Stocks decline amid Fed worries, dragged by banks; Vix spikes
By: JeeYeon Park | CNBC.com Stock Market Writer
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Stocks held their losses Wednesday, with the Dow and S&P 500 on pace for their third-straight declines, amid renewed concerns about when the Federal Reserve will begin tapering off its asset purchases.
| Name | Price | Change | %Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJIA | Dow Jones Industrial Average | 15464.78 | -53.96 | -0.35% | |
| S&P 500 | S&P 500 Index | 1690.64 | -6.73 | -0.40% | |
| NASDAQ | Nasdaq Composite Index | 3648.41 | -17.36 | -0.47% |
The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded in negative territory, dragged byDisney and Bank of America, after falling nearly 100 points in the previous session.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq also declined. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, jumped above 13.
Most key S&P sectors were in the red, dragged by financials and consumer discretionary.
(Read more: S&P 500's most shorted stocks)
Investors 'obsessed' with tapering
Alec Young, global equity strategist at S&P Capital IQ, says investors are getting "increasingly obsessed" with central bank tapering, which is affecting the markets.
"At these levels and given how quickly the S&P 500 put on those last 100 points, people seem to be looking for opportunities to take profits," said Chris Bouffard, CIO with The Mutual Fund Store. "But overall, the economic signs are still relatively healthy and earnings are holding up…I would expect the Fed to wait until the end of the year to taper."
On Tuesday, two Fed presidents — Charles Evans and Dennis Lockhart — said the central bank would likely start reducing its stimulus program as early as September. U.S. stocks logged their biggest drop since June after the comments.
(Read more: Fed may cut bond buying as soon as next month, Evans)
Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto at 1:40 pm ET on the regional economy. Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser, who was originally scheduled to speak at 12:30 pm, cancelled his speech.
On the economic front, mortgage applications edged up last week as potential buyers crept back into the housing market even though rates continued to climb, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
The Fed will also release consumer credit data for June at 3 p.m. Analysts polled by Reuters forecast a $15 billion gain, after a $19.6 billion rise in May.
The government is scheduled to auction $24 billion in 10-year notes with the results available shortly after 1 pm ET, following Tuesday's strong $32 billion 3-year note auction.
"We're entering the dog days of August and that tends to benefit the Treasury market," said John Briggs, senior Treasury strategist with RBS.
(Read more: Cashin: Here's what's making markets nervous today)
Stocks slump on Fed tapering worries
The Dow and S&P are having a rough start to the trading day. David Kelly, Morgan Funds, share his investment strategies for a volatile market.
Among earnings, Walt Disney declined after the media conglomerate edged past earnings expectations but projected a massive loss related to its summer film, "The Lone Ranger." Analysts were mixed on the stock—Bernstein raised its price target on the company to $76 from $73, while RBC cut its target price to $71 from $72.
Time Warner rose after the media corporation beat earnings and revenue forecasts. In addition, the company said it expected mid-teens percentage earnings growth for the full year, up from the low double-digit estimates it previously provided.
Meanwhile, First Solar plunged to lead the S&P 500 laggards after the solar company posted quarterly results that were below expectations and cut its full-year outlook.
Groupon, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Mondelez International, Tesla Motors and Transocean are among notable companies slated to post results after the closing bell.
In Asia, the Nikkei ended below the key 14,000 level and the Japanese yen hit a six-week high against the dollar. Australia's S&P ASX 200 index and South Korea'sKospi hit two-week lows.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan began a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday with an outcome due on Thursday. While analysts expect no action, the direction of the yen will hinge on the central bank's statement.
Shares in Europe closed lower amid concerns that both the U.K. and U.S. central bank may tighten monetary policy earlier than anticipated. Bank of England's Mark Carney unveiled U.S. Fed-style forward guidance, and said Britain's central bank will not raise interest rates until U.K. unemployment hits 7 percent.
Meanwhile, Fitch affirmed Germany's rating at 'AAA' with a stable outlook.
—By CNBC's JeeYeon Park (Follow JeeYeon on Twitter:
@JeeYeonParkCNBC)
Coming Up This Week:
WEDNESDAY: 10-yr note auction, Fed's Pianalto speaks, consumer credit; Earnings from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Groupon, Mondelez Int'l, Tesla Motors, Transocean
THURSDAY: Jobless claims, natural gas inventories, Fed balance sheet/money supply, chain store sales; Earnings from Rio Tinto, Dean Foods, T-Mobile, Lions Gate Entertainment, Nvidia, Priceline.com, Annie's
FRIDAY: Wholesale trade
THURSDAY: Jobless claims, natural gas inventories, Fed balance sheet/money supply, chain store sales; Earnings from Rio Tinto, Dean Foods, T-Mobile, Lions Gate Entertainment, Nvidia, Priceline.com, Annie's
FRIDAY: Wholesale trade