An NYSE sign is seen on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, on June 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
By Stan Choe
Stocks pulled back Tuesday in their first trading after a five-week rally carried Wall Street to its highest level since the spring of last year.
The S&P 500 fell 20.88 points, or 0.5%, to 4,388.71. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 245.25, or 0.7%, to 34,053.87, and the Nasdaq composite lost 22.28, or 0.2%, to 13,667.29.
Those hopes are battling against worries that stubborn inflation will force the Fed to keep interest rates higher for longer, which could grind down the economy. With some of the easiest improvements in year-over-year inflation soon to be lapped, a tougher road may be ahead for both the economy and financial markets.
“Leaning on the lessons of the 1970s, the Fed is right to be cautious, even if that represents an inconvenient truth for stock investors,” said Lisa Shalett, chief investment officer of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.
During the 70s, inflation remained high for much longer than hoped, forcing the Fed to ultimately drive the economy into a painful recession by sharply hiking interest rates.
In China, meanwhile, the world’s second-largest economy is stumbling in its recovery following the relaxation of anti-COVID restrictions.
Stocks in Hong Kong tumbled 1.5% Tuesday after China’s central bank cut interest rates by less than some investors had hoped. Stocks in Shanghai slipped 0.5% amid disappointment Chinese authorities didn’t do more to support one of the world’s main drivers of economic growth.
Tuesday marked the first trading for Wall Street following a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. It yielded no signs of progress from either of the world's largest economies on Taiwan, human rights, technology and other issues of contention.
Most of Wall Street fell, with four out of five stocks in the S&P 500 lower.
Worries about the global economy's strength dragged down prices for crude oil and stocks of companies that pull it from the ground. Energy stocks fell 2.3% for the largest loss among the 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500. Exxon Mobil fell 2.3%, and Chevron lost 2.3%.
Ball Corp., which makes aluminum cans and other products, dropped 4.2%. It said Tuesday that it's considering options for its aerospace business but that “there is no certainty that any formal decision will be made.” Its stock had jumped 7.2% Friday following a report that it was looking to sell the unit.
On the winning side was Dice Therapeutics, which soared 37.2% after Eli Lilly said it would buy the biopharmaceutical company for $2.4 billion in cash. Lilly added 0.9%.
Homebuilders rose after a report showed that U.S. homebuilders broke ground on many more sites last month than economists expected. The number of building permits, an indication of future activity, also accelerated faster than expected.
PulteGroup rose 1.9%, and D.R. Horton gained 1.6%.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 3.71% from 3.77% late Friday. It helps set rates for mortgages and other important loans.
The two-year yield, which moves more on expectations for the Fed, slipped to 4.68% from 4.72%.
This upcoming week doesn't have many potentially market-moving events coming off a Monday closure in observance of the Juneteenth national holiday.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell will testify before Congress on Wednesday and Thursday. Last week, the Federal Reserve held its benchmark lending rate steady, the first time in more than a year that it didn't announce an increase. But it also warned it could raise rates twice more this year.
The Bank of England will meet on interest-rate policy Thursday. Central banks around the world are heading in diverging directions as they battle inflation amid worries about a pressured global economy.
AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.
Cheddar's Big Game Special gives you all the info you need heading into Sunday's event. Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, Big Game MVP Hines Ward, and Big Game Champion Emmanuel Sanders dissect the action set to take place on the field, Olivia Harlan Dekker delivers her winning wagers, Tom Morton breaks down what we should expect from advertisers, Azia Celestino showcases the atmosphere from Los Angeles, and Baker Machado discusses what viewers should expect to see unfold during the halftime show.
As the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams prep to face each other in the Big Game at SoFi Stadium in LA, 55 percent of a record number of bettors are projected to drop money on the Rams. Casey Clark, the senior vice president of strategic communications for the American Gaming Association, joined Cheddar News to share some data and predictions based on the greater interest in gambling on Super Bowl LVI. "You know that means that people are migrating away from the predatory illegal market and corner bookie and moving their action into the legal marketplace," he said. "So really encouraging for consumer protections and for those of us who might want to have a little action on the game."
Facebook parent Meta and Grammy Award-winning singer Ciara have joined forces to help black female-owned small businesses. Selected businesses will receive marketing mentorship from Meta along with $100,000 to put into their brand. One such business, The Self Care Suite, is a platform that supports mental health, and founder Tara Pringle Jefferson, along with Irene Walker, Meta Elevate founder and program manager, joined Cheddar News to discuss the program. "Having this opportunity with Meta, with Ciara, really will allow us to focus on our virtual programming, to focus on our e-commerce shop, and, as we kind of adjust, to the new normal in 2022," said Pringle Jefferson.
Tesla has been under mounting regulatory scrutiny by the NHTSA, and has issued numerous recalls, including four within the past two weeks. While the company has issued recalls over the years, the number seems to be increasing in recent months as the company issues fixes for seat belt chimes, pedestrian alerts, its self-driving software, and more. What's behind this uptick in recalls — and how might this impact brand loyalty? Al Root, Senior Writer at Barron's, joins Closing Bell to discuss.
Under Armour released a successful Q4 earnings report amid supply chain issues. The apparel company said it invested in analytics to decipher what drives consumers to its brand. However, the company warned of potential supply problems going forward due to COVID.
Hyperice is a technology company that specializes in physical recovery for athletes, and it's now partnering with the NFL. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers running back and Hyperice athlete-investor, and Jim Huether, Hyperice CEO, joined Cheddar News to discuss the partnership. "It's definitely for both for performance and for recovery, as somebody who plays a brutal sport and have to go through some of the unfortunate realities of injury," McCaffery said of the products. "You're always fighting for that 0.1 percent difference between winning and losing and and the little things and every second matters."
Aurora Cannabis showed a beat on sales for its quarterly earnings report, a positive sign despite a loss of $59 million. CEO Miguel Martin, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss its latest earnings and prospects for future growth. "If you look at our core businesses, they've all had a great quarter, so steady as we go. Our transformation plan is absolutely on track and we feel really good about where the company's going," he said. "Our balance sheet has never been stronger." Martin also discussed entering the U.S. market and the prospects for the medical marijuana market.
Elon Musk announced that he expects Starship to reach orbit in 2022. The SpaceX CEO delivered updates about the largest space vehicle to be constructed from its Texas facility. Jim Cantrell, CEO and co-founder at Phantom Space, joined Cheddar News to talk about the future of Starship. "I've always done wrong by betting against Elon," he said. "The one thing that I find very curious is it launches 100 metric tons into space, and last year, in the entire year, we launched 750. So, you know, with about seven launches, he could launch every satellite on Earth."
Shares of Astra fell after the aerospace company announced a failure to deliver its NASA satellite payload mid-launch, resulting in its stock price plummeting to the point where trading had to be halted twice.
