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U.S. Treasury yields slip after rally
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Seagen surges on Pfizer-buyout report
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Union Pacific jumps as CEO to step down
(New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments
to close)
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks eked out a
slight gain on Monday as investors engaged in some bargain
hunting after last week's losses, the biggest percentage
declines of 2023 for Wall Street's main benchmarks, as jitters
persisted about coming interest rate hikes to tame stubbornly
high inflation.
All three main stock indexes climbed more than 1% shortly
after the opening bell, in part due to an easing in Treasury
yields, and all three closed well off their session highs.
Stocks steadily gave up gains throughout the session as U.S. Treasury yields moved off the day's lows.
"On the heels of the worst week of the year, first three-week losing streak for the S&P since December, a little green is a welcome change but again the reality is market participants are trying to square the circle with exactly how long the Fed will leave rates high, and is a 50 basis point hike really on the table at the next meeting," said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group in Omaha, Nebraska.
"It’s led to a good deal of uncertainty, and we have seen that when there is uncertainty there can be selling and volatility." According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 12.19 points, or 0.31%, to end at 3,982.23 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 72.14 points, or 0.63%, to 11,467.08. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 72.46 points, or 0.22%, to 32,889.38. Last week, the Dow Industrials fell by the biggest weekly percentage since September, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq had their biggest weekly percentage fall since December as economic data and comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials heightened expectations the central bank will become more aggressive in raising interest rates. Economists at UK-based banks Barclays and NatWest believe the Fed could ramp up the pace of its interest-rate rises in March with a half-point hike. Morgan Stanley said it no longer sees a cut by the Fed this year and expects a slower pace of 25 basis points when the central bank does begin lowering rates.
Fed funds futures show traders are pricing in a third 25 bps hikes this year and see rates peaking at 5.4% by September. Fed Governor Philip Jefferson said he had "no illusion" inflation would quickly fall back to target and was committed to keeping restrictive monetary policy in place for as long as needed. Data showed new orders for key U.S.-made capital goods increased more than expected in January while shipments of core goods rebounded, suggesting that business spending on equipment picked up. Easing yields helped growth stocks rebound while Tesla jumped after the electric automaker said its plant in Brandenburg near Berlin was producing 4,000 cars a week, three weeks ahead of schedule according to a recent production plan reviewed by Reuters. Seagen Inc surged after the Wall Street Journal reported that Pfizer was in early talks to acquire the biotech firm. Pfizer's shares dipped.
U.S. railroad operator Union Pacific climbed as Chief Executive Lance Fritz said he would step down. Hedge fund Soroban Capital Partners had called for his ouster. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by David Gregorio)
