Posted on Wednesday, 23rd June 2010 by Jesse Walker
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks fell on Wednesday as data showed new home sales dropped to a record low in May and investors were cautious before Federal Reserve comments on the economy.
Energy shares also dragged on the market, including Chevron Corp (CVX.N) which declined 1.8 percent, after crude prices fell.
The S&P home builders ETF (XHB.P) fell to its lowest in more than four months after release of the housing data before reversing the losses. The phase-out of a popular tax credit contributed to the 32 percent drop in sales.
Although another sign the recovering is slowing, the Commerce Department data sparked an overreaction by the market, according to Kim Caughey, senior equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.
“I don’t think anybody should be surprised that once you take away an incentive of $8,000 to buy a home, in a period where unemployment is above 9 percent, house sales are going to drop off,” she said.
“We would love to have the story that we’re going to have a V-shaped recovery. I think that’s not coming to fruition.”
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI dipped 14.88 points, or 0.14 percent, to 10,278.64. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index .SPX fell 5.91 points, or 0.54 percent, to 1,089.40. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC dropped 12.05 points, or 0.53 percent, to 2,249.75.
Volume was light before a statement from the Fed’s rate-setting committee expected about 2:15 p.m. The Fed is likely to keep interest rates exceptionally low for an extended period and may acknowledge a slight slowdown in the pace of the U.S. recovery, according to economists.
The S&P 500 has risen 79 percent of the days on which the Fed committee has issued rate decisions since 2008 for an average gain of 1.2 percent, according to Birinyi Associates Inc.
The S&P homebuilders ETF was last up 0.1 percent at $15.25.
Chevron (CVX.N) was among the biggest drags on the Dow, slipping 1.6 percent to $72.82 as oil futures fell 2.5 percent.
An oil services stock index .OSX dropped 1.5 percent as the White House pursued its legal battle to keep deep-water drilling on hold in the Gulf of Mexico following the worst oil spill in U.S. history after a federal judge overturned an initial ban on Tuesday.
On the Nasdaq, Adobe Systems Inc (ADBE.O) tumbled 5.2 percent to $31.05 after it said revenue surged but profit did not grow as quickly.
The S&P telecoms service sector .GSPT rose 0.3 percent as Credit Suisse raised its rating on U.S. telecoms services to “market weight” from “underweight,” keeping Sprint Nextel (S.N), up 1.2 percent at $4.37, as its top pick.
(Editing by Kenneth Barry)
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Tags: Home Sales, Low, New Home Sales, Record Low
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