US markets end lower on profit booking

20 Oct 2022 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Wednesday on profit booking as traders cashed in on the strong gains posted on Monday and Tuesday. Lingering concerns about higher interest rates and the impact on the global economy also continued to weigh on the markets along with a jump in treasury yields. The yield on the benchmark ten-year note moved sharply higher following a modest pullback on Tuesday, reaching its highest levels in fourteen years.  The weakness on markets came despite a notable advance by shares of Netflix (NFLX), with the streaming giant surging by 13.1 percent. However, downside remained capped following the release of the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, a compilation of anecdotal evidence on economic conditions in each of the twelve Fed districts. The Beige Book said economic activity in the US has expanded modestly since early September, although the report noted conditions varied across industries and districts.

The Fed said four districts saw flat activity and two cited declines, with slowing or weak demand attributed to higher interest rates, inflation, and supply disruptions. With regard to inflation, the Beige Book noted price growth remained elevated but acknowledged some easing across several districts. On the sectoal front, housing stocks moved sharply lower over the course of the session, dragging the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index down by 4.5 percent. The sell-off by housing stocks came after the Commerce Department released a report showing housing starts tumbled by more than expected in the month of September. Substantial weakness also emerged among banking stocks, as reflected by the 3.6 percent nosedive by the KBW Bank Index. Biotechnology stocks also showed a significant move to the downside on the day, resulting in a 3.4 percent plunge by the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 99.99 points or 0.33 percent to 30,423.81, Nasdaq dropped 91.89 points or 0.85 percent to 10,680.51 and S&P 500 was down by 24.82 points 0.67 percent to 3,695.16.

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