Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Grim News From Walmart Sends US Markets Tumbling
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
July 26, 2022

Share

 

Stocks are being dragged lower early Tuesday after a warning from corporate giant Walmart that inflation was negatively impacting American consumers’ spending power.

The S&P 500 index was down 0.9% as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.4% and the Nasdaq Composite was down noticeably more, falling 1.4%.

Walmart shares dropped nearly 9% after the retail giant cut its profit outlook for the second quarter and the full year, saying rising prices for food and gas are forcing shoppers to cut back on discretionary items, particularly clothing, that carry higher profit margins.

Walmart’s profit warning in the middle of the quarter is rare, and raised worries about how the highest inflation in 40 years is affecting the entire retail sector. The stocks of other major chains, including Target, Macy’s and Kohl’s, fell following Walmart’s announcement.

Investors have remained deeply concerned about the negative impacts of inflation on company profits and how it will impact the U.S. consumer. While Americans’ balance sheets are relatively strong from the savings they built up during the pandemic, those savings are being spent on high gas and food prices.

Shares of automaker General Motors were down roughly 2% after the company said its second-quarter profit fell 40% from a year ago, as computer chip and parts shortages hobbled factory output and drove the company’s U.S. sales down more than 15%.

The Detroit automaker earned $1.67 billion from April through June, well below the $2.79 billion it made a year earlier. GM couldn’t deliver 95,000 vehicles during the quarter because it lacked parts.

Investors are also looking to the Federal Reserve, which is is expected to announce a rate hike of up to three-quarters of a percentage point on Wednesday, triple the usual margin. The central bank is waging an aggressive campaign to stem four-decade high inflation. The expected hike would put the Fed’s benchmark rate in a range of 2.25% to 2.5%, the highest since 2018.

Tech heavyweights Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon are due to report their results later this week.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

DON'T MISS

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

DON'T MISS

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

DON'T MISS

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

DON'T MISS

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

DON'T MISS

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

DON'T MISS

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

DON'T MISS

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

DON'T MISS

Maria Chiquita Proves Three Legs Are Just as Good as Four

DON'T MISS

TikTok Says It Will ‘Go Dark’ Unless It Gets Clarity From Biden Following Supreme Court Ruling

UP NEXT

Walmart Breaks into Luxury Resale Market, Will Offer Chanel, Fendi, Prada, Other Brands

UP NEXT

The Big Chill: Siberian Air to Make Trump Swearing-in Coldest in 40 Years

UP NEXT

Proposed Rules Would Require Nutrition Info, Allergen Warnings on Alcohol Labels

UP NEXT

US Recovers $31 Million in Federal Payments to Dead People

UP NEXT

Planning Commission Says Fresno Smoke Shop Plan Hurts ‘Good’ Biz Owners. Arias Says PC Is ‘Out of Touch.’

UP NEXT

More Americans File for Unemployment Benefits Last Week, but Layoffs Remain Historically Low

UP NEXT

Stock Market Today: Wall Street’s Momentum Slows as US Stocks Drift

UP NEXT

Trump Tasks Congressman With Writing Executive Order to Halt Offshore Wind

UP NEXT

US Retail Sales Rose Modestly Last Month Amid Solid Holiday Shopping, Boosting Economy

UP NEXT

The Barcode Is Out. QR Codes Are In. What Does the Future Have in Store?

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

7 hours ago

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

8 hours ago

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

10 hours ago

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

12 hours ago

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

12 hours ago

Maria Chiquita Proves Three Legs Are Just as Good as Four

14 hours ago

TikTok Says It Will ‘Go Dark’ Unless It Gets Clarity From Biden Following Supreme Court Ruling

14 hours ago

Ceasefire Between Israel and Hamas Will Go Into Effect Sunday Morning, Officials Say

14 hours ago

Tens of Thousands Expected to Converge on Washington for March Days Before Trump Takes Office

14 hours ago

Trump Arrives in Washington for Inaugural Celebrations Marking Return to Power

14 hours ago

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Jared Verse expects a cold reception in frigid Philadelphia on Sunday after sharing his di...

6 hours ago

6 hours ago

Feeling’s Mutual: Rams Rookie Jared Verse Already Feeling Ire From Eagles Fans on Social Media

6 hours ago

Ravens and Bills Lost Plenty of Talent Last Offseason, but Stayed in Super Bowl Contention

6 hours ago

Mahomes and Kelce Help Chiefs to 23-14 Win Over Texans and Another AFC Title Game Trip

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
7 hours ago

Governor Newsom Negotiates Mortgage Relief for LA Firestorm Victims

8 hours ago

Fresno Women’s Celebration Host People’s March on January 18th

10 hours ago

Homes Were Burning and Roads Already Jammed When Pacific Palisades Evacuation Order Came, AP Finds

12 hours ago

On LA Fire Lines, Inmates Shoulder Heavy Packs and Tackle Dangerous Work for Less Than $30 a Day

12 hours ago

Trump Says He ‘Most Likely’ Will Give TikTok a 90-Day Extension to Avoid US Ban

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend