US markets end lower on Thursday

05 May 2023 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Thursday, magnifying previous session’s losses. The continued weakness on the US partly reflected ongoing concerns about turmoil among regional banks, with shares of PacWest Bancorp (PACW) plummeting by 50.6 percent. The steep drop by PacWest came after the company confirmed that it its reviewing strategic options, including a potential sale. Besides, continued uncertainty about the outlook for interest rates also weighed on markets following the Federal Reserve's tenth straight rate hike on Wednesday. On the sectoral front, airline stocks turned in some of the market's worst performances on the day, resulting in a 4.6 percent nosedive by the NYSE Arca Airline Index. Steel stocks also showed a significant move to the downside amid concerns about demand, dragging the NYSE Arca Steel Index down by 3.4 percent to a four-month closing low.

On the economic data front, the Labor Department released a report showing first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by slightly more than expected in the week ended April 29th. The report said initial jobless claims climbed to 242,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's revised level of 229,000. Street had expected jobless claims to rise to 240,000 from the 230,000 originally reported for the previous week. A separate report released by the Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit shrank to $64.2 billion in March from a revised $70.6 billion in February. The Labor Department also released another report showing U.S. labor productivity tumbled by much more than expected in the first quarter of 2023, while unit labor costs spiked more than expected.

Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 286.5 points or 0.86 percent to 33,127.74, Nasdaq fell 58.93 points or 0.49 percent to 11,966.4 and S&P 500 was down by 29.53 points or 0.72 percent to 4,061.22.

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