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Stocks Fluctuate as Traders Mull Latest Fedspeak: Markets Wrap
Investors are digesting comments from Fed’s Brainard, Waller Cryptocurrencies find relief on Binance plan for recovery fund
Isabelle Lee
November 13, 2022, 5:15 PM EST
US stocks fluctuated as investors mulled what the Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard’s comments on Monday mean for the central bank’s path ahead.
The S&P 500 pared earlier gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 rose after falling as much as 1.3% as the session started. Treasury yields climbed, with the 10-year rate hovering around 3.87%.
Brainard’s comments during a Bloomberg event in Washington somewhat improved sentiment after she said it would be appropriate “soon” for the central bank to slow its pace of interest-rate hikes. However, she also emphasized that the Fed had “additional work to do” to bring inflation down, which kept some investors on the edge. Brainard did not explicitly commit to a step-down to a half-point hike in December, nor did she elaborate what she meant by “soon.”
“I think Brainard’s comments underscore the uncertainty of the path forward and the data dependence of the Committee,” said Jake Schurmeier, portfolio manager at Harbor Capital Advisors. “They don’t want a slower pace of rate hikes to be confused for less restrictive policy.”
Earlier, Fed Governor Christopher Waller’s hawkish comments wobbled markets as investors mulled whether the post-CPI euphoria was overblown.
Last week’s CPI-fueled rally, which propelled the S&P 500 to its best week since June, may be unsustainable, according to Christopher Smart, chief global strategist at Barings and head of the Barings Investment Institute.
“The bad news is that in an economic moment that remains so uncertain, the data is more likely than not to be messy and contradictory in the months ahead. The pace of decline will be uneven,” he said. “Moreover, there’s still a long way to go to get to the Fed’s target of 2% average inflation. That’s why Fed governors have been lining up to talk down any market euphoria that a real pivot is in sight.”
The cumulative impact of prior interest-rate hikes will also continue to weigh on economic growth and corporate profits, according to Mark Haefele, chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, who recommends that investors take a defensive position.
Read More: Wall Street Managers Are Pushing Back on Easing Inflation Hopes
LISTEN: Sean O’Hara, president at Pacer ETFs, discusses investing strategies with Bloomberg’s Paul Sweeney and Matt Miller.
Meanwhile, Chinese stocks listed in the US extended their rally to a third day, after Joe Biden and Xi Jinping called for reduced tensions between the world’s two biggest economies during a meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
The DAX Index, Germany’s main equity benchmark, rallied 20% from its September low. It was set to enter a bull market as investors bought shares on optimism that China is easing Covid restrictions and that its relations with the US are improving.
Cryptocurrencies rose on plans by Binance Holdings Ltd. to set up a recovery fund to stabilize the industry after FTX’s bankruptcy sparked market-wide losses of around $200 billion in the past week.
Key events this week:
Fed’s John Williams moderates panel, Monday
China retail sales, industrial production, surveyed jobless, Tuesday
Former US President Donald Trump plans to make an announcement, Tuesday
US empire manufacturing, PPI, Tuesday
US business inventories, cross-border investment, retail sales, industrial production, Wednesday
Fed’s John Williams, Lael Brainard and SEC Chair Gary Gensler speak, Wednesday
ECB President Christine Lagarde speaks, Wednesday
Eurozone CPI, Thursday
US housing starts, initial jobless claims, Thursday
Fed’s Neel Kashkari, Loretta Mester speak, Thursday
US Conference Board leading index, existing home sales, Friday
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The S&P 500 rose 0.1% as of 2:45 p.m. New York time
The Nasdaq 100 rose 0.1%
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%
The MSCI World index rose 1.8%
Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.1%
The euro was little changed at $1.0349
The British pound fell 0.5% to $1.1772
The Japanese yen fell 0.8% to 139.93 per dollar
Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin rose 0.1% to $16,382.46
Ether rose 0.2% to $1,218.18
Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced five basis points to 3.87%
Germany’s 10-year yield declined one basis point to 2.15%
Britain’s 10-year yield advanced one basis point to 3.37%
Commodities
West Texas Intermediate crude fell 3.9% to $85.53 a barrel
Gold futures rose 0.3% to $1,775.50 an ounce