard external demand and caused disruptions in regional and global supply chains, the GDP real growth rate will equal -3% in 2020. The IMF expects the Serbian economy to rebound strongly – to 6% in 2021 and 2022, this being one of the fastest recoveries. They also expect sustainable growth of at least 4% in the medium run. 
Source: CNBC, Ilirika