© Reuters.
Investing.com — U.S. stocks fell on Friday, as tech stocks pushed the Nasdaq lower and broke an eight-week upward swing.
At 16:02 ET (20:02 GMT), the was down 219 points or 0.6%, while the was down 0.8% and the was down 1%.
Recession fears have returned. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, appearing in the House and Senate this week for his semi-annual testimony about the economy, said more rate increases are likely to come in the months ahead even though the paused on another rate hike last week.
Futures markets see a greater than 70% probability that rates will rise another quarter of a percentage point when the in July.
Powell’s hawkishness was countered by comments from other Fed officials. On Friday, Atlanta Fed President said beating was the central bank’s top priority. “Getting inflation down is Job One, inflation is too high,” Bostic said.
He and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee have talked about the importance of having patience to see how well the Fed’s actions to date have worked, as the effect of monetary policy can take some time to emerge.
Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin said he isn’t convinced that inflation is on a steady path down toward the Fed’s 2% target. “I’m still waiting for the haze to clear,” Barkin told reporters on Thursday.
San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly told Reuters that two more rate hikes this year is a “very reasonable” projection. She added that given how quickly rates have risen already, moving cautiously from here is wise.
Next week will feature key data for investors to judge the Fed’s progress in taming interest rates. The next print of gross domestic product in the first quarter is due out on Thursday and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the PCE, is due out Friday.
Stocks moving today
Shares of 3M Company (NYSE:) rose 0.4% after its $10.3 billion settlement with public water systems in the U.S. to resolve claims linked to “forever chemicals.”
CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:) shares rose about 10% after the used-car retailer’s cost-cutting efforts helped it beat profit market expectations.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:) shares fell 2.5% as it faces a possible strike by unionized workers next week. The union claims it banned Pride Month decorations in its stores.
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