NEW YORK (dpa-AFX) – The back and forth of the US stock exchanges because of the monetary policy perspectives will continue on Thursday. As on the previous three weekdays, the indices fluctuated between gains and losses – and this again to a certain extent. After a peak increase of 1.8 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial was temporarily in the red, but then rose again by 0.25 percent to 34,252.33 points.
Courageous investors grabbed again at the reduced level, gratefully accepting surprisingly high growth in the US economy in the fourth quarter. However, trade was once again bumpy. The other index colleagues of the Dow were recently slightly below the breakeven point: The broader S&P 500 fell by 0.02 percent to 4348.88 points.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 fell 0.22 percent to 14,141.37 points after a peak rise of nearly 1.8 percent. The figures from the industry giants Tesla and Intel were not well received by investors in the two companies.
The fluctuations remain an expression of the nervousness of investors. An interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve in March after Wednesday’s interest rate decision is considered almost certain. Since the markets have been under a lot of pressure so far this year, a lot is already priced in from a monetary policy point of view. The market is now even expecting five interest rate hikes this year instead of the previous four.
The reactions to other quarterly figures from major US corporations were mostly negative. Tesla shares, for example, fell almost nine percent on the Nasdaq. In 2021, the electric car manufacturer earned more than ever before in a financial year, but the outlook for 2022 was criticized. Since there are still problems in the supply chains, CEO Elon Musk announced that he would not be presenting any new vehicle models this year.
Investors didn’t leave a good hair on Intel’s figures either, the papers fell by almost seven percent and were by far the biggest Dow loser. The chip group increased its sales in the past quarter, but the profit forecast for the first quarter of 2022 disappointed investors. Among other things, the expenses for the expansion of production weigh on profitability.
McDonald’s was another Dow loser by the numbers, albeit more moderately, down 0.6 percent. The fast-food chain continues to recover from the corona pandemic with a strong trend in sales, but profitability was considered a damper on sentiment here, too. Analysts judged that rising labor and raw material costs were eating away at profits.
On the other hand, however, the chemical group Dow Inc was convincing with its numbers. With an increase of 4.5 percent, investors reacted very happily to a record result achieved in 2021. Higher demand and price increases fueled business.
As for technology stocks, Microsoft stocks remained some protection against even more significant losses. After the strong results that the software company presented after the trading session on Tuesday, the papers last followed up on their positive conclusion from the previous day with a plus of 0.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Apple titles were up moderately by 0.3 percent. The results are expected from the iPhone group after the trading day on Thursday. Rod Hall of the investment bank Goldman Sachs had expressed caution a few days ago as far as the first quarter is concerned.
Even though the Nasdaq indices turned negative, the shares of the streaming provider Netflix remained on a recovery course after a recent sharp drop in prices that had been triggered by a disappointing subscriber outlook. Most recently, they advanced by nine percent as a favorite in the Nasdaq 100. The shares of streaming competitor Walt Disney, which rose 2.1 percent in the Dow, also recovered with them
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