U.S. Stocks Slide Amid North Korea Tensions
Falling bond yields pressure shares of financial companies in the S&P 500
Michael Wursthorn
Updated Sept. 5, 2017 11:46 a.m. ET
—U.S. stocks fall, with Dow industrials declining roughly 160 points
—Investors flock to havens such as U.S. Treasurys, gold
—European stocks edge lower; shares in Japan, South Korea slip
U.S. stocks fell as fresh threats from North Korea, following the country’s test of its most powerful nuclear bomb yet, weighed on major indexes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 162 points, or 0.7%, to 21826 in recent trading. The S&P 500 declined 0.5%, while the Nasdaq Co mposite shed 0.6%.
North Korea Claims to Conduct Large Nuclear Test
North Korea said it conducted a test of a hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile on Sunday, which South Korean and Japanese officials said is significantly larger than previous tests. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
Investors moved into haven assets, sending gold and U.S. Treasury prices higher. Meanwhile, the CBOE Volatility Index, a measure of expected swings in the S&P 500, jumped more than 20%.
Falling bond yields pressured shares of financial companies in the S&P 500, sending the sector down 1.5% and making it the index’s biggest laggard. Among the decliners: Goldman Sachs Group dropped 3%, while Bank of America fell 2.5%.
Investors looked beyond equities for safety.
U.S. government bonds strengthened, sending the yield on the 10-year Treasury note down to 2.080%, according to Tradeweb, from 2.157% on Friday. Gold prices rose 0.9% to $1,341.80 a troy ounce.
“There is no solid game plan as to what we can do with North Korea,” said Larry Adam, Deutsche Bank Wealth Management’s chief investment officer. “People are getting nervous about that.”
The U.S. told the United Nations that North Korea was “begging for war” and called for “the strongest possible measures” against Pyongyang. North Korea, meanwhile, appears to be preparing to test another intercontinental ballistic missile, South Korea said late Monday.
Market reactions to the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have been relatively muted in recent weeks, but market strategists warn the latest salvo of threats increase global uncertainty. Selloffs last month were short lived, as robust company earnings and steady economic data helped both the Dow industrials and the S&P 500 to hit their fifth consecutive month of gains.
“It seems the gravity (of the situation) has lifted to another level,” said David de Garis, a senior economist at National Australia Bank . “This situation doesn’t look like it is going to subside.”
The Stoxx Europe 600 was down less than 0.1% in recent trading. South Korea’s Kospi ended the day down 0.1%, despite a gain for index heavyweight Samsung Electronics .
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average closed down 0.6% after a 0.9% fall on Monday, as buying of the yen, a traditional haven asset, accelerated during Asian trade.
—Kenan Machado contributed to this article.
Write to Mike Bird at
Mike.Bird@wsj.com and Michael Wursthorn at
Michael.Wursthorn@wsj.com