U.S. stock indexes were mixed in early trading Friday, shedding some of their gains from a day earlier as Wall Street rounded out another turbulent week.
After an initial upward move as trading opened, the major indexes were wavering between small gains and losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.7% and the S&P 500 index dropped 0.9%. The Nasdaq, heavily weighted with technology stocks, was up 0.5%.
Following several punishing drops, the indexes are still on track for heavy weekly losses for the second week in a row. Investors are weighing the likelihood that the global economy is entering a recession because of the massive shutdowns and layoffs caused by the coronavirus outbreak against steps by central banks and governments to ease the economic pain.
In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude was down 4.8% to $24 per barrel. Bond yields were broadly lower. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slid to 1% from 1.12% late Thursday.
The mixed start for the U.S. indexes followed solid gains across markets in Europe. Stock markets in Asia closed higher.
European markets were as much as 4.5% higher and Shanghai, Hong Kong, and other Asian markets advanced. Seoul surged 7.4%.
Hopes are rising that there will be progress in finding virus treatments and that “a boatload of stimulus by both central banks and governments will put the global economy in position for a U-shaped recovery,” said Edward Moya of Oanda in a report.
Members of President Donald Trump's economic team were convening Friday on Capitol Hill to launch negotiations with Senate Republicans and Democrats racing to draft a $1 trillion-plus economic rescue package amid the coronavirus outbreak.
It's the biggest effort yet to shore up households and the U.S. economy as the pandemic and its nationwide shutdown hurtles the country toward a likely recession.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank launched a program to inject money into credit markets by purchasing up to 750 billion euros ($820 billion) in bonds. The Bank of England cut its key interest rate to a record low of 0.1% and restarted its own program of money injections into the financial system. Australia's central bank cut its benchmark lending rate to 0.25%. Central banks in Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines also cut rates.
They are trying to reduce the impact of a global recession that forecasters say looks increasingly likely as the United States and other governments tighten travel controls, close businesses and tell consumers and travelers to stay home.
The U.S. Federal Reserve unveiled measures Thursday to support money-market funds and the borrowing of dollars as investors in markets worldwide hurry to build up cash as insurance against falling asset prices.
Investors are jumpy due to uncertainty about the size and duration of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and the spreading wave of business shutdowns meant to help contain it.
More than 10,000 people have died. There are more than 244,000 cases worldwide, including nearly 85,000 people who have recovered.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases.
Wall Street has bounced up and down by record-setting margins of up to 12% over the past week.
Unease has grown as forecasters say a global recession looks increasingly likely and have cut growth outlooks for the United States, China, and other major economies.
President Biden's push for electric vehicles is doing more than trying to hold off climate change as it also hopes to revive American manufacturing jobs. The latest company to open an EV charging production plant in the U.S. is Australia-based Tritium, looking to open its new Lebanon, Tennessee, facility in the fall of 2022. It's expected to create at least 500 jobs in the region and reach a production capacity of 10,000 charging units per year. Jane Hunter, CEO and executive director of Tritium, joined Closing Bell to discuss the plant, production capacity, and working with the Biden administration. "The policies that they put in place have directly driven demand for our fast charging products," she said. "Discussions that we have are just incredibly positive because this administration wants to have an electric superhighway that runs all across the country so that it's open equitably for all people to drive electric vehicles."
Samsung unveiled its latest product lineup, including a new family of Galaxy S22 smartphones featuring the S22 Ultra with a larger screen, more powerful camera, and the Samsung S Pen stylus. The company also revealed its latest tablet, the Tab S8 Ultra, featuring a 14.6" screen, expanded storage, and 4K video capability. Cheddar News was able to showcase each device as Allison Johnson, reviews writer at The Verge, joined Closing Bell to discuss the new releases, the standout features, and more.
Shares of Canadian cannabis giant Canopy Growth surged after the company reported Q3 earnings Wednesday morning, with shares up more than 15 percent at the close of the day's trading session. Despite net revenue declining year-over-year, Canopy beat analyst expectations and has ramped up efforts to develop a "THC ecosystem' in the U.S. Canopy Growth's CEO, David Klein, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the report. He noted that its brands Storz & Bickel vaporizers and BioSteel beverages showed record growth.
Commercial property ownership platform withco recently raised $32 million across a seed and Series A funding round. The company purchases properties and then rents them back to small business owners and works to transition them into full ownership. Founder and CEO Kevin Song says withco was inspired by his family's experience of operating a Brooklyn grocery store for two decades and being forced to shutter the business due to a doubling in rent by a new landlord. Now, Song says his mission is to help small business owners become commercial property owners, in a way that's simple and affordable. Song joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
David Nelson, Chief Strategist at Belpointe, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that Wednesday's market movement shows a rotation back into the industries that were hit hard in January, but says his eyes are firmly fixed on the January CPI data set to be released Thursday.
Earlier this week, Peloton announced a change in its C-suite, with new chief executive Barry McCarthy telling the company's remaining staff in an email that he’s, 'here for the comeback story.' Greg Martin, Co-Founder of Rainmaker Securities, joins Cheddar's Closing Bell where he discusses how difficult are Peloton's challenges will be to overcome, especially after the company recently laid off approximately 20% of its staff.
Ben McMillan, Founder and CIO at IDX Digital Assets, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses the significance of CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam testifying at Wednesday's Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, and when we could expect to see more regulation in place following the second straight day of congressional hearings on the crypto industry.
