The US markets closed lower on Thursday, with the selling pressure coming from health-care, materials sectors and telecoms sectors. Details of the Republican tax deal have started to trickle out, with the big elements including a corporate tax rate of 21% and top individual rate of 27%. The corporate rate is currently 35%. Passage uncertainty persisted, however, with Sen. Marco Rubio reportedly saying he was a ‘No’ vote on the current version, without a larger expansion of the child tax credit. On the economy front, so-called flash readings of manufacturing and services activity went in different directions in December. The flash US manufacturing PMI rose to 55 from 53.9 in November, while the flash US services activity index fell to 52.4 from 54.5. Any reading above 50 indicates improving conditions. A flash reading is based on 85%-90% of total PMI survey responses each month.
Meanwhile, initial US jobless claims, a tool to measure layoffs, fell by 11,000 to 225,000 in the seven days ended December9. The more stable monthly average of claims slipped by 6,750 and stood at 234,750. The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits, known as continuing claims, dropped by 27,000 to 1.89 million. The US labor market hasn’t been this good in a decade, maybe two. Layoffs are near a 45-year bottom and the unemployment rate is just 4.1%, the lowest in almost 17 years. Separately, led by online sellers sales at US retailers climbed 0.8% in November, the start of the holiday shopping season. Sales minus autos rose an even higher 1% last month. Sales in October, meanwhile, were also revised up to 0.5% from 0.2%. Internet retailers posted a whopping 2.5% increase in sales as consumers increasingly switch to online shopping. Black Friday and Cyber Monday drew countless shoppers in search of deals.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 76.77 points or 0.31 percent to 24,508.66, the Nasdaq lost 19.273 points or 0.28 percent to 6,856.53, and the S&P 500 edged lower by 10.84 points or 0.41 percent to 2,652.01.
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