Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Ticks Higher Ahead of the Fed's Decision on Interest Rates
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 month ago on
November 7, 2024

Wall Street awaits Fed's interest rate decision as stocks inch higher, with mixed performance across sectors and global markets. (AP/Richard Drew)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are ticking higher Thursday, ahead of the Federal Reserve’s announcement coming in the afternoon about what it will do with interest rates.

The S&P 500 was up 0.5% in morning trading, though momentum slowed sharply from its surge a day before following Donald Trump’s presidential victory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 30 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:10 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% higher.

Ralph Lauren was one of the market’s leaders and galloped 5.7% higher after customers in Asia and Europe helped it deliver a bigger profit for the latest quarter than expected. Healthcare services company McKesson jumped 8.2% after likewise reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

They helped make up for bank stocks, which gave back some of their stellar gains from the day before. Other “Trump trades” that had rocketed higher after the election also lost some of their juice.

Banks and Small Stocks Lag After Previous Day’s Surge

JPMorgan Chase fell 3.3%, a day after banks decisively led the market on expectations that a stronger economy and lighter regulation from Washington would mean fatter profits. Smaller U.S. stocks also lagged the market, with the Russell 2000 index down 0.1%. A day before, it more than doubled the S&P 500’s gain on expectations that Trump’s America-First priorities would most benefit smaller, more domestically focused companies.

The stock that’s become most synonymous with the president-elect, Trump Media & Technology Group, fell 17.6%.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.36% from 4.44% late Wednesday. It gave back some of its surge from the prior day, driven by expectations that Trump’s plans for higher tariffs, lower tax rates and lighter regulation could lead to bigger economic growth, inflation and U.S. government debt.

Fed Decision Looms as Market’s Main Event

The market’s main event for the day, though, is coming later in the afternoon. Wall Street’s nearly consensus expectation is that the Fed will cut its main interest rate for a second straight time. The central bank began its rate-cutting campaign in September as it focuses more on keeping the job market humming after helping get inflation nearly down to its 2% target.

A report on Thursday showed slightly more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits, though the number was what economists expected. A separate preliminary report said U.S. workers improved their productivity during the summer, which can help keep a lid on inflation, but not by quite as much as economists expected.

Trump’s victory may also complicate things for the Fed, and investors are waiting to hear if Chair Jerome Powell will say whether anything will change in its plans.

Trump is pushing for tariffs and other policies that economists say would drive inflation higher, along with the economy’s growth. Traders have already begun paring forecasts for how many cuts to interest rates the Fed will deliver next year because of that. Expectations for such cuts have been a major reason the S&P 500 has set dozens of records already this year.

Mixed Results for Individual Stocks

On Wall Street, Lyft jumped 29.6% after the ride-hailing app breezed past Wall Street’s sales and profit expectations for the latest quarter. Chip company Qualcomm climbed 2% after likewise beating analysts’ profit forecasts.

Match Group tumbled 15.6% after the dating app brand missed revenue targets as its most popular app, Tinder, continued to underperform.

In stock markets abroad, London’s FTSE 100 was virtually flat after the Bank of England cut its own interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.3% amid worries about the potential for a revival of trade tensions under a Trump administration.

“I think everybody’s going to be worried about Trump’s tariffs because that’s one of the things in his playbook. And so we’ll have to see how things develop in the early stages of his presidency this time,” said Neil Newman, head of strategy for Astris Advisory Japan.

Stocks rallied 2% in Hong Kong and 2.6% in Shanghai rallied after the Chinese government reported exports jumped in October at the fastest pace in more than two years.

Trump has promised to slap blanket 60% tariffs on all Chinese imports, raising them still more if Beijing makes a move to invade the self-governing island of Taiwan. That would add to the burdens Beijing is facing as it struggles to revive slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy.

But the impact may be less drastic than feared, Zichun Huang of Capital Economics said in a report.

