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Stocks fall, U.S. yields flat after Fed officials focus on taper timeline

Published 08/25/2021, 10:34 PM
Updated 08/26/2021, 06:10 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Currency dealers walk past an electronic board showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of a bank in Seoul, South Korea, March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Currency dealers walk past an electronic board showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at a dealing room of a bank in Seoul, South Korea, March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

By Chibuike Oguh

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global equity markets slipped on Thursday, while U.S. Treasury yields dipped after reaching two-week highs after two hawkish Federal Reserve officials called for the U.S. central bank to start ending its bond-buying program

Ahead of a speech by Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said he still believes the Fed in September would announce a plan for tapering to start in October or shortly thereafter. Earlier, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said the Fed is "coalescing" around a plan to begin reducing its $120 billion in monthly bond purchases.

Powell is due to speak on Friday at the Federal Reserve's annual Jackson Hole, Wyoming, policy symposium, held virtually due to the regional spread of the pandemic.

Minutes from the Fed's July meeting released last week showed most policy makers expect the Fed to start tapering bond purchases this year, though consumer sentiment and economic data have weakened since that meeting.

Following Kaplan and Bullard's comments, benchmark 10-year Treasury note yields reached their highest level since Aug. 12 before retreating to 1.3491%% after U.S. markets closed.

"You're going to see continued commentary around deciding when to start tapering. I think they want to have that digested by the market so it's not a surprise when it begins later this year," said Ryan Jacob, chief investment officer at Jacob Asset Management.

The MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 50 countries, was down 0.52%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.32%.

Overnight in Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.65%.

On Wall Street, all three major indexes closed lower, with stocks in consumer discretionary, technology, financials and consumer staples among the biggest losers.

"The market has been up five days in a row and so some of it is just people taking some chips of the table in the event there's any surprises out of Jackson Hole," said Jordan Kahn, chief investment officer of ACM Funds in Los Angeles.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.54% to 35,213.12, the S&P 500 lost 0.58% to 4,469.92 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.64% to 14,945.81.

The U.S. dollar jumped from one-week lows after Kaplan and Bullard's comments on bond tapering, pushing the greenback toward a key resistance level.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major trading currencies, was up 0.259%.

Gold prices stabilized after a sharp retreat on Thursday, taking a firmer dollar in stride as investors looked forward to Powell's speech.

Spot gold rose 0.03% to $1,791.1547 per ounce. U.S. gold futures gained 0.15% to $1,792.20.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A Wall Street sign is pictured outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, October 28, 2013.  REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

Oil settled lower, snapping a three-day rally on renewed concerns over demand due to rising COVID-19 infections and as Mexico restored some output after an oil rig fire.

Brent crude settled down 1.6% at $71.07 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate oil settled down 1.4% at 67.42 a barrel.

Latest comments

Super high inflation US Economy is in jeopardy. Sell, sell, sell.
Food price soaring, gas price up Fed still think inflation is temporary? Fed stop pumping stock market
Crude lies is a delicate supply situation with inclement weather likely to cause supply shortages
what a d bag.
Six letters IMF + SDR
I don't see him tapering with covid surging. He said it was to soon without covid surge soooo.... He's been saying he is not tapering early
Tapering? I wonder.
Fed is owned by BlackRock Investment group, how's that even possible 🤷🏽‍♂️
think that they dont have to payback debt, but countries like salvador change to another currency the reserves the dollies wld value 0
The FED is a lie.
interestingly, South Korea did not allow the outbreak of the delta variant stop it from raising rates to get a handle on inflation. I suppose all eyes will be focused on Powell considering inflation has surged in the U.S. to a level not seen in over a decade and all the job openings. What excuse can the possibly give to explain not tapering? At the moment, those benefitting from the Fed's asset purchases are those on Wall Street and tech billionaires.
so what is going to be Fed's excuse for not tapering?
They don't need one as they like to gamble and bet on never need to pay the debts back
and when countries begins to change reserves usd to chf or bitcoin, jouni has to pay to gov 86,000 usd(debt) and counting
Be prepared for the bubble boom...big correction soon
every country in the world is hiking rates as healthy inflation rates but only one remains growing the bubble
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