US markets slip on weak economic data

01 Jan 2015 Evaluate

The US markets closed lower on Wednesday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average failed to close out 2014 above 18,000 after topping that big round number for the first time last week. On the economy front, the number of people who applied for US unemployment benefits jumped by 17,000 in the final week of December to the highest level since Thanksgiving, but the overall level of layoffs and firings remains extremely low amid a sharp uptick in job creation. Initial jobless claims rose to 298,000 in the seven days ended December 27 from a revised 281,000 in the prior week. The average of new claims over the past month, meanwhile, dipped by 250 and stood at 290,750. The four-week average smoothens out seasonal volatility in the weekly report and is seen as a more accurate predictor of labor-market trends. Also, the continuing claims fell by 53,000 to a seasonally adjusted 2.35 million in the week ended December 20. Continuing claims, which reflect the number of people already receiving benefits, are hovering near a 14-year low. The Chicago PMI business index fell 2.5 points in December to 58.3 from 60.8 in prior month, but it’s still a fairly strong reading that shows US businesses continue to grow at a steady clip. Production fell 5.1 points to 61.6.

However, a gauge of pending home sales rose 0.8% in November, led by gains in three of four US regions, signaling that upcoming deals could pick up. The index of pending home sales hit a seasonally adjusted 104.8 in November, compared with 104 in October. In November the gauge of pending home sales rose 1.4% in the Northeast, 1.3% in the South and 0.4% in the West. The gauge declined 0.4% in the Midwest. Pending sales typically close within two months.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 160.00 points or 0.89 percent to 17,823.07, Nasdaq was down by 41.39 points or 0.87 percent to 4,736.05 while, S&P 500 dropped 21.45 points or 1.03 percent to 2,058.90.

Indian ADRs closed mostly in red on Wednesday; Tata Motors was down by 0.39%, Wipro was down 0.22% and ICICI Bank was down by 0.06%. On the other hand, Dr. Reddy’s Lab was up by 0.43% and HDFC Bank was up 0.07%.

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