US markets settle lower on Tuesday

02 Nov 2022 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Tuesday as investors looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's monetary policy announcement, due on Wednesday. The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates by another 75 basis points, but traders have recently expressed optimism the central bank will signal plans to slow the pace of rate hikes at upcoming meetings. Meanwhile, shares from transportation, retail, pharmaceutical and housing sectors mostly struggled for support. Apple Inc, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, United Health and Merck & Co drifted down 1.4 to 2 percent. However, Uber Technologies soared 12 percent after the company raised its fourth-quarter operating profit forecast. The company said it expects fourth-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $600 - $630 million, above street expectations of a $569.39 million earnings.

On the economic data front, construction spending in the US unexpectedly showed a modest increase in the month of October, according to a report released by the Commerce Department. The report said construction spending inched up by 0.2 percent to an annual rate of $1.811 trillion in September after falling by 0.6 percent to a revised rate of $1.807 trillion in August. The uptick surprised street, who had expected construction spending to decrease by 0.5 percent. Meanwhile, a report released by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) showed a slight increase in US manufacturing activity in the month of October. The ISM said its manufacturing PMI edged down to 50.2 in October from 50.9 in September, but a reading above 50 still indicates growth in the sector. Street had expected the index to dip to 50.0.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 79.75 points or 0.24 percent to 32,653.2, Nasdaq dropped 97.3 points or 0.89 percent to 10,890.85 and S&P 500 was down by 15.88 points 0.41 percent to 3,856.1.

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