US markets settle lower on Wednesday

02 Dec 2021 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Wednesday after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed the first confirmed case of Covid-19 caused by the new Omicron variant has been detected in the US. The CDC said the first confirmed omicron case was detected in an individual in California, who returned from South Africa on November 22, 2021. The sharp pullback reflects recent volatility as traders show significant sensitivity to the latest news about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Traders largely shrugged off the latest US economic news, including a report released by payroll processor ADP showed private sector employment increased by slightly more than expected in the month of November.

ADP said private sector employment shot up by 534,000 jobs in November after surging by a revised 570,000 jobs in October. Street had expected private sector employment to jump by about 525,000 jobs compared to the addition of 571,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month. Meanwhile, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) released a separate report showing manufacturing activity grew at a slightly faster rate in the month of November. The ISM said its manufacturing PMI crept up to 61.1 in November from 60.8 in October, with a reading above 50 indicating growth in the sector. Street had expected the index to inch up to 61.0. On the sectoral front, Airline stocks showed a substantial downturn over the course of the trading session, with the NYSE Arca Airline Index plummeting by 4.9 percent after soaring as much as 3.4 percent in early trading.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 461.68 points or 1.34 percent to 34,022.04, Nasdaq dropped 283.64 points or 1.83 percent to 15,254.05 and S&P 500 was down by 53.96 points or 1.18 percent to 4,513.04.

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