Stocks Dip as Snap Leads Tech Slide on Ad Spending

(Oct 22) U.S equities were mixed Friday, weighed down by big-tech names after disappointing corporate earnings.

The S&P 500 fell from a record high and the Nasdaq 100 retreated after a warning on ad spending from Snap Inc. was set to wipe out more than$100 billionof market value from the social media company and its peers Facebook Inc., Google-owner Alphabet Inc. and Twitter Inc.

The company’s warning added to fears of how global supply-chain bottlenecks might trickle down into disparate sectors including tech amid higher cost pressures. Intel Corp. also reported lower-than-expected sales amid component shortages. With stocks hovering at all-time highs, traders are braced for volatility.

“U.S. stocks are set to open mixed with the tech sector under pressure and the tech-heavy Nasdaq under performing its peers,” said Fiona Cincotta, senior financial markets analyst at City Index, in a note. “A double whammy of bad news for the tech sector could well mean that record highs are out of reach for now.”

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is expected to speak later in the day and investors will be watching for hints on when the central bank might start tightening monetary policy. The Fed is nearing a reduction in bond purchases and traders are ramping up bets on rate hikes to quell price pressures. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell to 1.66% but remains higher for the week. The dollar edged lower, on track for a second week of declines. And gold was higher.

Global stocks are set for a third weekly advance helped by the ongoing global recovery from the health crisis. The rally is being shadowed by the prospect of a faster-than-expected tightening of monetary policy to curb inflation, which is being stoked by an energy crunch and creaking supply chains.

“Now, as central banks face their next big challenge – faster-than-expected inflation – the question is, what will the fallout be from tighter monetary policy?” said Siobhan Redford, an analyst at FirsRand Bank Ltd. in Johannesburg. “A number of factors need to be finely balanced by policy makers when considering their next moves as the wrong ones could have devastating economic outcomes.”

Elsewhere, crude oil gained, and Bitcoin hovered around $63,400 after slipping back from its recent record. Russia’s ruble surged after the country’s central bank raised borrowing costs by more than economists’ expectations.