Shares rise as investors await interest rate clarity from the Fed
US stocks rose on Wednesday after a wobbly start to the session as investors awaited clarity from Federal Reserve policymakers on their monetary tightening plans against a backdrop of poor economic data.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% after the benchmark index fell for three straight sessions. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 175 points, and the Nasdaq Composite rose nearly 1%.
Shares of Peloton ( PTON ) surged 20% after the company said it struck a deal to sell its fitness equipment and apparel on Amazon in an effort to turn around its business and regain investor confidence.
Investors are bracing for the central bank̵[ads1]7;s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming later this week, where officials are likely to reiterate the Fed’s commitment to fighting inflation and dampen hopes of rate cuts next year.
Despite messages from Federal Reserve speakers in recent weeks confirming rate hikes will continue into the end of the year, the market is still pricing in a dovish pivot, Baird Investment Strategy Analyst Ross Mayfield told Yahoo Finance Live.
“I think all the jaw-boning and hawkishness of the last couple of weeks is starting to show,” Mayfield added. “But you’ve still got a market that I’m not sure quite think they’ll stick with when the economy slows down through next year.”
At the end of the Fed’s meeting in Wyoming, traders will listen to comments from Chairman Jerome Powell for clues on whether the next policy announcement on September 21 will result in another rate hike of 75 basis points or an eased 0.50% increase.
Meanwhile, shares of Nordstrom ( JWN ) fell nearly 15% after the department store giant cut its full-year sales guidance to a range of 5% to 7% on Tuesday afternoon due to lower demand and a build-up in inventory. The move comes just three months after the company raised its outlook.
“The lower-income customer segments saw significantly more pullback versus higher-income segments,” CEO Erik Nordstrom said during Tuesday’s earnings call, pointing to a specific slowdown in the store’s Discount Rack business.
Earnings season has ended, but more earnings are in store for traders, with reports from Nvidia (NVDA) and salesforce.com (CRM) due on Wednesday.
In commodity markets, crude futures continued to rise after Saudi Arabia hinted on Tuesday that the OPEC+ alliance may make possible cuts in production. WTI crude futures climbed about 1.2% to hold above $94 a barrel, while Brent crude futures rose by the same margin to top $101 a barrel.
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Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alexandraandnyc
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