Tag: concerns

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Futures open flat as Omicron concerns subside

Stock futures opened relatively flat on Wednesday evening, though sustaining gains posted by a three-day recovery rally that was led by cooled investor concerns around the Omicron variant.

Dow futures inched up 0.02{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}, while contracts on the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite ticked up 0.10{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}. All major indexes closed up, with the S&P 500 gaining 14.46 points to close the session at 4,701.21, just 0.5{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} shy of the trading session on Nov. 24, a day before the latest COVID-19 variant was announced by the World Health Organization. 

The moves were supported by eased virus fears after Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech reported that early lab studies show a third dose of their coronavirus vaccine mitigates the Omicron variant. The vaccine makers had indicated the initial two doses may not be enough to protect against infection from Omicron. Shares of Pfizer (PFE) traded 0.62{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} lower on Wednesday, closing at $51.40.

“We do think that there is fundamental support there for markets to continue to move higher here,” Emily Roland, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock investment management, told Yahoo Finance Live on Tuesday. “Obviously we had a couple of things spook us over the last week or so, the emergence of the Omicron variant as well as this pivot from the Fed, potentially seeing them accelerating their tapering of asset purchases here. But the bottom line is that the economy is strong.”

With virus concerns diminishing, investors are pivoting their attention back to economic data, awaiting Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures on Friday to assess the extent inflationary pressures will persist.

“If the Omicron variant was to lead to a resurgence in goods spending at the expense of services or to further complicate supply disruptions, there could be a clear inflationary impact, too,” HSBC economist James Pomeroy wrote earlier this week in a research note to clients. “The inflation news in the past few weeks has been decidedly mixed — with upside surprises in both the U.S. and eurozone being offset by the possibility of some of the supply chain issues starting to alleviate, while energy prices have fallen sharply in recent days.

Separately, Apple shares rose 2.3{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} closing at $175.08 Wednesday — hitting a third-consecutive record high. The iPhone maker is on the cusp of becoming a $3 trillion company. The milestone would be reached at a time when the company is expected to foray into augmented and virtual reality with the launch of headsets in 2022. 

6:57 p.m. ET Wednesday: Stock futures flat

Here were the main moves in markets in late trading on Wednesday:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): -1.75 points (-0.04{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}), to 4,697.25

  • Dow futures (YM=F): + -8 points (-0.02{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}), to 35,728

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): -16.50 points (-0.10{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}) to 16,375.75

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Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alexandraandnyc

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Stock futures fall as inflation concerns persist, oil prices jump

Stock futures fell Monday early morning as traders mulled ongoing indicators of inflation and provide-similar difficulties and awaited extra knowledge on corporate earnings. 

Contracts on the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq dropped forward of the opening bell. Treasury yields rose specially throughout the extensive close of the curve, and the benchmark 10-calendar year produce hovered all around 1.61{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}, or its best level given that June. 

U.S. West Texas intermediate crude oil futures extended gains soon after logging a seventh straight weekly advance, leaping by another 3{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} Monday morning to prime $82 for each barrel and include to issues above climbing electricity, commodity and enter price ranges. WTI crude futures hovered at their highest level given that 2014, when Brent crude was at its highest given that 2018 right after topping $84 for every barrel.

Stocks have traded choppily around the past quite a few months as traders contemplated the equity sector implications of ongoing selling price improves towards a backdrop of decelerating financial expansion. Elevated desire and source-aspect shortages have pushed up the selling prices of commodities from oil and all-natural fuel to cotton, and labor shortages have elevated the specter of long lasting will increase in wages and increased fees to employers. Past week’s September positions report “experienced an inflationary sense with strong wage expansion, a increase in the workweek, and a drop in [labor force] participation,” Neil Dutta, head of U.S. economics at Renaissance Macro Exploration, wrote in an email very last week. 

This 7 days, investors will receive the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ hottest Shopper Price tag Index and Producer Rate Index, every for September. Raises in core customer price ranges, excluding foods and strength, are anticipated to keep on being elevated on a historic basis, coming in just marginally underneath June’s 30-year large in selling price will increase. Producer selling prices, meanwhile, are predicted to have accelerated even further final thirty day period. 

“‘Stagflation’ was the most frequent phrase in customer discussions this 7 days as equity current market volatility remained elevated,” David Kostin, Goldman Sachs chief U.S. equity strategist, wrote in a observe Monday early morning. “Stagflation is not our economists’ base case expectation, but the weak historical performance of equities in stagflationary environments helps describe why investors are worried.”

More than the past 60 yrs, the S&P 500 has returned 2.5{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} on median per quarter, but has fallen by 2.1{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996} for the duration of durations of stagflation, or occasions with large inflation and weak GDP advancement, Kostin included. 

“Despite near-phrase uncertainty, we count on the fairness industry will continue to rally as buyers gain self-confidence that the present speed of inflation is ‘transitory,'” Kostin said. 

For investors, the pick-up in 3rd-quarter earnings time this week will enable offer further corporation commentary about the impacts of mounting prices throughout the recovering overall economy. The massive banking institutions are on deck to report this week, with names together with JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Financial institution of America (BAC), Morgan Stanley (MS) and Goldman Sachs (GS) each individual owing to write-up quarterly success.  

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7:30 a.m. ET Monday: Stock futures level to a lower open up

Here is in which marketplaces were investing in advance of the opening bell:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): -15.50 points (-.35{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}), to 4,366.75

  • Dow futures (YM=F): -69 factors (-.2{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}), to 34,557.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): -85.75 points (-.58{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}) to 14,722.50

  • Crude (CL=F): +$2.73 (+3.44{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}) to $82.08 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$2.00 (+.11{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}) to $1,761.20 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +4.1 bps to yield 1.612{21df340e03e388cc75c411746d1a214f72c176b221768b7ada42b4d751988996}

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 30: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 30, 2021 in New York City. In afternoon trading the Dow was down over 250 points as investors continue to worry about inflation, wages and supply chain issues. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 30: Traders work on the flooring of the New York Inventory Exchange (NYSE) on September 30, 2021 in New York City. In afternoon investing the Dow was down more than 250 points as buyers carry on to fear about inflation, wages and source chain difficulties. (Picture by Spencer Platt/Getty Pictures)

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Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Adhere to her on Twitter