financetom
Market
financetom
/
Market
/
US Equity Indexes Slip as Cautious Investors Pull Back From Technology While Backing Utilities
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
US Equity Indexes Slip as Cautious Investors Pull Back From Technology While Backing Utilities
May 26, 2025 11:05 AM

01:14 PM EDT, 05/20/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes retreated, with the S&P 500 unlikely to extend its rally to a seventh consecutive day, as investors lightened exposure to technology and consumer discretionary.

The Nasdaq Composite slid 0.2% to 19,173.1, the S&P 500 down 0.3% to 5,948.7, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.2% lower at 42,691.2. Real estate, energy, and financials were also among the intraday decliners. Utilities led the gainers.

Gold futures jumped 1.6% to $3,284.61 per ounce.

US Treasury yields traded mixed intraday. The US 10-year was up less than one basis point to 4.48%, after trading lower earlier in the session. The two-year rate fell 1.9 basis points to 3.96%.

The "One Big Beautiful Bill" that made it through the House's Budget Committee last weekend would be associated with an increase in the US debt-to-GDP ratio of up to 25% in ten years, according to a note from Macquarie. "By again highlighting Congress's unwillingness to legislate fiscal controls, passage of the bill could make US Treasury yields go higher again, especially given traders' new focus on debts and deficits." Thierry Wizman, a global foreign-exchange and rates strategist at Macquarie, said in the note.

The ICE US Dollar Index, which measures the greenback's performance against the world's major currencies, slipped 0.1% to 100.29, extending its decline from Monday in the aftermath of Moody's Investors Service downgrading the US' sovereign credit rating late Friday.

"Other countries are strapped with higher sovereign debt too; the US is not alone," Wizman said in the note. "But it could still be the USD that suffers most from the high sovereign debt and the political impediments to reducing it."

In economic news, Redfin (RDFN) said Tuesday that US home prices dropped 0.1% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, the first sequential decline since September 2022. Home prices rose 4.1% from a year ago, versus 4.9% growth in March and the lowest annual price growth since July 2023.

"Given the level of uncertainty that we're facing right now, it is appropriate that we wait and see how the policies evolve over time and their impact," Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said Monday at a conference in Atlanta, referring to trade tariffs negotiations and fiscal policy formulation, according to a note from Stifel Tuesday.

While also favoring a wait-and-see approach to future monetary policy adjustments, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic quantified his expectations for rate cuts, noting that only one reduction may be appropriate this year, the Stifel note cited Bostic's comments from CNBC Squawk Box.

Further, in economic news, Redbook US same-store sales climbed 5.4% from a year earlier in the week ended May 17 after a 5.8% increase in the previous week.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 0.4% to $62.37 a barrel.

In company news, Pfizer ( PFE ) secured exclusive global rights, excluding China, to biopharmaceutical firm 3SBio's cancer treatment candidate in a licensing deal worth up to $6.05 billion.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Sector Update: Energy
Sector Update: Energy
Jan 17, 2025
01:43 PM EST, 01/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Energy stocks were higher Friday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index up 0.5% and the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) rising 0.8%. The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector index climbed 2.1%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities index added 0.3%. Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil was declining 0.5% to $78.26 a...
Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Rise at Midday Friday
Exchange-Traded Funds, US Equities Rise at Midday Friday
Jan 17, 2025
01:09 PM EST, 01/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Broad Market Indicators Broad-market exchange-traded funds IWM and IVV rose. Actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) climbed 1.8%. US equity indexes rose at midday Friday as housing starts jumped, industrial production growth beat forecasts, and the International Monetary Fund increased its global growth estimate for this year. Energy iShares US Energy ETF (IYE)...
Top Midday Stories: Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, Wegovy Among Drugs Chosen for US Medicare Price Talks; Supreme Court Allows TikTok Ban to Take Effect
Top Midday Stories: Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, Wegovy Among Drugs Chosen for US Medicare Price Talks; Supreme Court Allows TikTok Ban to Take Effect
Jan 17, 2025
12:14 PM EST, 01/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Wall Street's major market averages were higher around midday Friday ahead of a long Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend and the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. In company news, Novo Nordisk ( NVO ) shares slid 4.8% after the Department of Health and Human Services said that the company's Ozempic, Wegovy and...
Sector Update: Financial
Sector Update: Financial
Jan 17, 2025
01:39 PM EST, 01/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index up 0.6% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) ahead 0.7%. The Philadelphia Housing Index rose 0.7%, and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) added 0.3%. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) spiked 5.2% to $104,732, and the yield for 10-year...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved