por admin » Jue Sep 22, 2022 2:26 pm
Stocks Fall, Bond Yields Gain As More Central Banks Raise Rates
Bank of England, Swiss National Bank follow Fed while yen strengthens after Tokyo currency intervention
By Anna HirtensteinFollow
and Matt GrossmanFollow
Updated Sept. 22, 2022 2:51 pm ET
U.S. stocks dropped after the latest interest-rate increases from the Federal Reserve and other central banks, which have added to fears that the battle to control rising prices could bring a recession.
Stocks have been weighed down by persistently high inflation and central banks’ moves to tighten financial conditions in response. The Fed raised rates by another 0.75 percentage point on Wednesday and signaled that there are more hikes to come. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in a press conference that there isn’t a painless way to tame inflation.
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The Federal Reserve, led by Chairman Jerome Powell, lifted its benchmark rate by 0.75 percentage point on Wednesday. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
In particular, his message about the diminishing odds of a soft landing for the economy may have further spooked investors, said Eric Souza, senior portfolio manager at SVB Asset Management. “That was a really telling moment that markets looked at: Is this his hint that we’re heading into a recession?” Mr. Souza said.
As fears of an economic slowdown mount, many of SVB’s investing clients—mainly Silicon Valley tech companies—have been choosing to hold extra cash in reserve or to prepare for acquisition opportunities, Mr. Souza added.
FedEx shares jumped 1.7% after the company posted a quarterly profit and said it will take steps to save $2.2 billion to $2.7 billion in its 2023 fiscal year. Last week, FedEx shares were pummeled after it warned of falling package volumes, a report that rippled through markets as another omen of recession.
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Energy stocks gained, lifted by a rise in oil prices amid renewed anxiety about the course of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Brent crude futures rose 0.8% to $90.61 a barrel. That helped support stocks such as Valero Energy, which was up 2.1%, and oil-field-services provider Schlumberger, which gained 1.7%.
Airlines suffered. American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Alaska Air each shed more than 4%.
The pain was broad, with some of the steepest losses hitting the financial and consumer-discretionary sectors. Rising interest rates and the potential economic fallout have made it difficult to feel comfortable investing in risk assets, from stocks to high-yield bonds, said Justin Gmelich, global head of markets at King Street, an asset manager.
“As rates move higher, that means lower multiples for the equity market, and you’re also going to see a bit of earnings contraction,” Mr. Gmelich said. King Street’s credit investments have been defensive amid concerns that current bond prices may not fully reflect the risk of a downturn, he said.
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Government bond yields continued to rise. The yield on the two-year Treasury note reached 4.112%, up from 3.993% a day earlier, and the 10-year yield hit 3.692%, from 3.511% on Wednesday. Both have continued to set new highs dating back more than a decade. Short-term yields have been greater than long-term yields since early July, a pattern that has often preceded a recession.
A long list of central banks made monetary-policy decisions on Thursday, including the Bank of England, which raised interest rates. The Swiss National Bank SNBN -0.77%▼ also lifted its key policy rate, moving it up to 0.5%, making it the last European central bank to exit negative rates.
The Bank of Japan—a holdout in sticking with ultralow interest rates—kept its policy unchanged, sending the yen to the lowest level against the dollar since 1995. The currency then reversed losses after the Japanese finance ministry said it intervened in the foreign-exchange market to support the yen for the first time in 24 years.
European stocks declined, with the Stoxx Europe 600 losing 1.8%. Bank stocks, which typically benefit from higher rates, bucked the trend: Italy’s UniCredit rose more than 5%, following bullish comments from its chief executive.
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Finnish utility Fortum climbed for a second day after the German government said it would nationalize Uniper. Fortum is the majority owner of the struggling German energy giant. The stock has risen nearly 30% this week.
In Asia, major equity benchmarks declined. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 1.6% to close at its lowest level since 2011. The Shanghai Composite declined 0.3% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.6%.