Stocks fall as investors fret over jobless claims, inflation
Bond yields continue to climb, as murmurs of inflation have started among investors and as the economy continues to climb out of the hole that was created by the pandemic.
Bond yields continue to climb, as murmurs of inflation have started among investors and as the economy continues to climb out of the hole that was created by the pandemic.
The episode has been portrayed as a victory of the little guy over Wall Street titans, but not everyone is buying it. Lawmakers from both parties are among the skeptics.
Attorneys in the Justice Department’s criminal division are conducting a wide-ranging investigation into possible market manipulation from the trading surrounding GameStop, and recently issued a subpoena to Robinhood as part of that, a person familiar with the matter said.
Treasury yields fell after a government report showed that inflation remained tame last month. That’s encouraging for investors because it suggests the U.S. economy will be able to receive more stimulus without overheating.
The Indiana-based manufacturer said sales in North America declined 21% last year, but its sales in China reached record levels, up 25% from the previous year.
U.S. stocks—which tumbled last week amid anxiety over the frenzied trading that’s being cheered on by the Reddit forum WallStreetBets and other online communities—turned things around on Monday.
The stock market sank again Friday as a speculative frenzy over GameStop and a handful of other stocks ramped up worries over how much damage an online revolt against Wall Street bigwigs can damage the broader market.
Robinhood and other retail brokerages took steps to tamp down the speculative frenzy surrounding companies such as GameStop, but the actions only sparked more volatility in the market and an outcry from users of the platforms.
Investors continued to closely watch the wild swings in GameStop, AMC and several other stocks which have become targets for hordes of online investors who have sent them skyrocketing in recent days, taking on big hedge funds who have bet they will fall.
The sharp selling is a shift from the market’s recent record-setting run and comes as investors focus on the outlook for the economy and corporate profits amid a still-raging coronavirus pandemic.
Across most of America, GameStop is just a place to buy a video game. On Wall Street, though, it’s become a battleground where swarms of smaller investors see themselves making an epic stand against the 1%.
Fishers-based First Internet saw its stock price climb to a one-year high in after-hours trading after the bank released its financial report Wednesday.
The hope on Wall Street is that such stimulus will help carry the economy until later this year, when more widespread COVID-19 vaccinations get daily life closer to normal.
Stocks have run out of steam since the S&P 500 set a record high a week ago amid optimism that COVID-19 vaccines and more stimulus from Washington will bring an economic recovery.
Banks and other financial companies added to recent gains as Treasury yields marched higher for the sixth straight day amid expectations that the economy will pull out of its slump after a powerful recovery sweeps the globe later this year.
Investors and analysts are anticipating the Biden administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress will try to deliver $2,000 checks to most Americans, increase spending on infrastructure and take other measures to nurse the economy amid the worsening pandemic.
The S&P 500, which ended 2020 at an all-time high, slid 1.5% after earlier dropping as much as 2.5%. It was the benchmark index’s biggest decline since late October.
Wall Street closed out a tumultuous year for stocks with more record highs Thursday, a fitting coda to the market’s stunning comeback from its historic plunge in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stocks have been mostly grinding higher in recent weeks, with indexes setting new highs, amid optimism that coronavirus vaccinations will pave the way in coming months for the economy to escape from the pandemic’s grip.
Among the companies losing ground Tuesday was Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc., which fell 2.6% after the shopping mall operator completed its $3 billion purchase of an 80% stake in rival Taubman Centers.