Stock market today: US stocks drop and bond yields climb as investors temper expectations for rate cuts
- US stocks edged lower on Wednesday as investors continued to adjust their outlook for Fed rate cuts.
- Investors see a 69% chance the Fed will cut rates two more times in 2024.
US stocks slumped on Wednesday as investors tempered their expectations for rate cuts, sending bond yields higher.
Major indexes slipped in early-morning trading, while Treasury yields moved up. The 10-year Treasury bond yield rose three basis points to 4.242%, its highest level in about three months.
The bond market has been caught in a sell-off this week as traders adjust their views on the path of monetary policy amid hot economic data, the potential for a Trump victory next month, and cautious guidance from Fed officials this week.
Investors are pricing in a 69% chance the Fed is still on track to cut rates two more times this year, but odds for a rate cut in January have fallen to 45%, down from 66% a week ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
Investors, meanwhile, are keeping an eye on coming corporate earnings reports. Boeing shares slid more than 2% early Wednesday after the aerospace firm reported a loss of over $6 billion last quarter.
Tesla shares also dipped slightly lower as investors readied for Elon Musk's car company to report earnings after the closing bell.
Earnings season has been off to a strong start so far. 79% of S&P 500 companies that have already reported financials have beaten earnings estimates, according to a FactSet analysis last Friday.
"The bar for third-quarter earnings is low, with analysts currently expecting only about a 3% increase in S&P 500 earnings per share (EPS). That low bar and a supportive economic environment points to potential upside," LPL Financial wrote in a note.
MacDonald's stock dropped 6% after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said an outbreak of E. Coli linked to the fast food chain's quarter pounders led to one death and 10 hospitalizations.
Here's where US indexes stood shortly after the 9:30 a.m. opening bell on Wednesday:
- S&P 500: 5,831.32, down 0.34%
- Dow Jones Industrial Average: 42,666.37, down 0.62% (-262.74 points)
- Nasdaq composite: 18,477.25, down 0.52%
Here's what else is going on:
- Legendary investor Paul Tudor Jones says he's buying gold and bitcoin prior to the November election.
- A Trump win could fuel a long-term buying opportunity in Chinese stocks, according to one stock chief.
In commodities, bonds, and crypto:
- West Texas Intermediate crude oil dipped 1% to $71.03 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was lower by 1.01% to $75.27 a barrel.
- Gold slid 0.59% to $2,732.47 an ounce.
- The 10-year Treasury yield ticked higher three basis points to 4.242%.
- Bitcoin edged lower to $66,785.