S&P 500 edges lower as investors hold their breath ahead of economic data

All three indexes were in the red all day seesawing like crazy, the Dow down as low a 170 points in the morning, then seeing even a little black around 3 pm before falling through the floor again with all three closing modestly lower as investors pause ahead of the week’s key data. The choppiness is attributed to the tug-of-war fears of stocks being overbought coupled with the “fear of missing out” or as today’s expert put it, “Stocks are expensive but that doesn’t mean they can’t get more expensive before some kind of a pullback.” The pause relates to both retail sector reports due Tuesday, payrolls due Friday, and Powell’s Congressional testimony Wednesday and Thursday. Despite the so-called pause, volume remains above average at 12.7 billion. 

S&P 500 edges lower as investors hold their breath ahead of economic data

By Sinéad Carew and Ankika Biswas

Mon March 4, 2024 4:23 PM

DJ: 39,087.38  +90.99        NAS: 16,274.94  +183.02       S&P: 5,137.08  +40.81     3/1

DJ: 38,989.83  -97.55         NAS: 16,207.51  -67.43          S&P: 5,130.95  -6.13        3/4

March 4 (Reuters) - The S&P 500 closed slightly lower on Monday after a choppy trading day as investors took a pause ahead of economic data and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony.  Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab closed down 2.5% following a $2-billion EU antitrust fine for preventing Spotify (SPOT.N), opens new tab and other music streaming services from informing users of payment options outside its App Store.  Rallies in chip stocks, including Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab, helped advance the S&P 500 to fresh intraday records during the session as investors continued to bet on demand for products powering artificial intelligence (AI) even though were broadly cautious ahead of economic data.  But the S&P 500, after turning slightly positive late in the day, started to lose ground again in the last hour of trading to fall back into the red in the last few minutes of trading.

"This is one of those days where investors are on hold for the economic data that's coming out later this week," said Burns McKinney, portfolio manager, NFJ Investment Group.  Investors were waiting for insights into the U.S. economy's health from key monthly data such as readings on the service sector, due on Tuesday, and non-farm payrolls data due Friday, according to Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.  "The market is still trying to digest what the outlook is for the economy, earnings and the Federal Reserve," said Wren but he noted that both institutional and retail investors have some fear of missing out as they watch stocks hit fresh records.  "There's institutional money that can't sit on the books and watch the S&P 500 go higher every day and retail investors are starting to have the fear of missing out," said Wren. "Stocks are expensive but that doesn't mean they can't get more expensive before some kind of a pullback. Momentum is carrying the market and positive thinking is carrying the market."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI), opens new tab fell 97.55 points, or 0.25%, to 38,989.83, the S&P 500 (.SPX), opens new tab lost 6.13 points, or 0.12%, to 5,130.95 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC), opens new tab dropped 67.43 points, or 0.41%, to 16,207.51.

The S&P 500's communications services index (.SPLRCS), opens new tab was the benchmark's weakest sector, ending down 1.5%, while defensive utilities (.SPLRCU), opens new tab, which added 1.6%, was its biggest gainer for the day.  The Nasdaq had kicked off March by hitting an intraday record high on Friday, also closing at its highest level for two straight days, as the artificial intelligence-driven tech rally continues to steal the spotlight on Wall Street.  The S&P 500 has also been on a winning streak recently, jumping over 21% with four straight months of gains through February. BofA Global Research lifted its year-end target for the benchmark index to 5,400, from 5,000, representing a 5% upside from current levels.  Along with economic data, investors are also waiting for comments from Fed chair Powell, who is due to testify before lawmakers on Wednesday and Thursday.

AI server maker Super Micro Computer (SMCI.O), opens new tab finished up 18.6% and shoe maker Deckers Outdoor (DECK.N), opens new tab rose 2.6% ahead of their inclusion in the S&P 500 index.  Shares in Macy's (M.N), opens new tab jumped 13.5% after real-estate-focused investing firm Arkhouse Management and Brigade Capital Management raised their offer for the department store chain.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.20-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.44-to-1 ratio favored decliners.  The S&P 500 posted 106 new 52-week highs and 8 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 194 new highs and 99 new lows.

On U.S. exchanges 12.69 billion shares changed hands, ahead of the 11.87 billion moving average for the last 20 sessions.