NEW YORK – Stocks are falling on Wall Street on Tuesday due to concerns about upcoming corporate profits and the tightening squeeze of higher interest rates.
The S&P 500 fell 1.3% on the first trading day of the week following Monday’s holiday. As of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 489 points, or 1.4%, to 33,337, while the Nasdaq composite was down 1.7%.
Despite reporting a higher-than-expected profit for the last three months of 2022, Home Depot suffered one of the S&P 500′s largest losses. It fell 5.6% on concerns about upcoming earnings after the company issued forecasts that fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.
The retailer said it would spend $1 billion to raise hourly wages in the United States and Canada. This fed broader market concerns that rising company costs were eating into profits, one of the main levers that set stock prices.
Stocks Are Dropping On Wall Street
The other major lever is in jeopardy as interest rates continue to rise. When safe bonds pay higher interest rates, stocks and other investments are more expensive. Rates have risen to the point where Morgan Stanley strategists believe US stocks are more expensive than ever since 2007.
The 10-year Treasury yield, which helps set mortgage and other important loan rates, increased to 3.93% from 3.82% late Friday. The two-year yield, more sensitive to Fed expectations, increased to 4.71% from 4.62%.
Yields have risen this month as Wall Street raises its expectations for how high the Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates to reduce high inflation. The Federal Reserve raised its key overnight rate from 4.50% to 4.75%, up from near zero a year ago.
Several economic reports have recently come in that were stronger than expected. On the plus side for markets, they helped allay fears that the economy would soon enter a slump. On the negative side, they give the Fed more reason to stick to its “higher for longer” campaign of raising interest rates to suffocate inflation.
A strong economy could keep inflation under control.
The most recent evidence came from a preliminary report released Tuesday, indicating that business activity is picking up. S&P Global said the services industry likely resumed growth last month and reached an eight-month high. Meanwhile, manufacturing is still contracting, but the reading has reached a four-month high.
Higher interest rates, in addition to dragging down investment prices
Higher interest rates, in addition to dragging down investment prices, slow the economy by making borrowing more expensive and increases the risk of a future recession. As a result, Wall Street’s more pessimistic investors have maintained their recession forecasts but shifted the timing to later in the year.
The Fed stated in December that its typical policymaker expects short-term interest rates to rise to 5.1% by the end of this year, with the first-rate cut occurring in 2024. After previously believing that the Fed would eventually ease up on interest rates, Wall Street has largely agreed with the Fed’s assessment.
The concern is that the Fed will raise its rate forecasts even higher next month when it releases its latest economic projections. Aside from showing that the job market and retail sales have been stronger than expected, recent economic reports have also indicated that inflation is not cooling as quickly and smoothly as hoped.
These concerns have stopped Wall Street’s strong start to the year. After rising as much as 8.9%, the S& P 500 is now only up 4.9% for the year.
International stock markets were mostly down after manufacturing indicators in Europe and Asia painted a mixed picture, and Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western countries of threatening Russia.
SOURCE – (AP)
