Wall Street closing lower; bank stocks fall

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA
AP Business Writers

Wall Street closed out a choppy week of trading Friday with major stock indexes mostly lower and all finishing in the red for the week.

The S&P 500 ended 0.1% lower after reversing a small gain. The benchmark index, which hit an all-time high on Wednesday, posted its first weekly decline in three weeks. Losses by banks, industrial companies and technology stocks weighed on the market. They offset gains in companies that rely on consumer spending, health care and other sectors.

Bond yields were mixed, though the 10-year Treasury yield inched higher. The closely watched yield, which influences interest rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, has hovered this week near the highest level since January.

Higher yields put downward pressure on stocks generally, in part because they can steer dollars away from the stock market and into bonds instead. That makes investors less willing to pay as high prices for stocks.

“Overall, the very near term concerns are going back to some of the bigger picture questions,” said Barry Bannister, chief equity strategist at Stifel. “How high can yields go and what does that mean for stock valuations?”

The S&P 500 lost 2.36 points to 3,913.10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 234.33 points, or 0.7%, to 32,627.97, pulled lower by financial companies. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 99.07 points, or 0.8%, to 13,215.24.

Smaller company stocks also notched gains. That helped the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies claw back some of its losses from a day earlier. It picked up 19.96 points, or 0.9%, to 2,287.55.

A late-burst of selling may have been caused by “quadruple witching,” the simultaneous expiration of four kinds of options and futures contracts. The phenomenon happens four times a year and forces traders to tie up loose ends in contracts they hold.

Bank stocks fell after the Federal Reserve announced it would end some of the emergency measures put in place last year to aid the financial industry deal with the pandemic. The move will restore some of the capital requirements for big banks that were suspended in the early months of the viral outbreak, in order to give banks flexibility. The banking industry had hoped those measures would be extended.

The announcement briefly raised concerns about more bond selling, but those fears have been tempered, Bannister said.

Big bank stocks were particularly hurt, since the Fed’s measures mostly apply to the nation’s largest banks. Citigroup and Bank of America dropped 1.1%, while JPMorgan Chase slid 1.6%.

Several Big Tech companies rose. Netflix gained 1.5% and Amazon.com added 1.6%. Facebook, meanwhile, climbed 4.1%. Even so, the S&P 500’s tech sector fell, weighed down partly by Visa. Shares in the financial services company fell 6.2% for the biggest decline in the S&P 500 following reports that the Justice Department is investigating the company over its debit card practices. Mastercard fell 2.9%.

As interest rates have risen, pricier stocks like technology companies have fallen.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.73% from 1.72% late Thursday. The prospect of higher interest rates as bond yields rise has some investors concerned that economic growth could slow.

There are also concerns that the rise in bond yields could be a harbinger of inflation. Fed officials said earlier this week that they may let the U.S. economy “run hot” for some time in order to not stymie the economic recovery as the pandemic eases.

Shares of transportation company FedEx leaped 6.1% after the company reported earnings well above analysts’ estimates.

Shares of Nike fell by 4% after the athletic apparel company said pandemic-caused congestion at ports caused sales to slow in the last quarter.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

SportsPlus

McNeese Sports

Cowboys ad ‘big’ recruit

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls stumble out the gate

Local News

Temple pushes for special session on insurance reform

Local News

Area law enforcement team up to distribute 1,000 gifts to children

Jim Beam

Jim Beam column:Time change becomes hot topic

life

Calcasieu Council on Aging breaks ground on new development

Local News

Imaginations helping fuel remodel of Region 4 STEM Center library

Crime

12/20: Calcasieu Parish Sheriff announces arrest list

McNeese Sports

Cowboys face new-look Cajuns

life

Movies With the Mayor: ‘Muppet Christmas Carol’ back on the screen

Local News

Time is running short to avert a government shutdown after funding bill is rejected

Business

Business is booming and future growth promising for Jeff Davis Parish

McNeese Sports

Cowgirls open SLC against best

Local News

Teacher Jennifer Reynolds: ‘We are helping guide and mold the youth of today’

Local News

Scooter Hobbs column: A silly challenge for the College Playoff

McNeese Sports

Marlin fired by ULL

McNeese Sports

A quick trip home

Local News

City Council gives green light to lakefront hotel plan

Crime

12/19: Calcasieu Parish Sheriff announces arrest list

Crime

Washington-Marion student arrested for terrorizing, charged as an adult

Local News

Governor selects Stine, Tarver for new Fiscal Responsibility Program

high-school Football

Press box project for Jerry Simmons Stadium move forward

Local News

National defense budget could allocate millions to Louisiana military bases

Face to Face

Second Harvest hosts drive-thru Christmas dinner distribution