Markets News, December 18, 2024: Stocks Plunge as Fed Projects Fewer Interest Rate Cuts; Dow Slides 1,100 Points, Extends Losing Streak to 10 Days

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Stocks tumbled Wednesday after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark lending rate, as had been expected, but indicated it will𝓰 slow down the pace of fut♎ure reductions.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.6%, losing more than 1,100 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slid 3% and 3.6%, respectively. Those were the worst one-day losses for the Dow and S&P 500 since August, while the Nasdaq had its worst day since July. The Dow has now finished lower in 10 consecutive sessions, its longest streak of daily losses since 1974.

Stocks retreated immediately after 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:the Fed announcement this afternoon, and the losses accelerated during Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Powell said that inflation has been higher than expected while unemployment has b🅺een lower than anticipated, which sets the Fed up to take a cautious approach when it comes to future decisions on interest rates.

The yield on 10-year Treasurys, which is tied to expectations about where interest rates are headed, rose to 4.51%, up from 4.39% before the Fed's announcement and trading at its highest level since May.

The selloff in stocks after the Fed announcements was broad-based, but the sectors that are most sensitive to the possibility of rates remaining high for longer than expected got hit the hardest this afternoon. The S&P 500's Consumer Discretionary and Real Estate sectors fell 4.7% and 4%, respectively. The Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks slid 4.4%.

Large-cap technology stocks were down across the board. AI investor favorite Nvidia (NVDA), which had risen sharply earlier in the day, closed 1.1% lower, falling deeper into 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:technical correction territory after several days of losses. Tesla (TSLA) was down 8.3%, giving back some of the post-election gains that have sent the stock to a series of record highs, while Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META) and Broadcom (AVGO) also lost ground.

Shares of Micron (MU) fell 4.3% ahead of the release after the closing bell of the chipmaker's quarterly earnings report. The stock dropped an additional 15% in after-hours trading.

Bitcoin was recently trading at $100,800, down from the record high of $108,300 posted Tuesday. Gold futures were down 2% at around $2,600 an💧 ounce, whil💮e crude oil futures fell slightly.

Biggest S&P 500 Movers on Wednesday

December 18, 2024 06:40 PM EST

Decliners

  • Shares of human resources services provider Paycom Software (PAYC) dropped 10.1% on Wednesday, the most of any S&P 500 constituent. Concerns about cannibalization have weighed on Paycom stock over the past year, with the efficiency of its Beti automated payroll solution reportedly eating into demand for other products and services. Although analysts at Mizuho and Stifel recently lifted their price targets on Paycom stock, both firms' forecasts remain below the current share price.
  • Tesla (TSLA) shares tumbled 8.3%, retreating from  in the wake of upgrades by several research firms. Analysts have touted tailwinds for the electric vehicle company's autonomous driving and artificial intelligence initiatives under the incoming presidential administration. The pullback for the stock on Wednesday followed reports that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his SpaceX business are the subject of federal reviews related to national security concerns.
  • Shares of BXP (BXP), a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on premium office properties, fell 7.6%. While the company has seen metrics improve for its markets on the East Coast and in Central Business Districts, underperformance has persisted in West Coast and suburban markets, pointing to an uneven recovery for office real estate that presents a challenge for REITs with geographically diverse workplace property portfolios.

Advancers

  • Following a series of gains that lifted the semiconductor maker above the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:$1 trillion market capitalizatio🍌n milestone, Broadcom (AVGO) shares declined for a second straight day, losing 6.9%. Although Broadcom's AI-driven earnings beat and positive outlook encouraged a slew of research firms to boost their price targets, the recent rally lifted the share price above analysts' average forecast, suggesting the stock may be fully valued at current levels.
  • Wednesday's top performance in the S&P 500 came from shares of circuit board manufacturer Jabil (JBL), which surged 7.3%. The Apple (AAPL) supplier 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:topped sales and profit forecasts for its fiscal first quarter of 2025 and lifted its full-year guidance, pointing to robust demand for its cloud, data center infrastructure, and digital commerce products. Jabil 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:announced a restructuring plan earlier this year that included layoffs and other cost-cutting measures as well as a realignment of its manufacturing capacity.
  • Shares of several healthcare companies bounced higher on Wednesday, clawing back some of the heavy losses posted in recent sessions as political headwinds against the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:pharmacy benefit management (PBM) business gathered force. Although the industry has been the subject of bipartisan criticism and could be required to transform its business model, analysts suggested that growth outlook remains healthy. Cigna (CI) shares recovered 6.3%. Shares of UnitedHealth (UNH), Centene (CNC), and CVS Health (CVS) also regained ground.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Michael Bromberg

Mircon Slides in Extended Trading as Outlook Disappoints

December 18, 2024 05:33 PM EST

Micron Technology (MU) issued a revenue outlook that came in beꦯlow analysts’ expectations, sending shares lower in extended trading Wednesday. 

