U.S. stocks traded mostly higher Thursday, led by technology shares, which took the market down in the previous session after inflation data sent Treasury yields soaring.
How are stock-index futures trading?
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA
fell 78.94 points, or 0.2%, to 36,001. - The S&P 500
SPX
was up 7.44 points, or 0.2%, at 4,654.15. - The Nasdaq Composite
COMP
gained 115.43 points, or 0.7%, to trade at 15,738.14.
On Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 240 points, or 0.7%, while the S&P 500 fell 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite slumped 1.7%.
What’s driving the market?
Stocks looked set stage a modest recovery on Thursday after Wednesday’s tumble was sparked by October consumer prices that surged 0.9%, well above forecast, and annual inflation climbed 6.2%, a more-than-three-decade high. The data ignited fears the Federal Reserve may have to act faster and more aggressively to rein in inflation, with investors fleeing into gold, the dollar and cryptocurrencies.
Hardest hit was the Nasdaq Composite, which saw its worst session since Oct. 4 as its technology and growth-geared stocks are viewed as more sensitive to higher interest rates. Investors were also dealing with a poorly received 30-year government bond auction.
U.S. bond markets are closed for the Veterans Day holiday, but Wednesday saw the 10-year
BX:TMUBMUSD10Y
and 30-year Treasury note
BX:TMUBMUSD30Y
yields surge. Gold prices continued to push higher, after the biggest gains since mid-June on Thursday, while the dollar also rose.
Major stock indexes remain near all-time highs after a third-quarter earnings season that saw companies preserve profit margins in the face of rising input costs. Rising inflation pressures are blamed in part on supply bottlenecks exacerbated by surging demand for goods following the pandemic-induced global economic shutdown.
A key question looms over consumers’ ability to keep spending in the face of rising prices for energy and food, said Keith Buchanan, portfolio manager at Globalt, in a phone interview.
“When we get to the week after Christmas and look back at the holiday season, the trends we saw will speak to what we can expect going forward for a big part of our economy,” Buchanan said.
See: Hot inflation undercuts one of the main arguments against stocks, strategist says
A sharp fall for shares of Walt Disney Co.
DIS
was seen holding back the Dow on Thursday. Shares of the entertainment conglomerate were down 7.6% after it disappointed on theme park revenue and subscriber numbers for its Disney+ streaming service.
One lift for sentiment may have come from China’s property sector. “Chinese equities are up 2% today on the news that the battled real-estate developer Evergrande
HK:3333
managed to pay overdue interest on three…
Read More:www.marketwatch.com
