ADVERTISEMENT

Stocks Have Worst Week Since 2011 Amid D.C. Chaos: Markets Wrap

Asian Stocks Face Mixed Start After U.S. Slide: Markets Wrap

Stocks Have Worst Week Since 2011 Amid D.C. Chaos: Markets Wrap
A pedestrian walks past an electronic stock board displaying the Nikkei Stock Average figure, top center, and other stock indices at a securities firm in Tokyo, Japan. (Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stocks sank to a 17-month low to close out their worst week since August 2011, with every sector losing ground and heavy selling in technology shares driving the Nasdaq indexes into a bear market. Treasuries edged higher.

Heavy volume sparked by the simultaneous expiration of futures and options lashed stocks that have been under pressure all week from concern over rising interest rates and the threat of slower global growth. Renewed personnel turmoil in the White House and the growing likelihood of a government shutdown added to investor anxiety before the holidays.

Dovish comments from a Fed official gave an early boost to the S&P 500, but renewed selling in some of the bull market’s biggest winners sent the index lower. It’s now down over 17 percent from its record.

The Nasdaq indexes fared even worse, each sliding more than 2 percent Friday to bring routs since summer records past 20 percent. Every member of the FANG cohort lost more than 2.5 percent, while Twitter plunged more than 6 percent. The Cboe Volatility Index, known as the “fear gauge,” rose above 30 to hit a 10-month high. The dollar advanced as China signaled an easier monetary policy, and bonds retreated across Europe.

“It’s a convergence of various factors, from global growth, to quantitative tightening concerns, as well as political risk in the U.S. and across the globe,” said Chad Morganlander, portfolio manager at Washington Crossing Advisors. “It’s like ‘Wow, man.’ It’s unbelievable -- it’s the polar opposite of what you had in 2017. Investors don’t necessarily need to dive into the pool until you see some of these various issues subside.”

Stocks Have Worst Week Since 2011 Amid D.C. Chaos: Markets Wrap

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped for the fourth session in six. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index finished little changed.

Treasuries rose, but European bonds fell ahead of the Christmas break. The dollar climbed against the yuan and most major currencies after China’s top policy makers said “significant” cuts to taxes and fees will be enacted in 2019, while signaling an easier monetary policy stance. The moves are the latest by leaders in world’s second-biggest economy as they grapple with a domestic slowdown and a trade war with America.

Elsewhere, orders placed with U.S. factories for business equipment fell in November, missing forecasts for an increase and adding to signs that demand is slowing amid risks from the trade war with China.

These are the main moves in markets:

Stocks

  • The S&P 500 Index fell 2.1 percent as of 4:01 p.m. New York time.
  • The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained less than 0.05 percent.
  • The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index declined less than 0.05 percent.
  • Germany’s DAX Index rose 0.2 percent.
  • The MSCI Emerging Market Index fell 0.6 percent.

Currencies

  • The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose 0.6 percent.
  • The euro declined 0.8 percent to $1.1358, the first retreat in a week.
  • The British pound declined 0.3 percent to $1.2625.
  • The Japanese yen fell less than 0.05 percent to 111.33 per dollar.

Bonds

  • The yield on 10-year Treasuries dipped two basis points to 2.78 percent.
  • Germany’s 10-year yield increased two basis points to 0.25 percent, the biggest climb in more than a week.
  • Britain’s 10-year yield gained five basis points to 1.321 percent, the highest in three weeks.

Commodities

  • West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.1 percent to $45.41 a barrel.
  • Gold fell 0.4 percent to $1,255.45 an ounce.

(An earlier version of this story was corrected to give the accurate timing of the market low as 17 months in the first paragraph.)

--With assistance from Jeremy Herron, Adam Haigh and Samuel Potter.

To contact the reporters on this story: Sarah Ponczek in New York at sponczek2@bloomberg.net;Vildana Hajric in New York at vhajric1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeremy Herron at jherron8@bloomberg.net, Andrew Dunn

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.