|

S&P 500 Index opens deep in red, stays above 3,550

  • S&P 500 goes into consolidation after impressive rally.
  • Investors don't seem to be paying any mind to mixed US data.
  • Technology shares suffer heavy losses and weigh on Nasdaq Composite

After posting yet another record daily closing at 3,580 on Wednesday, the S&P 500 Index opened sharply lower on Thursday and was last seen losing 0.55% on the day at 3,560. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged on a daily basis at 29,090 and the Nasdaq Composite was losing 1.4% at 11,885.

Macroeconomic data releases from the US don't seem to be having a significant impact on market sentiment.

US: Weekly Initial Jobless Claims decline by 130,000 to 881,000.

US: Trade deficit widens to $63.6 billion in July.

US: Unit Labor Costs rise by 9% in Q2 vs. 12.1% expected.

The S&P 500 Technology Index, which registered impressive gains during the risk rally witnessed in the first half of the week, is staging a deep correction and was last down nearly 2% on the day.

On the other hand, the defensive sectors, Utilities, Real Estate and Consumer Staples, are up between 0.7% and 0.3% in the early trade.

S&P 500 chart (daily)

Author

Eren Sengezer

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

More from Eren Sengezer
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD flirts with daily highs, retargets 1.1900

EUR/USD regains upside traction, returning to the 1.1880 zone and refocusing its attention to the key 1.1900 barrier. The pair’s slight gains comes against the backdrop of a humble decline in the US Dollar as investors continue to assess the latest US CPI readings and the potential Fed’s rate path.

GBP/USD remains well bid around 1.3650

GBP/USD maintains its upside momentum in place, hovering around daily highs near 1.3650 and setting aside part of the recent three-day drop. Cable’s improved sentiment comes on the back of the Greenback’s  irresolute price action, while recent hawkish comments from the BoE’s Pill also collaborate with the uptick.

Gold holds above $5,000 as bears seem hesitant amid Fed rate cut bets

Gold edges lower at the start of a new week, though it defends the $5,000 psychological mark through the Asian session. The underlying bullish sentiment is seen acting as a headwind for the bullion. However, bets for more rate cuts by the Fed, bolstered by Friday's softer US CPI, keep the US Dollar bulls on the defensive and continue to support the non-yielding yellow metal as the focus now shifts to FOMC Minutes on Wednesday.

Week ahead: Data blitz, Fed Minutes and RBNZ decision in the spotlight

The US jobs report for January, which was delayed slightly, didn’t do the dovish Fed bets any favours, as expectations of a soft print did not materialize, confounding the raft of weak job indicators seen in the prior week.

Global inflation watch: Signs of cooling services inflation

Realized inflation landed close to expectations in January, as negative base effects weighed on the annual rates. Remaining sticky inflation is largely explained by services, while tariff-driven goods inflation remains limited even in the US.

Ripple Price Forecast: XRP potential bottom could be in sight

Ripple edges up above the intraday low of $1.35 at the time of writing on Friday amid mixed price actions across the crypto market. The remittance token failed to hold support at $1.40 the previous day, reflecting risk-off sentiment amid a decline in retail and institutional sentiment.