US markets end mostly in red on Thursday

02 Dec 2022 Evaluate

The US markets ended mostly in red on Thursday as investors awaited jobs data coming Friday that could determine the pace of the Federal Reserve’s future rate tightening. Street currently expect employment to jump by 200,000 jobs in November after shooting up by 261,000 jobs in October, while the unemployment rate is expected to hold at 3.7 percent. The data could affect the outlook for interest rates, although the impact may be somewhat muted following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's remarks on Wednesday hinting at a slowdown in the pace of rate hikes as soon as next month. Cautiousness also prevailed in the markets as activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted for the first time in over two years in the month of November, according to a report released by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

The ISM said its manufacturing PMI slipped to 49.0 in November from 50.2 in October, with a reading below 50 indicating a contraction. Street had expected the index to edge down to 49.8. With the slightly bigger than expected decrease, the manufacturing PMI fell to its lowest level since hitting 43.5 in May of 2020. On the sectoral front, Most of the major sectors showed only modest moves on the day, contributing to the lackluster performance by the broader markets. Gold stocks showed a substantial move to the upside, however, driving the NYSE Arca Gold Bugs Index up by 3.6 percent to its best closing level in over five months. The rally by gold stocks came amid a sharp increase by the price of the precious metal, with gold for February delivery soaring $55.30 to $1,815.20 an ounce.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 194.76 points or 0.56 percent to 34,395.01 and S&P 500 was down by 3.54 points 0.09 percent to 4,076.57, while Nasdaq added 14.45 points or 0.13 percent to 11,482.45.

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