Stocks drop with Meta, Microsoft; dollar eases after U.S. data
US stocks down sharply late morning
Meta Platforms, Microsoft fall after earnings
All eyes on Apple and Amazon.com earnings due after the bell
Updates to 11:15 a.m. ET
By Caroline Valetkevitch and Amanda Cooper
NEW YORK LONDON Oct 31 (Reuters) - World stock indexesdropped on Thursday, with the Nasdaq down more than 2% afterFacebook owner Meta Platforms META.O and Microsoft MSFT.O both warned of rising costs for artificial intelligence, while the dollar weakened slightly after U.S. data did little to suggest a change to Federal Reserve policy.
The reports added to concernsamong investors that the pay-off for heavy spending on AI may take longer than many had hoped.
Shares of Meta were down 3.2% while Microsoft was 5.6% lower, with both weighing on the Nasdaq and S&P 500.
All eyes will be on results from Amazon.com AMZN.O and Apple AAPL.O, when they report after the closing bell.
Data on Thursday showed U.S. consumer spending increased slightly more than expected in September, putting the economy on a higher growth trajectory heading into the final three months of the year.
"Spending has grown, but it’s increasingly concentrated in non-discretionary areas like health care, prescription drugs, housing, and utilities," said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
The dollar also came under pressure against the yen after the Bank of Japan took a less dovish tone than expected, while the euro was stronger after data showed the bloc's inflation accelerated more than expected in October, bolstering the case for caution in European Central Bank interest rate cuts.
The dollar index =USD, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, was last flat at 104.13, with the euro EUR=EBS up 0.1% at $1.0866. Against the Japanese yen JPY=EBS, the dollar weakened 0.53% to 152.59.
Traders see a 25 basis point cut at the Fed's Nov. 6-7 meeting as near certain, but only a 70% chance of a 25 basis point reduction at both its November and December meetings, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool.
Friday's U.S. jobs report for October will be closely watched as well as the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday.
Opinionpolls still areputting Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris neck and neck.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 362.70 points, or 0.86%, to 41,778.84, the S&P 500 .SPX fell 84.93 points, or 1.46%, to 5,728.74 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC fell 425.71 points, or 2.29%, to 18,182.22.
MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS fell 10.72 points, or 1.27%, to 834.22.
In Europe, the STOXX 600 .STOXX hit its lowest in seven weeks in a heavy day for earnings. The STOXX 600 index fell 1.5%.
U.S. Treasuryyields rose after the U.S. data showing falling wage inflation and strong consumer spending.
Benchmark 10-year yields US10YT=RR were last up 4.4 basis points at 4.309%. They reached a nearly four-month high of 4.339% on Tuesday.
In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin BTC= fell 3.02% to $70,640.00. Ethereum ETH= declined 4.98% to $2,545.70.
Gold retreated after hitting a record high, but the precious metal was on track for its fourth straight monthly gain.
Spot gold XAU= was down 0.7% at $2,766.59 per ounce by 9:35 a.m. ET (1335 GMT) , after hitting a record high of $2,790.15 during the session. Prices have firmed around 5% for the month so far.
U.S. crude CLc1 rose 1.33% to $69.52 a barrel and Brent LCOc1 rose to $73.23 per barrel, up 0.94% on the day.
World FX rates YTD http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
Asian stock markets https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4
Additional reporting by Karen Brettell in New York and Kevin Buckland in Tokyo and Wayne Cole in Sydney; Editing by Toby Chopra, Kirsten Donovan and David Gregorio
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
