US STOCKS-Wall Street jumps as healthcare shares rise, lockdowns ease

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* Energy shares rise as oil prices surge
* All 11 S&P 500 sectors higher
* Pfizer, Regeneron gain after coronavirus news
* U.S. services sector activity contracts in April-ISM
* Indexes up: Dow 1.51%, S&P 500 1.79%, Nasdaq 2.05%

(Updates with mid afternoon trading, comments)
By Lewis Krauskopf
May 5 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes rallied on
Tuesday as healthcare stocks jumped, oil prices surged and a
number of countries and U.S. states eased coronavirus-induced
restrictions in an attempt to revive their economies.
Some hard-hit countries, including Italy, as well some U.S.
states including California are tentatively easing lockdown
orders this week, raising hopes for a recovery in oil demand.
All 11 S&P 500 sectors were positive, led by a 2.7% gain for
healthcare following some positive coronavirus-related news.
Pfizer PFE.N shares rose 3.0% after the drugmaker said it
and its German partner had begun delivering doses of an
experimental coronavirus vaccines for human testing. Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals REGN.O shares gained 5.9% after the company
said its experimental antibody cocktail for COVID-19 may be
available for use by the end of summer. “What we have got is the easing of lockdowns in a number of
states and that has certainly provided a positive boost for
stocks, especially California given that it is such a large
component of the overall U.S. economy," said Kristina Hooper,
chief global market strategist at Invesco. "We have had some
positive developments when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI rose 358.02 points,
or 1.51%, to 24,107.78, the S&P 500 .SPX gained 51 points, or
1.79%, to 2,893.74 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC added 178.67
points, or 2.05%, to 8,889.39.
Shares of large tech and internet companies such as
Microsoft MSFT.O and Apple AAPL.O were also higher, giving
lifts to the indexes.
The energy sector .SPNY rose 2.0% as oil prices surged.
Stocks have rebounded sharply since late March from the
coronavirus-fueled sell-off, helped by massive monetary and
fiscal stimulus. Investors are now watching efforts by a number
of states trying to spark their economies by easing restrictions
put in place to fight the outbreak.
Data on Tuesday showed the vast U.S. services sector fell
into contraction in April for the first time in nearly
10-1/2-years.
Investors are now bracing for data on the labor market
through the week culminating with the employment report for the
month of April due Friday.
"We have certainly gotten some negative data, but for the
most part the market has learned to look through that," Hooper
said.
In corporate news, shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
Ltd NCLH.N tumbled 21.5% as the world's third-largest cruise
operator raised doubts about its ability to keep running as a
business. Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a
2.77-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.01-to-1 ratio favored advancers.
The S&P 500 posted 9 new 52-week highs and no new lows; the
Nasdaq Composite recorded 43 new highs and 4 new lows.