(Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
US stocks climbed Wednesday, with the S&P 500 logging its first win in seven sessions.
The Bank of England pledged to buy UK debt temporarily to stabilize markets rocked by the government’s mini-budget.
Oil prices rose and concerns about iPhone 14 demand weighed on Apple’s stock.
US stocks climbed Wednesday as the Bank of England’s bond-market intervention lowered borrowing costs and calmed some nerves frayed nerves by the UK government’s budget plans.
The Dow industrials and the S&P 500 were higher after six straight losses while the Nasdaq Composite rose for a second straight session.
The market found relief from the Bank of England’s announcement that it will temporarily purchase £65 billion ($70.6 billion) in long-dated UK government bonds, or gilts. The move was aimed at taming financial markets after the government’s plans for spending and £45 billion in tax cuts to spur economic growth spiked up borrowing costs and drove the pound to a record low against the dollar this week.
Here’s where US indexes stood at the 4:00 p.m. closing bell on Wednesday:
S&P 500: 3,719.16, up 1.97% Dow Jones Industrial Average: 29,681.76, up 1.88% (547.10 points)Nasdaq Composite: 11,051.64, up 2.05%
“The news sent shockwaves across risk assets as investors attempted to front-run the BoE and potentially other central banks by buying downbeat bonds. As a result, bond yields sunk, and this triggered a short-covering rally in gold and stock markets,” Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index, said in a note. “The intervention by the BoE has given rise to speculation that other central banks might follow suit in a similar way. It remains to be seen whether this will be the case. But traders are buying bonds today and will be asking questions later.”
Yields on both UK and US debt sharply dropped, with the 10-year UK yield sinking 50 basis points to 4%.
All 11 sectors on the S&P 500 gained ground, led by the energy group. Oil prices rose after US weekly crude stockpiles unexpectedly fell by 200,000 barrels. Meanwhile, Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Florida. The storm has shut in 9% of oil production in the Gulf Coast of Mexico as of Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
Apple shares fell after Bloomberg reported the company nixed plans to increase production of its new iPhone 14 this year because an anticipated demand surge hasn’t taken place.
Here’s what else is happening today:
China’s yuan dropped to its lowest against the dollar in 14 years and moved toward its worst annual loss since 1994. Stanley Druckenmiller warned the US economy is headed for a recession in 2023 on the Fed’s aggressive tightening measures. The Fed doesn’t have to go “full Volcker” on inflation and a pivot on its rate hike policy could end the stock market’s slide, Fundstrat says. European gas prices jump after Gazprom warns it could cut its last flows into Europe. Billionaire investor Ray Dalio says the UK government should have known their policies would cause panic in the markets.
In commodities, bonds, and crypto:
West Texas Intermediate crude picked up 4.7% to $82.20 per barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 3.6% to $89.41. Gold jumped 2% to $1,668.40 per ounce.The 10-year Treasury yield slumped 21 basis points to 3.74%.Bitcoin gained 2.5% to $19,522.03.