The Key Factor Spooking Investors and Sending Stocks Into Freefall
The Dow suffered its worst point drop in history, closing down over 1,000 points. Riva Gold, Markets Reporter at WSJ joined to break down the factors spooking investors.
Gold emphasized that the big scare in the market was triggered by the wage growth in the jobs report. She added that it brought worries of inflation and rates hikes back into the spotlight. Gold said the fundamental backdrop for stocks hasn’t really changed. She points to corporate earnings and credit market as indicators that the market could be in good shape.
Gold said the biggest factor dragging down market is fear of fed raising rates. She thinks it's a a wake-up call for the equity markets that inflation will accompany growth. This means corporations will have to pay employees more, which ultimately weighs on profits, Gold added.
Wall Street is drifting higher after reports showed the job market remains solid, but key parts of the economy still don’t look like they’re overheating.
The Biden administration is docking more than $2 million in payments to student loan servicers that failed to send billing statements on time after the end of a pandemic payment freeze.
The nation’s employers added a robust 216,000 jobs last month, the latest sign that the American job market remains resilient even in the face of sharply higher interest rates.
A U.S. labor agency has accused SpaceX of unlawfully firing employees who penned an open letter critical of CEO Elon Musk and creating an impression that worker activities were under surveillance by the rocket ship company.