U.S. stocks slipped in a volatile session, as remarks from Federal Reserve officials lifted optimism on the economy while also bolstering speculation interest rates could rise as soon as next month.
A speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen sparked an early surge in equities amid a bullish economic assessment, which included a lack of clear guidance on when a rate boost may come. Equities then tumbled after Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said Yellen’s comments were consistent with a possible September increase, only to recover much of their losses in a final-hour rebound. Utilities and phone companies led the declines, while banks, technology and health-care shares climbed.
The S&P 500 Index fell 0.2 percent to 2,169.04 at 4 p.m. in New York, after rising as much as 0.7 percent. The gauge extended a monthly slide and capped its first back-to-back weekly drop in two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 53.01 points, or 0.3 percent, to 18,395.40, after wiping out a 123-point gain. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.1 percent. About 6.6 billion shares traded hands on U.S. exchanges, 3 percent below the three-month average.
Asian stocks outside Japan fell after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said the case for raising interest rates is getting stronger. Shares in Tokyo rallied as the yen weakened and the Bank of Japan’s governor vowed to add stimulus if needed.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Excluding Japan Index dropped 0.8 percent as of 9:12 a.m. in Tokyo, after its first back-to-back weekly decline since June. Yellen said in Jackson Hole on Friday that the case for tightening policy had strengthened. While she stopped short of revealing the specific timing of a rate move, Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer said a rate increase in September is possible.
Reference: Reuters, Bloomberg
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