US markets settle in red as investors look ahead to Fed rate decision

03 May 2023 Evaluate

The US markets ended in red with cut of over one percent on Tuesday as traders looked to cash in on recent strength in the markets ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy announcement on Wednesday. With the Fed widely expected to raise interest rates by another 25 basis points, traders will pay close attention to the accompanying statement for clues about the outlook for rates. Further, concerns about lawmakers' struggles to reach an agreement on raising the U.S. debt ceiling also weighed on markets. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the Treasury might run out of money to cover obligations as soon as June 1. On the sectoral front, energy stocks moved sharply lower on the day, with another steep drop by the price of crude oil weighing on the sector. After slumping $1.12 to $75.66 a barrel in the previous session, crude for June delivery plummeted $4 to $71.66 a barrel amid concerns about the outlook for demand.

On the economic data front, the Commerce Department released a report showing new orders for U.S. manufactured goods increased by slightly more than expected in March. The Commerce Department said factory orders advanced by 0.9 percent in March after slumping by a revised 1.1 percent in February. Street had expected factory orders to climb by 0.8 percent compared to the 0.7 percent decrease originally reported for the previous month. A separate report released by the Labor Department showed job openings in the U.S. fell by more than expected in the month of March. The Labor Department said job openings decreased to 9.590 million in March from an upwardly revised 9.974 million in February. With the drop, job openings fell to their lowest level since April 2021. Street had expected job openings to decline to 9.775 million from the 9.931 million originally reported for the previous month.

Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 367.17 points or 1.08 percent to 33,684.53, Nasdaq fell 132.09 points or 1.08 percent to 12,080.51 and S&P 500 was down by 48.29 points or 1.16 percent to 4,119.58.

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