SIMONE DEL ROSARIO: STOCKS STUMBLED INTO BEAR MARKET TERRITORY MONDAY. INVESTORS – FEARING THE FED WILL ACT MORE AGGRESSIVELY THIS WEEK HIKING INTEREST RATES AFTER FRIDAY’S SURPRISINGLY HOT INFLATION REPORT.
THE BENCHMARK INDEX S&P 500 *CLOSED IN BEAR MARKET TERRITORY – THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2020. A BEAR MARKET IS CONVENTIONALLY A 20% DROP FROM A RECENT HIGH…THE S&P IS NOW DOWN NEARLY 22% FROM ITS HIGH JANUARY THIRD.
ACROSS THE BOARD – THE DOW DUMPED 875 POINTS DOWN 2.8%
THE TECH-HEAVY NASDAQ, WHICH ENTERED A BEAR MARKET IN MARCH, SHED ANOTHER 4.7% MONDAY.
AND THE S&P – WAS DOWN 3.9%
MEANWHILE – IT WAS A BLOODBATH IN CRYPTOCURRENCY.
BITCOIN PLUNGED BELOW 23-THOUSAND MONDAY – 67% DOWN FROM ITS NOVEMBER HIGH.
INVESTORS ARE SHOOK OVER FRIDAY’S REPORT THAT INFLATION REACHED 8.6% IN MAY – BLOWING PAST MARKET EXPECTATIONS THAT INFLATION HAD PEAKED.
BEFORE THAT – IT WAS WIDELY EXPECTED THE FEDERAL RESERVE WOULD RAISE ITS BENCHMARK INTEREST RATE A HALF PERCENTAGE POINT DURING ITS MEETING THIS WEEK. BUT NOW INVESTORS ARE CLEARLY WORRIED THE CENTRAL BANK WILL SURPRISE MARKETS WITH A MORE AGGRESSIVE THREE-QUARTER PERCENT HIKE TO BRING DOWN INFLATION.
IN NEW YORK FOR JUST BUSINESS I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO.