US markets end lower on Tuesday

20 May 2020 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Tuesday as traders cashed in on the rally seen on Monday. Weakness also prevailed after a report cast doubt on Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine candidate and Wall Street braced for a potentially protracted economic recovery. Markets ignored comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who reaffirmed the central bank will provide more support to the economy.  Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, Powell said the central bank needs to be prepared to act further and I would say we are, if the need is there. Powell said as a society, we should do everything we can to provide relief to those who are suffering for the public good.

On the economic data front, the Commerce Department released a report showing another steep drop in new residential construction in the US in the month of April. The report said housing starts plummeted by 30.2 percent to an annual rate of 891,000 in April after tumbling by 18.6 percent to a revised 1.276 million in March. Street had expected housing stocks to plunge by 23.8 percent to a rate of 927,000 from the 1.216 million originally reported for the previous month. The Commerce Department said building permits also slumped by 20.8 percent to an annual rate of 1.074 million in April after falling by 5.7 percent to a revised 1.356 million in March. Building permits, an indicator of future housing demand, had been expected to nosedive by 26.1 percent to a rate of 1 million from the 1.353 million originally reported for the previous month.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 390.51 points or 1.59 percent to 24,206.86, Nasdaq declined 49.72 points or 0.54 percent to 9,185.1 and S&P 500 was down by 30.97 points or 1.05 percent to 2,922.94.

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