Stocks opened lower Wednesday as traders fretted over the possibility of a recession and the likelihood of a longer-than-expected hiking cycle from the Federal Reserve.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 34 points, or 0.1%, while the S&P 500 futures lost 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite traded lower by 0.4%.
Wall Street is coming off another tough session, with the Dow falling more than 350 points, or 1.03%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite lost 1.4% and 2%, respectively.
Investors have been losing hope that the Fed will be able to engineer a so-called soft landing that successfully tamps down inflation through higher rates and also avoids a recession. Instead, concerns are swirling around the state of the economy and the likelihood of a downturn in 2023.
“All told, financial indicators point to a recession on the horizon,” wrote Wells Fargo’s Azhar Iqbal in a note to clients Wednesday. “The S&P 500 has peaked ahead of recessions with an average lead time of four months over the past few business cycles. Taken together with the inverted yield curve, markets are clearly braced for a recession in 2023.”
Investors await more economic data this week for clues on what to expect from the Fed. Mortgage loan application data showed a decline last week despite a fall in rates.
The tail end of earnings season continued with a solid report from Campbell Soup.