U.S. stocks traded sharply lower Thursday, dogged by economic reports showed the steepest decline in GDP on record in the second quarter and a weekly jobless claims report that suggests the rebound from the pandemic is losing steam amid a renewed rise in COVID-19 cases.
A lack of progress in talks between congressional Democrats, Republicans and the White House on a new coronavirus aid package was also weighing on sentiment. Stock-index futures also took a leg lower before the bell after President Donald Trump, in a tweet, mused on the idea of delaying the November presidential election.
What are major indexes doing?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA,
-1.29%
was trading down about 486 points or 1.8%, near 26,053 while the S&P 500
SPX,
-1.00%
lost about 48 points, 1.5%, to trade near 3,211. The Nasdaq Composite Index
COMP,
-0.50%
dropped 112 points, 1.1%, trading at about 10,431.
At current trading levels, the Dow is on pace to close below its 50-day moving average for the first time since April 24, according to Dow Jones Market Data. If it closes at or below 26039.97 it will reach that level.
On Wednesday, the Dow rose 160.29 points, or 0.6%, to close at 26,539.57, while the S&P advanced 40 points, or 1.2%, finishing at 3,258.44. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 140.85 points, or 1.4%, to end at 10,542.94.
What’s driving the market?
A first reading on U.S. gross domestic product data for the second quarter confirmed the pandemic pummeled the economy. GDP fell at a 32.9% annualized pace, the Commerce Department said, a bit better than the 34.6% annual decline forecast in a MarketWatch survey, but still the worst in history.
Separately, first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, to 1.43 million from an upwardly-revised 1.42 million, while continuing claims also rose to 17 million in the week ended July 18.
“This is really a day that will live in infamy,” said Kent Engelke, chief economic strategist and managing director of Glen Allen, Va-based Capitol Securities. The economic data wasn’t as bad as feared, Engelke said in an interview just before the opening bell, but four of five of the largest companies in the market report earnings after the close, an event that could be “pivotal,” he added.
“We have this incredible wall of worry,” Engelke said. “The Fed told us yesterday, we’re going to keep zero interest rates forever and ever. But how is this going to impact us down the road? Gold and the dollar are telling us something. What about November? The election is going to get uglier and uglier. How is this going to weigh on sentiment? I could see the wall of worry increasing to a gargantuan cliff.”
There were no signs of progress toward a spending package as lawmakers face a self-imposed Friday deadline to work out a deal. That’s when supplemental unemployment benefits, which have been credited with helping to cushion the blow of the pandemic, are due to expire.
Stocks extended gains Wednesday after the Fed left interest rates unchanged as expected, and indicated that it planned to keep rates near zero and continue to provide support to the economy — and do more if needed. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the resurgence in coronavirus cases in many U.S. states may be damping economic growth and said that the path of the recovery depends on the path of the virus.
It’s the most hectic week of corporate earnings reporting season, with results from dozens of high-profile companies due after the bell on Thursday, including Google parent Alphabet Inc.
GOOG,
-0.53%
GOOGL,
-0.51%,
Apple Inc.
AAPL,
-0.30%
Facebook Inc.
FB,
-0.51%
and Amazon.com Inc.
AMZN,
-0.18%
Chief executives from those four companies were grilled for hours Wednesday in a virtual hearing before the antitrust subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee.
Read:Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google CEOs grilled by House members in historic antitrust hearing
Which companies are in focus?
- Procter & Gamble Co.
PG,
+2.29%
shares jumped nearly 2% after the consumer products company delivered fiscal fourth-quarter profit and revenue that topped expectations and provided an upbeat outlook, driven by increased demand for household cleaning and personal health products amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Shares of United Parcel Service Inc.
UPS,
+17.10%
surged nearly 13%, after the package delivery giant reported second-quarter profit and revenue that easily topped forecasts, driven by a surge in residential demand and health care shipments that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- ConocoPhillips
COP,
-5.48%
reported a quarterly loss that was wider than Wall Street had expected. Stay-at-home orders and the slumping oil price pushed earnings down sharply, management said. Shares were more than 9% lower mid-morning.
- Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc.
KDP,
-3.83%
reported adjusted earnings that beat analyst forecasts as consumers increasingly used its K-cup coffeemakers at home during the pandemic. Shares fell 2.3%.
- Yum Brands Inc.
YUM,
-3.34%
shares were down 2.8% after the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut reported earnings that weren’t as bad as analysts had anticipated.
- Eli Lilly shares
LLY,
-6.12%
were down more than 4% after the drugmaker beat profit expectations and raised its full-year outlook, while revenue fell short of forecasts.
- Northrop Grumman
NOC,
+4.13%
Shares of jumped 4% after the defense contractor delivered larger-than-expected profit and sales for the second quarter and raised its full-year guidance.
- DuPont shares
DD,
-2.39%
were down more 4.8% after the chemical company reported a wider-than-expected loss.
- Dunkin’ Brands
DNKN,
-4.95%
reported second-quarter adjusted profit that fell below expectations, but revenue that fell less than forecast and announced the reinstatement of its dividend program.
What are other markets doing?
In Asia, China’s CSI 300 index
000300,
-0.48%
fell 0.5%, the Shanghai Composite
SHCOMP,
-0.23%
declined 0.2%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index
HSI,
-0.69%
lost 0.7% and Japan’s Nikkei 225
NIK,
-0.25%
gave up 0.3%.
European bourses widened their losses, with the Stoxx 600 Europe index
SXXP,
-2.40%
down 2.5% and the U.K.’s FTSE 100
UKX,
-2.61%
2.9% lower.
Gold futures
GCQ20,
-0.89%
were off 0.3% at $1,948.00 an ounce, on track to snap a nine-session winning streak, while the ICE U.S. Dollar Index
DXY,
-0.13%
edged down 0.1%. Oil futures
CLU20,
-3.61%
were lower on demand concerns, with the U.S. benchmark
CLU20,
-3.61%
falling 4% to $39.59 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note
TMUBMUSD10Y,
0.551%
dropped 2.6 basis points to 0.55%. Yields move in the opposite direction of prices.
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