US Indexes Decline as Investors Brace for Nvidia Earnings Amid Gains in Treasury Yields

US equity indexes fell ahead of Nvidia's (NVDA) quarterly earnings and amid gains in government bond yields after midday on Wednesday.

The S&P 500 slid 0.5% to 5,886.2, with the Nasdaq Composite down 0.7% at 18,849.3 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average 0.1% lower at 43,209.4. Energy, materials, and healthcare were the only gainers intraday.

Nvidia (NVDA) will likely post relatively strong fiscal Q3 revenue and a "significant" backlog indicating solid demand, Truist Securities said in a research note Tuesday. Shares of the technology giant, which has contributed significantly to stock market returns in prior quarters, slipped 1.7% intraday.

Meanwhile, in economic news, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said Wednesday at the University of Virginia that the path of interest-rate reductions will continue to be based on incoming data and information and can be adjusted faster or slower depending on conditions.

"I still see the direction of the appropriate policy rate path to be downward, but the magnitude and timing of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks," Cook said. "I do not view policy as being on a preset course, and I am ready to respond to a changing outlook. In fact, I find it helpful to consider a range of scenarios when thinking about the path of policy."

Most US Treasury yields rose intraday, with the 10-year up 3.7 basis points to 4.42% and the two-year rate traded 3.4 basis points higher at 4.31%.

The US embassy in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, said it would be closed Tuesday after receiving "specific information of a potential significant air attack," CNN reported. The Greek, Spanish, and Italian embassies also shut down for security reasons.

The US has also approved sending anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time, according to two US officials - another major policy shift after it allowed Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russia with American missiles, a separate news report from CNN said.

In company news, Target (TGT) slashed its full-year earnings outlook amid soft consumer discretionary spending trends and reported fiscal Q3 results below market estimates. Shares sank 21% intraday, the worst performer on the S&P 500.

Keysight Technologies (KEYS) momentum can continue through fiscal 2025, following its fiscal Q4 beat, Morgan Stanley said in a Wednesday note. Shares of Keysight rose over 5%, the top gainer on the S&P 500.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded slipped 0.4% to $69.09 a barrel.

Excluding inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, commercial crude oil stocks increased by 500,000 barrels in the week ended Nov. 15 after a 2.1-million-barrel increase in the previous week, compared with an 85,000-barrel decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

Gold rose 0.9% to $2,653.01 an ounce. Silver fell 0.2% to $31.21 an ounce.