A scooter passes the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP/Peter Morgan)

- Walmart's stock fell 6.2% despite strong earnings, dragging retail stocks lower.
- Palantir tumbled 10% after the U.S. Defense Secretary proposed $50 billion in spending cuts.
- Alibaba's U.S.-traded shares jumped 10.7% following better-than-expected quarterly profits.
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
NEW YORK — Wall Street is retreating from its record as a slide for Walmart weighs on U.S. stock indexes Thursday.
The S&P 500 was down 0.6% in morning trading after setting all-time highs in each of the last two days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 439 points, or 1%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% lower.
Walmart helped drive the market lower after falling 6.2%, even though the retailer reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based giant gave a forecast for upcoming profit that fell short of analysts’ expectations as shoppers across the country deal with still-high inflation and the threat of tariffs from President Donald Trump.
The weaker-than-expected forecast helped pull stocks lower across the retail industry. Costco fell 2.1%, Target slipped 1.2% and Amazon lost 1.3%.
Palantir Technologies Drops
Palantir Technologies was another heavy weight on the market. It fell 10% to follow its 10.1% drop from the day before, after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he wants to cut $50 billion in spending next year. The software company got 55% of its $2.9 billion in revenue last year from government customers.
They helped offset an 8.5% jump for Baxter International, which reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It credited strength for its pharmaceuticals business, as well as for its medical products and therapies.
Burger chain Shake Shack leaped 11.8% after likewise reporting a stronger profit than expected. CEO Rob Lynch said sales trends remained solid during the quarter, even though bad weather around the country and wildfires in the Los Angeles area kept some customers away.
Alibaba Stock Climbs
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba saw its stock that trades in the United States climb 10.7% after reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
In the bond market, Treasury yields pulled lower after a report showed more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected. It’s an indication the pace of layoffs could be worsening, but the number still remains relatively low compared with history.
A separate report said growth for manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region is still growing, but not as strongly as economists expected.
Such numbers are likely to keep the Federal Reserve on hold when it comes to interest rates. Last month, the Fed refrained from cutting its main interest rate for the first time at a policy meeting since it began doing so in September.
While lower rates can help boost the economy and prices for investments, they can give inflation more fuel. And Fed officials were discussing at their last meeting how Trump’s proposed tariffs and mass deportations of migrants, as well as strong consumer spending, could push inflation higher this year.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.50% from 4.54% late Wednesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely tracks expectations for upcoming Fed moves, didn’t fall as much. It eased to 4.25% from 4.27% late Wednesday.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe after falling across much of Asia.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.6% after China left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, in a move it said was meant to maintain financial stability. Stocks in Shanghai edged down by less than 0.1%.
RELATED TOPICS:
Bullard Teacher Arrested for Inappropriate Behavior With a Minor, Principal Says
53 minutes ago
Experts: IRS Cuts May Benefit Rich Tax Dodgers, Hurt Revenue
1 hour ago
Stock Market Today: Discouraging Economic Reports Knock Wall Street Further From Its Record
1 hour ago
Musk and His Millions Enter Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
2 hours ago
New Allegation of Sexual Misconduct Swirls Around CPAC Chair Matt Schlapp
2 hours ago
High Mortgage Rates, Prices Dampen January Home Sales
3 minutes ago
Categories

High Mortgage Rates, Prices Dampen January Home Sales

Muslim Community Unites for Ramadan After Wildfire Destroys Mosque

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Ryan Andrew Kitchener
