WALL Street stocks fell on Wednesday as rising Treasury bond yields prompted a wave of selling after recent records.
“Now that the (first-quarter earnings) period is essentially over, inflation and interest rates are front of mind,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA Research, noting that the Dow has pulled back after topping 40,000 points earlier this month.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.1 per cent on the day to 38,441.54.
The broad-based S&P 500 declined 0.7 per cent to 5,266.95, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.6 per cent to 16,920.58.
Analysts have attributed the rise in Treasury yields partly to commentary from US Federal Reserve officials warning that elevated inflation could keep interest rates high.
Market observers have also cited disappointing demand for US Treasury bonds as a factor.
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On Wednesday, the Fed’s latest “beige book” of economic conditions pointed to a somewhat gloomier outlook, although economic activity remained positive from early April to mid-May.
Among individual companies, Marathon Oil shot up 8.4 per cent after it agreed to be acquired by ConocoPhillips in an all-stock transaction valued at US$22.5 billion.
ConocoPhillips declined 3.1 per cent.
American Airlines sank 13.5 per cent after it lowered its profit outlook, citing weaker demand and a troubled booking system upgrade.
Dick’s Sporting Goods surged 15.9 per cent as it lifted its full-year forecast following a 5.3 per cent rise in comparable sales due to a growth in transactions and the average ticket size. AFP