The memory chip maker and Nvidia (NVDA) partner projected fiscal second-quarter revenue of $7.9 billion, give or take $200 million, below the analyst consensus of $8.93 billion compiled by Visible Alpha. The company's forecast for diluted 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:earnings per share (EPS) of between $1.16 to $1.36 was also below esti꧋mates.

“While consumer-oriented markets are weaker in the near term, we anticipate a return to growth in the second half of our fiscal year," Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said in a release.

In its fiscal first quarter, which ended Nov. 28, Micron swung to a better-than-expected profit of $1.87 billion, or $1.67 per share, from a loss of $1.23 billion, or $1.12 per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 84% to a record $8.71 billion, just below analysts' estimates and just above the midpoint of management's earlier guidance.

Shares of Micron were down 13% in recent after-hours trading. They were up nearly 22%🥀 for 2024 through Wednesday’s close.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Kara Greenberg

S&P 500 and Dow Post Biggest One-Day Losses Since August

December 18, 2024 04:43 PM EST

Stocks had their worst day in months on Wednesday after the Fed policymakers scaled back thei🅠r forecast for future rate cuts and noted their uncertainty about the path of inflation had increased over the past few months.

The Dow and the S&P 500 each suffered their largest daily declines 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:since August 5, tumbling 2.6% and 3%, respectively. That was the day the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:yen carry trade, a leveraged investment strategy that was enormously popular on Wall Street, backfired and caused the worst stock market rout since 2022.

The Nasdaq Composite plummeted 3.6%, making Wednesday its worst day 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:since July 24 when disappointing earnings reports from Tesla (TSLA) and Alphabet (GOOG)(GOOGL) sparked a tech sector sell-off.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Colin Laidely

Fed Says Today's Rate Cut Was a Close Call

December 18, 2024 03:51 PM EST

Fed Chair 🃏Jerome Powell said the decision to cut rates today was closer than in past meetings.

"We thought it was the best decision to foster achievement of both of our goals, maximum employment and price stability," Powell said.

"We see the risks as two-sided. Move too slowly and needlessly undermine economic activity in the labor market, or move too quickly and needlessly undermine our progress on inflation. So we're trying to steer between those two risks, and on balance, we decided to go ahead with a further cut."

Powell Says Economy and Policy are Both in a Good Place

December 18, 2024 03:08 PM EST

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, speaking to reporters after the December meeting of the Fed's policy committee, said that the U.S. economy and monetary policy are both in a good place.

He said that growth has been higher than expected lately, while unemployment has been lower than anticipated. At the same time, inflation has been higher than expected,𒁏 even as the Fed has made progress in its efforts to tame it.

Powell said the central bank is still working to balance its dual mandate of maximum employment and low inflation. With employment remaining stable and inflation staying stubborn, c🦹entral bankers can be less aggressive in the upcoming year.

US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a press conference after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2024.
Federal Reserve Chair J🅘erome Powell speaks at a press conference after the meeting of the Federal Open Mar𒉰ket Committee in Washington, DC, on Dec. 18, 2024.

"With today's action, we have lowered our policy rate by a full percentage point from its peak, and our policy stance is now significantly less restrictive," Powell said. "We can, therefore, be more cautious as we consider further adjustments to our policy rate."

Fed Cuts Key Rate But Expects to Slow Pace of Further Easing

December 18, 2024 02:27 PM EST

The Federal Reserve cut its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:federal funds rate by a quarter percentag🎃e point💜 to a range of 4.25% to 4.5%.

This is the third cut central bankers🐻 have made in as many meetings and brings the fed funds rate range to a full percent𝔉age point lower than it was at the start of the year.

There was one dissenting vote to the policy move, cast by Cleveland Federal Reserve P๊resident Beth Hammack.

Members of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee are🧸 now projecting just two additional cuts next year, according to the latest S⛎ummary of Economic Projections, compared to the four cuts they had previously expected.

You can follow our coverage of the Fed decision, including Chair Jerome Powell's press conference, in the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Fed Meeting Live Blog.

Here's Why Dow is Having Its Worst Slump in 40 Years

December 18, 2024 01:56 PM EST

The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched higher in intraday trading Wednesday after falling yesterday澳洲幸运5开奖号码𓂃历史查询:&nbꦏsp;for a ninth consecutive session, capping off its long💝est stretch of daily losses since 1978.

The blue chip index slumped 3.5% duri⛦ng its latest losing streak, 𝓀while the S&P 500 gave up just 0.6% and the Nasdaq Composite rose nearly 2%. 

So why have these three major indexes, each containing the stocks of some of America’s largest compan⛦ies, diverged lately? 

The killing of a UnitedHealth Group executive ear😼lier this month has put a spotlight on the business of health care, weighing on stocks in the sector and, subsequently, the price-weighted Dow.

Nvidia, one of the Dow's newest members, has also trailed the market and dragged down the index in recent weeks.

