The major U.S. stock indexes fell on Thursday on concern about the global economic comeback from Covid-19. The losses came as Japandeclared a state of emergency in Tokyofor the upcoming Olympics and as countries deal with a rebound in cases because of Covid variants.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped about 400 points, or 1.1% with losses increasing throughout the overnight session. The S&P 500 lost 1.25%. The Nasdaq 100 Composite fell 1.6%. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at records in the prior session because of gains from tech shares.
The Labor Department'slatest jobless claims datacame in unexpectedly higher at 373,000, signaling a slowdown in the the labor picture amid the Covid recovery. Economists expected to see 350,000 first-time applicants for unemployment benefits for the week ended July 3, according to Dow Jones.
Premarket losses were led by companies that would benefit from a rapid economic comeback from the virus. Shares ofCarnivalandRoyal Caribbeaneach dropped more than 3%.American AirlinesandDelta Air Lineseach fell more than 2% in early trading.Boeingfell 2%.FordandNikewere also lower. RetailersLowe'sandHome Depotalso dipped in premarket trading.
Chip stocks also fell on concerns about the pace of the global recovery.Micron,NVIDIA,Qualcomm,IntelandApplied Materialsalso ticked lower in the premarket.
"The market has been in one of those 'Goldilocks' stretches when economic growth was accelerating while inflation and interest rates remained low. Increased Covid cases, particularly Delta Variants have caused concerns that the economic acceleration will slow," Timothy Lesko of Granite Investment Advisors told CNBC. "A few weeks ago the porridge was too hot, now it seems it is too cold. With markets at all time highs and some valuations stretched there is little room for economic slowdown in this market."
Investors rotated into the safety of Treasuries further on Thursday, pushing the yield on the10-year Treasurybelow 1.255% to the lowest since late February. Despite the recovering economy and fast inflation, the 10-year Treasury yield continues to decline. It was at 1.58% to start July and hit a 2021 high of 1.78% in March. Traders remain confused about the exact reasons for the rollover in yields, with many citing concern that the best of the economic recovery may be behind us.
Bank of America,Wells Fargo,Goldman Sachsand other financial shares declined in premarket trading as their profitability outlook dimmed with lower rates.JPMorgan ChaseandPNC Financialwere also lower.
"Nothing suggests the near slump in yields is over," wrote Christopher Harvey, head of equity strategy at Wells Fargo, in a note Thursday. "A sharp drop below 1.25% could cause equity PMs to believe that something is wrong or broken. As a result, we see a growing possibility of a 5% selloff in equities before earnings season."
Harvey noted he believes the buying in bonds is more technical in nature and not due to macroeconomic factors.
Spectatorscould be banned from the Olympic games, according to a report following the state of emergency declaration for Tokyo by Japan.
Meanwhile the global Covid death toll continued to advance,exceeding 4 million on late Wednesday, as countries including India battle more transmissible variants.
TheCboe Volatility index, or 'VIX,' surged above the key 20 level Thursday morning, perhaps signaling a period of greater volatility ahead.
"The 40 basis point decline in the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note since late-March suggests that the global grab for yield remains a potent force, despite the Fed's desire to let the economy run hot," Steven Ricchiuto, U.S. chief economist at Mizuho Securities, wrote in a note this week.
"A stronger currency, increased virus concerns oversea, and the associated demand for long-term Treasury notes and bonds implies reduced inflation expectations and increased risk of importing global deflation," he added.
So-called meme stocks took big hits on Thursday as the sell-off caused investors to flee stocks likeAMCandGameStopthat had been boosted by speculative trading by retail traders chatting on Reddit.