U.S. stocks are drifting Wednesday, as Wall Street’s big week so far lets off the accelerator. The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in early trading. Its two-day winning streak to start the week erased nearly two thirds of last week’s steep loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 32 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher.
Quick Read
- S&P 500 Rises: The S&P 500 increased by 0.3% in early trading, continuing a two-day winning streak that has recouped nearly two-thirds of last week’s steep losses.
- Dow and Nasdaq Movements: The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell slightly by 32 points (0.1%), while the Nasdaq composite rose by 0.7%.
- Tesla Boosts Market: Tesla’s stock surged 11% following its announcement to accelerate production of more affordable vehicles, overshadowing a recent 55% profit drop.
- Focus on “Magnificent Seven”: Tesla, part of the influential group known as the “Magnificent Seven,” is under scrutiny as these stocks largely drove last year’s market gains and their performance is crucial for justifying their high valuations.
- Economic and Interest Rate Outlook: Recent economic data, including stronger-than-expected orders for durable goods, suggests diminished hopes for anticipated Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, affecting market dynamics.
- Treasury Yields Increase: The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose slightly to 4.63% following economic reports that exceeded forecasts.
- Stock Specific Movements: Hasbro’s shares jumped 12.5% after reporting strong quarterly results, driven by popular games and content. Mattel and Boeing also saw gains after better-than-feared earnings reports. Conversely, Bunge Global and Norfolk Southern experienced declines following their financial updates.
- Global Market Trends: Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged 2.4% amid a weakening yen, enhancing the competitiveness of Japanese exports, while stock indexes in other parts of Asia and Europe also rose.
The Associated Press has the story:
Tesla soars as the rest of Wall Street drifts in mixed trading
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP) —
U.S. stocks are drifting Wednesday, as Wall Street’s big week so far lets off the accelerator. The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in early trading. Its two-day winning streak to start the week erased nearly two thirds of last week’s steep loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 32 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher.
Tesla was leading the market after jumping 11%. It said the night before that it would accelerate production of new, more affordable vehicles, which investors have been hoping will kickstart growth. The announcement helped investors look past the 55% drop in profit that Tesla reported.
Tesla is the first of the group of stocks known as the “Magnificent Seven” to report its results for the start of 2024. The focus is on the small group of stocks because they drove most of the U.S. stock market’s gain last year, and they’ll need to perform to justify their high prices.
Companies broadly will likely need to deliver fatter profits if they want their stock prices to rise. That’s because they’re unlikely to get much help from the other lever that can lift stock prices: interest rates.
Treasury yields were a bit higher in the bond market following the latest report on the U.S. economy to come in hotter than forecast. A string of recent such reports has diminished hopes that the Federal Reserve may deliver the three cuts to interest rates this year that it had earlier signaled.
Wednesday’s report said that orders for machinery, airplanes and other long-lasting manufactured goods were stronger last month than expected. Wall Street is in an awkward place where it wants the economy to avoid a painful recession, but not to be so hot that it keeps upward pressure on inflation and convinces the Fed not to cut rates.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.63% from 4.60% late Tuesday.
On Wall Street, Hasbro jumped 12.5% after the toy and game company reported better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It benefited from growth delivered by its Baldur Gate 3 and Magic: The Gathering games, as well as by its Peppa Pig content.
Rival Mattel rose 5.6% after the company behind Barbie and Hot Wheels reported a milder loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
Boeing climbed 2.1% after reporting results that weren’t as bad as analysts feared. The company, which is battling criticism about the safety of its airplanes, said it’s taking steps to improve its manufacturing quality, which has slowed down production.
They helped to offset a 2.6% loss for Bunge Global. The oilseed processor reported better profit for the latest quarter than expected, but it warned it has “limited visibility” about how the business will perform into the back half of the year.
Railroad operator Norfolk Southern fell 3.2% after reporting weaker results for the latest quarter than forecast.
In stock markets abroad, Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.4% as the value of the Japanese yen keeps falling against the U.S. dollar. The yen has been trading at its lowest level in 34 years, which gives a boost to Japanese exporters but also raises speculation about whether Japanese officials will make moves to strengthen their currency.
Stock indexes rose across much of the rest of Asia and Europe.
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