US markets end lower on Friday

23 Sep 2023 Evaluate

The US markets ended lower on Friday, magnifying their recent sessions’ losses, as concerns about the outlook for interest rates continued to weigh on the markets.  While the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged as widely expected on Wednesday, the central bank forecast another rate hike before the end of the year as well as keeping rates at elevated levels for longer than previously anticipated. Traders were reluctant to make significant bets ahead of the release of some key economic data next week that could impact the outlook for interest rates. Next week will see the release of a report on personal income and spending that includes readings on inflation said to be preferred by the Fed.

On the sectoral front, most of the major sectors ended the day showing only modest moves contributing to the lackluster close by the broader markets. Airline stocks showed a significant move to the downside, however, with the NYSE Arca Airline Index falling by 1.5 percent to its lowest closing level in six months. Significant weakness also emerged among banking stocks, as reflected by the 1.3 percent loss posted by the KBW Bank Index. The index fell to a nearly three-month closing low. Tobacco and commercial real estate stocks also saw some weakness on the day, while strength remained visible among computer hardware and software socks.

Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 106.58 points or 0.31 percent to 33,963.84, Nasdaq fell 12.18 points or 0.09 percent to 13,211.81 and S&P 500 was down by 9.94 points or 0.23 percent to 4,320.06. 


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