US markets closed lower as oil enters bear-market

21 Jun 2017 Evaluate

The US markets closed lower on Tuesday, as investors dumped energy shares after crude-oil prices slipped into bear-market. Crude oil prices sank to a 10-month low on ongoing worries about a supply glut pressured prices. Investors are keeping an eye on the parade of Federal Reserve speakers to get a handle on the central bank’s stance on future rate increases as well as politics.

On the economy front, the US current-account deficit, a measures of the nation’s debt to other countries, rose 2.5% to $116.8 billion in the first quarter. The increase in the current-account deficit in the fourth quarter was tied to a higher trade deficit in goods such as foreign autos or cellphones and a smaller surplus in primary income - returns on American-owned assets held abroad. The fourth-quarter gap in the current account was raised to $114 billion from an original reading of $112.4 billion. The current account reveals if a country is a net lender or debtor. The current-account deficit was 2.5% of GDP in the first quarter, up slightly from 2.4% at the end of 2016.

Meanwhile, Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said that the era of low interest rates in the United States and elsewhere poses financial stability risks and that central bankers must factor such concerns into their decision-making. Rosengren added that monetary policy is less capable of offsetting negative shocks when rates are already low. In particular, he said, the yield curve will be sensitive to the actions of policymakers when removing monetary accommodation. He noted financial intermediaries will need to factor in the possibility of lower rates, particularly during economic downturns, and flatter yield curves. The Boston Fed chief did not mention the US central bank’s decision to raise rates last week or the US economic outlook in his prepared remarks. Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan expressed doubt that short-term interest rates are very accommodative and said he wants to wait for more data to understand whether recent weak inflation readings are transitory as he suspects. Kaplan added that he believes that at some point we will see more wage pressure.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 61.85 points or 0.29 percent to 21,467.14, Nasdaq dropped 50.98 points or 0.82 percent to 6,188.03, while S&P 500 edged lower by 16.43 points or 0.67 percent to 2,437.03.


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