Stocks extend their losses after successive selling

US stocks fell on Thursday as investors continued to consider a hawkish reading of the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s latest policy-setting meeting that hinted that officials are preparing to intervene more aggressively to curb inflation.

The Nasdaq Composite extended its decline to 1% at midday, dropping to its lowest level since March. The tech-heavy index, which started the week at 2%, capped its second consecutive session on Wednesday and closed 2.2% lower. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Index is down 0.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 200 points. The 10-year Treasury yield rose again to 2.637% – the highest level in three years.

Conversations detailed in the minutes of the Fed’s March 15-16 meeting released on Wednesday indicated that policymakers would soon start Resolving the central bank balance sheet of 9 trillion dollarsincluding $4 trillion in asset purchases collected to calm markets after the pandemic in early 2020. The minutes also noted that many FOMC participants “would have favored a 50 basis point increase” in interest rates. In March, the Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2018.

“When those minutes were really released this afternoon, I think what I really saw was the consolidation around the news that the Fed is very intent on fighting inflation,” said Lisa Erickson, Senior Vice President of the US Bank. Yahoo Finance Live said.

Economists at Bank of America, which recently adjusted the Federal Reserve’s request to include a 50 basis point rate hike in June and July, said in a note on Wednesday that the newly released minutes show enough evidence to tip the scales toward a twofold increase in May.

“The reality is that we are in an unknown state here and the Federal Reserve has had the difficult task of untangling the massive monetary support over the past two years,” Charlie Ripley, senior investment analyst at Allianz Investment Management, said in a note. “Against this background, it is very reasonable that uncertainty in the monetary policy trajectory remains embedded in the markets and that is exactly what we are seeing with recent moves in interest rates and risk assets.”

The story continues

Another headwind that investors should continue to explore are developments in the Russo-Ukrainian War. United State Another set of sanctions was imposed on Wednesday That included a ban on US investments in Russia. The sanctions also targeted Russia’s Sberbank and Alphabank, two of the country’s largest financial institutions, as well as the two daughters of President Vladimir Putin, the wife and daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and senior members of Russia’s Security Council. However, power transactions have been missing from recent punitive measures.

Meanwhile, testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that Russia’s war in Ukraine would have “enormous economic repercussions around the world,” including disruptions to the flow of food and energy.

Yellen also said that Russia He should be kicked out of the G20 Forum of Major EconomiesThe United States will boycott “a number of G-20 meetings” if Russian officials participate.

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12:08pm ET: The Nasdaq extended its losses to 1%, hitting its lowest level since March

Here are the major moves in the markets as of 12:05 PM ET:

• Standard & Poor’s 500 (^ Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat): -22.16 (-0.49%) to 4458.99

• dow (^ DJI): -189.64 (-0.55%) to 34306.87

• Nasdaq (^ ninth): -137.66 (-0.99%) to 13751.16

• raw (CL = F.):- $1.59 (-1.65%) to $94.64 per barrel

• gold (GC = F.): + $13.90 (+0.72%) to $1,932.30 per ounce

• Treasury for 10 years (^ degeneration): +2.3 basis points to produce 2.6320%

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10:32 a.m. ET: Mortgage rates stretch toward 5%

The The surge in mortgage rates shows no signs of abatingThe most popular mortgage rate reached its highest level since December 2018 this week.

The 30-year mortgage rate jumped to 4.72% from 4.67% last week, according to Freddy Mac. The rate is up almost a full percentage point since the first week of March and up by 1.5 points since the start of the year. The increase also represented the fastest rise in three months since May 1994.

“For real estate markets, the sharp jump in mortgage rates over the past quarter marks a critical turning point,” said George Ratio, director of economic research at Realtor.com, in an emailed statement. “For many American families, mortgage rates today are closing the door to being able to purchase a home this spring.”

