(Oct 6) U.S. stocks fell and bond yields rose Wednesday, pointing to another bumpy day on Wall Street as investors gird for a spell of higher inflation, driven by roaring energy markets.
The S&P 500 dropped 0.9%. The broad stocks indexrose 1.1% on Tuesday, clawing back some losses incurred in a technology-driven selloff at the start of the week.
The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1%, suggesting tech stocks could face fresh losses at the opening bell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.7%.
A leap in energy priceshas added a new element of uncertainty for investors already jittery over the prospect of a reduction in pandemic-era stimulus measures by the Federal Reserve. Higher oil-and-gas prices have the potential to fuel inflation, introduce blockages in supply chains and slow down the world economy as it recovers from shutdowns, analysts say.
That mix of forces has forced government bond yields higher in recent weeks. Higher yields can knock tech stocks whose future profits are worth less in today’s currency when discount rates climb. It has also raised concerns that inflation, seen as a transitory, will stick around longer than previously thought.
“At what point do central banks have to say, hang on, two years, maybe that does need some degree of policy adjustment?” said Jane Foley, head of foreign-exchange strategy at Rabobank. She pointed to the Bank of England, which has said it could raise rates in coming months as energy price inflation surges.
Shares ofAmerican Airlines Grouplost more than 2% andDelta Air Linesfell 1.6%, weighed down by concerns about fuel costs and a slowing economic growth.
Palantir Technologiesjumped 6% after saying it won a data and analytics contract with the U.S. Army.
Government bond yields were little changed Wednesday, although they remained near recent highs.
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note was last at 1.522%, compared with 1.528% Tuesday. Yields fall as bond prices rise.
Overseas, markets retreated.
The Stoxx Europe 600 slid 1.9%, led lower by shares of travel, leisure and retail companies. Aircraft makerAirbusand Jeep-owner Stellantis fell more than 2% and 3%, respectively.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.6%.
In commodities markets, natural gas prices whipsawed while oil prices retreated but stayed within striking distance of multiyear highs.
Forecasts of colder weather and weak flows of gas from Russia caused the latest bout of volatility in natural gas prices, said Nick Boyes, senior analyst at Swiss energy producer and trader Axpo. Thin trading conditions also contributed, traders and analysts said, as some companies faced margin calls and others bumped up against their credit limits.
Contracts for West Texas Intermediate, the main grade of U.S. crude, fell 0.9% to $78.20 a barrel. WTI prices haven’t surpassed $80 a barrel on an intraday basis since November 2014.
Swings in energy prices rippled through European government-bond markets. The yield on 10-year U.K. gilts rose as high as 1.152% from 1.093% on Tuesday, before pulling back. The U.K. is exposed to the global gas shortfall because it has minimal amounts of the fuel in storage.
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