US markets close mostly down as consumer confidence drops

25 Sep 2013 Evaluate

The US markets closed mostly lower on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 extending their losing streaks for the fourth day, as a drop in consumer confidence and worries over a Washington debt-ceiling fight outweighed a rise in home prices and easing concerns over the Middle East. Ratings firm Moody’s Investors Service stated that failure by the US government to raise the country’s debt limit would result in a worse outcome for financial markets than a government shutdown. On the economy front, confidence among American consumers fell in September to the lowest level in four months on renewed worries about stagnant wages and the availability of jobs, the Conference Board stated. The consumer confidence index fell to 79.7 in September from a revised 81.8 in August. Consumers were less optimistic about the health of the economy over the next six months. The expectations index dropped to 84.1 from 89.0, although the present situation index rose to 73.2 from 70.9.

On the other hand, home prices rose a seasonally adjusted 1% in July, the 18th straight monthly rise, the Federal Housing Finance Agency stated. The FHFA index, calculated from mortgages bought or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, was up 8.8% from the same period of July 2012, and is now 9.6% below its April 2007 peak. Separately, the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city composite rose 12.4% in the year to July 2013.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 66.79 points or 0.43 percent to 15,334.60, the S&P 500 was down 4.42 points or 0.26 percent to 1,697.42, while the Nasdaq was up 2.97 points or 0.08 percent to 3,768.25.

Indian ADRs closed mostly in green on Tuesday; Tata Motors was up 0.39%, HDFC Bank was up 0.19%, Dr. Reddy’s Lab was up by 0.16% and Infosys was up 0.15%. On the other hand, Wipro was down by 0.03%.

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