Wall Street ends slightly lower after higher than expected inflation, unemployment
Updated with preliminary closing prices at 4:00 p.m ET/ 2000 GMT
By Sinéad Carew and Lisa Pauline Mattackal
Oct 10 (Reuters) -Wall Street's main indexes closed loweron Thursday as investors looked to higher-than-expected inflation and unemployment claims for indications on the health of the U.S. economy and the path for interest rates.
The closely watched Consumer Price Index rose 0.2% on a monthly basis in September and 2.4% on an annual basis, with both figures being slightly higher than estimated by economists polled by Reuters.
The core figure, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 3.3% year-over-year, versus an estimate of 3.2%.
In a separate report released on Thursday, jobless claims also rose to 258,000 for the week ending Oct. 5, versus an estimate of 230,000.
"Investors were torn between a stronger than expected CPI report and a weaker than expected unemployment claims report," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Cresset Capital in Chicago. "One showed inflation running hotter than expected and the other showed the economy looking weaker than expected. It's the worst of both worlds."
After the economic data, traders were pricing in a roughly 80% probability that the Federal Reserve will cut rates by 25 basis points at its meeting in November and a roughly 20% chance it would leave rates unchanged, according to CME's FedWatch.
Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic on Thursday said he would be "totally comfortable" skipping an interest-rate cut at an upcoming meeting of the U.S. central bank, adding that the "choppiness" in recent data on inflation and employment may warrant leaving rates on hold in November.
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said he sees "gradual" rate cuts over the next year-and-a-half, while the New York Fed's John Williams said he still sees rate reductions ahead.
According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 11.77 points, or 0.20%, to end at 5,780.27 points, while the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC lost 9.73 points, or 0.05%, to 18,281.89. The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 55.45 points, or 0.13%, to 42,456.55.
Both the S&P 500 .SPX and the Dow had notched record closing highs in the previous day's session.
During Thursday's session energy .SPNY outperformed other sectors as oil prices rose. O/R
Oil futures were rallying as U.S. fuel use had spiked ahead ofHurricane Milton, which made landfall on Florida's west coast late on Wednesday. Oil prices are also being supported by supply concerns related to conflicts inthe Middle East.
Investors are also preparing for the third-quarter earnings season, with major banks scheduled to report results on Friday.
The third-quarter earnings growth rate for the S&P 500 is estimated to come in at 5% year-over-year, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.
In individual stocks, Delta Air Lines DAL.N fell after it forecast quarterly revenue below expectations in anticipation of slower travel spending. Other airlines, American Airlines AAL.O, also lost ground.
Shares of Pfizer PFE.N fell as former executives distanced themselves from activist investor Starboard's campaign against the drugmaker.
Reporting by Sinéad Carew, Lisa Mattackal and Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai and Aurora Ellis
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.
