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Stock futures slid Friday as investors digested hotter-than-anticipated jobs data, worrying investors looking for signals that the Federal Reserve can begin slowing interest rate hikes.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 464 points, or 1.4%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures lost 1.7% and 2.2%.
Non-farm payrolls increased 263,000 in November, a bigger gain than the 200,000 increase expected by economists polled by Dow Jones. Treasury yields jumped while stocks slid as investors digested the data, which was being closely watched with labor considered a relatively stubborn area of the economy that has not clearly shown impacts from earlier interest rate hikes. Investors were hoping for a number that was both low enough to signal the labor market was cooling, while being strong enough to indicate the U.S. could avoid a recession.
“The supply of workers remain low, the demand for workers remains high,” said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors. “That means wage inflation will remain sticky and that’s a problem for stocks going forward because it’s likely to keep the Fed hawkish rather than dovish.”
Friday’s is the final monthly employment report before the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting on Dec. 13 and 14, in which the central bank is expected to raise its fed funds target rate by a half percentage point. A 50 basis point increase would mark a slowing from the prior 75 basis point rate hikes set by the central bank.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell appeared to confirm slowing rate hikes on the horizon in a Wednesday speech, noting that a pull back could start as earlier as this month. Stocks rallied, with the Dow ending up more than 700 points, following his remarks.
On Thursday, the Dow closed lower by nearly 195 points as traders looked to reduce exposure before the jobs data came out. The S&P 500 inched down 0.09% on Thursday, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 0.13%.
Thursday’s moves followed a mixed batch of economic data, including a core personal consumption expenditures report that was slightly better than expected on a monthly basis and a bigger-than-expected decline in the ISM Manufacturing Index. The so-called PCE deflator is one of the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauges.
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