By Anora Mahmudova and Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch
Freeport-McMoRan, GameStop among day's big movers
The Dow approached their lowest levels of the session in bumpy
afternoon trade Friday before coming off those lows somewhat.
U.S. stocks were already in the red as Federal Reserve Vice
Chairman Stanley Fischer on CNBC said the economy is "working
pretty well," and indicated the central bank is moving toward
raising interest rates.
The Dow dipped 100 point lower with analysts pointing to
technical trading, triggering a further downdraft with a little
over two hours left in the trading session.
The Dow had ticked higher after the comments from the Fed No. 2
but slipped lower later. The S&P 500 also slipped into the red
as did the Nasdaq.
"The prospect of a rate a rate hike in September is a mixed
blessing. On the one hand, it would signal the economy is growing
adequately, on the other hand it will add to the strength of the
dollar and have an impact on overseas revenues," said Albert
Brenner, director of asset allocation strategy at People's United
Wealth Management.
Hand-wringing around when the Fed will hike rates has been one
of the driving forces of stock-market uncertainty, along with
China's troubled economy.
Although Fischer's comments didn't provide much clarity on the
Fed's game plan for rates
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/case-for-september-rate-hike-was-pretty-strong-before-china-devaluation-fischer-says-2015-08-28),
stock-market investors appeared to interpret his comments as
favoring a rate hike.
Days of financial-market turmoil have driven some investors to
shift their expectations for a U.S. interest-rate hike to December
from September
Still, stocks look to end one of the most tumultuous weeks in
recent memory with modest gains. They are in negative territory for
the year after a plunge on Monday sent them into correction
territory.
The S&P 500 dipped 6 points lower, or 0.4%, to 1,981. Most
of the 10 main sectors were lower, but losses were modest. The
energy sector rallied following a big jump in oil prices. The Dow
Jones Industrial Average was off 66 points, or 0.4%, to 16,587,
rebounding off its lows hit at around 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time. The
Nasdaq Composite was down 5 points, or 0.1%, to 4,806.
Earlier in the session, market reaction to consumer spending and
inflation
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/core-inflation-eases-in-july-and-moves-further-away-from-feds-target-2015-08-28),
both of which ticked up less than expected, was largely muted.
Inflation, which has remained below the Federal Reserve's target,
is likely to influence policy makers's decision over the rate
increases this year.
Investors will look to take their cues from Federal Reserve
officials, who are attending the closely watched Jackson Hole
summit
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/central-bankers-at-jackson-hole-search-for-answers-on-low-inflation-2015-08-27).
Opinion: A surefire strategy to keep calm and make some money in
this crazy market
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-surefire-strategy-to-keep-calm-and-make-money-in-this-crazy-market-2015-08-27)
The sharp rebound on Wall Street over the previous two sessions
came as investors took comfort from signs China was trying to
stabilize its economy and market, and from upbeat U.S. growth
data.
Opinion: Stocks climbing strongest 'wall of worry' in five years
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stocks-climbing-strongest-wall-of-worry-in-five-years-2015-08-28)
"The magnitude of the drop on Monday caught a lot of investors
off guard and they are still struggling to find what the fair value
is for stocks, which is why we are continuing to see heightened
volatility," said Channing Smith, portfolio manager at Capital
Advisors.
"Current markets can be described as 'no man's land', where
volatility is uncomfortable and credit spreads have widened. We
expect volatility to continue for the next six weeks or so, but we
are not seeing conditions for a bear market," said Smith.
Investors also kept a close eye on crude prices Friday, which
jumped more than 7%. That was on top of the 10% surge in WTI crude
for October on Thursday, driven by a report that Venezuela asked
the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to hold an
emergency meeting.
Jackson Hole summit: Another potential reason for investor
caution is the Jackson Hole central bankers' summit in Wyoming on
Friday and Saturday, where key Federal Reserve speakers are due to
appear: Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer will talk about inflation
developments on Saturday, and Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart
and St. Louis Fed President James Bullard follow later. Here's a
schedule of the speakers
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fischer-carney-to-headline-jackson-hole-summit-2015-08-27).
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fischer-carney-to-headline-jackson-hole-summit-2015-08-27)Economic
data:Core inflation moderated in July
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/core-inflation-eases-in-july-and-moves-further-away-from-feds-target-2015-08-28),
the government reported Friday, giving the Federal Reserve another
reason to hold short-term interest rates steady at their September
policy meeting.
Stocks to watch: Share of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (FCX) jumped as
much as 8% in early trade, but trimmed gains to trade 2.2% higher.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn disclosed a stake in the miner late
Thursday
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/carl-icahn-discloses-stake-in-freeport-mcmoran-may-seek-board-seat-2015-08-27),
saying the company's shares are undervalued, according to a
filing.
GameStop Corp. (GME) shares plunged 6.9% following a very
bearish analyst note and downgrade on the company's stock by
Benchmark.
Chinese gains tempered:The Shanghai Composite Index
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-ride-tide-of-strong-us-growth-2015-08-28),
which has been heavily influential at times for global equities
this week, climbed 5.4%. Analysts voiced suspicions on Friday the
government was buying stocks to boost the index, which ended a
roller-coaster week down 8%.
European stocks
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/europe-stocks-pull-back-as-volatile-week-nears-an-end-2015-08-28)
closed mostly higher and booked a weekly gain. Gold prices rose,
while the dollar edged higher.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 28, 2015 13:55 ET (17:55 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.