Equities end slightly lower as bond yields hold near multi-decade highs

By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK, Sept 29 (Reuters) - US stocks ended the ‌session slightly lower on Tuesday, as ​government bond yields ​continued their ascent ahead of inflation and labor market data, while investors assessed comments from Federal Reserve officials for the path of interest rates.

Longer-dated US Treasury yields rose, with the 30-year bond hitting 5.6206%, its highest since June 2002. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury bond climbed to 5.293% — its highest level ‌since June 2007.

Stocks pared declines, however, as yields eased from their earlier highs and shorter-duration yields were down on the day as oil prices ⁠retreated on signs of a recovery in exports from the Middle East and comments from Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams. Williams said the US central bank has time to weigh the data before deciding ‌when to hike interest rates again.

Expectations for a rate ‌hike of at least 25 basis points from the Fed at its October meeting declined to 51.5%, according to CME FedWatch, in the wake of Williams' comments, from nearly 70% earlier in the session.

After retreating from highs at the start of the month, oil prices have accelerated higher in recent days as hopes that a US-Iran peace deal may be ​on the horizon have diminished.

The rising prices of crude and diesel fuel have stoked inflation worries and pushed US Treasury yields higher. Fed officials have also indicated more rate hikes might be needed if price pressures fail to moderate after the central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points this month.

Several key economic releases are due this week, including ⁠the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index from the Commerce Department on Wednesday, which could help shape the path of Fed policy. Labor market data, culminating in Friday's government payrolls report, will be released throughout the week.

"PCE tomorrow is going to be ​big, so we'll see where that takes us," said Tim Ghriskey, senior portfolio strategist at Ingalls & Snyder in New York. "The amount of negativity from consumers here, especially with higher rates, higher gas prices, they're getting squeezed — the consumers getting squeezed here, and we might start seeing (stocks sell ​off), at least in the consumer names."

Higher yields raise the cost of capital and can make bonds ‌an appealing alternative to equities, while also potentially denting corporate earnings power.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 131.59 points, or 0.26%, to 51,349.92, the S&P 500 lost 12.85 points, or 0.17%, to 7,670.84 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 22.84 points, or 0.08%, to 26,797.54.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE PLUNGES

The Labor Department said ⁠in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, that job openings, a measure of labor demand, had dropped by 256,000 to 7.079 million in August, below the 7.225 million estimate of economists polled by Reuters.

A separate report from the Conference Board showed US consumer confidence plunged to a nearly 12-1/2-year low in September, with households expecting a deterioration in business and labor market conditions over the next six months ⁠amid the Iran war and rising interest rates.

While the Fed's Williams expressed patience for more rate hikes, other policymakers took a more hawkish stance, with Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr saying more hikes are likely ​needed, and Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee saying that allowing inflation to stay above the Fed's target for 5-1/2 years is "playing with fire."

ANTHROPIC TARGETS VALUATION

AI-related stocks were in focus as Anthropic's initial public offering prospectus showed how the AI lab has grown sharply in the last year but also posted wider losses. The company is targeting a $2 trillion-plus valuation, possibly setting a benchmark for how Wall Street measures ‌AI leaders.

Meta shares advanced 3.3%, even after OpenAI unveiled always-on agents called dots that chase user goals across apps on their own, seen as a competitor to Meta's newly released Muse.

Among other movers, used-car retailer CarMax climbed 4.7% after reporting increased second-quarter profit and revenue.

Credit scorer ‌Fair Isaac Corp plunged 26.5% after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said government-sponsored mortgage enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will move to a single pricing grid.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.66-to-1 ratio ⁠on the NYSE and by a 1.47-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 ‌posted eight new 52-week highs and 33 new lows, ​while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 34 new highs and 244 new lows.

Volume on US exchanges was 16.15 billion shares, compared with the 16.87 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; additional reporting by Shashwat Chauhan and Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet ‌Das and Rod Nickel)

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