Wall Street experienced a mixed day of trading on Wednesday as investors absorbed the Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) anticipated decision to maintain interest rates at their current levels.
Immediately after the Fed’s announcement, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) saw a modest rise of 0.3%, whereas the S&P 500 (^GSPC) experienced a slight dip of 0.1%. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC), heavily influenced by technology stocks, registered a decline of approximately 0.5%. This dip followed a previous session where tech shares faced losses, partly attributed to a slowdown in Instacart’s IPO momentum.
After the announcement of the Fed’s decision, attention on Wall Street swiftly shifted to speculations about future Fed actions, including the potential for interest rate hikes later in the year and the likelihood of a rate cut. The central bank indicated an intention to implement one more rate increase before year-end.
Traders are closely scrutinizing the central bank’s “dot plot” to glean insights into the projected trajectory of interest rates. Additionally, analysts are eager to extract cues from statements by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
The recent surge in oil prices, viewed by some as a potential challenge to the Fed’s attempts to temper inflation, saw a moderate retreat on Wednesday. Investors are deliberating on how the Fed’s policy decision may influence economic growth and demand for fuel. Both Brent crude (BZ=F) and WTI crude (CL=F) futures recorded a decrease of roughly 0.7%. However, concerns linger among experts that prices may surge beyond the $100 mark.
In a notable development indicating a resurgence in the US IPO market, Klaviyo (KVYO) is poised to make its market debut on Wednesday, closely following the successful introductions of Arm (ARM) and Instacart (CART). The marketing automation company opted to set its offering price above the projected range at $30 per share, thereby securing a valuation of $9.2 billion.
Across the Atlantic, an unforeseen deceleration in UK inflation has elevated the likelihood that the Bank of England will hold off on further interest rate hikes following an anticipated final increase on Thursday. The British pound experienced a decline in the wake of the August inflation report.
Source: Yahoo Finance
