Editor
Quarter-end activities affect both the stock and bond markets.
It’s a falling day for most Wall Street major indices; the stock market fell, crude oil prices went down, and the bond market cooled a bit. On Friday morning, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, excluding volatile food and energy components, was revealed, showing that the index rose by 3.9%. In yearly terms, this was the first time it fell below 4% in over two years, a key metric for the Fed’s 2% inflation target.
The data revealed market concerns about the impact of these increases on Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions. As investors digest the news, the market risk index rises. On top of that, these investors expressed their worries that the report’s impact on Federal Reserve interest rate policy influenced portfolio adjustments.
Eric Freedman, chief investment officer at U.S. Bank Asset Management, expressed his opinion in a few comments to the Wall Street Journal. Freedman says, “We are at quarter end, and with quarter end come all sorts of activities across both the stock and bond markets.” He also added, “better than expected but still elevated inflation picture.”
Meanwhile, on Wall Street, the S&P 500 benchmark fell by 0.26% to 4.238 basis points, which is its lowest level in the past two months. Nasdaq roughly added 0.08%, raising its market points to 13.212 bps. As for technology stocks, the tech sector swings between ginning sticks and falling stocks. On the rising side, Tesla, Amazon, and Netflix posted an average increase of 1%. Amazon, Meta, and Alphabets A declined by an average of 0.20%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 0.56% to 33.476 basis points.
Elsewhere, Across Asian markets, Japan’s performance showed a slight decline of 0.1%, while Hong Kong exhibited significant growth with a notable increase of 2.5%. China’s market saw a modest uptick of 0.1%, and India experienced a positive movement of 0.5%.
Turning to the European landscape during midday trading, London’s market displayed a solid gain of 0.8%. Paris followed suit with a robust increase of 1%, while Frankfurt also registered a noteworthy rise of 1%.
Moving to the bond market, U.S. Treasury returns are facing their worst-performing month of the year. The analysis explains that the poor index performance is due to the ongoing bond market selloff. It was highly warned that the big self-movement would affect Treasury yield returns in the long term. The Fed’s indication of prolonged higher interest rates contributed to the selloff. As the 30-year yield (US30Y) and 10-year yield (US10Y) reach decade-high levels.
In the current market landscape, several noteworthy events are making headlines. Nvidia’s offices in France are facing scrutiny due to suspected anti-competition practices, adding to the tech giant’s legal challenges. China’s trade council is urging the U.S. to reconsider its ban on tech investments, highlighting ongoing tensions in the tech sector. Microsoft’s consideration of investing in Apple to gain a foothold for Bing is a strategic move worth watching.