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9:30 a.m. ET: Stocks fall for a third day in a row as investors weigh Federal Reserve minutes

Here are the main moves in the markets during Thursday’s opening bell:

• Standard & Poor’s 500 (^ Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat): -6.00 (-0.13%) to 4475.15

• dow (^ DJI): -88.56 (-0.26%) to 34407.95

• Nasdaq (^ ninth): -315.35 (-2.22%) up to 13888.82

• raw (CL = F.): +0.92 dollars (+0.96%) to 97.15 dollars per barrel

• gold (GC = F.): + 8.20 dollars (+ 0.43%) to 1931.30 dollars per ounce

• Treasury for 10 years (^ degeneration): +2.4 basis points to produce 2.6330%

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8:37 a.m. ET: New jobless claims drop sharply to their lowest level since 1968

Unemployment insurance claims It fell sharply in the latest weekly data to the lowest level since 1968 It marks the third consecutive week that new claims have been below 200,000, with new layoffs and layoffs remaining low compared to pre-pandemic averages.

work circle Latest weekly report on unemployment claims Showing that 166,000 claims filed in the week ending April 2, came in better than the 200,000 economists polled by Bloomberg had expected.

Last week’s new claims were also revised down significantly to 171,000 from 202,000 previously reported at the end of March. Before the pandemic, new claims averaged about 218,000 per week throughout 2019.

“The labor market appears to be weathering the pandemic, rapidly approaching a full recovery,” Rubella Farooqui, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a note. “Even as the labor market tightens, indicating optimism about economic conditions, a four-decade price hike dampens expectations.”

Some of the fluctuations in the latest weekly jobless claims data likely reflect a change in the way the Labor Department adjusted numbers to take into account seasonal factors. Beginning with Thursday’s report, the Department of Labor has reverted to using “additive” seasonal adjusting factors for the data, while over the course of the pandemic, the agency has been using “additive” seasonal adjusters to help facilitate large shifts in the data.

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7:40AM ET: HP stock jumps after Buffett disclosed 11% of his stake

Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway in a new file late Wednesday The company disclosed the accumulated 121 million shares of HP An 11.4% stake, worth $4.2 billion.

HP stakes (HPQ) is up more than 13% in pre-market trading before the opening bell on Thursday.

“Berkshire Hathaway is one of the most respected investors in the world and we welcome them as an investor in HP Inc,” an HP spokesperson To Yahoo Finance by email.

The purchase is the latest in a recent shopping spree by Berkshire Hathaway. Buffet also acquired approximately 15% (worth $7.6 billion) in Occidental Petroleum (OXY) Last month.

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7:10 a.m. ET: Contracts on the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq rise after heavy selling

Here’s how to trade US stock futures ahead of Thursday’s open:

• S&P 500 futures contracts (ES = F.): +9.25 points (+0.21%) to 4485.00

• Dow futures contractsYM = F.): +15.00 points (+0.04%) to 34414.00

• Nasdaq futures contractsNQ = F.): +53.50 points (+0.37%) to 14,558.75

• raw (CL = F.): +1.49 dollars (+1.55%) to 97.72 dollars per barrel

• gold (GC = F.): + $6.70 (+0.35%) to $1,929.80 per ounce

• Treasury for 10 years (^ degeneration): +0.00 basis points to produce 2.6090%

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6:13pm ET Wednesday: Futures muted after two-day losing streak

Here is where the markets were trading before the evening session on Wednesday:

• S&P 500 futures contracts (ES = F.): -3.00 points (-0.07%) to 4,472.75

• Dow futures contractsYM = F.): -29.00 points (-0.08%) to 34370.00

• Nasdaq futures contractsNQ = F.): -1.00 points (-0.01%) to 14,504.25 points

• raw (CL = F.): +1.52 dollars (+1.58%) to 97.75 dollars per barrel

• gold (GC = F.): + $5.00 (+0.26%) to $1,928.10 per ounce

• Treasury for 10 years (^ degeneration): +5.3 basis points to produce 2.6090%

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Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter Tweet embed

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