The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed higher on Wednesday as fresh economic data signaled a cooling U.S. economy, reinforcing expectations the Federal Reserve will pause rate hikes in September.
The S&P 500 index reached its highest in nearly three weeks after an ADP National Employment report showed private payrolls increased by 177,000 jobs in August, compared with estimates of 195,000, suggesting a softening labor market.
The Nasdaq logged its highest close since Aug. 1.
Market Snapshot
The S&P 500 climbed 0.38% to end at 4,514.87 points. The Nasdaq gained 0.54% at 14,019.31 points, while Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.11% to 34,890.24 points.
Market Movers
Nvidia (NVDA) rose 1% to close at its highest ever. It was Wall Street's most traded company, with $35.5 billion worth of shares exchanged during the session.
VinFast Auto (VFS) was down 10.8%. On Tuesday, the Vietnamese electric-vehicle start-up snapped a six-day winning streak, falling 44% and wiping out roughly $90 billion in market value.
Software-as-a-service company iCoreConnect (ICCT) shares surged 117.7% to $12.28 following a fix to certain shares which didn't convert using its post-business combination exchange ratio. The shares surged 255% on Tuesday and jumped another 70% in extended trading Wednesday.
The stock, which has nearly tripled on the year with much of the gains coming in the last few days, is on pace for its highest close in more than three years.
Tesla (TSLA) fell 0.1% after closing with a gain of 7.7% on Tuesday to $257.18. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, sent a letter to Tesla in late July which asked the electric-vehicle maker for details about adjustments to its driver-assistance features that would allow drivers to keep their hands off the wheel for an extended period. In addition, analysts at Guggenheim on Wednesday maintained their Sell rating on the stock.
Ambarella (AMBA) declined 20.4% after the chip maker’s forecast for third-quarter revenue was well below analysts’ expectations. The company said it expects revenue of $50 million, plus or minus 4%, which would put it below forecasts of $67.9 million.
HP Inc. (HPQ) fell 6.6% after trimming its outlook for fiscal 2023. Chief Executive Enrique Lores told Barron’s in an interview that “PC prices are not improving as quickly as we expected” and a slowdown in corporate hiring, among other factors, had reduced enterprise PC demand. HP said it now expects fiscal-year adjusted profit of $3.23 to $3.35 a share, down from a previous range of $3.30 to $3.50.
HPInc. was the worst performer in the S&P 500 on Wednesday, while Insulet (PODD) was the best, up 6.4%, after it was disclosed in a filing that CEO James Hollingshead bought 5,550 shares of the medical device maker.
Weak fiscal-year revenue guidance from Box (BOX) sent shares of the cloud-based content-storage company down 12.3%. The company said it expects revenue of $1.04 billion to $1.044 billion, lower than Wall Street estimates of $1.05 billion. Box reported fiscal second-quarter adjusted earnings of 36 cents a share on revenue of $261.4 million, up 6%. Analysts had expected profit of 35 cents a share on revenue of $261 million.
Sunrun (RUN) rose 1.8% to $15.43 after shares of the country’s largest residential solar developer were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citi with a price target of $21.
Shares of PVH (PVH) rose 1.9% after the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger topped second-quarter earnings estimates and raised its earnings outlook for the fiscal year.
Texas Instruments (TXN) fell 0.9% to $169.23. Shares of the semiconductor maker were downgraded to Underperform from Market Perform at Bernstein with an unchanged price target of $145.
Brown-Forman (BF.B) declined 4% after the parent of Jack Daniel’s whiskey reported earnings in the fiscal first quarter that fell from a year earlier and missed analysts’ estimates.
Market News
US Companies Add 177,000 Jobs, Smallest Gain in Five Months
US companies in August added the fewest jobs in five months, a private report showed, adding to signs of moderating labor demand.
Private payrolls rose by 177,000 in August following an upwardly revised 371,000 increase in the prior month, according to figures published Wednesday by the ADP Research Institute in collaboration with Stanford Digital Economy Lab. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 195,000 advance.
Hiring in leisure and hospitality, a main driver of growth during the pandemic recovery, was the slowest since March 2022. But despite the slowdown, no sector shed jobs, and the largest gains were in education and health services, as well as trade and transportation.
Apple Tests Using 3D Printers to Make Devices in Major Manufacturing Shift
Apple Inc. is testing the use of 3D printers to produce the steel chassis used by some of its upcoming smartwatches, according to people with knowledge of the matter, heralding a major change to how the company manufactures products.
The technique would obviate the need to cut large slabs of metal into the product’s shape. That would reduce the time it takes to build devices while also helping the environment by using less material, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the plan is private.
The new approach has the potential to streamline Apple’s supply chain and kick off a broader shift. If the work with Apple Watches goes to plan, the tech giant will look to expand the process to more products over the next several years, the people said. A spokeswoman for the Cupertino, California-based company declined to comment.
Google's Pixel 8 and Watch 2 launch event set for October 4
Google has announced an upcoming event on October 4 where they are expected to showcase their next generation smartphones, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, along with new wearables.
The design of the new Pixel devices is expected to be similar to previous models, but with notable improvements such as better cameras and the inclusion of an IR thermometer. The phones will also feature the Tensor G3 chip and Android 14.
In addition to the smartphones, there is speculation that Google may also introduce the Pixel Watch 2, with hopes that it will include improvements to battery life, health, and fitness tracking.
Fed Ramps Up Demands for Corrective Actions by Regional Banks
US regulators are quietly demanding that regional lenders shore up their liquidity planning, part of a ramp-up in efforts to tighten supervision in the wake of three bank failures earlier this year.
The Federal Reserve has issued a slew of private warnings to lenders with assets of $100 billion to $250 billion, including Citizens Financial Group Inc., Fifth Third Bancorp and M&T Bank Corp., according to people with knowledge of the matter. The wide-ranging notices have touched on everything from lenders’ capital and liquidity to their technology and compliance, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential supervisory information.