The facade of the New York Stock Exchange, is seen Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Stocks are opening mostly higher on Wall Street, getting the week off to a positive start after the S&P 500 posted its biggest weekly decline since February. The benchmark index was up 0.3% in the first few minutes of trading Monday, June 21. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
By Damian J. Troise and Stan Choe
Stocks rebounded on Wall Street Monday, clawing back most of their sharp loss from last week, as the initial jolt passes from the Federal Reserve’s reminder that it will eventually offer less help for markets.
The S&P 500 snapped 58.34 points higher, or 1.4%, to 4,224.79 and recovered nearly three-quarters of its worst weekly loss since February. Oil producers, banks and other companies that were hit particularly hard last week led the way.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 586.89, or 1.8%, to 33,876.97, and the Nasdaq composite rose 111.10, or 0.8%, to 14,141.48.
Investors are still figuring all the ramifications of the Fed’s latest meeting on interest-rate policy, where it indicated it may start raising short-term rates by late 2023. That’s earlier than previously thought. The Fed also began talks about slowing programs meant to keep longer-term rates low, an acknowledgment of the strengthening economy and threat of higher inflation.
The market’s immediate reaction to last week’s Fed news was to send stocks lower and interest rates higher. Any shift by the Fed would be a big deal, after investors have feasted on easy conditions with ultra-low rates for more than a year. Higher rates would make stock prices, which have been climbing faster than corporate profits, look even more expensive than they do already.
But it’s not like the Fed said it will jack rates higher off their record low of nearly zero anytime soon.
“If markets are worried about a march back to more normal monetary and fiscal policy as the economy recovers, it will be a very long march,” Barings chief global strategist Christopher Smart said in a note. In the meantime, support from both the Federal Reserve and the U.S. government should continue to help stock prices, even if they do look expensive compared with history, he said.
Companies whose profits are the most closely tied to the economy’s strength and inflation were among the market's strongest on Monday.
Hess, Marathon Oil and Devon Energy all rose at least 6.9% as energy stocks rallied with the price of oil.
Banks were also strong, with Bank of America up 2.5% and Wells Fargo climbing 3.7%.
High-growth companies able to flourish almost regardless of the economy lagged behind, meanwhile. It’s a reversal from last week’s trend, when investors rattled by the Fed piled back into the biggest winners of the pandemic.
Amazon slipped 0.9% Monday, for example, and the lagging performance for tech meant the Nasdaq was trailing other indexes.
Shorter-term yields slipped, and longer-term yields rose in another reversal from last week’s initial reaction to the Fed news.
The two-year Treasury yield dipped to 0.25% from 0.26% late Friday, while the 10-year yield rose to 1.49% from 1.45%.
More bumps may be ahead for markets, which had been mostly quiet for weeks before the Fed's announcement. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will speak before a House subcommittee on Tuesday about the Fed's response to the pandemic.
On Friday, investors will see what the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge for inflation says about May. Prices have been bursting higher across the economy, from airfares to restaurant meals, but the Fed has so far said it expects the big increases to be only temporary. If it proves to be longer lasting, the Fed may have to get much more aggressive about raising rates.
Corporate deals helped lift shares of some companies well beyond the market's gains. Industrial products maker Raven Industries jumped 49.3% on news it is being bought by CNH Industrial. Engineered products company Lydall surged 85.4% on news of its sale to Clearlake Capital-backed Unifrax.
Wall Street’s strong gains followed up on a tumultuous day of trading that preceded it in Asia.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 3.3%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.1% in the first trading following Wall Street's tumble on Friday. South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.8%, but markets calmed as trading headed westward.
Across Europe, stock indexes made mostly modest gains. Germany’s DAX returned 1%.
The markets opened lower on Thursday as investors hold their breath ahead of the May consumer price index, which will give investors a better picture of the state of inflation in the United States. Michele Schneider, a partner and the director of trading research and education for MarketGauge.com, joined Cheddar to discuss. "If the CPI read is softer than what's expected, we actually might get a rally," she said. "If it's more than expected, then I think it will spook the market."
With real estate being a largely male-dominated industry, Stephanie Shojaee, vice president and chief marketing officer at development company Shoma Group, joined Cheddar News to discuss how she took on the gender gap for women to achieve leadership roles, starting at her own company. “It's been very important to teach all the women that work here, especially the younger ones, that they shouldn't change themselves," she said. "You need to be happy with who you are and just keep breaking barriers."
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
Pinterest is making a big move as it pushes further into online shopping. The image-focused social media site is acquiring A.I.-powered shopping platform THE YES as it focuses on enhancing the user shopping experience. THE YES's technology gives users a personalized feed of products based on their preferences, and Pinterest is banking on the tech to give it an advantage among other social media apps with built-in shopping features. Julie Bornstein, founder and CEO of THE YES, joins Closing Bell to discuss the company's unique technology, why it agreed to sell to Pinterest, her vision as she takes over shopping initiatives, and more.
Keith Barr, CEO of InterContinental Hotel Group, says he is expecting an 'incredible' summer for his business as pandemic conditions have normalized and people are ready to travel.
Dann Ryan, Chief Investment Officer at Sincerus Advisory, discusses what drove markets lower on Wednesday, as well as what investors are anticipating when it comes to the upcoming CPI report and Fed decision.
U.S. stocks close Tuesday at session highs after a subpar start to the trading day. Tim Chubb, Chief Investment Officer at the wealth advisory firm, Girard, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. 'We're starting to see the moderation of three core things -- we've seen the moderation of prices, we've seen the moderation of wage growth we've seen in the labor market, and we've also seen a moderation of job openings,' he says.
The victims from the USA gymnastics sexual abuse scandal continue to seek justice. Survivors of Larry Nassar are seeking more than one-billion dollars from the FBI for failing to stop the convicted sports doctor when the agency first received allegations. According to a report released by the Justice Department's Inspector General, FBI agents knew
in July of 2015 that Nassar was accused of abusing gymnasts; however, Nassar wasn't arrested until December of 2016. The group that filed the claim includes Olympic medalist Simone Biles and around 90 other women. Louise Radnofsky, sports reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A controversial professional golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia tees off on Thursday. Today, two-time Major winner Dustin Johnson announced he's resigned from the PGA Tour ahead of headlining the Saudi-backed tour, called the LIV Golf Invitation Series. The announcement comes as the PGA tour has threatened disciplinary action for its golfers who take part in the Saudi golf league event, which will also feature notable golf stars like Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia; however, LIV Golf's CEO, Greg Norman, told The Washington Post that Tiger Woods rejected a contract worth 'high nine digits' to play in the tour. Chris Bumbaca, reporter for USA Today Sports, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
