WALL Street stocks mostly retreated on Monday following US manufacturing data that pointed to both rising activity and pricing pressure.
The Institute for Supply Management’s March survey is the first to show manufacturing growth since September 2022. But markets fixated on a 3.3 per cent rise in ISM’s prices index as compared with February.
“The market turned around when ISM came up this morning,” said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital. “This is one sign that could show that the inflation is picking up more.”
The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index still mustered a modest gain, winning 0.1 per cent to 16,396.83.
But the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.6 per cent to 39,566.85, while the broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.2 per cent to 5,243.77.
Markets have been scrutinising inflation data to gauge the likelihood of a shift in monetary policy.
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
The Federal Reserve has said it expects three interest rate cuts this year, but that plan could slide if inflation remains elevated.
US Treasury yields jumped after the ISM data.
Among individual companies, 3M jumped 6.1 per cent after completing the spinoff of its health care business. The new health entity, Solventum, fell 0.9 per cent in its debut.
FedEx dropped 3.3 per cent after disclosing that its contract with the US Postal Service (USPS) will expire on September 29 after the parties were unable to come to an agreement to renew.
FedEx competitor UPS, which announced a “significant partnership expansion” with USPS, fell 0.7 per cent.
Trump Media & Technology Group, the recently-listed social media company associated with the former president and current White House hopeful, sank 21.5 per cent as it disclosed a net loss of US$58.2 million in 2023. AFP