“We expect shipments to stay strong in the coming months –- any drag from potential Trump tariffs may not materialize until the second half of next year,” Huang said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Trump Taps Forceful Ally of Hard-Line Immigration Policies to Head Customs and Border Protection

DON'T MISS

I’m One of the Last Doctors in This Hospital in Gaza. I’m Begging the World for Help.

DON'T MISS

Is This the End of Christmas Cards? 5 Creative Ways to Spread Holiday Cheer Without the Mailbox

DON'T MISS

The Best Movies of 2024 as Ranked by AP Film Writers

DON'T MISS

Californians Pay Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They Cost-Effective?

DON'T MISS

California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years

DON'T MISS

No. 10 Boise State Grabs CFP Spot, Beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West Championship

DON'T MISS

Willy Adames Agrees to $182 Million, 7-Year Deal With the Giants, AP Source Says

DON'T MISS

$197M Winning Lottery Ticket Bought in L.A. Must Be Postmarked Today or Forfeited

DON'T MISS

US Announces Nearly $1 Billion More in Longer-Term Weapons Support for Ukraine

UP NEXT

I’m One of the Last Doctors in This Hospital in Gaza. I’m Begging the World for Help.

UP NEXT

Is This the End of Christmas Cards? 5 Creative Ways to Spread Holiday Cheer Without the Mailbox

UP NEXT

The Best Movies of 2024 as Ranked by AP Film Writers

UP NEXT

California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years

UP NEXT

No. 10 Boise State Grabs CFP Spot, Beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West Championship

UP NEXT

Willy Adames Agrees to $182 Million, 7-Year Deal With the Giants, AP Source Says

UP NEXT

$197M Winning Lottery Ticket Bought in L.A. Must Be Postmarked Today or Forfeited

UP NEXT

US Announces Nearly $1 Billion More in Longer-Term Weapons Support for Ukraine

UP NEXT

Police-Made Crack Cocaine Cases from 1980s Under Review in Florida

UP NEXT

FBI Offers $50,000 Reward in Hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killer

The Best Movies of 2024 as Ranked by AP Film Writers

12 hours ago

Californians Pay Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They Cost-Effective?

13 hours ago

California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years

13 hours ago

No. 10 Boise State Grabs CFP Spot, Beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West Championship

1 day ago

Willy Adames Agrees to $182 Million, 7-Year Deal With the Giants, AP Source Says

1 day ago

$197M Winning Lottery Ticket Bought in L.A. Must Be Postmarked Today or Forfeited

1 day ago

US Announces Nearly $1 Billion More in Longer-Term Weapons Support for Ukraine

1 day ago

Police-Made Crack Cocaine Cases from 1980s Under Review in Florida

1 day ago

FBI Offers $50,000 Reward in Hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killer

1 day ago

Syrian Insurgents Reach the Capital’s Suburbs. Worried Residents Flee and Stock Up on Supplies

1 day ago

Trump Taps Forceful Ally of Hard-Line Immigration Policies to Head Customs and Border Protection

WASHINGTON — The picture of who will be in charge of executing President-elect Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration and border policie...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Trump Taps Forceful Ally of Hard-Line Immigration Policies to Head Customs and Border Protection

11 hours ago

I’m One of the Last Doctors in This Hospital in Gaza. I’m Begging the World for Help.

12 hours ago

Is This the End of Christmas Cards? 5 Creative Ways to Spread Holiday Cheer Without the Mailbox

12 hours ago

The Best Movies of 2024 as Ranked by AP Film Writers

13 hours ago

Californians Pay Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They Cost-Effective?

13 hours ago

California’s Housing Crisis Has Gotten Worse, Not Better, Over the Last 30 Years

1 day ago

No. 10 Boise State Grabs CFP Spot, Beating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 in Mountain West Championship

1 day ago

Willy Adames Agrees to $182 Million, 7-Year Deal With the Giants, AP Source Says

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

Search

Send this to a friend