Read the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:full article here.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Colin Laidley

Jabil Stock Soars on Quarterly Results, Outlook

December 18, 2024 12:56 PM EST

Jabil (JBL) shares soared Wednesday after the manufaಌcture✨r of circuit boards posted better-than-expected results and boosted its guidance.

The firm, which counts Apple (AAPL) as a customer, reported fiscal 2025 first-quarter adjusted 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:earnings per share (EPS) of $2.00, with revenue falling nearly 17% year-over-year to $6.99 billion.&𓂃nbsp;Both beat consensus forecasts of analysts polled by Visible Alpha.

Chief Executive Officer Mike Dastoor said the performance exceeded the company's expectations, "driven by incremental strength in our Cloud, Data Center Infrastructure, and Digital Commerce end-markets."

In September, Jabil said it would be instituting layoffs across its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:selling, general and administrative (S⛎G&A) and manufacturing cost base, as well as capꦍacity realiꦬgnment, in order to "align our support infrastructure to further optimize organizational effectiveness."  

The company n꧅ow sees full-year adjusted EPS of $8.75, up from its e꧃arlier outlook of $8.65. It anticipates revenue of $27.3 billion, versus its previous estimate of $27.0 billion.

Jabil shares were up 10% in recent trading. The stock has now gained 16% since the start of the year, lagging the S&P 500's 27% increase over the period.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Bill McColl

Nvidia Levels to Watch as Stock in Technical Correction

December 18, 2024 11:36 AM EST

Nvidia (NVDA) shares rose Wednesday morning following four consecutive days of losses that have taken the stock into 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:technical correction territory.

Shares in the AI investor favorite were up 3.6% at around $135 in recent trading. The stock is down 13% from its record high last month but is still up about 175% since the start of 2024, as 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:analysts remain bullish on the company’s prospects🔜 heading into next year.

This image depicts the NVDA chart.
Source: TradingView.com.

Since setting a record high, the stock traded mostly sideways before fa✅lling below the 50-day moving average late last week, potentially setting the stage for further consolidation.

Investors should watch key support levels on Nvidia's chart around $115 and $102, while also monitoring important resistance levels near $140 and $150.

Read the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:technical analysis piece here.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Timothy Smith

Birkenstock Jumps on Strong Earnings Report

December 18, 2024 10:11 AM EST

Birkenstock Holdings (BIRK) posted better fourth-quarter results than analysts had expected and outlined its ex♑pectatio♕ns for its second full fiscal year as a public company, sending shares higher.

The shoemaker on Wednesday reported profit of 52.5 million euros ($55.1 million) on revenue of 455.8 million euros ($478.2 million). Analysts had expected EUR48 million in net income on revenue of EUR437.2 million, according to estimates compiled by Vꦆisible Alpha.

Full-year revenue of EUR1.80 billion grew 21% from fiscal 2023. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Oliver Reichert said Birkenstock is "delivering" on the expansion opportunities it identified ahead of its 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:initial public offering (IPO) in October 2023.

Birkenstock 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:said it expects&🎶nbsp;constant-currency revenue growth of 15% to 17% in fiscal 2025, and 🏅said it expects gross profit margins to improve after taking a step back this year as its investments into new production capacity start to take effect.

Birkenstock vs S&P 500

TradingView

Birkenstock shares were up 7% in early trading. The stock is up 23% since the start of the year, laggꦆing the 27% gain of the S&P 500 index.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Aaron McDade

DJIA Levels to Watch as Index Rides 9-Day Losing Streak

December 18, 2024 08:46 AM EST

The Do♉w Jones Industrial Average enters trading Wednesday on a nine-day losing streak, the longest stretch 🐽of consecutive daily declines for the blue chip index since 1978.

The slump, which equates to nearly 1,600 points, comes after the index closed above the closely watched 45,000 level for the first time on Dec. 4 following an extended post-election rally fueled by expectations of a market-friendly 🦋White House and Congress.

Despite the recent losing streak, the index is still up 15% in 2024. However, that return significantly underperforms the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:S&P 500’s 27% gain and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nasdaq Composite’s 34% jump over the same period due to the Dow's smaller exposure to mega cap tech companies.

Source: TradingView.com.

The index has continued to trend lower after running into resist🐠ance near the top trendline of an ascending channel earlier this month, raising the possibility of a potential breakdown.

Investors should watch major support levels on the Dow's chart around 43,300, 41,600, and 40,000, while also monitoring a key overhead area near 45,000.

Read the full 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:technical analysis piece here.

-澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Tim Smith

Major Indexes Poised to Open Higher

December 18, 2024 08:01 AM EST

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average w🌳ere up 0.3%.

DJIA futures - Dec. 18, 2024
TradingView.

S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%.

S&P 500 futures - Dec. 18, 2024

TradingView

Nasdaq 100 futures also gained 0.3%.

Nasdaq 100 futures - Dec. 18, 2024

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