Stock Markets
Major US stock indices down more than 2%
Major U.S. stock indices closed Tuesday’s trading in the steepest decline since mid-December on weak quarterly reports from major retailers.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.06% to 33129.59 points.
- Standard & Poor’s 500 fell 2% to 3,997.34 points.
- The U.S. stock index futures Nasdaq Composite fell by 2.5% to 11492.3 points.
The negative impact on investor sentiment also saw a rise in government bond yields to near annual highs amid expectations that strong economic data will encourage the Federal Reserve to maintain higher interest rates for longer.
Meanwhile, it became known on Tuesday that sales in the U.S. secondary housing market in January fell 0.7% from the previous month to 4 million homes on an annualized basis.
The decline was recorded at the end of the twelfth consecutive month, which has not happened since the beginning of the calculations in 1999. It is now at its lowest level since October 2010.
“While the stock market has shown an impressive recovery this year, it is still trying to adjust to the new reality in which the Fed is unlikely to take a pause and remain focused on fighting inflation, which means investors need to prepare for an extended period of higher rates,” said BMO Family Office investment director Carol Schleif.
We previously reported that stock market futures will show strong results in the first half of the year.
Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) plans to establish a desk in Tokyo to start trading Japanese power derivatives, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.
More foreign energy companies and banks are seeking access to the Japanese power market, which was launched in 2016 in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, spurring trade activity by generators, consumers, and distributors.
An interest in trading rose amid growing liquidity in Japan’s power futures markets as the volatility of electricity prices surged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The power crisis heightened the need for hedging among power suppliers and buyers, according to the sources.
Goldman Sachs has hired some traders in Tokyo, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the matter is still confidential.
A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs declined to comment.
“We allege that Coinbase, despite being subject to the securities laws, commingled and unlawfully offered exchange, broker-dealer, and clearinghouse functions,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a press release.Coinbase shares settled 12% lower on Tuesday, their second session of steep losses this week following a 9% tumble on Monday, after the SEC also sued world no. 1 crypto exchange Binance over similar charges.But Coinbase shares rose 2% in aftermarket trading, boosted by news of the Ark buy.Cathie Wood has repeatedly expressed confidence in Coinbase and the broader crypto industry, and has cited a $1 million long-term price target for Bitcoin on the belief that it is an effective inflation hedge.Coinbase holds the fifth-largest weightage in Ark’s flagship Innovation ETF, with the fund having consistently accumulated the stock since its listing in 2021. But Coinbase has seen a sharp decline in value from 2021 highs, hitting record lows earlier this year as interest in crypto markets rapidly dried up amid rising U.S. lending rates.The company has also struggled to remain profitable amid multiple failed ventures, regulatory hiccups, and mounting operational costs, especially as low crypto trading volumes hurt its transaction margins, which are a key source of revenue.Bitcoin prices showed little reaction to the SEC move against Coinbase, rising 4% on Wednesday. But the world’s largest cryptocurrency was nursing steep losses through May, as trading volumes sank.
Japan stocks were lower after the close on Wednesday, as losses in the Banking, Transportation Equipment and Power sectors led shares lower.
At the close in Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 declined 1.82%.
The best performers of the session on the Nikkei 225 were Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7012), which rose 4.35% or 146.00 points to trade at 3,500.00 at the close. Meanwhile, Tokuyama Corp. (TYO:4043) added 3.78% or 84.50 points to end at 2,321.00 and SKY Perfect JSAT Holdings Inc. (TYO:9412) was up 2.20% or 12.00 points to 557.00 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (TYO:4507), which fell 4.43% or 283.00 points to trade at 6,100.00 at the close. Daikin Industries, Ltd. (TYO:6367) declined 4.40% or 1,300.00 points to end at 28,240.00 and Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TYO:8035) was down 4.18% or 820.00 points to 18,815.00.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 2255 to 1305 and 270 ended unchanged.
Shares in Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (TYO:7012) rose to 5-year highs; rising 4.35% or 146.00 to 3,500.00. Shares in Tokuyama Corp. (TYO:4043) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 3.78% or 84.50 to 2,321.00.
The Nikkei Volatility, which measures the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, was down 3.03% to 21.15.
Crude oil for July delivery was down 0.84% or 0.60 to $71.14 a barrel. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Brent oil for delivery in August fell 0.79% or 0.60 to hit $75.69 a barrel, while the August Gold Futures contract fell 0.42% or 8.30 to trade at $1,973.20 a troy ounce.
USD/JPY was down 0.20% to 139.36, while EUR/JPY fell 0.33% to 148.83.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.09% at 104.17.
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